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Why can’t we all just get along?

Categories: Ideas and rants
By: , IntoMobile
Tuesday, December 16th, 2008 at 4:03 PM
Oh I'm not happy, not happy at all!!!

Oh I'm not happy, not happy at all!!!

It’s an oft-asked question, but still a very relevant one, nonetheless – “Why can’t we all just get along (in the world of Mobile)?

Whether it’s real venomous negativity for preview, reviews, or opinions, the overwhelming negativity that persists within the Mobile Industry is something that continues to surprise and disturb me in equal measure.

I often puzzle as to what the reasons are that people can be so down on a new product or service, and have come to a few conclusions:

  • there’s a trend of the last 5-10 years maybe in the wider world to see things in a negative light – have you watched the news recently? It used to be in the UK that EastEnders (a UK TV soap) was regarded as having quite depressing (‘realistic’) storylines, but now you need just watch the news for a good dose of depression!
  • many people who have gadgets and tech have some form of technical understanding or background – engineers specifically are trained to resolve issues and ‘find fault’ in something in order to fix it. Nothing wrong with that, until it spills in to your life in general
  • it’s easier to say something negative about something than it is positive – kinda like following the old rule about proof in mathematics – “you would have to prove a formula in infinite instances for it to be true, but only find one instance where it doesn’t work to fail it” – much easier!

Anyhow, whatever the reasons are, there seem to be a growing number of people who are discontented with every single service, product, and offering out there – and are only too happy to ‘share’ their displeasure with the world!

To those people I make a suggestion – try and find something positive to say when you are either giving your opinion or comments, be it by voice, email, letter, comments board or other. And for those out that do take a balanced view of things, or who are overwhelmingly positive, you deserve a pat (or two) on the back!

Let’s hope 2009 is the year of the positive feedback on Mobile tech, products and so on!

About The Author

Ben Robinson

Ben is a 10+ year veteran of the Mobile industry – starting his career when SMS was a still a relatively new concept for most people (!), he has now consulted on everything from bleeding-edge Mobile content, to the next-gen accessories you might view it on. As a result he has a broad and deep knowledge in numerous areas of Mobile – from network operators to device vendors, to infrastructure and middleware vendors (not to mention content delivery) – and has worked for companies in all of these areas! He is based in the UK, a hotbed of activity for mobile, and recently became a father for the second time – as oppose to in his younger years when he was happy spend time tweaking all manner of mobile devices to 'nth' degree, he now looks for services and hardware that provide the most efficient, compact, and reliable improvements to his already manic life! It’s his opinion that Mobile solutions should be there to help to make your life better – if a particular solution (be it service or device) isn’t doing this, he believes you need to ask the very important question of why you continue to use it... His focus at IntoMobile is mainly on Mobile content, services, and infrastructure, particularly as regards the UK market – and with the occasional look at devices. Additionally, using his extensive experience in the industry, he will provide commentary on the industry at large, with regular (and hopefully thought-provoking) articles.

  • bazza

    Practice what you preach.