“I’ve invested a whole ten minutes on this! How come I’m not an expert yet??!!”
If you’re anything like me, you want to be an expert on whatever is in front of you with as little time and effort as possible – whether it’s with a digital camera, a laptop, a mobile device or a website. After investing five or ten whole minutes on learning something new, I’ll get frustrated that I’m not an automatic expert, or at least reasonably proficient. When I was in school, we had a word for this: lazy. But I prefer the adult world term: busy.
Then there is the difference between learning the free stuff and the stuff that we pay money for. Typically, we consumers are willing to spend no more than 20 minutes on a user’s manual before quitting, even though we tend to want devices with more features than we’ll ever need [or more features than we're willing to read-up on]. When I spent $700 my first digital SLR camera last year, it was in my best interest to invest the time in the user’s manual if I was going to use the camera most effectively. So I actually put in the time, and I got my money’s worth.
But when it comes to learning my way around free stuff like Facebook, my time and patience suddenly runs short. What’s that about?
I get a lot of emails and phone calls from friends and clients that start with “How do I… ?” Often the question is a technical how-to about one’s computer or some computer or web feature unrelated to one’s website, which I’m not really qualified to answer [NOTE: "web designer" or even "digital enthusiast" is not synonymous with "tech expert."]. The good news is that the web is riddled with information… IF you’re willing to look and learn.
Fortunately, most things online come with great documentation, how-tos and tricks ready for you. The creators of most of these smart websites we all use, like Facebook, Twitter, Google, YouTube, YouNameIt, have thoughtfully taken the time to write very carefully written documentation with just about every how-to and whatnot you could ever need.
I had a question about how to use a feature on Facebook. So I literally Googled: “How do I use Facebook?” Guess what? The first page was riddled with helpful results. It was just a matter of poking around these results and I had my answer in mere minutes.
This is one of the amazing things about our digital webified existence now. We can find out just about anything. We just have to look. And what is the best way to look?
Looking for how to create a YouTube channel? Google “how to create a YouTube channel.” Looking for a way to send a link to someone about an album in iTunes? Google “send an iTunes link.” Need to find out how to use the BCC (blind carbon copy) feature in Mac Mail? Google “bcc in Mac Mail.” It’s all there for you. You just have to ask… Google.
But once I find the right web page with the documentation I need, there is the little matter of actually reading it and following the directions. And if I’m not willing to read and follow the directions…? I’m busy. (Or am I lazy?)
Hope this was helpful!
George
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