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Website In A Weekend readers are smarter than average. (Probably better looking too)
How do I know this?
Because I don’t treat you like an idiot.
I treat you like you’re smart, ambitious and capable. I treat you like you’re an interesting, literate individual.
I can’t help it. It’s just what I do.
And you keep coming back for more!
Sure, I could probably make more money treating readers like idiots. What a bore.
Check this out…
I taught a couple of semesters of Engineering Geology lab sections to Civil Engineering undergraduates. Now right there, that’s a problem. Engineers are traditionally very suspicious of geologists. You know, if you want 3 different opinions, ask 2 different geologists, that kind of stuff (Larry knows what I mean here). Engineers are trained to get The Answer.
Not “it depends.”
In any case, my teaching evaluations were good (no surprise), but one of the comments really tickled me:
“Dave assumes we know what he’s talking about.”
I had to laugh.
Now, that comment is partly due to the culture at Cal (don’t ask questions), and partly due to the energy I was putting into the class. Which was a lot, and I assumed people were keeping up.
I’m bringing that energy here… and I’m assuming you have a fair grip on the material that interests you. If this assumption is wrong (which wouldn’t surprise me), let me know. Leave a comment, or send me an email. If you’re not on the mailing list, you’re smart enough to find the contact form. I’ll either answer you directly, or, I’ll use my answer as fodder for another blog post.
Would you like more? Send me a letter...
{ 8 comments }
No, you don’t treat me like an idiot Dave, and my grip on my interests is more than fair. Bring on the energy and raze us down…
“Treat a man as he is, and he will remain as he is. Treat a man as he can and should be and he will become as he can and should be”
J. W. Goethe
David Walker´s last blog ..The Dust Has Settled, Fire Up Your Engines!
Ah, here’s the rebuttal to my 14-year-old girl article.
I prefer to write with the visitors’ ease of reading in mind. I don’t talk down to my audience but I just like to keep it at a newspaper level.
That said, your blog has a tendency to be more technical so you almost have to make some assumptions.
I wonder though, how many of our visitors are idiots anyway? I know you have at least one crazed fan who sent you hate mail.
Gabe | freebloghelp.com´s last blog ..Brand identity, part I – And you are special because…?
@David – I will. I will bring on the energy. Prepare to razed!
@Gabe – Yeah, it’s funny, because I have these drafts scheduled out 2-3 weeks in advance. (Caldwell accused me a being a “blogging machine.”) So what our mutual readers get is two sides of the same coin.
“Crazed fan.” I like it. Any other crazed fans out there? Do I really want to know?
You know, I emailed the person back with a sincere offer to help them find whatever it was they were looking for, but I never got a response. (Offer is still open, if you’re still out there.)
Dr Wordpress!´s last blog ..Top 5 Biggest Lies About Blogging for Money
I remember classes at Cal, all of us engineering students listening to some professor talk on and on about something we had no clue about, but nobody raising their hand to say “I don’t think we get it.”
Never show weakness in front of your other classmates. Typical Cal stuff.
…and yes, we are all better looking than average.
Sean´s last blog ..Inspiration, Perspiration, Motivation, and Grueling it out
(btw, not meant to imply that you were one of those nonsensical Cal professors, Dave)
Sean´s last blog ..Inspiration, Perspiration, Motivation, and Grueling it out
@Sean – Unfortunately, when I first came to Cal, I didn’t realize that. Since then, I’ve learned 2 very important lessons from attending Cal:
1. Don’t be the person that asks the stupid question.
2. All questions are stupid.
Brutal. Disappointing.
Very different from UTK, where so many students were older, returning students. I had a prof at UTK tell me once that it was so different now (mid-’90s) than in the old days. These older students would *demand* the professor’s help, and not take no for an answer.
Adults that are paying for their own education out of pocket – while working full time – have a _slightly_ different point of view regarding education: They want their money’s worth!
This is not new. More than one professor in Padua (back the in 15th century) was beaten for ripping off students… who were all older, established businessmen of the time, learning the new-fangled rules of double entry bookkeeping.
Dr Wordpress!´s last blog ..Top 5 Biggest Lies About Blogging for Money
Brutal is the right word for it. Cal Engineering was quite a change from Art school at UCSC, where they -gasp- seemed to want us to learn.
Sean´s last blog ..Why Printmaking? (A Study in Polarity)
Example for Practical WordPress Tip #8.
Dr Wordpress!´s last blog ..Actions you can take that help your personal economy and make you feel good
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