I wrote a blog almost a year ago speaking about how often people build a hedge around their job. My thoughts right now are related to this, but are in a broader context. With the Internet dead-horse currently being “community”, “Web 2.0″, “user generated content”, and “viral”, I have realized how incredibly arrogant the so-called experts in all these areas have become. It is a human trait to want to be the “go-to” person in something, and with the world population so large, people are nit-picking over the stupidest minutia ever. Here are some community examples from the Internet:
1. Web design - If you are not designing your website in complete XHTML compliance, or coding your site in a complete MVC framework you are an idiot and don’t know anything about the web.
2. Browsers - Anyone using IE was born yesterday and will immediately get spyware and a lethal virus installed on their system.
3. OS - Slashdot: If you run any commercial non-open OS you are feeding the man and think the Internet runs on tubes. OSX users: Windows is built with viruses, does not have a graphics engine, and are used in big gray boxes. Linux is for D&D junkies. Windows users: No programs run on any other OS, every windows computer is $10,000 cheaper than any osx box, and Linux takes a college degree to learn.
4. Your blog needs comments: A friend Chris and the blog minions have spoken “authoritatively” about the superiority of a commented blog. If you don’t allow comments? Well then, you are a community crushing, egotistical, anti-web-2.0 maniac!
And the list could go on for hours. I believe the lack of person-to-person contact in today’s world, and the vast amounts of people on the planet have made people try so hard to make themselves relevant in a sea of people. They want a place, a niche that they control. The more people there are, the more focused their “expertise” has to be. More and more often I get comments from people about seemingly inane things in life that are steering me in the “proper” direction. I think people let things get to their head to quickly and assume a position of authority much too quickly. A classic example is the fights php developers have with some of the creators of the language over the proper way to handle php.
Trent to friend: “Hey look, I just got a new garlic masher”
Friend to Trent: “You got THAT brand of garlic masher? That thing is worthless, only a moron would have bought that thing”
So what is the moral? You need to consult the “community” of whatever it is you are doing before you attempt anything. What!? You used a table to do page layout!? You deleted a comment from your blog!? You didn’t put a dig link on your post!? Noob.
What are some ridiculous things you have heard from people in things you are doing “against the grain”?
I believe the lack of person-to-person contact in today’s world, and the vast amounts of people on the planet have made people try so hard to make themselves relevant in a sea of people.
Well put.
One other example I thought of: while I haven’t used a WYSIWYG editor in a looong time, it’s funny to hear some designers/developers chide others for using them. True designers code by hand, duh. (p.s. TextMate rules!)
Today I had a guy ask me if he should use Word to edit his html. I wanted to crawl into the fetal position and cry.
Connor
January 3rd, 2007
Listen, I know you’re using Dreamweaver and watching YouTube. You just can’t get past the Doritos.
It’s telling that you picked the theme ‘I feel dirty’. What’s up with that?
jeff barson
January 5th, 2007