Keeping Up with the Joneses of the Web
Posted March 2, 2011 in Design, Lifestyle
You’ve heard the saying “Keeping up with the Joneses,” right? It basically means that whenever your neighbor (or friend or family member) buys some new shiny toy, you have to buy one too. They have a bunch of big screen TVs, trucks and Sea-Doos, so you have to have them too.
But have you heard about Keeping up with the Joneses of the Web? Every day there seems to be some new cool trend out there than can be accomplished with CSS3, HTML5 or a bit of Photoshop trickery. Five minutes after one person accomplishes this, it seems that it somehow has made it on to everyone else’s site. You know, things like gradients and drop shadows were once just on one or two sites on the web.
Keeping up with the Joneses online is just as dangerous as it is offline. Yes, you may have something shiny and new, but does it really help your business? Does it hurt your customers? What do they think when they see on your site the same thing they’ve seen on 300 other portfolios?
The Problem with the Joneses
Everyone wants to be first, and I admit I’m not an exception. Last year when the iPhone4 came out, I begged my fiance to let me use his upgrade for myself. I pre-ordered the phone, and then took pride in walking past the thousands of people in line at our local Apple store (yes the line was wrapped TWICE around the mall) with my shiny new phone they didn’t have….I admit I like to be the Jones’s of Apple products. (I am terrible, you don’t have to tell me!)
Keeping up with the Joneses presents a problem both in the real and virtual worlds. You end up spending a ton of money on something you don’t need that only lasts a little while. Yes, gradients were cool for a little while, but now they’re a cliche. What about those people who paid $10,000+ for a redesign to put some gradients and rounded corners in?
If you check out the best sites of the web, they’re always one step ahead of us. You could say they themselves are the ‘Joneses.’ Just as you get what they have, they move on to something new. You can never keep up. It’s impossible.
How Trying to Keep Up Hurts Your Customers
At this point, you may be shrugging your shoulders and asking yourself, “so what?” So what if you copy from the greats and get your design clues from them. Does it really hurt anyone?
Yes, yes it does. It hurts both you and your customers. It hurts you because you end up spending time and money on something that’s not important, instead of spending resources on really bettering your company and getting your name in front of clients. It hurts your clients because they end up seeing the same thing everyone else has, and then end up moving on (and therefor missing your business, which might have the solution).
Your website’s design is important whether or not you offer design services. For example, even though I’m a developer, I only put the sites that I’ve coded with the best designs in my portfolio. I didn’t design them, but the client will still base their decision to hire me or not based on the design of the site, not just on the design of my code.
Becoming the Joneses
If you can’t keep up with the Joneses, can you become the Joneses? What if you were the one everyone copied and looked up to? This is certainly possible, albeit very difficult and a waste of time to try to accomplish. I’ve watched several of the big names in my industry (The Joneses, if you will) and have discovered one important thing that makes them who they are–they don’t try. While they do try to be the best, they better themselves and the work they produce for their clients. They don’t care about becoming famous or “Keeping up with the Joneses.” That’s not why they do what they do.
If you seek to become famous, you’ll never really make it. You’re too focused on the outcome and not focused enough on the work it takes to get there. Become better and seek to do work that will enable your clients and colleagues to excel, not to just pretty up their site and keep up with the newest trends.
Some of the Joneses of Today
I have to admit something else–I’m tired of hearing about CSS3 and HTML5. In reality, both CSS3 and HTML5 aren’t radically different from the previous versions, they just add on some needed functionality (i.e., they aren’t totally new languages, just updates). Yet everyone on the web is running around like a chicken with their heads cut off freaking out about the new awesomeness that comes. Yes, CSS3 and HTML5 are awesome. But why are you really using it on your site? Ask yourself–am I using it to be the coolest or because it is the best tool?
One person makes a Twitter icon completely out of CSS3 and all of a sudden, everyone else has to make one. A client hears about HTML5 canvas and assumes it should be used on his site because the “Joneses” are talking about it. Many freelance designers don’t stop to think about the most important thing a website is for–your customers. Do your customers even care about or want these things? Will it help them to buy more of your product or service? Or will it just get in the way?
Your Thoughts
What do you think about the trend of keeping up with the online Joneses? Are you guilty?
Image by xlibber
Related posts:
- Are Freelancing Expectations Keeping You from Your Ultimate Success?
- Why Keeping An “I Hate” List Can Make You Money
- The Care and Keeping of Long-Term Clients
About the author: Amber is a freelancer with over 10 years of experience and specializes in clean, semantic and valid HTML5, CSS3 and Wordpress development. She also writes a web development blog at www.amberweinberg.com and just launched a web app for developers at www.codesnipp.it.
