Meet The Normals

Every once in a while I think it healthy to Meet The Normals. These are people who don't know much about computers. They may use one to buy something on eBay, write a letter, send an email, play solitaire. They have no idea what HTML is. Nor CSS. JavaScript, CMS, Web Application Framework, Drupal, Joomla!, PHP, MySQL etc are beyond their realm of experience.

I wonder sometimes what that feels like, not to know what I know. Idle pontification aside, it's also good to meet Normals who do Other Things. This is because it informs what I do.

The week before last I met friends of my parents in the local pub. There was the Bamboo Specialist, the Antiquarian Book Dealers, the Garden Designer and the Organic Shopowner. It was a privilege to be in the midst of such a large amount of knowledge, knowledge that was being liberally exchanged, and all of it Offline, served with refreshing beer.

When I was quizzed about web sites, it made what I do come to life. I tried to explain in terms people could grasp and in ways that could be useful. I actually made a visit the next day to see the Bamboo Specialist and advised him about Search Engine Optimisation and Google Analytics.

Next year I hope to meet some more Normals, this time in workshops, and I hope it's as informative and educational.