How to Bridge the Gap between Techies & Non-Techies
Guest Post by Patricia Millman
Here I am on a techies blog and I’m about to explain to Ben my super-geek friend; the world through a non-techie’s eyes. It is probably hard for a techie to grasp some of what I will share, but please stay with me while I try to explain. You see I am not a techie and haven’t been blogging for very long, so wanted to write this post to hopefully help techies converse with us non-techies out there because I know there are a few of us in the blogosphere.
These scenarios are just some of what I have experienced since I began blogging.
- Do not assume everyone’s brain works like yours. It does not and some of us will readily admit this fact. Rather than write programs or sort out code; we prefer to daydream about creative writing and literature but we do appreciate your skills. You do not have to speak in a language we do not understand i.e. techie-speak to impress us. We already class you in the realm of genius as you understand HTML, CSS and the like. See even I know what they are called; just don’t know what they are.
- When writing instructions either draw a diagram (you may have to ask one of us creative types to draw it for you if you can’t draw) and mark it clearly in English so we understand what you are on about! Otherwise use a video to show us how and what you are talking about. Some of us learn better with visuals. It also helps us to know vaguely what you are talking about.
- When you write a brilliant post we want to not only appreciate your brilliance (remember we already think you are a genius) but would prefer to understand what the post is about.
- Don’t tell me how wonderful the new WordPress plugin is unless you are willing to set it up for me. Remember, just because you find it the best thing since sliced bread; I actually am none the wiser. It is only ever wonderful if we can use it and know how it works. I’m sure these products are wonderful; just don’t ask a technophobe to recommend them. Okay??!!
- When we tell you that you have written a techie post that we can understand and even implement some of the things you have recommended; then and only then will you know that you are communicating in a language we understand. With this newbie blogger it happens to be English.
- Don’t jump from step 1 to step 3 when explaining something technical. I for one do not know what step 2 is and wouldn’t even hazard a guess. You won’t offend me by using very simple non-techie speak when giving me instructions. Remember, I haven’t a clue what you are on about so it’s all new to me and I’m usually in a state of panic when the word program, coding or apps are mentioned! And I’m not fooled by those words: “Anyone can do it!”
- Because this is your expertise; be kind to those of us whose skills are elsewhere. You may just need our help sometime. We need to be there for one another and though one side of my brain works overtime; the area that says “problem solving” is mostly switched off. So I appreciate your skills and I hope in time as you get to know me you will appreciate mine too.
- When I ask a question on your blog; I always declare I am not a techie so please, please, please use the simplest instructions when answering my query. I don’t want to have to go to another blog and ask the same question over and over. You may smile but on some issues that is what I have done; because the explanations I was given I couldn’t understand. Left me with more questions than answers. You cannot insult me by explaining as if you were talking to a first grader. In fact these days a first grader will probably grasp it easier than me. So keep it as simple as you can.
- If you really want to help me; you will probably have to write a few blogging tips along the way so I keep visiting your site. You never know; I might be your next client and employ you as my programmer. After all I never said I would ever understand your techie-speak. Not even when you give it to me in English.
Lastly, to all the techies out there who answer my questions, teach me the basics and then hold my hand while I grasp the simplest of techie tasks I say thank you. It feels amazing when I accomplish these goals. You techies are appreciated. I just don’t understand how your brain works and that’s after many years working as a nurse! Keep blogging everyone and I hope to bump into you sometime in the blogosphere.
Bio: Patricia Perth Australia I blog over on lavenderuses.com on all things lavender. That’s right. You did read that correctly. I have a small niche blog on a single flower…..the lovely lavender. I would love for you to take a look and leave a comment while you’re there. Join in the conversation and become an active member of the blogging community. I also love Twitter and am a regular Tweetheart. If I visit your blog and you have written a helpful post, then I’ll retweet it. If you ask me nicely I will probably retweet your post too.
Ben here, before you leave have a look at the other articles available on this blog. I also have a newsletter which you can subscribe to using the form below. So fill your name and email address below and click Subcribe Me.
More From benwan
Incoming search terms:
Tagged with: advice • blog • blogosphere • creative types • English language • Technology • technophobe • twitter • Wordpress • wordpress plugin
Filed under: Guest Post • Tips
Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!
Welcome, my name is Ben Wan. I help people get started online by building their website. I also train them to run their own website.
Solar Energy Facts and News Website
Eco-Office for Rent near Perth
Hi Ben
Just wanted to say thanks for the opportunity to guest post on your blog. Your help with all things techie have really been an enormous help and relief to me. Thought I would dedicate a post to all you techies. Hope you appreciate the humour
Patricia Perth Australia
Patricia@lavenderuses recently posted..So Little Time- So Much To Do
[Reply]
Hi Patricia,
Nice to see you stretching your wings
I used to write training manuals for software and business, and one of the most difficult things to do is convert highly specialized knowledge into a form that perfectly conveys that knowledge to an absolute beginner. It’s so easy to make unintended assumptions about the reader’s knowledge. It’s also easy to take short cuts with those assumptions.
Of course, being on the Beginner side of the fence, it’s infuriating when I read instructions where the writer is lazy in this regard and leaves out entire steps, assuming I already know what the heck they’re talking about. If I already understood, I wouldn’t be reading their stupid instructions!
All techies must remember we weren’t born with this knowledge; we all learned it somewhere down the line, and were confused beginners ourselves. And personally, there are zillions of things I still don’t know.
This was a great post, Patricia, and very well written!
Rick
Rick LaPoint @ Internet Marketing recently posted..The Logic of Emotional Motivators
[Reply]
Patricia from lavenderuses Reply:
December 7th, 2010 at 9:27 pm
Hi Rick
Thanks for coming over and commenting on my guest post. I consider you a geek now as you have done heaps on your blog and seem to understand what’s going on in the back office! But you at least understand how it is for those of us who have no idea what it is all about.
My brain just does not do “problem solving”. My friends will attest to that lol But writing and networking I really enjoy. Will be interesting to see what conversations are elicited from this post.
Appreciate your kind comment and your continued support. Thanks Rick.
BTW Since you put my other GP in my sidebar, there have been quite a few clicks over to your blog too
Patricia Perth Australia
Patricia@lavenderuses recently posted..So Little Time- So Much To Do
[Reply]
Great points Patricia! I know I feel like that when I’m trying to figure out something technical that I don’t understand (like PHP). I try to be very clear with detailed instructions when explaining things to my clients, trying not to forget how intimidating the WordPress dashboard can be the first time with all the options for things you have no idea what they are.
I still say in no time you will be a techie, too. You can’t help but pick up things working on a blog.
Melinda recently posted..Twas Just Before Bedtime
[Reply]
Patricia from lavenderuses Reply:
December 8th, 2010 at 12:18 am
Hi Melinda
Thanks for coming over to my friend Ben’s blog. He is a geek like you. Has sorted a few things for me when I have been in panic mode on my blog lol
My brain just doesn’t work like a techies brain. “Problem solving” mostly switched off. For you as a Web person who does this for your job, that may be hard to fathom. But trust me it’s the truth!
I wrote this post awhile back and left it on my desktop. It was after visiting several blogs and asking a question and not getting an answer I could understand. So though it is a bit tongue in cheek, there is an element of both truth and frustration in there too.
Rick puts it succinctly in his comment; even though I consider him a geek too
Where would we be without you techies eh??!!
Appreciate your taking the time to comment and hope you enjoyed the post.
Patricia Perth Australia
Patricia@lavenderuses recently posted..So Little Time- So Much To Do
[Reply]
Awesome reminders, Patricia!
I’ve been in the Information Technology field for going on twenty years myself, and I learned early on that the gap between us nerds and the not-so-technically endowed is much larger than anticipated.