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28 Comments
David
March 2nd, 2011 at 9:01 amYou nail it when you said: So why we do it? Is it effective marketing fault? Is it our own ego and pride to be ALWAYS the first? or, A combination of factors? Yeah probably. Raise your Mouse those who are willing to change habits!
David
March 2nd, 2011 at 9:03 amOops i forgot to place what you said was: “You end up spending a ton of money on something you don’t need that only lasts a little while.”
Samantha Bangayan
March 2nd, 2011 at 9:28 amMouse raised with David! =)
Actually, I’m not a professional web designer, but as an amateur, keeping up with the Joneses hurts me because there are often bugs in shiny, new gadgets and upgrades!
Great advice to stay away from the goal of being famous. I know that I would prefer working with a client-focused business rather than with a fame-seeking freelancer!
Jason Norberg
March 2nd, 2011 at 10:37 amI wholeheartedly agree with your sentiment, but I fear that it has spread beyond the designer/developer community.
Lately there seems to be an increased interested on my clients part for CSS3 and HTML5. Some of this has been for iPad development – which is understandable, but I have some clients who want it for their website projects. At least until they understand what kind of impact that it will have with their audience and the potential added cost to the project.
For me at least, it seems to boil down to that eternal education process with the client and asking questions about what they really want.
Pothi
March 2nd, 2011 at 10:47 amI personally think it is okay when it comes to the web, just to understand what is going on the other side and how. But your article compels me to change my thinking. ;-)
TheAL
March 2nd, 2011 at 11:19 amLike you say, does it help or hurt? I think the HTML5/CSS3 craze is a good example or one craze that rests on both sides. Learning it is definitely a plus. Using it is a gray area. The advantages to come with time will be awesome. But for now? With PE/degradation you can give the few people who actually care about the latest browsers some new tricks, but then spend extra time with tons of javascript making it degrade for everyone else (when you could have done a little less work with javascript to get the same effect from the get-go for everyone – and, let’s face it, all those people with the most tricked-out browsers are probably other techies, not everyday users). Heck, most of the portfolios I’ve bumped into that go overboard emphasizing it don’t use it, and in the sites they’ve made for clients I’ll see a section or header/footer tag at most (the bulk is all xhtml still). And then there’s the client perspective, as you point out. They see some new novelty and feel the need to burn a checkbook or two just to say they’re implementing it.
TLC
March 2nd, 2011 at 11:29 amI think this is also very true about social media. Virtually every client I have has asked about Facebook, Linked In, Twitter, blogging, etc. But when I start asking questions, I find that none of their clients uses social media, they’re not on it, and they have no idea how to use it. Most of them also are small business owners and simply don’t have the time or staff to keep up with it.
This is true about SEO as well. I have clients who get less than 5% of their business from online searches, but are willing to double their advertising/marketing budgets and dump everything into Google adwords. And they start rewriting and reconfiguring their Web sites for SEO but take away the tools that draw in customers.
Everyone needs to evaluate what works best for their individual business and use the tools that will help bring in more of it. And sometimes, that means bucking the trends.
Big Buddy
March 2nd, 2011 at 11:29 amGreat article Amber. I, too, am tired of hearing about HTML5 this and CSS3 that.
Some Design Blog
March 2nd, 2011 at 11:32 amPlus, “keeping up with the Jonses” means jumping on trends, and half the things that are super-trendy today will look super-dated in no time. A careful blend between modern and classic looks will usually have a lot more longevity.
Virginia Haenni
March 2nd, 2011 at 1:01 pmGood points in both the article and the comments! Not just web trends but even truly important tech developments can be nothing more than shiny temptations for someone who shouldn’t be spending their money on them. It’s more important to decide what’s centrally important and work out from there, rather than slap the latest thing onto the surface.
Christina
March 2nd, 2011 at 2:44 pmExcellent article! I’ve always felt the same way about websites completely designed with Flash. About 2.5 years ago I told a group of committee members (for a graphic design board I am on) that Flash for websites was going to decline within the next 2 years and the schools shouldn’t be teaching it as it’s own class. They disagreed with me strongly.
Well just as I predicted, it’s already happening. And I can’t even begin to tell you how many times my clients want Flash websites….even to this day. BTW…I’m not against Flash, I’m just against the improper use of it in designing websites and it’s instability.
And I’ve always loved the fact that I have waited until 2.0 or even 3.0 of things are released before I take a dive. It saves me lots of $ and heartache, especially if it’s a tangible that is recalled due to defects.
The Joneses can keep what they have because most of the time we can’t even put a real name on who they are after a while.
Stephan
March 2nd, 2011 at 4:02 pmIn the end, it’s about your visitors. I’ll wager that 99% of them aren’t following the sites that tell us in the industry about all these new bells & whistles. They know what the larger, popular sites are using and how it makes their experience with that website better.
