Mike – You’re Not Really a Tech Guy

By on May 17, 2007 in Blog Coach, Marketing with 6 Comments

"Mike – You’re not really a tech guy, are you?" I wanted to give him a hug!

I’m not a tech guy. I’m a small business owner unafraid of technology. And the "tech-guys"…at one time in their life – they weren’t.

There is a high hurdle in some people’s imagination about technology. It limits their growth. Does it stem from fear of failure? Maybe. Fear of looking foolish? Probably. Laziness? My money is on this one.

We don’t need to understand how a microwave really works to use one, but we use ‘em, right? My grandsons don’t blog yet (but they will).

Three years ago, I didn’t know the difference between a <p> and a <div> – didn’t even know they existed (or why). Six years ago, I didn’t know what a blog was – did you? When did we send our first email…15 years ago? Less?

Enough of this techno-babble and information highway stuff…

I’ve been driving for 30 years. I didn’t take the car apart to understand it first. I wanted behind the wheel because I knew it would get me farther, faster. Thanks to my driving instructor (and I still remember much of what he taught), I learned how to use a car.

To my business friends out there still trying to take apart the wikis and the YouTubes before using them: Get behind the wheel and start the learning process. Forget about the technology of it, and realize these tools can take your business farther, faster. Hire an instructor if you need guidance.

You don’t need to take technology apart before you drive it. But if you don’t start learning how to use it – you probably shouldn’t be behind the wheel.

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  • http://dmiracle.com Dawud Miracle

    Boy Mike, just like many things with us, I really resonate with your post. I don’t think of myself as a tech person, either.
    Instead, I think of myself as a problem solver. When the problem is marketing a business, I help people use their websites and blogs. When the problem becomes how to effectively design those websites for business growth, I turn to graphic design, coding and usability. When the problem is converstion, I become a copy editor. When my clients need to learn something, I become their coach and teacher. And when I want to get WordPress to do something it doesn’t do out of the box, I become a code hacker.
    I even learned TypePad so I could play with it. Not because I like code so much, but because I can see us using it to solve problems for business owners.
    So I guess you can say that my work is problem solving for small business owners. And I just do what it takes.

  • http://www.variocreative.com/blog Mark Cahill

    If you go by the Wikipedia definition, I was blogging in 1996. But truly the first blogger was David Winer with his Userland stuff.
    The revolution really came the software evolved enough that non-technical users could put together a fairly competent site without having to hire someone or take a course.
    As business bloggers, we have a unique opportunity to actually talk to our customers, and we do it in a non-intrusive way. Who wouldn’t want to train their customer to read their website twice a week? Why wouldn’t you want to be your customers go to source for information on your particular business niche?
    I remember the first time someone asked me to “fax” a document to him. I said, “You mean FedEx?” and he had to explain. Business has changed so much just since 1980 – remember, most of us didn’t use computers and our phones didn’t even have keypads yet.
    You’re right on the money. You don’t need to know the technology to make it work now, but there are benefits to be had by learning more than the rest of the crowd.
    Great post!

  • http://www.allthingsworkplace.com Steve Roesler

    Mike,
    Being a “small business owner unafraid of technology” is a terrific phrase–and the example has ramifications in large businesses as well.
    Just last week I was with a (Fortune 500) client who was lamenting the level of engagement and urgency in some parts of the organization. As a result, we re-framed the hiring and promotion criteria in this way:
    “We are looking for business people who are passionate about (research, engineering, technology, etc).”
    It really does change the way you view yourself and your role…
    Good one again, Mike.

  • http://www.maryschmidt.com Mary Schmidt

    Mike,
    Here in the qurky burque, many people still fax. And, look at me funny when I tell them I don’t have a fax number and to just send me the doc and I’ll sign it electronically. (These are the same type of folks who really look at me funny when I tell them I don’t have a brochure ;-)
    Re the link to my post above (behind the wheel) – that was a couple of years ago, and I’m planning major renovation again this summer. SOBCon’s timing was perfect! Gave me greet ideas (Videosticky way cool!). I’m not a “tech guy” either but, hey, it’s fun to learn. If it doesn’t work, well, then go try something else. I don’t realize how much I have learned until I’m talking to someone who doesn’t know a tag from a troll. As I tell them, “C’mon in! It’s fine…I know just enough to be dangerous and I’m not dead yet!”
    I may have to – um – “borrow” this post.

  • http://copywriterunderground.com Tom Chandler

    It’s difficult to learn this “tech” stuff in the abstract; once you roll up your sleeves and start pushing stuff through to pipeline — and adjusting your inputs based on what comes out — you learn stuff.
    One addition; If I had a dime for every small business owner who couldn’t update their Web site because their Web guy was a friend who couldn’t be bothered anymore (or a site builder who didn’t return phone calls) I’d be writing this from a tropical beach.
    Let’s hope the blog-centric, biz-owner friendly CMS software gets just a little easier to use (WordPress is already pretty close) so we can focus on the content and not the delivery vehicle.

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