Even in the age of technology, it’s impossible to assume that anybody that happens to use a computer, automatically knows exactly what to expect or how to get things done. I’ve built software and both technical and user manuals and yes, I found myself assuming way too many times, that folks still know where the ‘Start’ button is (for the PC folks).
Thanks put putting a Loving Smackdown on us techies and keeping us in line with recognizing such gaps.
-Rich
Rich @ Perpetual Enlightenment recently posted..Learn to Overcome Your Fears
[Reply]
Patricia from lavenderuses Reply:
December 8th, 2010 at 7:48 am
Hi Rich
Thanks for stopping by and giving your persepctive. Wow a super-geek and I didn’t know lol My suggestion to all you ‘geniuses’ is if you have anthing remotely techie you are wanting to release as a product or share about on your site; get a non-techie to test the product or read the post first.
That way, if you can get us to understand/be able to use it then it will be a resounding success
So many times I have been told a product is easy to use, will help me with A,B,C on my blog and I have sent it back! Couldn’t understand what it was meant to do or how to use it!!!
Still see some of these products around that all the geeks rave about. I just smile and move on.
Patricia Perth Australia
Patricia@lavenderuses recently posted..So Little Time- So Much To Do
[Reply]
Ah, this is the post you were alluding to; I found it!
For me, I’ll admit there are times when seeing images will help, and videos aren’t bad either. I’ve had a couple of images when explaining stuff, but not often, and I can’t record any videos.
Of course, the issue with your blog is it’s on WordPress.com and unless you’re paying for it, there’s a lot you can’t do. So, much of the really techie stuff won’t work for you anyway. But I hope on my blog that how I explain something is thorough enough. If not, of course you can always ask for more; whether I know it or not is a crap shoot.
Mitch recently posted..Sunday Question – What Do You Really Think About Blogging
[Reply]
Patricia from lavenderuses Reply:
December 8th, 2010 at 7:53 am
Hi Mitch
Glad you managed to find my guest post. I have Headway themes and both Rick and Ben have sorted things on my site when I have got stuck. Karen did the nice Twitterfeed in my sidebar. Aren’t techies the nicest people
You know me Mitch. I will ask if I don’t know something. The problem in the past has been I have gone onto blogs, asked questions and had more questions when I left the blog, than when I landed there!
Now I know enough techies to go ask them and they always seem to come up trumps. Which is a huge relief to me as lots of this stuff remains a mystery lol
Thanks for stopping by and staying to comment Mitch. Much appreciated.
Patricia Perth Australia
Patricia@lavenderuses recently posted..Lavender Products Galore-Must Be Party Time
[Reply]
Mitch Reply:
December 8th, 2010 at 11:15 am
Well, I finally got through! Yes, techie people love to help, but it’s because we love showing off when we’re correct. lol
Mitch recently posted..What 26 Inches Of Snow Looks Like
[Reply]
Patricia from lavenderuses Reply:
December 8th, 2010 at 12:00 pm
Haha Mitch. Too funny
I like to think it’s because you are being helpful. Am I fooling myself??!! I just am amazed at how the techie brain works! So, so different to mine. It’s funny isn’t it, that the things we find easy, it is hard to imagine finding them difficult.
It’s like when people write posts about writer’s block. What’s that??!! I so don’t suffer from that one. Even my comments are short posts lol.
But then mention code and the panic button is pressed. My techie friends smile…..I can almost hear their chuckle as they offer to do some ‘simple’ task for me….Phew I am relieved and off I go to visit another blog and join in some more interesting conversations
Patricia Perth Australia
Patricia@lavenderuses recently posted..So Little Time- So Much To Do
[Reply]
Hi, Patricia!
Great post! This was something that I needed to read. Though I don’t think I’ve written much in the way of techie stuff, I’ve got a big pseudo-techie post coming out tomorrow. The problem is that it’s more of an overview of a lot of different techie stuff that’s available, so I won’t be able to go into detail of how exactly to use each one. Hmmm… But I’m not done writing it yet, so I’ll try to make it as simple to follow as possible.
It’s always hard to keep in mind that not everyone is at the same level that we are, regardless of the subject matter. That’s a great thing to remember.
Thanks for the reminder, suggestions, and great post, Patricia! And thanks to Ben for letting you guest post here!
Tristan recently posted..Blog With a Gun to Your Head or How to REALLY Get Things Done
[Reply]
Patricia from lavenderuses Reply:
December 8th, 2010 at 8:04 am
Hi Tristan
Thanks for stopping by. As I suggested to Rich who in my book is a super-geek; any techie post should be checked by a non-techie. If we can understand it then anyone can lol
I have bounced off so many sites in the past cos it may have been written in a foreign language, as far as I was concerned. Very frustrating when I am trying to learn to improve my blogging knowledge.
Now I just message one of my techie friends and they either teach me what I need to know or if it is too hard, then they sort (usually in a few minutes whereas I would still be attempting the task!) for which I am truly grateful.
That’s why I wrote this post. It was after going on sites and not getting any answers, or answers I couldn’t understand!
Look forward to your next awesome post Tristan. You sure are rockin’ the blogosphere at the moment.
Patricia Perth Australia
Patricia@lavenderuses recently posted..Lavenders- Small Niche Big Ideas
[Reply]
Welcome Rick, Melinda, Rich, Mitch, Tristan to my blog.
Thanks Patricia for your communication advice to us techies. I do understand how it feels to be a non-technical person, because I’ve been there too. Now, because technologies advance at such a rapid pace these days, I feel we’ll always remain newbies to a certain extent: just when you think you’ve mastered a technical skill, there’s a new version release, then there’s the next new cool thing: thus new skills to learn again.
I think it’s a question of what really interest us and what we want to specialise ourselves in. I love technologies and innovation, naturally I gravitate towards it. I think for most of the technical people it’s easier to just do the job than to talk/write about it. This can be true in most organisations: it takes 15 min to actually do a job but 2 hours to write about it. I personally prefer doing demonstration as a way to teach people how to do something.
So, in this post, you are bringing our attention to something that’s vitally important: how to communicate clearly and effectively. That’s a skill, a talent or an art to master in itself. Those who are natural teachers would fit into this category. For the rest of us, we have to continually ask ourselves what are our natural inclinations and what is the best and most valuable use of our time. Is it better for me to study the WordPress Codex, for example, or to be marketing our products and let someone else take care of the technical needs?
The world is such a diverse place and we need all kind of different people, where would we be if we were all techies or non-techies? We need each other and everything in between.
Ben Wan
Ben Wan recently posted..Don’t Go Broke Trying to Build an Online Business
[Reply]
Patricia from lavenderuses Reply:
December 8th, 2010 at 10:06 am
Woohoo. Well put Ben. We all have our expertise. My only plea is for clear concise instructions or my other option is to email you or Rick to do the techie stuff for me lol
One of the advantages of being part of this amazing blogging community is that we can all help and encourage one another.
Networking comes more easily to some than others. Whereas code and the likes is fascinating to you techies and a mystery to me
Patricia Perth Australia
Patricia@lavenderuses recently posted..So Little Time- So Much To Do
[Reply]
Mitch Reply:
December 8th, 2010 at 11:46 pm
Thanks Ben, but I have to tell you this. Whenever I try to access your blog via Firefox, which is my main browser, I keep getting redirected, so it won’t let me come to the post. It’s sending me to something about buying some theme. So I’m writing this in Opera instead; weird.
Mitch recently posted..Do What You Do And What You Know No Matter What
[Reply]
Patricia from lavenderuses Reply:
December 8th, 2010 at 11:58 pm
Hey Mitch your non-techie friend here so you know it not Ben lol I access through Firefox and no problems so it is weird eh??!! Sometimes it helps to not know what is going on.
