Constructive Criticism

After hearing two podcasts in a row from the archives where the show's Windows slant was very apparent, I just wanted to drop a line.  I tried the "Contact" link on this site but it doesn't work (might want to fix that.)

I would suggest that you might gain/keep more listeners if you didn't snub the Mac platform, which is actually still fairly important in the education world.  There's no need to poke fun at the Mac platform, such as in the podcast I just listened to about Apple's Mac OS X needing to issue security updates.  The information you presented was factual, but the tone was snotty and unprofessional and will be a huge turnoff to any Mac users who might happen upon your podcast.  

I think your podcast is valuable and has good information in it, but suggest that Mac users are quick to offend, and that insulting those who are easily insulted is a good way to turn them off and away.  I thought it was important enough to actually create a forum account so I could post this.  In the future, if you can refrain from making fun of the Mac, you might keep those Mac listeners.  You've already lost me, but as others discover your podcast, you might want to think about it.  

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jschinker - Fri, 2008-08-01 09:30
Thanks for the comment. It's always great to get some perspectives from people who are new to the community and I appreciate your willingness to take the time and effort to write.

I don't recall the discussion you're referring to, but I also haven't listened to all of the audio the community produces, so I may have missed it. In general, we have lots of community members who use Windows, Macs, Linux, and combinations of all of those on a regular basis. All of our show hosts are certainly free to express their own opinions and perspectives. There's room for a lot of voices here, which is one reason I value this community so much.

I will say that, in my experience, Mac users are far from easily offended. While I would not want to generalize about all Mac users, my experience has shown that they tend to have an arrogant attitude toward their chosen computing platform, and a significantly inflated sense of self-importance. That persona is certainly fostered by both Apple's leadership and their marketing department.

For the last several years, we've heard a lot of Mac users making claims that their platform is more secure, immune to viruses, and generally unhackable. What they typically fail to realize is that the lack of problems with the Mac are due more to its irrelevance than to it's superiority. For the bad guys, the payoffs are bigger on the Windows side because of market share. But as Microsoft pays more attention to security, the Mac will increasingly become the low hanging fruit.

Please don't misinterpret me -- I'm not a Microsoft fan boy either. In fact, if you listen to more than a couple shows, you'll find that we bash them much more than any criticisms we make of Apple.

Thanks again for listening and commenting.

dave - Fri, 2008-08-01 13:08

Thanks for the critique,

I too don't entirely remember the episode you might be refering to but i have a strange feeling that you might be talking about something i said. I think one of the best things about independent media is the freedom of expression, both the attitude of this community where your critical comment is free for the world to see and also the community itself where each other individual's opinion and tone is also free (within community guidelines related to personal attacks etc...)

There is no 'professional differentiation' between my jabs at the mac community (which as john has suggested does tend to have a slightly self-riteous attitude about its product) and your comments about what we should choose to say on our own programs. That is freedom. Your model seems to be about us gaining the 'largest market share possible or maybe pleasing the largest number of folks' where our attitude is about freedom of expression.

That being said... wanna come on the show and talk about it? Would love to have the discussion...

cheers. dave.

ps. i tested the contact button and checked the email result. Turns out three other edtechtalkers had done the same. it works in firefox here. :) I also notice that comments AREN'T allowed on your own site...

JenM - Sat, 2008-08-02 00:13
Maybe the problem with the contact link is a Mac problem? Seems to work fine on my Dell (Windows) and my eeePC (linux). I'll have to check on my old iMac (and maybe even on my iPhone) and let you know for sure.

jschinker - Mon, 2008-08-04 19:28

Just to clarify this, the content link issue is NOT a Mac problem. It was a problem that happened when people tried to use the contact link who weren't logged in to the site. This problem should be resolved now.

Anonymous (not verified) - Fri, 2008-08-01 23:36
This is a really good conversation not only about Mac users but community development in general. Most people who - on occasion listen to me - not often - hear my repeated comments about "Mac users rule" As a veteran PC user it was a learning curve to switch to my Mac Book Pro. It was worth the effort. As a Webcast Academy intern, I could understand all the dialogue and intricate steps required to broadcast that was forced on PC interns. For me it was a snap. It was a plug and play activity with my Mac. I did give the PC setup a shot using my "virtual PC" . I would have thrown in the towel - no rather wrung the towel - if I had been restricted to using a PC. So again I repeat Macs rules. However, Mac's are more expensive and the majority of computer users work in a PC environment. So those users who do not have the benefit of a Mac must overcome the hurdles just as Mac users deal with software and applications only available to PCs. Until recently - my observation - most of the experience and wealth of expertise came from PC folks and so the new environment has not totally matched the information and sharing available to the PC crowd. Now onto my comments about collaborative communities, community development and what for me Web 2.0 - aka Edtechtalk is all about. Learn - listen - learn and listen. Share what you know - take what you need. Develop a one on one relationship with all the members of the online community and work to build a dynamic and supportive learning environment. The folks at Edtechtalk have got that down to a science. I also welcome your perspective and expertise and hope you will join our discussions. We could use another Mac user to add to the list so I can state with out reservation - "Mac users rule!!

cephalopodcast - Mon, 2008-08-04 11:33

I suspect it was probably Dave too. I think he does a good job of being a contrarian but I've learned to take his views with a large grain of coarse salt. :)

There have been some attempts to get a Mac focused webcast going, and I point you to the moribund Macbridgessite as an example. If anyone is interested in revitalizing this program, I'd be interested.