Boyink! - Spring Forward on the Web

Well yea - I know.  Not a ground-breaking idea here, just a fresh example.  As I’ve stated on this blog before, while I work in technology, I have a love-hate relationship with it.  On one hand, I have a home wireless network, a networked digital picture frame, a music server, I send email to other rooms in the same house, and I put food on the table by configuring technical things for clients.

On the other hand, we dropped cable for our single 13” TV.  I have a cell phone, but if I use it twice a week that’s a lot.  I absolutely will not allow any game consoles in our house.  I don’t use IM, PDA’s, or any social networking tools. 

Overall - I just want to make sure that each addition of technology to my life really makes something easier, saves me time or money, or leads to more income and I’m not using it just for the sake of using it or because it’s the latest thing on Digg.

Which is a long lead-in to the reason for this post.  I visited a client the other day - a large client, the type that has a formal reception area and the typical “sign-in” book where you write your name, your business name and who you there to visit.  And (if you’re like me) you scan the other names of the book to see if your competitors are there and who they’re visiting.

On my previous visit some months ago the normal reception book had been replaced with a computerized system.  The receptionist had to walk me through how to use it, I typed in the data, and the system printed out a label which the receptionist affixed to a badge for me to wear.  The tag had my name but largely had the client’s logo on it.  I had to estimate how long this project was going to go on - as the tag had an expiration date, after which I would have to go through the whole process again.

I walked away with mixed feelings.  First off - I didn’t like being literally “branded” with the clients logo on a tag I had to wear.  No good reason, really, just that if I have to wear something branded on my person I’d prefer it be my brand - however insignificant it is compared to the client’s brand. 

Second - the whole check-in process took at least 5x longer than the old-fashioned sign-in book - mostly, I know, due to it being my first time using it. However, even if familiar with the system if I had to start over again it still would take longer.

Third - what are those sign-in books there for anyway?  I’ve questioned them in the past and the only answer was from the head security guy—saying that if there were an emergency they would use the sign-in book to know what visitors were in the building.  I had to wonder if this new system would be valuable in that respect - if an emergency occurred, assuming it was one that didn’t lead to loss of power, how long would it take to get that data out?

Back to my most recent visit.  I entered the building and out of habit went to sign the book.  I then remembered the new system and started to move to it.  The receptionist caught my eye, shook her head, and waved me into the building.

I wasn’t able to speak to anyone about it - but can only assume that this was another case of a complex technological “solution” replacing a very simple “problem” and being rejected by it’s users because it made their job harder or just wasn’t worth the effort.  The bigger question is how long that system will sit there, gathering dust, until the people behind it are willing to admit that it has failed and bring the “old fashioned” sign-in book back.

All in all it’s reaffirmed for me that there is much logic to starting simple. Yes - setting up an eCommerce section for a new project is fun and exciting.  But how about starting out with a phone number?  Or taking advantage of existing services like CafePress?  Yes, we can create fancy web contact email forms that route email to different people based on subject, but how about we start simple and see how often that contact form gets used? 

How about it - have you seen cases of mis-applied technology?  Have you developed something yourself that seemed like a good idea at the time but in retrospect wasn’t?

Comments are closed, but you can read the comments other people left.

1. salguod on March 07, 2007

   Local car dealer has a web site.  No phone number except the 800 number for out of the area folks.

   The reason I visited the site was that I’m sitting at my PC and that’s the easiest way to find their phone number so I caould call them for a service appointment.

   Lots of things like that out there, businesses with web site because they are supposed to have one.  They can’t tell you, however, what they expect to get out of it.

   BTW - Isn’t’ a blog a ‘social networking tool’?  :-D

2. Boyink (Author) on March 07, 2007

   Huh…that’s almost a case of not enough technology…although can’t you use the 800 number locally?

   I guess I haven’t been considering blogs as social networking tools - well, mine anyway…;)  I was thinking more of myspace, digg, friendster etc—all those web 2.0 things where stuff is supposed to be more valuable because “the community” has said it is…

3. Mike Dolores on February 08, 2008

   Technology means evolution. Evolution is not always the answer.

4. inetiatic on February 19, 2008

   I understand the love hate with technology, but to cut out and not allow new technology simply because it only is a hedonistic pleasure is a bit silly. But all to his own

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