Patricia Perth Australia
Patricia@lavenderuses recently posted..So Little Time- So Much To Do
[Reply]
Mitchell Allen Reply:
December 9th, 2010 at 12:17 am
In the spirit of community helping each other:
Mitch, that sounds like a cookie or caching issue. Since you are being redirected, you can’t do a hard refresh. The only option is to clear the cache (or delete the cookies?)
You and Patricia should compare Firefox versions to see if there is something going on between versions.
Cheers,
Mitch
Mitchell Allen recently posted..RSS Ate My Brain
[Reply]
Mitch Reply:
December 9th, 2010 at 12:52 am
You’d think, but my cache clears every time I close my browser, and I did a second clearing just to make sure. Deleted the cookies also; nothing.
For Ben, here’s what I get:
Click here (http://www.flexibilitytheme.com/buy-flexsqueeze/) to buy Flexibility 3 if you want to remove the footer links. (If you’re just previewing the theme after installation, just activate the theme and you’ll see how it looks)
Mitch recently posted..My Top 20 Sports Movies Of All Time
Sheila Atwood Reply:
December 11th, 2010 at 11:42 am
Hey guys, I am on Firefox too. No problems.
Patricia – This is a great reminder. It is easy to forget that some one doesn’t know and skip a step assuming they should know.
I am a visual learning I like diagrams too. I even line a pdf with my video instructions so I can easily refer back to the written material.
Thanks
Sheila Atwood recently posted..Premium WordPress Plugins For Building A Better Business
[Reply]
Patricia from lavenderuses Reply:
December 11th, 2010 at 2:25 pm
Hi Sheila
We non-techies often do not know what is deemed ‘basic’ by you geeks lol Just ask Ben or Rick. They will tell you the basics I didn’t know till they explained them to me
That part of my brain marked “problem solving” is mainly turned off and I don’t know anything different. Now the creative side can sometimes work overtime lol
Writers block…what’s that?! Code…yikes, panic button pressed!!!
That’s one reason I wrote this post. It is hard to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes and imagine something that comes so easily as being difficult or nigh impossible for another person.
Thanks so much for stopping by and taking the time to comment. I’m glad the techies who have been and visited have taken note but also appreciated my attempt at Aussie humour
Patricia Perth Australia
Patricia@lavenderuses recently posted..Are You a Tweetheart-Commenter…or both!
Ben Wan Reply:
December 9th, 2010 at 7:11 am
Hi Mitch,
Thanks for bringing this to my attention. The message reads like the theme thinks you are the owner of this blog who’s just installed the theme. Now why is it showing that to you? I’m investigating this. It may be to do with caching, cookies, or the super cache plugin.
Sorry for the inconvenience caused, if anybody else experience the same issue please let me know. I may need to re-install the theme, get another one or change some settings. I’m now reading through the php codes to locate the source of this issue.
Ben Wan.
Ben Wan recently posted..How to Bridge the Gap between Techies & Non-Techies
[Reply]
Hey Patricia! You’re everywhere! I totally understand where you are coming from. Even people like me, who are somewhat techie, can benefit from a watered down explanation to make sure I fully understand. Not being a techie doesn’t seem to stop you any – your blog is awesome. In fact, maybe you are more techie then you give yourself credit for?
[Reply]
Patricia from lavenderuses Reply:
December 8th, 2010 at 10:39 am
Hi Susan
Thanks for stopping by. It has slowed me down in the past. I will have some creative idea for my blog and then stop in my tracks as if it means coding or the like I have no idea where to start.
It does help being part of this awesome community. Everyone has been so kind and offered to help when I am stuck. So my blog is slowly taking its place in the blogosphere. Well amongst the other small niche blogs out there.
Appreciate your kind words and glad you enjoyed the post.
Patricia Perth Australia
Patricia@lavenderuses recently posted..So Little Time- So Much To Do
[Reply]
Hey Patricia! Perhaps you are more techie then you think you are? And if not, it doesn’t seem to slow you down any – your blog is awesome!
[Reply]
Patricia from lavenderuses Reply:
December 8th, 2010 at 10:44 am
Hi again Susan
Looks like you commented twice so will reply twice too. I so am not techie in any way shape or form. My good friends will testify to that fact lol. That includes all gadgets and the like.
I have my friends young children more tech savvy than me! They will look as I struggle to sort what to them is the simplest of tasks and just say with a resigned sigh: “Let me do it for you Aunty Pat”. I happily let them as they are growing up in a techie age and I so did not. Playing catchup is the name of the game for me now.
Still, loving the whole blogging experience and as Ben rightly says, room for all of us: techies and non-techies alike
Patricia Perth Australia
Patricia@lavenderuses recently posted..Lavender Products Galore-Must Be Party Time
[Reply]
Hi Patricia! This post is an excellent reminder to ALL writers. Communication is the point of writing. I know I sometimes go overboard – that’s due to the fact that I communicate with many techies. That’s why this reminder helps.
Now, every time I see your face on a blog, I’ll remember “What Would Patricia Think?” before I comment.
Cheers,
Mitch
Mitchell Allen recently posted..RSS Ate My Brain
[Reply]
Patricia from lavenderuses Reply:
December 8th, 2010 at 2:33 pm
Hi Mitch
So good to see you over here on Ben’s blog. He is a true geek and genuine nice guy. He has helped me loads with techie stuff on my blog. He does it in a few minutes and then tells me it’s done! I put all techies in the realm of genius. Total respect to all of them.
Good to know you will be thinking of this technophobe when you write your fantasmagorical comments
I often see you on Melinda’s humour blog. You and her seem to be hardwired in similar way as far as the humour goes lol. Love it and always have a smile on my face when I leave her blog. Lemons to lemonade I call it.
Patricia Perth Australia
Patricia@lavenderuses recently posted..So Little Time- So Much To Do
[Reply]
Mitchell Allen Reply:
December 8th, 2010 at 9:55 pm
I asked her if we were separated at birth. LOL
I see you often, well, everywhere. So I’m sure to become a better writer because of you
Cheers,
Mitch
Mitchell Allen recently posted..RSS Ate My Brain
[Reply]
Patricia from lavenderuses Reply:
December 8th, 2010 at 10:28 pm
You are already an extremely gifted wordsmith too. Just yours and Melinda’s brains work overtime lol
Patricia Perth Australia
Patricia@lavenderuses recently posted..Lavenders- Small Niche Big Ideas
[Reply]
Hi there Patricia and Ben.
Thanks for this awesome post. In fact, I mentioned this to Patricia awhile back asking her to let me see what it was that was on her desk. Now I know.
I’m going to print out this post as well and put it next to my desk too so I won’t forget.
Overall, I believe techies are just like creatives. We work in one direction always going and even though we’re both dreamers, one is of color, another of code!
Great article Patricia. You really let it all out this time huh?
I think the logical explanation to all of this is if we both blog, we might as well get along. I haven’t heard a honest blogger’s like you speak up for a very long time. Awesome my friend.
Thanks for letting us know what irks you and how we can improve on getting you up to par with our experience. Plus, I’m sure you’ve been reading a lot about techie rants so this is refreshing to see one from a non-techie perspective.
Amazing!
Keep at it Patricia. I’m going to have to ask you to coach me on getting what you want, the non-techie way!
Talk to you soon.
Cheers,
Thu
Thu Nguyen recently posted..Get Up- Stand Up- I’m Blogging This – Blog Unite- Empowering People with Disabilities
[Reply]
Patricia from lavenderuses Reply:
December 8th, 2010 at 10:35 pm
Hi Thu
Nice one. We see in colour and you see in code
Must remember that one. I am glad it has been well received. I did write it hopefully in a slightly humorous way as I do so respect all you techies out there.
