Technologically SLOW people

25 replies
There are always the "slow" people when it comes to technology that I have to deal with. It's like they are sitting in the car. They've turned it on, and they keep revving up the engine and yelling because the car won't "go". Then they contact me and they are angry, and I ask them, "Did you put it in drive?"
#people #slow #technologically
  • Profile picture of the author SandyDuPlessis
    And so????

    Did it ever occur to you that many of the so called "technologically slow" people did not grow up with TV let alone computers.

    Tell me, how good are you at operating a sewing machine and making an exquisite wedding dress? What about building an aircraft engine? Both are related to technology!

    And since your analogy was to motor vehicles - I find myself needing to ask just how successful you were the very first time that you sat behind the steering wheel and was told to turn on the ignition and drive. Did you thereafter drive the car perfectly every time or did it take a little practice.

    Personally, I find your comment more than a little insulting though I surely hope that you did not mean it to be so.

    Patience, caring and support from "teachers" and mentors is needed along with a fair amount of practice.

    Remember, not everyone is perfect at everything, but everyone is perfect at something.
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    • Profile picture of the author Sillysoft
      Originally Posted by SandyDuPlessis View Post

      And so????

      Did it ever occur to you that many of the so called "technologically slow" people did not grow up with TV let alone computers.

      Tell me, how good are you at operating a sewing machine and making an exquisite wedding dress? What about building an aircraft engine? Both are related to technology!

      And since your analogy was to motor vehicles - I find myself needing to ask just how successful you were the very first time that you sat behind the steering wheel and was told to turn on the ignition and drive. Did you thereafter drive the car perfectly every time or did it take a little practice.

      Personally, I find your comment more than a little insulting though I surely hope that you did not mean it to be so.

      Patience, caring and support from "teachers" and mentors is needed along with a fair amount of practice.

      Remember, not everyone is perfect at everything, but everyone is perfect at something.
      But this forum is not about sewing or building an engine. Not trying to insult anyone just pointing this out.
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      • Profile picture of the author MissTerraK
        Originally Posted by Sillysoft View Post

        But this forum is not about sewing or building an engine. Not trying to insult anyone just pointing this out.
        Well, if you want to get technical, this is an internet marketing forum and if she marketed those wedding dresses or the little engines of those sewing machines they were made on, well, you see now, don't you?

        Terra
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        • Profile picture of the author Sillysoft
          Originally Posted by MissTerraK View Post

          Well, if you want to get technical, this is an internet marketing forum and if she marketed those wedding dresses or the little engines of those sewing machines they were made on, well, you see now, don't you?

          Terra
          So you come on an IM forum to ask how to sew or make a wedding dress? Wrong forum then. How to market sewing vs how to sew are 2 different things.
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          • Profile picture of the author MissTerraK
            Originally Posted by Sillysoft View Post

            So you come on an IM forum to ask how to sew or make a wedding dress? Wrong forum then. How to market sewing vs how to sew are 2 different things.
            I don't believe the OP asked how to market to technologically slow people or Sandra asked how to market wedding dresses or sewing machines either though, so isn't that a moot point then?

            Terra
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            • Profile picture of the author Sillysoft
              Originally Posted by MissTerraK View Post

              I don't believe the OP asked how to market to technologically slow people or Sandra asked how to market wedding dresses or sewing machines either though, so isn't that a moot point then?

              Terra
              I never said the OP's message was in the right forum either. But if you want to continue to defend thats fine by me

              I myself would not post about it on this forum, there is plenty of places to complain about people who arent very technical who try their hand at IM and wonder why their WP site gets hacked
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              • Profile picture of the author MissTerraK
                Originally Posted by Sillysoft View Post

                I never said the OP's message was in the right forum either. But if you want to continue to defend thats fine by me

                I myself would not post about it on this forum, there is plenty of places to complain about people who arent very technical who try their hand at IM and wonder why their WP site gets hacked
                Haha! Deal!

                Terra
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              • Profile picture of the author Elluminati
                Originally Posted by Sillysoft View Post

                I never said the OP's message was in the right forum either. But if you want to continue to defend thats fine by me

                I myself would not post about it on this forum, there is plenty of places to complain about people who arent very technical who try their hand at IM and wonder why their WP site gets hacked
                Relax...don't do it (Lol!). Technically, there is an off-topic sub-forum on here, if I'm not mistaken, where we can all talk about random stuff, be it sewing machines, technologically-slow people, aircrafts or whatever. Don't go jumping off the top rope on to people about appropriate analogies in regards to whether they are meant for this forum or not.

                Speaking of jumping off the top rope, I grew up watching wrestling...I love the old school wrestlers from back in the day, such as Ted Dibiase, Dr. Death, Kumala, Junkyard Dog, Hacksaw Jim Dougan, The Ultimate Warrior, Sting, The British Bulldogs, The Fantastics, Hulk Hogan, Rick Flair, Ravishing Rick Rude....

