Webmaster & Servant: When Ignorance is not Bliss

 

Article by Mathias Levarek Consultant for MSEO.com

Back in the late 90’s, it was common to delegate everything and anything to the “WEBMASTER”. The term “webmaster” back in those days had an mysterious connotation...Webmasters were the “cyber magicians”, with powers that involved not only computer knowledge, but also the newly, still enigmatic internet. In most cases, webmasters handled everything from domain registration, website design and management, email accounts, and SEO. They were the “all-powerful”.

“Old school” business executives still had the luxury to claim that “the computer is not my thing” or “I have nothing to do with my website, I have a webmaster for all these issues.” It was the time when “ignorance” could still be considered as bliss, since everyone had a webmaster, after all!

As I am reminiscing about this era 10+ years later (it is now May 2008), I am astonished to see how many website owners are still playing the “ignorance card”.

For example, a couple months ago a businessman called our office, asking for some help with his ranking eligibility. We drafted a detailed proposal which obviously was “too detailed” for such potential customer, or, more exactly, our proposal reflected details beyond his level of understanding (although it was very basic). He requested that someone call him, and I happened to be the one in charge of such task. He started to explain that he had been “into marketing” (whatever that means!) for the last 20 years. He also claimed that he was busy working on marketing issues 12+ hours a day and did not have time to learn those “internet things”! Within 3 minutes of speaking to this gentleman, I realized that he had recently terminated his relationship with the webmaster he had since 1999. He was lost. He was like a sailor without a compass or crew ...His “cyber magician” had disappeared...and rather than learning the basic essentials giving him full control, we are talking about a businessman who was desperately looking for someone else to have all POWERS over his website.

Like in the aforementioned example, as an agency performing SEO services in 28 languages, we interact on a daily basis with website owners who do not even know what their FTP access is...“FTP access? What is that?”...The way I look at it is even if you don’t know a thing about automobile mechanics, you know where your car keys are. The same applies here: You do not need to know how to build a website in order to know what your FTP access is...
Or how about these people confessing their lack of basic knowledge using their age as an excuse! I am always baffled when I hear someone telling me that they are not from the “computer generation”...we are all from the computer generation! Come on! The internet has been around and available to the general public for approximately 15 years! Did anyone wait 15 years after the release of cell phones to get one, claiming that mobile phones were not from their generation? Same for CD players, television, and everything else...with the essential difference that, in so many cases, the internet is the heartbeat of businesses belonging to some sole proprietors taking pride in their ignorance.
“The internet is not my thing, talk to my son” is now passé.
When a problem occurs with their website, I feel very little compassion for those who have used their age as an excuse for not knowing what’s going on...When I think about the efforts that my 82-year-old mother-in-law has made over the years to keep up with technology, I do not have much patience with someone claiming to be a “technology victim”! And, yes, I spoke about making efforts. It all starts there. I am not saying that all website publishers should be computer experts – far from that – I am not even one myself! I am just stating that basic “cyber education” is mandatory to entertain a healthy relationship with your web team.

It is not the webmaster’s responsibility to educate their clients... Ignorance leads to misperception and confusion. Most of the time, people will blame their web vendors (webmaster, web designer, ISP, SEO agency, etc.) for what they do not understand. I feel sorry for webmasters handling this type of account. Too many business people are still “riding on the internet with training wheels”, when in many cases their business depends on internet exposure.

For those reading this article who felt that I was speaking directly to them, allow me to give you the following advice: Change your story! Get some basic education about your website and the internet in general. If you are still using a typewriter, come out of your cave and sell it on eBay under the “Antiques” section!!

Mathias Levarek, Ph.D.
SEO Consultant for http://www.mseo.com

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