Been some good interaction and conversation going on here which I always enjoy. So boring if it’s just one way eh?!
When we start the group in January you will really see how my brain works! I will probably cause a few smiles in the group. But I figure if I don’t know something then I will ask. Just hope I get an answer I can understand lol
Thanks for stopping by; especially as I know you are super busy with your email writing and everything else Thu does to make her blog one of my favs to visit
Keep rockin’ the blogospher Thu. Success is just round the corner.
Patricia Perth Australia
Patricia@lavenderuses recently posted..Lavenders- Small Niche Big Ideas
[Reply]
Hey Ben and Patricia,
I don’t feel so stupid any more. As a non-techie I need instructions to be as simple as “hold down the control button at the same time as pressing the XXX key”. Because if you are like me [trying to learn to do it for myself] I’ll let one go before the other and immediately think “it didn’t work”.
Ben is not only a great guy but an excellent tech support and has worked as a mentor, with patience, explaining things. Despite their promotion how simple it is, I could never have imported the Lumin WordPress Theme myself.
I’ve been told by techies that you need patience, intuition and the courage to just try various things if the first one didn’t work. come from the same place as Patricia – if it doesn’t work first time, it presses a panic button. Sometimes I’ve stayed up hours after midnight to correct something I’ve done in the admin panel that I didn’t know I’d done.
I’ve already been on Rick’s blog a few times but now I will include Rich, Melinda, Tristan, Susan and Mitchell – maybe if I concentrate on this group I will absorb what I need for progress and enjoy the journey more. Thanks in advance guys!
Perhaps you can all offer some suggestions? I started a blog to network the local community businesses while learning blogging. No monitization in my plan.
The intention was to get traffic going between us and create a tribe while I learned the elements of WordPress .
I started with promotional pieces for each business I know something about plus a home page that advertises our business centre.
Now I see how this approach is very uninteresting to all but the business in focus. Should I develop it into a small business advisory site including business tips and pieces written by others?
Any comment would be very much appreciated.
Thanks Patrica for this call to simplify things for non-tech blogging newbies and thanks Ben for all your guidance in the past. Ben has recently developed a new theme for my husband’s much larger solar energy site http://solar-e.com .
Julia Hayes recently posted..ESSENTIAL HEALTH for children
[Reply]
Patricia from lavenderuses Reply:
December 8th, 2010 at 8:22 pm
Hi Julia
Great to see you again. Ben is one heck of a nice guy and as you say, very patient when explaining things to us non-techies. I felt really humbled when he asked me to guest post on his blog.
Had already written most of this post before he asked me. Had put it on my desktop and was wondering what to do with it. I had written it after being frustrated at going to blogs, asking questions and still being none the wiser. Now know enough techies who are willing to guide me through my many tasks and answer my questions in a way I can understand.
All the techies who have commented here have been very gracious. I think it has also helped them to understand how us non-techies find things…..techie stuff incredibly difficult in my case! But other things like writing posts and networking I so enjoy and don’t find hard at all.
Ben puts it well when he says that whether we are techies or non-techies we all need each other. So true.
And now you have met some amazing bloggers whose sites you can now visit. They are all very helpful when I ask my questions. Learning heaps and loving the journey.
Thanks for taking the time to join the conversation Julia. Much appreciated.
Patricia Perth Australia
Patricia@lavenderuses recently posted..So Little Time- So Much To Do
[Reply]
Mitchell Allen Reply:
December 8th, 2010 at 10:03 pm
Hi Julia,
Nice to see that you’re willing to gain tech nirvana by osmosis. I actually have had moments of panic brought about by things such as you’ve described. Here is the secret:
Panic is a lot like the sensation you feel in the split-second between realizing you’re falling off the bike and when you hit the ground. The first time, it’s sheer terror. The second time, it’s frightening. The tenth time, you adjust your balance and say, “Whew! that was close.”
(Or if you’re like me, you say, “Maybe I should get a tricycle”.)
Anyway, we learn through our mistakes. It’s just scary because we don’t want to mess up so badly that we can’t get the computer running again. But, with enough computers and cash for repairs…I’m kidding.
Cheers,
Mitch
Mitchell Allen recently posted..RSS Ate My Brain
[Reply]
Patricia from lavenderuses Reply:
December 8th, 2010 at 10:38 pm
Only you could write a comment like that Mitch lol No, maybe Melinda could write one equally as funny
I’d definitely be saying….get me a techie!
Patricia Perth Australia
Patricia@lavenderuses recently posted..So Little Time- So Much To Do
[Reply]
Interesting analogy Mitch. In fact I fell off my bike and fractured my wrist. It’s still repairing. So comparatively I could put a few tech glitches Iinto perspective and say “what’s the worst that could happen?” to prevent an attack of panic button-itis yes that’s going to work. Thanks. I’ll go off and read RSS Ate my Brain now. I hope it’s not a horror story
Julia Hayes recently posted..Pizza Nights at Swanbourne Village
[Reply]
Patricia from lavenderuses Reply:
December 8th, 2010 at 10:54 pm
I just read it and all the comments Julia. Will have to get Ben or Mitch to translate lol. It’s why I don’t touch any plugin or app on my blog before checking with a techie. Want things to keep running smoothly and as I don’t understand a lot of what’s going on in my back office (just that it works) I’m not risking things by interfering with what is still working. Just my 2 cents.
Patricia Perth Australia
Patricia@lavenderuses recently posted..So Little Time- So Much To Do
[Reply]
Great post Patricia! And thank you for trying to educate the techies on how to communicate with us non-techies
Broadening your concept of communication a little further, I think we are all guilty of assuming knowledge when we are communicating with newbies, be it on a technical level or any other level. It seems to be human nature to forget very quickly where we ourselves were on the learning curve not that long ago and that leads us to assume knowledge that just isn’t there.
Great site by the way Ben….I look forward to visiting you more often.
Louise
Louise recently posted..Why Content Is No Longer “King”!
[Reply]
Patricia from lavenderuses Reply:
December 9th, 2010 at 8:38 am
Hi Louise
Nice to see you over here on Ben’s site. Thanks for staying to comment. That could be true. The things we find easy now, weren’t so when we first started out! Have to remember that when I am communicating with my readers.
Most of my visitors seem to be very competent as far as blogging goes but I do smile with some of their comments about gardening. At least with a few areas on my blog I seem to be able to teach them something.
Ben is a geek who does know how to communicate. When he starts explaining something techie to me and I have to stop him and ask what that is, I think he realises that he has a real non-techie here lol
He is very patient and with some tasks has done them for me cos I definitely don’t know anything about code. As Thu aptly put in a previous comment; creative people see things in colour and techies see them in code. Thought that was a very apt description of how the different areas of our brain work for different types of people.
Like Ben says: whether techie or non-techie we all need each other. That’s why this blogging community is so amazng. We cheer one another on and support each other when the journey gets a bit bumpy.
Patricia Perth Australia
Patricia@lavenderuses recently posted..Are You a Tweetheart-Commenter…or both!
[Reply]
Ben, these tips are almost a manual of what to do and how to do it. At www.solar-e.com we aim to practice these tips as close as possible. Your SEO tips are working to get the site out there and be effective in communicating to people from all demographics, vocations lifestyles and cultures. Wasting a click is in a way a crime given all the work that goes into producing a web site.
There is no short cut for providing real substance, but it must communicate effectively otherwise it means nothing. This takes a lot of hard work and in many cases a big investment monetary wise.