                I guess I better move this to the off-topic sub-forum, huh?
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                • Profile picture of the author Sillysoft
                  Originally Posted by Elluminati View Post

                  Relax...don't do it (Lol!). Technically, there is an off-topic sub-forum on here, if I'm not mistaken, where we can all talk about random stuff, be it sewing machines, technologically-slow people, aircrafts or whatever. Don't go jumping off the top rope on to people about appropriate analogies in regards to whether they are meant for this forum or not.

                  Speaking of jumping off the top rope, I grew up watching wrestling...I love the old school wrestlers from back in the day, such as Ted Dibiase, Dr. Death, Kumala, Junkyard Dog, Hacksaw Jim Dougan, The Ultimate Warrior, Sting, The British Bulldogs, The Fantastics, Hulk Hogan, Rick Flair, Ravishing Rick Rude....

                  I guess I better move this to the off-topic sub-forum, huh?
                  2 words, free country.

                  Oh and your post is lacking big time! You didnt mention the Bush Wackers nor the Legion of Doom. Not even Lex Luger or Macho Man Randy Savage?
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                  • Profile picture of the author Elluminati
                    Originally Posted by Sillysoft View Post

                    2 words, free country.

                    Oh and your post is lacking big time! You didnt mention the Bush Wackers nor the Legion of Doom. Not even Lex Luger or Macho Man Randy Savage?

                    Damn! I was just going off the dome spitting out who I grew up watching. How could I not immediately think of these you named! Had a crush on Terry Taylor, was nowhere near scared of Scary Sherry...I hope you know I'm just messing with you
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                    • Profile picture of the author Sillysoft
                      Originally Posted by Elluminati View Post

                      Damn! I was just going off the dome spitting out who I grew up watching. How could I not immediately think of these you named! Had a crush on Terry Taylor, was nowhere near scared of Scary Sherry...I hope you know I'm just messing with you
                      Wait I thought this whole thread was meant to be funny. I was just playing along.
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  • Profile picture of the author silverstarmedia
    You're always going to have people that aren't familiar... But don't discount them, it's usually your service that 1) they seek out, and 2) they're paying you for.
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  • Profile picture of the author Prideoflion
    I say, think about this angry bit of feedback you're receiving from your customers as a reason to either improve your product or create a more in-depth FAQ section of your site. That way whenever you receive the miscellaneous angry e-mail about how your widget isn't performing exactly how they thought it would, you can simply send them a link to the frequently asked questions section of your site and give them a polite "hope that helped out" response lol :p

    Originally Posted by dvduval View Post

    There are always the "slow" people when it comes to technology that I have to deal with. It's like they are sitting in the car. They've turned it on, and they keep revving up the engine and yelling because the car won't "go". Then they contact me and they are angry, and I ask them, "Did you put it in drive?"
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    • Profile picture of the author Sillysoft
      Originally Posted by Prideoflion View Post

      I say, think about this angry bit of feedback you're receiving from your customers as a reason to either improve your product or create a more in-depth FAQ section of your site. That way whenever you receive the miscellaneous angry e-mail about how your widget isn't performing exactly how they thought it would, you can simply send them a link to the frequently asked questions section of your site and give them a polite "hope that helped out" response lol :p
      I think that's a great idea, faq's or a section that shows the most common issues/fixes could really help. Though sometimes it doesn't matter.

      I remember back when I first got into the computer field I got a job as tech support, phone jockey, for blue cross/blue shield. The number one issue was their computers would blue screen, the fix was to simply to turn off the computer, wait 10 seconds then turn it back on and everything was working again.

      Simple enough right? Well I would say majority of the people would end up turning off their monitor, then waiting 10 seconds, turning the monitor back on and calling in complaining the fix didn't actually fix anything and the blue screen wouldn't go away. Pretty funny. But we aren't perfect at everything, I'm sure there were plenty of mechanics who laughed at me when it came to understanding the inner workings on a automobile. Or my writing skills, I suck at writing. We all have our short comings.
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  • Profile picture of the author dvduval
    Well, led me add that I ask "Did you put it in drive?" with a smile and a caring voice, and am known for my patience. Also, there are many people who don't yell and bang on the steering wheel to deal with their frustrations, so I am only referring to a small group.
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  • Profile picture of the author BulletheadX
    Back when the horse was the major engine of work and transportation pretty much everybody knew how to take care of a horse, whether they had ever personally owned one or not.

    I know bunches of people that can't change a tire or even check their oil; it's no coincidence that those same people can't perform the simplest tasks to maintain their computers and phones. They refuse to learn things that are, by their own choices, fundamental skills in their lives, then expect "somebody else" to provide those skills and get angry when "somebody else" doesn't do it in the time and fashion that they expect.

