What really turns me off is the “Your product <insert product weakness here>, therefore, my product is better” arguments that you can readily see leading up to, during and after any big technology event (Synergy, VMworld, TechEd, etc.). I’m a technologist. Have been most of my career. But do I try to shove my opinion about my products or services down your throat by flogging the other guy? No.
That type of behavior is high school crap. You don’t have anything good to say about yourself, so you say something bad about somebody else to make you appear superior. Remember that? Remember what a jackass you made of yourself by doing that?
I’ve listened to self-proclaimed technology evangelists do this time and time again.
All of that being said, I’ve been around long enough to know that a.) perception sometimes becomes reality; b.) that negative marketing campaigns can have a huge impact on a company’s bottom line in terms of newly generated revenue and c.) that politicians deploy these very tactics to get people elected to public office, go to war, etc.
Now just because I know that’s the playing field, doesn’t mean I have to like it. Or even tolerate it. I believe in fair play. I believe that if you have a good product, then it speaks for itself and doesn’t need you bashing the competition. I believe that karma and kismet are powerful forces, what goes around, comes around and that you reap what you sow.
When I started contemplating the possibility of using a blog format to disseminate information, I almost used the term “Technology Evangelist”. But I couldn’t, in good conscience, do so. Evangelism has some very negative connotations, to me, with sometimes unpalatable religious overtones. It implies narrowness of thought and an unwillingness to accept other viewpoints because they differ from your own. “You’re going to hell because you don’t believe the way I do” kind of thing. (Growing up in the South, you hear that one a LOT)
Evangelism can mean a strong, fervent belief in some product, religion or company also. But sometimes, the message gets lost in the delivery. Not always, but sometimes.
For those of you out there who label yourself as such, give it some thought. And if you still want to call yourself an evangelist of some kind, then more power to you. But be mindful of the negative impact you could have on your message. For those of you who are still functioning like you’re in high school…grow up.
And that’s the beauty of our society. Just because I don’t like what your sellin’ doesn’t mean you don’t have the right to try and sell it.