[Reply]
Patricia from lavenderuses Reply:
December 9th, 2010 at 12:02 pm
Hi Garry
Thanks for you comments about my guest post. Glad you like the tips and found them helpful.
I hoped the techies would take this post as intended. A bit of humour to get the non-techies views across to all these geeks who are such accomplished techies and actually enjoy deciphering code….imagine that lol
As part of this wonderful blogging community; I am finding so many amazing people who are helping make my journey enjoyable. With different strengths that we all have to offer, room for us all to push forward and become successful in our chosen niche.
Thanks for stopping by and you are obviously very happy with the information and expertise Ben provides.
Patricia Perth Australia
Patricia@lavenderuses recently posted..Are You a Tweetheart-Commenter…or both!
[Reply]
Your site needs to have more quality sponsors offering you access to your services. It is becoming a valuable resource.
[Reply]
haha what a fantastic post Patricia!
SO much fresh perspective comes from the hand of the Lavender Blogger. I really appreciate the message that this post conveys, but more over I love the way in which it was shared.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this Patricia, and I could not agree more that sometimes the techies just skip steps because they seem obvious to them, but us non techies are left staring at a screen that is not in the manual – wondering where to next.
I think the same can be said for anything really, and I always keep this in mind when I try to discuss anything related to SEO. Something Ifind works well is analogies, but then I guess when you are really talking tech, there is no way to make a metaphor or apply an analogy to these step by step situations.
Great post, and thanks for letting me know about it! I have Twitter on my phone and I forgot the URL when I got to my PC, then randomly it hit me
From now on I am going to call you Prolific Patricia.
Alex recently posted..Not Just Another Sydney Based Search Engine Marketing Firm
[Reply]
Patricia from lavenderuses Reply:
December 10th, 2010 at 3:05 pm
Hi Alex
I figured you were busy as you usually come comment when you can. You and Rick are 2 bloggers I really respect who have really encouraged my blogging journey and I really appreciate it.
I wrote this after visiting several sites where my questions just left me with even more questions rather than any answers! Didn’t know I would be publishing it as a guestpost on Ben’s techie site
Think the techies I have got to know in the blogosphere are starting to get the idea if I say that techie stuff is a mystery I am not joking. BTW if you are tweeting from your phone that sounds a bit techie to me lol
As always thanks Alex for joining the conversation. Much appreciated.
Patricia Perth Australia
Patricia@lavenderuses recently posted..Are You a Tweetheart-Commenter…or both!
[Reply]
Patricia, what an insightful article
I truly think that “techies” take their abilities for granted sometimes and it’s far too easy to dismiss the fact that other not-so-technologically-savvy people haven’t a clue what they’re talking about!
My mom is a SUPER non-techie. She doesn’t know how to create a new folder on her desktop and she doesn’t even understand what the URL bar is! (She thinks everything is in Google, haha.)
Honestly, I can hardly believe you consider yourself a non-techie! As someone who has been able to create such an amazing community, use Twitter, set-up your blog and your Etsy store, and everything else, I’d consider you to be right on the ball!
Anyways, lovely post. It’s great to read about how other people view/experience things online and can really open up new ways for us “geeks” to see things! Haha.
I am really going to keep this in mind for future blog posts. It can be too easy to assume that everyone knows what I’m talking about. I have to remember to simplify things as much as possible.
This post deserves a RT!
Elise recently posted..You Could Have 42-385 Twitter Followers And Never Make A Single Sale
[Reply]
Patricia from lavenderuses Reply:
December 11th, 2010 at 3:35 pm
Hi Elise
Don’t be fooled by what you see on my blog. I got a techie to do my Etsy store and my Twitterfeed was done by a kind techie friend. The things I have managed to do took me so long and I found so hard to master. I am however, very good at following clear, concise instructions if written in English
I am in your Mum’s shoes almost. And she is probably much younger than me. Computers weren’t around when I went to school! A scenario you young ones can’t even imagine lol
Just think of me when you are writing your techie posts. Ask if I can understand and you will get most of the population heaving a sigh of relief and confirming that you are not only a genius but also a brilliant communicator. Both of which I think you are already
BTW a much younger friend or my Gen Y niece have created all my folders for me. Otherwise everything sits on my desktop. Which is a paradox really as I am a very tidy person offline.
Both Ben and Rick have experienced what it means to know a blogger is a complete technophobe. They have kindly helped me out when I have got stuck with techie tasks. and been very gracious about it too.
Thanks for stopping by and staying to add to the conversation. This topic is proving to be an interesting one, that’s for sure.
Patricia Perth Australia
Patricia@lavenderuses recently posted..Are You a Tweetheart-Commenter…or both!
[Reply]
Elise Reply:
December 11th, 2010 at 3:45 pm
Wow Patricia, I am honestly impressed with what you’ve been able to do
and I would have never thought you were a non-techie unless you told me.
It’s great that you have gotten lots of help and you’re able to follow instructions! My mom can’t follow techie instructions and refuses to understand anything. I don’t know how many times I’ve told her how to do something haha. It seems that there is some sort of learning barrier that she can’t grasp when it comes to computers
I love to hear that people have been gracious enough to help you out. I think it really says something about the community here. I look forward to reading more about the non-techie side of learning this sort of stuff.
In my opinion, this is something that Gen Z will REALLY have a tough time with figuring out! lol.
Elise recently posted..You Could Have 42-385 Twitter Followers And Never Make A Single Sale
[Reply]
Patricia from lavenderuses Reply:
December 11th, 2010 at 6:02 pm
Thanks Elise. I do try hard to grasp things but some are not meant for my brain lol
Your Mum probably figures she has a geek in the family so why take that away from you
If I had someone right here to do it for me, that would be fantastic. That’s my other dream. Soon as I am earning enough, will outsource anything that is techie on my blog.
I have lots of ideas of how I would like things to look; things I want to implement, but just have to be patient. Can’t do them myself that’s for sure!
The millenials (your Gen Z) already know heaps more than me about digital stuff. To them it is normal as they haven’t known a world without all the gizmos & gadgets. I think you are right. Will probably have to teach them the non-techie stuff like how to communicate with real people offline. Even that there is life outside of cyberspace
Patricia Perth Australia
Patricia@lavenderuses recently posted..Are You a Tweetheart-Commenter…or both!
[Reply]
Hi everybody,
Welcome again to my blog, and Patricia you’re doing a great job welcoming everybody here!
I just thought I’ll share that with you, today I’ve been reading the book: the Brain that changes itself by Dr Norman Doldge where it talks about the brain’s amazing ability to learn and develop new senses should it lose one.
What’s the link with this post? According to the book, we get better at what we spend time doing or learning. Even if we think we don’t have one ability, if we stick with it we will get better. That would include getting better at communication, to us who need it, or better at technology, for those who are non-techies. So choose what you want to give your time to.
Ben Wan.
Ben Wan recently posted..Get indexed- get ranked- get traffic
[Reply]
Patricia from lavenderuses Reply:
December 11th, 2010 at 9:45 pm
Hi Ben
Glad you’re happy with the conversations that are happening on your blog. Interesting that it says: “the brains ability to learn and develp new senses should it lose one”. I presume they are talking after traumatic brain injury or an acquired brain injury such as stroke.
Sounds like an interesting read. I wouldn’t want to lose my writing ability though and replace it with the mind of a techie lol Will have to explore this some more. Thanks for sharing it with us Ben.
Patricia Perth Australia
Patricia@lavenderuses recently posted..Are You a Tweetheart-Commenter…or both!
[Reply]
Hi Ben and Patricia,
Fabulous book – highly recommend it to everyone. I’ve bought many copies as gifts. How about this? ”We don’t see through our eyes, we see through our brain.” If the eyes are damaged the brain can be trained to ‘see’ through the skin on our back.