    They leave themselves helpless and in the care of others and then bitch and moan about the compensation those 'others' expect for taking care of those responsibilities that they have willfully abdicated. So yeah, that makes it pretty tempting to say "screw 'em".

    I'm with the OP, and btw age is no excuse.

    As for your "old school" wrestlers, that lot y'all have listed are at most second wave. I can clearly remember a time before your Hulk Hogans and so on, when they were wrestling in school gyms and boxing clubs and it was broadcast by the local TV station.
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    • Profile picture of the author cashp0wer
      I had to laugh at this. I have a degree in computer science and did tech support for many years. I dealt with many people that were technologically slow on a daily basis and it took a lot of patience.
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      • Profile picture of the author dannn1
        Being technologically slow is ok, as long as you are willing to learn how to not be technologically slow ...

        If someone doesn't understand how a piece of tech works and honestly wants to learn how they can understand it that's great.

        It's the people who just get frustrated and flabbergasted to the point of despair and refuse to put an effort into learning how the thing works who can get on your nerves.
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    • Profile picture of the author Rose Anderson
      Originally Posted by BulletheadX View Post

      Back when the horse was the major engine of work and transportation pretty much everybody knew how to take care of a horse, whether they had ever personally owned one or not.
      So you're saying that someone who lived in a city and never owned a horse would have known how to saddle a horse, how to ride, and how to replace horseshoes?

      They may have known a few things, but I'm guessing they didn't know everything. Thus, the birth of blacksmiths with specialized equipment and skill.

      I've learned a lot of techie things over the last few years. But I still don't know everything and I'm sure I'm still behind the curve. When I don't know something I hire someone to do the work for me or I learn how. I've never expected anyone to teach me anything for free or to do the work for free.

      However, there are a lot of things about creating content that I know; that many techie's do not. Which is as it should be. No one person needs to know everything. But I would never talk down or try to be intimidating to someone who may not yet know what I've learned.

      It can be frustrating to try to explain something that is really clear in your mind to someone who doesn't have a clue. Everyone has their strong points, everyone has their weak areas that they're still working to learn.

      This is what makes outsourcing a viable business.

      Rose
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  • Profile picture of the author Feydakin
    Originally Posted by dvduval View Post

    There are always the "slow" people when it comes to technology that I have to deal with. It's like they are sitting in the car. They've turned it on, and they keep revving up the engine and yelling because the car won't "go". Then they contact me and they are angry, and I ask them, "Did you put it in drive?"
    I remember when you were giving away your software for free. Took some time to convince you to charge for it. That kind of slow?
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    • Profile picture of the author dvduval
      Originally Posted by Feydakin View Post

      I remember when you were giving away your software for free. Took some time to convince you to charge for it. That kind of slow?
      Not only that, you told me to charge more right here. You were probably right, but we're doing well, and development continues.
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      It is okay to contact me! I have been developing software since 1999, creating many popular products like phpLD.
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  • Profile picture of the author xxxJamesxxx
    You gotta make your instructions stupid-proof so anyone can follow them.

    James Scholes
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  • Profile picture of the author equanto
    Every Person had different way an pace to understand something

    for you who learned something, then you must focus and make more hardwork before give up
    and for you who teach something, you must be more patient
    maybe that's the recipe
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    What saves a man is to take a step. Then another step. It is always the same step, but you have to take it.
    Stories of Another day can be saved by your STEPS
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Originally Posted by Elluminati View Post

      Speaking of jumping off the top rope, I grew up watching wrestling...I love the old school wrestlers from back in the day, such as Ted Dibiase, Dr. Death, Kumala, Junkyard Dog, Hacksaw Jim Dougan, The Ultimate Warrior, Sting, The British Bulldogs, The Fantastics, Hulk Hogan, Rick Flair, Ravishing Rick Rude....

      I guess I better move this to the off-topic sub-forum, huh?
      Originally Posted by Sillysoft View Post

      2 words, free country.

      Oh and your post is lacking big time! You didnt mention the Bush Wackers nor the Legion of Doom. Not even Lex Luger or Macho Man Randy Savage?
      Darn kids! Don't even remember The Crusher, Mad Dog Vachon, Pretty Boy Larry Hennig (later 'Larry the Axe' thanks to truth in advertising), or even the Freebirds?

      And get off my lawn...:p

      Originally Posted by xxxJamesxxx View Post

      You gotta make your instructions stupid-proof so anyone can follow them.

      James Scholes
      To quote the American sage and philosopher Ron White,

      "You can't fix stupid..."
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  • Profile picture of the author Ken Leatherman
    John

    Speaking of not fixing stupid, Big Mike has been trying for the last 7 years to fix my techno stupidity. He finally gave up and then decided to use me as a Beta Tester for his products to see if I could break them. He even threw away some because he couldn't make em simple enough for me to use.

    It's my age, thats my story and I'm sticking by it.

    Ken

    The Old Geezer
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