Keep it Simple, Stupid

Simplify
Simplify

This fervid desire for the Web bespeaks a longing so intense that it can only be understood as spiritual. A longing indicates that something is missing in our lives. What is missing is the sound of the human voice.

The spiritual lure of the Web is the promise of the return of voice.

“The Longing”, by David Weinberger, from The Cluetrain Manifesto: The End of Business as Usual

My wife and I celebrated our 11th anniversary this past weekend with a little family getaway to Lancaster County, PA, and had the wonderful kind of physically exhausting, mentally stimulating time that makes you want to mail the keys to the bank and go live off the land, leaving you barely able to function in the “real” world upon your return.

Barely.

Three days away from home, hanging around the Amish and trains from the 1800s — and, except for posting pictures to Facebook, being relatively disconnected from the Internet — offered some much-needed perspective on Weinberger’s premise, and I’m refining some of my ideas about new vs. old media, engagement vs. interruption, and marketing in general as a result.

Coincidentally, a new study from Ruder Finn, “Why People Go Online“, noted last week that most people go online to pass time, for education, and to connect with others, while “the least common intentions… were to make purchases, manage finances, comparison shop and join causes.

It’s pretty simple, really; it’s about people.

Always has been, always will be.

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