Anti-social (media, that is)

 

How about a big shout out to Mary Schmidt for her wise counsel about how to reach people. (Big hint: Noises off!) Here’s what she has to say - and you’ll do well to listen to her…

Turning up the volume doesn’t work. We just turn down our volume control…or leave the room (mentally or physically).

- I now expect, for instance, that a loud cheery voice is going to come on when I start pumping gas. I totally tune it out - or am plugged into my iPod.

- I throw out most of my mail unopened. It goes right from the front door to the trash or recycling bin.

- I skip the welcome screens ads on web sites.

- I go get another cup of coffee while that whiz-bang commercial plays before I’m allowed access to the rest of the site.

- I rent DVDs - and then ignore all the stuff before the movie (if I can’t simply skip by going to root menus.) I let it run while I go in the kitchen and put dinner together.

- I don’t even look at the sponsored links on my Google searches - unless I’m doing competitive research for a client.

- I totally ignore banner ads and embedded video ads on news sites.

- I screen my calls. Toll-free numbers calling during dinner? Thanks, I’ll pass on the (often-recorded) sales pitch.

And it seems that things get worse by the day.

I’m now noticing that a number of sites start playing something - with narration - automatically. (This is, I guess, the"whiz-bang commercials" that Mary’s talking about.) I find these incredibly invasive and annoying - especially when they continue to play after I’ve X’d out of the site. (Thanks for sneaking that little download in there, pal.) I’m one of those old-fashioned written word kind of people. When I look through the Comcast news stories, I always check to see whether the "written word" or "video" icon is next to it. I never, ever, ever hit the video button - even if it’s something I’m interested in (like Roger Clemens and steroids). Instead, if the topic’s of interest, I’ll just google it and find a story somewhere.

And this is how I feel about news, let alone ads blasting at my head.

I’ve pretty much settled on a two-strikes you’re out process for phone fund-raisers. With few exceptions (alumni fund-raising), I will not give money when I’m solicited over the phone. If I’m interested in the cause, I will ask them politely to send me some information in the mail. If they won’t do so without soliciting a pledge, well, it’s their loss.

If I get called again after I’ve asked to be taken off the phone-solicitation list, that’s it for at least a year, no matter how good the cause.

Then there’s the prospect of the talking grocery shelves, and pinpoint, piped in ads aimed at you. ("Yes, you, Maureen Rogers, why don’t you reach up and grab a bottle of Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup. You know you really want it.")

It’s just a matter of time before there’s no place where we’re safe from an advertising assault on our senses.

And, as Mary sagely points out: TURNING UP THE VOLUME DOESN’T WORK - at least for some of us.

For Mary, this is how she looks for things to buy:

So, how do I look for things and buy?

- Run Google searches for just about everything, including local biz phone numbers.

- Look to my friends, including those on my blogroll and in Facebook, for recommendations - for everything from food to computer purchases. (For example, if blogging buddies Bruce Fryer, Yvonne DeVita, Lena West, Holly Buchanan or Michele Miller recommend something in their blog posts, that recommendation is golden. No further info needed!)

- Read new blogs to find new things. (But I don’t click on the automatically generated Google ads.)

- Look for web sites that are user-friendly and quickly give me the information I’m looking for - without a lot of marketing speak or making me “register.” (Note these sites are often found through recommendations from other bloggers.)

With Mary, I rely on word of mouth and trusted friends. I wouldn’t think of making a technology-related purchase without asking John Whiteside. Now, I have been known to ignore John’s advice (not to mention Mary’s) - the fact that I’m writing this on a Vaio, rather than a Mac, is testimony to that. Yet I know that John will have thoughtful, measured, and wise things to say - and would absolutely and forcefully steer me clear from making a whopping mistake.

And I read a lot - online and offline. (A lot of the books I buy are ones I’ve read reviews of in The New Yorker or The Atlantic, for instance.) I also catalog shop, often with the paper catalog driving me to an online purchase.

In any case, I will join voice with Mary, and holler at the top of my lungs: If you want my business, stop bothering me!

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