There's social - and then there's bothersome

It's easy to pillory the excesses of the past.  We are, after all, "smarter THIS time."  Yeah, well ...

Story from a year ago: 

I'd been talking with a client who'd come to me with the request for advice for 'a simple web site.'  This person is involved with a mom-and-daughter candy and gift store in a touristy/summer-vacation kind of place within driving distance of Chicago.  Her idea was to have pictures of the shop, some of the gifts, a table with a pot of tea and scones set for a snack, maybe a shot of the Wisteria on the trellis outside the front door.

I listened patiently and started to wind up for my General Speech To The Unenlightened.  In words adjusted to those listening, my points run from (1) static information is just that - unchanging, (2) people have found that communities that surround products and services are compelling, (3) the tools to build and nurture this kind of Collective Some range from tagged blog entries and wikis, to slightly dumbed-down versions of Content Management Systems.  

I was just about to start when the owner smiled, looked me in the eye, and said "before you say anything, lemmie tell you a story."

And - sure enough - she did.  She told me that she and her daughter had been somewhat successful for the first few years (well, they paid the rent) and along the way a whole lot of people had asked for 'their card.'  The standard business card - shop name, phone, address.  Well, the shopkeeper had to admit - they'd never thought they needed one.  SO - off went a request for a 1000-cards-for-$21.95 deal ... and that was that.  

As far as she knew, no-one ever *used* that card - but they had one - because ...   because everyone had one.

And so it was with a fax number.  The little gift shop had one ... because ... well, because EVERYONE had one ...

I pointed out an internet presence was more like having a phone in the store than having a business card, and her reply was that 99% of all calls had to do with store hours or location.  Period.

So I modified my Standard Speech -- and half way through I said "look, this can go two ways.  I can help you create a site that could help create a whole lot of community buzz around this shop -- but it would it would be hard work , and probably time away from shop customers, to keep in interesting.  OR, we could have a site that was more like a brochure - simple facts, store hours, location and pictures."

Honestly, I was disappointed when she chose the static page.  

A year later, I get a call.

Business is up.  Sales up.  Profits are up.  The landlord signed a longer-term lease - locking in a good rate.  Her main supplier is offering discounts. Sooooo..... I kidded her about my urging her to go with the sexy social computing platform.

Oh Tom ... it isn't the site.  I have a good location.  Lots of foot traffic.  More people are staying close to home this year.  I have good prices and I truly enjoy talking with customers.  It's *just that simple*.

And sometimes it is.  We - those of us who pride ourselves on our wiki smarts, our collaborative venue experience, our ties with people doing very very leading edge stuff - we tend to forget a whole lot of business is straight forward.  

We would do well to be less technologically arrogant from time to time.