Talking to Your Target Audience
In an effort to seem professional and appear that one actually knows what they are talking about, we often find ourselves attempting to talk above our audience. A combination of awe and wonderment will be cast over the eager listeners as they absorb the words that are cast upon them, while the information that is hidden within the words is lost. Anyone who’s tried to sit through any college or university-level Science presentations has probably experienced this on numerous occassions as their peers attempted to turn their B presentation into an A-. The IT Industry is no different. Computers and the Internet are often a scary and intimidating subject, and for some reason, those with the knowledge will often find themselves trying to baffle and amaze those around them with their deep knowledge of the systems at work. In reality, the average person could easily understand a majority of the topics surrounding the technology if they were presented with it in a way that makes it easy. A good example of this in the Industry that I’m familiar with is Dave Chalk and the evolution of his TV show into a full-fledged media corporation, Chalk Media. A cute article on SEOmoz gives some feedback to the SEO industry from an SEO beginner on how to better interact with those new to the arena.
…my hopes of understanding algorithms and search engines are pretty grim. But here’s the real rub – even knowing as little as I do about SEO, I’m kind of the resident expert at my company. I know quite a bit more than everyone else, and when questions pop up people often come to me for answers. I’m guessing that a lot of you deal with clients whose knowledge is equal to or less than mine, so I thought I might share with you what I believe a true SEO beginner knows and doesn’t know.
A good read for the professionals out there, and I’m sure everyone can relate to the article.