So unbelievable yet true. When you read it you understand.
it gives weight to the concept ‘use it or lose it’. If we stop using one part of the brain (ie stop speaking French) the adjoining part in the brain map will expand and take over the part we are not using.
So we’ve got to keep those synapses firing. Learning SEO will do it ! Working on the WordPress admin panel will help.
Your guess is right Patricia, it demonstrates how stroke damage can be reversed by the neurons finding new pathways (if a tree has fallen on the path, learn a new route : take the bridge).
You’ve connected the message to our current learning curve very well Ben. Gives me hope!
Thanks
Julia
Julia Hayes recently posted..Feng Shui & Furnished Offices
[Reply]
Patricia from lavenderuses Reply:
December 12th, 2010 at 12:33 am
Hi Julia
I worked in a neuro rehab unit as a nurse manager and dealt with brain injured young adults.
Would be interesting to read and see if the conclusions are what I experienced in that unit. I know they are still learning so much about our brain and there is much more to learn. We only know a very small part of how it works, and more is being discovered all the time.
This sure has sparked an interesting discussion hasn’t it? Thanks for adding to the conversation Julia. Much appreciated.
Patricia Perth Australia
Patricia@lavenderuses recently posted..Are You a Tweetheart-Commenter…or both!
[Reply]
Julia Hayes Reply:
December 12th, 2010 at 10:38 am
Hi Patricia – Then you will know MUCH about brain injury. I know this is moving away from the tech/non-tech element of your post, but ”well-bein’g” is a special interest….and we need to keep our brains healthy to keep blogging don’t we?
At the end of the book author Doidge mentions Posit Science Corporation and their brain training programmes.
I found them to be a leading brain training company in USA and ended up buying a programme for driving awareness. The training is in the form of computer games that get more and more difficult. You can map your progress – I increased my peripheral vision by 80% in 3 months (but had slow progress in the memory section).
OK that’s my Sunday input – I just got fired up and it was fun to add another sentence.
Julia
Julia Hayes recently posted..ESSENTIAL HEALTH for children
[Reply]
Patricia from lavenderuses Reply:
December 12th, 2010 at 5:13 pm
Don’t apologise for adding to the conversation Julia
I know some of the commenters here are just like me and read all the comments as well as the post when they land on a blog. I reckon you can learn just as much from comments as from the post.
Because I worked with brain injured youth, I always like to check out any new information I come across. Just because some treatments are very effective, whilst others give unrealsitic and often false hope to people oftimes. Seen it happen too often.
Will have to do further research on this book. Sounds promising. I agree that our health & well-being are very important. Thanks for such a lively discussion Julia.
Patricia Perth Australia
Patricia@lavenderuses recently posted..Are You a Tweetheart-Commenter…or both!
[Reply]
Great post Patricia, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and the comments in this thread! You touched on a lot of great (and sore) points. Many scenarios reminded this pom of his first blundering steps online — something which I still rinse and repeat on occasions! LOL
Like you, during my first steps online I discovered that a lot of things in my head weren’t able to make it onto the world wide webby. My creative ideas became held up by the limitations of my techie knowledge, and being a newbie it was difficult to know what questions to ask techies when I didn’t know what I should be asking.
However, I read and studied a lot — where there’s a will there’s a way — but even today trying to grasp some techs instructions can still be frustrating. Techies always assume you know the ins and outs of what they are talking about. Why is it the demos always work perfect on their site, but when implementing their exact instructions on you own site they don’t? So I can understand the challenges that you have been going through getting your spiffy Lavender blog up and running.
I’m not sure when our paths first crossed Patricia, but it could have been around 2000AD — prehistoric times on the Internet! Hehe!! It must have been shortly after setting up my first ever domain and tinkering under the hood doing something the techs call SEO. As you know, I was a “non techie” back then and was proud to wear the tee! But I learned the basic techie acronyms fast, I phoned a friend or downloaded the knowledge I needed from people like the late Corey Rudi.
Incidentally, my 1st domain still makes me a few pennies every month. Not bad going ten years on, but the temptation to fix what is not broken remains my an ongoing battle there! Perhaps that’s one to add to the list of downsides if you go worshiping the techies like the sun shines out of their code! LOL
On a more positive note, hanging out with techies has definitely rubbed off a little savvy SEO know how, maybe even a lot! However, I still suffer brain fog whenever it comes to code speak. That said, I’m a sucker for trial and error, so I will eventually discover elements that techs assume I already know — why do they always do that, Patricia?
Fast forward to today and my head is in the cloud! Geddit? Sorry, I couldn’t resist a little humour! But with the rapid pace and development of the Internet I feel like we are all born again newbies; having to unlearn what we previously struggled to learn, and adapt to the latest ways of doing things because the Internet moved on. So I do share your techie frustrations and musings, Patricia!!
You know Patricia, I think you earned your techie stripes a long time ago, but half the fun with marketing on the Internet is to find an idea and build your story around it. Me thinks you are a canny bird and playing a blinder telling your technophobe story! My strong hunch is you’ll be teaching me some techie stuff in the near future!
Again…great article Patricia, I wish you continued success with your “smellies” biz — I’m a neanderthal Brit remember!!
~ Ollie
Ollie Relfe recently posted..Success And You – How To Be A Successful Network Marketer- Model Top Network Marketers
[Reply]
Patricia from lavenderuses Reply:
December 12th, 2010 at 9:54 am
Hi Ollie
Thanks for taking the time to come across and comment. Great comment btw. But then you are one talented wordsmith
It was 2001/2002 that our paths first crossed in cyberspace. Since then I have spent way too much on programs and coaching courses that were all a waste of both my time and money
Hopefully lessons well learnt allbeit I am now a lot poorer (moneywise) from the experience.
It wasn’t till I heard about blogging (I remember I emailed you to ask what it was lol) that I thought maybe this is the way to go for me. I love writing and it seemed to be a better fit than everything else I had tried.
Still got heaps to learn and no I don’t think that will ever happen Ollie. Me knowing more than you in the techie field. If you doubt that just ask Ben (blog owner of this site) or Rick LaPoint who is a marketer and blogger. They both have helped me when I have pressed the panic button.
Once I am taught something I will follow the instructions to the letter. May not understand what I am doing, but will do what the techies tell me. Sometimes it’s just easier and quicker for them to do it for me. I don’t know code and it sounds way to complicated for this technophobe to learn!
Thanks for joining the conversation Ollie. Great to see you commenting on my guest post here. And being the English gentleman you are; you didn’t even mention the cricket lol
Patricia Perth Australia
Patricia@lavenderuses recently posted..Are You a Tweetheart-Commenter…or both!
[Reply]
Hi Pat,
You have really pour out your thoughts and i hope the techie experts can hear you loud and clear. Sometimes they just assume that we know some basic programming where else we may not know anything at all. I agree probably we need some visual tutorials to teach us step by step. They may think it is unnecessary but we really need it sometimes.
This is a fantastic post Pat and i am glad you brought to my attention that you have guest posted here in Ben’s blog. Nice one and please keep it going.
Lye
Lye Kuek Hin recently posted..Findmyblogway is Finally Going Premium
[Reply]
Patricia from lavenderuses Reply:
December 14th, 2010 at 12:28 am
Hi Lye
Thanks for coming over and taking the time to comment. Thought you would appreciate the post. I did it with a bit of Aussie humour and the techies seem to have received it well.
Got a good conversation going and I love all the interaction that has happened as both techies and non-techies alike have commented.
