Lynn Espinoza is a broadcast news veteran with more than a decade of media, presentation and executive coaching experience. She has developed personal coaching sessions for Fortune 100 C-level executives, corporate communicators of all kinds, doctors, lawyers and leaders in non-profit.
Pay Your Users Some Respect
Posted on March 31, 2010. Filed under: Latest News Leave a Comment
I am fortunate to work with some of the most exciting technology companies on the planet. The people who work in these companies are passionate about bringing their technologies to the public; a public always hungry for the latest gadget or gizmo. Communications teams work hard to build a story that will connect the technology to the people who want to buy it, but the story is too often peppered with my least favorite technology buzz word: User.
In the dictionary, the term “user” does show up as a legitimate technology term, but after two more commonly-known definitions:
Us-er (yoo-zer)
–noun
1.
a person or thing that uses.
2.
one who uses drugs, esp. as an abuser or addict.
3.
Computers. a person who uses a computer.
Or maybe it’s because it rhymes with loser. Whatever, calling someone a user just doesn’t sound welcoming. For instance, the security division of one of my technology company-clients talks about “locking down” their “users”. Sounds to me like what they do at the state penitentiary.
The fix is simple. Instead of users, refer to your customers as, well, customers; or consumers; or even better – PEOPLE!
The people who use your technology will be grateful.
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