I’ve noticed when meeting with clients or associates about a website project, it’s pretty common for them to say some variation of “I’m not tech-smart at all, so I need this to be easy to use.”

In many cases, this is a matter of the client being modest, and a little uncertain, about what the project means for them. Technical knowledge is entirely relative to a given task or application, so a statement belittling ones own comfort level with technology can mean just about anything. Further details of the same meeting will usually bring this into focus, and can reveal whether the project is ultimately going to be worth your pursuit as a designer/developer. Read More…

Adam Klawonn’s Top Five Lessons from the Failure of the Zonie Report should really be retitled, substituting “failure” with “experience.” But one thing I’ve discovered is that many hyperlocal startups and their oft-one-man creators tend to be humble in their efforts, more interested in learning and sharing about emerging media models than crowing about their expertise.  And that makes all the difference in credibility, of course.

More evidence of this comes in a link relayed last week by a colleague. The Future Newsroom: Lean, Open and Social-Media Savvy compares two online media outlets at Penn State University. One is the stalwart site of a hundred-year-old campus newspaper, the other something quite new that takes a far more modern approach to the same community.  At a glance, the better product couldn’t be more clear. Still the editor of the newspaper site clings to the conventional wisdom.

Editor-in-Chief Rossilynne Skena said that while social media is “great for getting out short bursts of information,” the Collegian’s competitive advantage is “really going into depth and detail about a particular subject,” complete with perspectives from local leaders.

Let me guess. The same “local leaders” who have a dozen other available megaphones for their viewpoint every freaking day? And this provides the “depth and detail”?

Sure, sites like Onward State might hinge entirely on one or two dedicated people for stability, and can’t be counted on just yet as permanent fixtures in their environment.  But let’s be blunt. They’re doing better work, with a lot fewer resources. And that matters.

A great use of 30 minutes of your time – this recent discussion on publishing between Tim O’Reilly and Adobe’s Michael Gough.  [ via Robert Ivan ]

David Carr of the New York Times submits  Why Twitter Will Endure.

On Twitter, anyone may follow anyone, but there is very little expectation of reciprocity. By carefully curating the people you follow, Twitter becomes an always-on data stream from really bright people in their respective fields, whose tweets are often full of links to incredibly vital, timely information.

There is no small number of folks out there – and alarmingly, more than a few journalists – who continue to eschew Twitter, based on misconceptions and simple lack of familiarity.  That’s a little crazy at this point. A year from now, or two years from now, Twitter won’t necessarily be a hot buzzword or even an important brand. These things are hard to foretell. But the method of Twitter, well that’s a permanent fixture of the online world going forward. For certain.