You seem to be learning heaps with getting your Headway theme together. Well done Lye. I need help if anything needs doing on my site! it’s great to be part of such an amazing blogging community where everyone does want to help each other to succeed.
Patricia Perth Australia
Patricia@lavenderuses recently posted..Are You a Tweetheart-Commenter…or both!
[Reply]
I think you’ve put it in a nutshell Patricia. Most techies fail to realize that although what they’re explaining seems quite simple and matter of fact to them, to the rest of us it’s like they are speaking in another language. Most of what they’ve said has gone way over our heads and we are left in the dark.
Unfortunately most people won’t stop to ask them to clarify a point because they feel it makes them look stupid and so they simply wander off. So many lost opportunities.
Sire recently posted..Top 5 Reasons Why No-One Is Advertising On Your Blog
[Reply]
Patricia from lavenderuses Reply:
December 17th, 2010 at 9:11 am
Hi Sire
Thanks for coming over to my guest post and staying to comment. I agree. It is hard for those who find all things techie so easy. Us non-techies as you rightly say think they are speaking in a foreign language. Which in fact they are! Geek speak lol
However, I found with this post some of the geeks actually thanked me. It was a reminder to them that not all our brains work the same way. I have been blessed that I have encountered some techies who have kindly helped me out when I have got stuck on my own blog.
Both Ben and Rick have come to the rescue on more than one occasion and for that I am grateful. If you ever get stuck, I’m sure Ben will know the answer. That’s why I was more than happy to GP here and let my loyal readers know of his site.
Have a great day Sire and as always, thanks for your continued support in my blogging journey. Much appreciated.
Patricia Perth Australia
Patricia@lavenderuses recently posted..Are You a Tweetheart-Commenter…or both!
[Reply]
Well, I must say I love this post. I have been reading Patricia’s comments on blog we both visit and always liked her way of writing.
But this post is “straight from my head”.
I get so stressed with stuff that techies do.
I need a simple solution, I ask a question and I get the answer “Go to this page”. Yeah, and do what!?!?! You think I will see what I need on that page? I don’t even know what to look at.
I could write a comment as long as this post is, that is how much it “hit me”.
But I will just say thanks, I hope techies will read it. Twice.
Brankica recently posted..Top 10 ways to lose Twitter followers
[Reply]
Patricia from lavenderuses Reply:
December 17th, 2010 at 12:58 pm
Hi Brankica
Nice to meet you. I so relate to your stress levels with all things techie. Soon as anyone mentions anything I need to do that is even vaguely related to knowing something techie, I press the panic button lol
I actually wrote this post after going to several blogs, asking the same question and leaving each blog with more questions than answers!!!
Left it on my desktop and then Ben invited me to guest post here and as this is a techie site thought it would be appropriate. All my techie friends who have read it have appreciated my Aussie humour and duly noted what us non-techies feel about their instructions.
However, I have now met some very kind techies who I feel I can ask questions and they will either explain in a language I understand (English) or offer to do the task for me, for which I heave a sigh of relief and for which I am very thankful
Your experiences are so similar to mine Brankica, as are your reactions to the geeks responses. I often look around a page they have sent me to and don’t even have the vaguest of ideas, which part of the page to find what they have told me!
So glad you enjoyed the post. If you do get tsuck at any time, please go over to my blog and email me via the contact page. I probably won’t have the answer for you but I will know someone who does. That’s what this blogging community is all about. Cheering one another on, encouraging and helping one another.
Patricia Perth Australia
Patricia@lavenderuses recently posted..Are You a Tweetheart-Commenter…or both!
[Reply]
Hi Patricia, Sire, Brankica,, Lye, Ollie, and everybody else,
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. 10 days have passed since this post was published, and I’ve been making some changes to this website during this time. I’ve changed the header, replaced the captcha with GASP, increased the size of gravatar photo, resolved the redirection problem Mitch mentioned, I’ve been messing around with the wp super cache plugin and the minify plugin, etc.
Then I thought, I would blog about some of the things I’ve done as it may benefit other WordPress users.
As I was writing I had to decide level of detail to write the post and also take heed of the advice and comments on this post.
The principle I operate under is: I have to match the message to the audience. Being in IT support, I know I have to do that. If I was speaking to someone specifically I would know their level match the level of details accordingly. But when you are writing a technical post, this is a bit more difficult. So, you have to decide (or assume) what level the person reading the post must be in order to find the post useful and be able to implement the instructions.
Take my post on how to change the size of Gravatar photo, Peter J commented that the solution was too easy.
Now, I would like ask you, my readers, what would you like me to write about in my future post that would be both helpful and interesting to you
Ben Wan.
Ben Wan recently posted..How to Make Your Website Accessible to the International Audience
[Reply]
julia hayes Reply:
December 17th, 2010 at 6:48 pm
I like your blog the way it is going Ben – a mix of levels and always clear instructions. The post on changing the size of the Gravatar encouraged me to try harder and not be afraid of code because it was just one short focussed instruction. Like learning a language one useful sentence at a time.
Today I ordered one of the books you recommend on your Amazon site. “Head Way HTML” I think it was called. It would be good to just start to understand code. Pity it won’t arrive in time for some light Christmas reading.
It will not a programmer make of me, but I’ll hopefully understand some of the issues better and it’ll save wearing out the panic button [ Patricia and I have the same Panic Button].
So please continue with your good work and keep your mix of levels – you’ll help us all in different ways.
julia hayes recently posted..Soul Drawings – a portrait of your inner self
[Reply]
Mitchell Allen Reply:
December 18th, 2010 at 3:17 am
Ben, I’d love to read anything you can explain about your likes and dislikes regarding WP-SuperCache and caching WordPress databases in general.
Out of curiosity, what WAS the redirect problem?
Cheers,
Mitch
Mitchell Allen recently posted..Baker’s Meme
[Reply]
Patricia from lavenderuses Reply:
December 18th, 2010 at 9:36 am
Hi Ben
If you could say the essential plugins needed on a blog and the reasons. Anything else we need to know about plugins as I had problems with a couple when I started. They had bugs….didn’t even know plugins could have bugs but soon learnt as it took Hostgator a full week to sort!
Still hesitate to add anything new in case it happens again. You being a techie could explain to us what you feel we need and others we may add if we like to. Thanks
Patricia Perth Australia
Patricia@lavenderuses recently posted..Are You a Tweetheart-Commenter…or both!
[Reply]
Ben Wan Reply:
December 21st, 2010 at 10:12 pm
Hi Mitch and Patricia,
Your request is noted. I’ll give away my plugin list some time soon.
The redirection issue was due to wp-super-cache with is serving an older page than the most recent, maybe because I was doing changes behind the scene at the moment. This happen with server caching (not to be confused with browser caching). I flushed my server cache and replaced the theme files with a new version.
Ben Wan.
Ben Wan recently posted..8 Tips to Get Your Blog Comments Approved
[Reply]
Mitchell Allen Reply:
December 24th, 2010 at 5:10 am
Thanks, Ben. I have had similar trouble with WP-SuperCache and finally, I just had to delete it.
I’m looking forward to your new posts!
Cheers,
Mitch
Mitchell Allen recently posted..Web Browser Wheel of Torture
[Reply]
Hey Patricia,
Congrats on this excellent guest post of yours
. You’ve made some great points which many of us certainly can relate to.
I certainly admire and respect all the techies out there for I think it must make their lives a hell of a lot easier being able to change things for themselves. Plus, I admit to wanting to learn the basics at least so that I am not utterly dependent when it comes to my own blog.
You see, I too am not very tech-savvy but oddly enough I’ve managed to impress myself at times with techie things I understand better than I thought I would.
