3 ms·

In the context of a blog, I frankly think you are wrong. I think it's important to remember that the language in their blog doesn't match their marketing messa

by teej 17y ago

In the context of a blog, I frankly think you are wrong. I think it's important to remember that the language in their blog doesn't match their marketing message at all - if their front page emulated the same tone, I would be with you 100%. But it doesn't. I don't think broad claims of "effective" really make much sense either. It seems silly to view someone's blog message from an outsiders perspective and make claims to it's effect on sales. Did it turn you off to purchasing their product? Do you know how many people it turned off? Were those people even in the market to buy it in the first place? Patrick also uses vastly different tones in his marketing messages and his blog. His blog is about programming & business topics + the occasional silly thing. His marketing is a rock-solid battle-worn message tested over hundreds of iterations. Do you think that's ineffective? There is plenty of place in the world for companies that act like humans are running it. A blog is an appropriate channel for this to happen. Zappos has shown that a human-sounding company approach can work. You are welcome to your opinions - they very well may be right - but I would rather see the stimulation of discussion instead of brash opinions. Saying "this sucks, don't do it" doesn't get these guys any closer to a better business.

maxklein 17y ago
You're right in that I should not say it sucks. What I should say is that I dislike it. I don't speak this way in real life, and none of my friends do, so when I see this cheery chirpy LA girl tone, it annoys me to no end. It does not feel real. I've read material that is humanized, but it sounds real. It sounds like someone really means what they are saying. Like what you wrote. Or what I am writing back to you. We are clearly human beings talking to each other. I would not reply to your statement with a collection of over-hyper adjectives : you would think I was strange. I did not look at the frontpage, and my gripe is with the blog. It reads to me like a trend language. I see a lot of designers doing this on their blog - likely because other designers are doing it also. To me, it comes across as fake. Maybe there are people who love being spoken to in that manner. I just don't know such people.

by teej 17y ago

maxklein 17y ago

You're right in that I should not say it sucks. What I should say is that I dislike it. I don't speak this way in real life, and none of my friends do, so when I see this cheery chirpy LA girl tone, it annoys me to no end. It does not feel real. I've read material that is humanized, but it sounds real. It sounds like someone really means what they are saying. Like what you wrote. Or what I am writing back to you. We are clearly human beings talking to each other. I would not reply to your statement with a collection of over-hyper adjectives : you would think I was strange. I did not look at the frontpage, and my gripe is with the blog. It reads to me like a trend language. I see a lot of designers doing this on their blog - likely because other designers are doing it also. To me, it comes across as fake. Maybe there are people who love being spoken to in that manner. I just don't know such people.