To Patronise or Not to Patronise?
25/04/06 12:04 PM
One thing I’ve noticed since I started Peminoz is that I’m thinking carefully about the posts I write. This might seem an obvious statement to make but when I began I assumed I would just write whatever and whenever the hell I felt like it. Except I don’t, as I’ve been too bothered about the audience and have wanted to stay pretty neutral.
I don’t have a huge readership, obviously, but of those that do visit it’s safe to say they are either:
- Web Professionals (or non-pros with a healthy interest in web development), or
- Mates of mine, or people who have clicked on my site when they’ve searched for something, that possibly don’t know about web stuff.
The majority of visitors are web people, purely because the sites I visit and any comments I leave are developer’s sites and let’s face it, we’re all pretty nosey; people will probably look at my site as well. So does that mean this should be a site about web development?
Nah. Peminoz is just my blog, plain and simple. Although I want it to be built as well as it can be, with modern standards and technologies, and to look nice, it isn’t a portfolio. I’ve got stuhall.com to build for that (nowt on it yet though…). I could have just as easily used MySpace or something like that for this, but really it’s my first attempt at using Textpattern or similar (all my previous databases etc have been built in .net by my colleague) so I’m learning as well. The temptation is there to make Peminoz my ‘full’ website and include a folio of work, but one day I’ll have this as just my ‘personal’ site and I guess I’ll also have a development blog on stuhall.com.
At the moment though I haven’t, so I have to write about everything here. So if I’m talking about CSS3, or Web 2.0 etc etc, there will obviously be those readers who haven’t got the foggiest idea what I’m on about (Hi Mum). But that’s obvious, just like there will be plenty of readers who don’t give a crap about football, or certain bands, or whatever else it is that I like. Wouldn’t the World be a boring place if we all liked the same things…?
I don’t want to feel like I should write about Internet Explorer 7, or unobtrusive JavaScript, or whatever’s the topic of the now just because I’m a web designer and other designers will read it. If I feel like writing about sommat I will, if I don’t, I won’t. Sorted.
So if I do mention something you don’t understand (non-webbies), or if I do explain something a little too patronisingly (geeks), then soz. It’s just the way it is.
Wonder if any other bloggers think about stuff too much like me…?
commenting closed for this article
On Tuesday April 25, 2006,
kitsimons said:
Yep. I’ve gone through the same thing. I went the whole hog and did add my portfolio to my site, but only because I started out with the intent of showcasing my work and then shifted the focus to a blog halfway through.
I try to write about topics that interest me – some of that will be design, web or tech based, but the rest will be whatever else pops into my head.
I hope others will enjoy it, but like you I’m not trying to cultivate a blog that caters to a specific audience. It’s got to be for the author first and foremost after all :-)
On Tuesday April 25, 2006,
Stu said:
Yeah I was gonna use your site as an example of a folio/blog (blogio? foliog?) as it works so well and shows that you can have both sitting together nicely – I guess you had to have a folio ‘cos you were freelancing and it was an important part of your site.
My ‘problem’, as it were, is that I just don’t think about web stuff 24/7. Obviously I’m interested in it (and before it became my profession it was my hobby and I guess always will be to some extent) but to be honest it’s just a job and I much prefer to read other blogs and learn from them than spout loads of stuff myself.
Hmm. I started a blog because…?
On Tuesday April 25, 2006,
Jen said:
One of the things I regret about mixing my blog and my portfolio is that I feel I can’t necessarily write about anything I want to. Maybe it’s different here in the states but if I go off on a political rant, which I am known to do on occassion, will it affect my potential client base? I fear it could. So I figured I’d just write about cool Firefox plug-ins among other things.
On Tuesday April 25, 2006,
Stu said:
@Jen: Exactly. I wouldn’t want to go off on any major rant on a work website either as you never know who you might offend. I guess that’s why I want to keep this site ‘personal’. Still, I can always offend on here; I’m still reluctant to swear in case my girlfriend’s Mum ever sees it, ha ha…
On Tuesday April 25, 2006,
kitsimons said:
I like the term ‘Blogio’ (sounds like an Italian scooter).
I have thought about how I should write and how that may affect potential clients (and any family reading), but I’ve come to the conclusion I should write how I want. I figure I can separate the ‘folio if I ever think it will be an issue, but saying that I probably wouldn’t want to work for someone who based hiring someone on anything other than their ability.
On Wednesday April 26, 2006,
Stu said:
@kitsimons – Yeah, I wouldn’t want to work for someone like that either; let’s just all go the Billy Connolly / John Oxton way and eff and blind whenever we can!
On Thursday April 27, 2006,
Jen said:
@kit – I want a blogio! Be much cheaper on gas.
@stu – John does have a way about him doesn’t he?