I’ve often referred to myself as being “CSS challenged” – sure I know what the concept is and somewhat entails – but I just can’t do it all by my lonesome – thus my move to hire a Pro to do the redesign of my blog.
I couldn’t agree with you more about the diagram and video part and not skipping to number 3 without explaining number 2.
I often come across posts which will explain a process to you – but unfortunately they’ve assumed you know how to get there before hand. The instructions may be simple enough but I don’t know how to get to the page where I can actually start following the steps one by one. I hope this makes sense.
One example to help explain what I mean is:
When I was trying to toy around with my new theme while my current one was still live. I had all the idiot-proof steps to do so – but it didn’t tell me what plugin to use or how to start a new blank page that wouldn’t interfere with my current site that’s online. I later figured out (after having to research a few other articles) to download a plugin called Theme Test Drive or one similar in order not to mess up your current online theme that viewers are seeing.
I’ve learned a lot more than I thought I would simply by reading other people’s posts and following what they preach – as long as they’re practicing it and showing positive results. But when it comes to CSS/PHP and HTML – I do need help and would love to come across posts that don’t assume readers have even a vague idea. But if they do, it’s always nice to see them link to another post which could help even more in understanding.
Thanks for writing this up. Your points hit home. Well done, well said!
Cheers
Ingrid Abboud recently posted..Web Designers vs Web Developers- The Face-Off
[Reply]
Patricia from lavenderuses Reply:
December 17th, 2010 at 5:27 pm
Hi Ingrid
So good to see you here at last. Who takes hols when they blog lol You definitely know more than me about this stuff. One of my excuses is being a baby boomer computers weren’t around when I was at school!
My Gen Y nephew could not believe it when he asked what sort of computer I had at school. When I told him there were no such thing he got the message that I must be very old; which of course I am
No matter, I managed to log on every day, write posts, comment and tweet so that’s a start eh?! Can do a bit more than that but both Rick and Ben have been so kind with helping me when I get stuck.
The techies who have commented here have appreciated what I was trying to get across to them. They have been kind with their comments too
As always, love your contribution to the conversation Ingrid. Will be great when you get back into it properly. I’m sure you have enjoyed the break. Hope the holiday was all you expected and more. Speak soon.
Patricia Perth Australia
Patricia@lavenderuses recently posted..Are You a Tweetheart-Commenter…or both!
[Reply]
Hi Patricia (and Ben)! I’ll bet you stepped on some toes today with an article reminding geeks to leave the tech-speak behind when conversing with humans. Haha!
I can appreciate where you’re coming from. Coming from a background of being a computer consultant for many years, my clients helped keep me on the right track when writing for them or doing training for their staffs. I can still get a little carried away sometimes so if I ever fail your test, let me know quickly so I can remedy that!
Wonderful post and so straightforward. Really, really like how you write!
Vernessa Taylor @ Local Business Coach recently posted..Dance A Jig- Build Your Own Unscientific Blogging Scorecard
[Reply]
Patricia from lavenderuses Reply:
December 29th, 2010 at 10:21 am
Hi Vernessa
Firstly thanks for your kind words. This post was originally written after going to several techie sites where I did ask questions and didn’t get an answer written in a way I could understand.
When Ben asked me to GP for him, I thought this would be an opportunity to get the word out from all us non-techies out there; to you geeks who in my estimation are geniuses lol
The geeks all took it with good humour (phew) and it was a gentle reminder to them to plesase write in simple terms so we can learn. Ben in fact is brilliant at it. He is a super geek (imho) and very patient when explaining even the simplest of techie tasks to me.
Thanks for stopping by and giving your 2 cents Vernessa. Much appreciated.
Patricia Perth Australia
Patricia@lavenderuses recently posted..At Lavenderuses Safety First Means…
[Reply]
So, this is the legendary Ben’s website. I’ve been hearing about Ben from both you Patricia and Sire of wassupblog. Looks like I’ve found another blog to add to my bookmarked list.
Patricia, it’s so nice to see you doing a guest blog on Ben’s site. I have been invited before by 3 other bloggers before to guest blog but I never was able to overcome my fright of coming out of my little shell.
With regard to the techie/non-techie matter, I consider myself a non-techie who just knows a little about a few techie stuff (and I attribute whatever knowledge I now have to the help of google). But, yes, I still feel annoyed at techies who belt out instructions with an assumption that their listeners all understand all the technical terms they use (or perhaps they assume that we non-techies should google the missing pieces).
James Moralde recently posted..Enjoying MNF Again
[Reply]
Patricia from lavenderuses Reply:
January 6th, 2011 at 9:21 am
Hi James
Thanks for visiting Ben’s site and commenting about my guest post
Ben is Mr Super Geek in my book and a genuine nice guy. Very helpful when this non-techie hits the panic button lol
Before I even think about it he has fixed whatever is happening in my back office! I really appreciate his contribution to my blogging journey.
A lot of the techies who came across and commented appreciated my comments in the post and took it with good humour….phew I was relieved! Cos we sure do need them
Also, it was a gentle reminder to them that us non-techies definitely do NOT understand geek-speak. I enjoyed doing this GP and it has meant more of my readers who came across have met another blogger they may not have already bumped into in the blogosphere.
Looking forward to seeing how you are going to take your photography blog to the next level James. All the best for 2011.
Patricia Perth Australia
Patricia@lavenderuses recently posted..Are Your Goals Attainable In 2011
[Reply]
Ben Wan from Wordpress Technical Support Reply:
January 7th, 2011 at 11:49 am
Hi James,
Welcome to my blog, I never thought I was any legend, but thanks for calling me so. If you’ve been invited to guest blog, I say take the offer. You’ll experience an increase of your web traffic from it.
Ben Wan
Ben Wan@Wordpress Technical Support recently posted..How to Get Highly Targeted Traffic through Social Bookmarking
[Reply]
Great blog post, Patricia! As a techie with mostly non-techie friends, I often am explaining tech in plain English. I find most of my friends are interested in tech, “What do you think of the Kindle?” or “Which cell phone do you recommend?”, but are definitely put off by geek-speak. I really enjoy explaining how useful tech is to these friends and having a new world open up to them.
Patricia, I love how you put out there that you don’t understand geek-speak. Often people are embarrassed to admit when they don’t know something and that happens a lot in tech.
A secret truth? Even techies don’t know everything about tech. They may not know about the latest gadget on the market or they may not have had a chance to check out the hottest new website. As I start my blog, I am learning a lot about website design, plugins, etc. But one of the greatest things about tech is there is always something new to learn.
Another secret truth: one of the great ways to learn about tech is from non-techies. Friends who have barely a page of apps on their iPod might show me my new favorite app. I had one non-techie friend show me how she types with her thumbs on her iPhone which proved easier for me than using my pointer fingers. Now I’m learning about plugins for my blog, kind of like finding new exciting apps for my iPhone!
Patricia, thank you for the reminder that we’re all here to help each other out and that using plain English is a great way to help each other out.
[Reply]
Patricia from lavender-oil Reply:
February 22nd, 2011 at 11:05 pm
Hi Carolyn
Wow you are one busy networking lady. Thanks for visiting Ben’s site and staying to comment. Especially being a techie as it is always interesting to hear your perspective too
After you said about your friend texting with thumbs I had to check how I text and that is how I do it too lol And I text in short form and very fast
I sure don’t understand geek-speak and I do ask lots of questions! I figure that is the only way I will learn. Have found bloggers are very generous with answering my questions and I have become friends through commenting on their blogs and interacting on both blogs and Twitter.
Look forward to seeing you round the blogosphere Carolyn and thanks for your input here. Much appreciated.
Patricia Perth Australia
Patricia@lavender-oil recently posted..Create Impact- Not Traffic Spikes
[Reply]