My advice to clients looking to keep up with the Joneses is to look at your website as a visitor, and ask yourself if your experience is going to be any better just because you have a titanium-clad dancing bear, and not a tie-dye one. The exercise will most likely reveal other issues with your website that can be addressed with existing, well-established bells, whistles, widgets and gizmos.
And that’s *after* you go through the exercise of determining if your target market is even using these technologies (I speak here about the references to apps, mobile, social, etc. and not just websites)
Donnie Lee
March 2nd, 2011 at 4:23 pmI wonder how long that fuzzy feeling you had marching around with your new iPhone lasted? (I still have a 3G and, surprisingly, it still works.) You point on keeping up with the Joneses is well made. Websites and design are merely tools to accomplish goals.
Amber Weinberg
March 2nd, 2011 at 4:25 pm@Donnie Exactly…although I admit I will continue buying new Apple products as they come out…I have a soft spot for them ;) Already trying to decide if I will sell my iPad1 for an iPad2
Johann Alexander
March 2nd, 2011 at 5:51 pmI have to agree, keeping up with any strange family name can be often unnecessary. As a web consultant in Singapore, I often hear requests for HTML5 components or .Net applications to design PHP websites. We are moving too fast as a human race, and things like Google and Wikipedia have made the understanding of technology and the world around us, more superficial. Keeping up with the Joneses merely means not understanding what we have but buying what we perceive. Joe Rogen once said in his stand-up, “We are dumb people who but shit from intelligent people.”
angelee
March 3rd, 2011 at 6:09 amDefinitely not yet guilty! Though I am, in the real world. Not yet online because no matter what I do, I’m still behind the race. I need to keep up more, especially that I’m still a starter. Awesome article Amber!
dp
March 3rd, 2011 at 1:07 pmFeeling the need to “keep up” is a symptom of our capitalist society. It is “every man for himself” and if you don’t keep up, you will die.
Sponsi
March 3rd, 2011 at 2:58 pm@Christina I had the same feelings about flash : ) and fortunately it’s happening! Yeah!. When it comes to professional work I don’t think keeping up with the Joneses is a good practice – there are so many things to consider before switching to another technologies a wise developer will never do something just for the sake of fashion. Now it’s about HTML5 which I have read here and there will become standard in 2-3 years’ time. It’s worth tracking novelties but not just go into them “hurray-style”. Another example for me is Joomla 1.6 – like with 1.5, I’m waiting for 1.6.5 or something like that. Let fools chase Joneses, be wise! : )
@dp – great, general observation… this is a fashion of it’s own to be fashionable.
Of course, customers will yearn for shiny stuff but it’s our job to be conscious with choices – if you are professional, you can talk people into good things, not the choices like “I love this website, let’s do it exactly the same way because it’s moving and glittering with effects (…).”
Gregor Colnik
March 3rd, 2011 at 6:25 pmI agree, keeping up with the joneses is a bad habbit. But i think it’s even worse not to keep up. Especially in the web design and development.
Agreed that css3 and html5 are nothing special, and most of the people think they really have to use them. But both of those are there to make our lives as programmers and designers easier. And to make and design better web pages and applications.
So i think it’ is important to keep up.
The key to it is that you’re among the first. Just like you were with the iPhone.
p.s.:Luckily i can hate iStuff, because it doesn’t improve my business. And i do so just because everyone else loves it. damn joneses :P
modern canvas
March 11th, 2011 at 10:59 amThis is so true, keeping an eye on your rivals is a lot harder than you think, escpially if your a freelancer or small business.
Kemar
June 11th, 2011 at 5:19 amI add my piece by saying I agree. It’s not what current that matters but the in truth the “need” and “compatibility” it gives to your goal. So if a website is what you want with HTML5 on it, one must if the ROI will yield exposure, profits increase and other incentives. I for one don’t believe in aligning with trends, commonality all the time.
It doesn’t present anything different or memorable. It’s like Lady Gaga. Yeah she’s a musician of the pop genre that folks worldwide love. She’s isn’t totally different from musicians that face huge success, she faces the same trials. But you must give her credit, she’s different because she dears to be different even from her fellow industry peers. What’s so different? He outrageous embellishment of costumes, highly awkward concert props and her insatiable appetite for bright colors. She for one will always stand out for that. Suffice, she does what’s different and results are very evident.
Kemar
June 11th, 2011 at 5:36 amAlso it’s individuality that matters also.
porzadne strony
February 10th, 2012 at 7:18 amFantastic!!! What to add!?
dobre gry online
February 12th, 2012 at 7:14 amUnless I’m wrong.. this is just for fun. I don’t think anyone’s said it’s a serious study, but you can take it as you will. And what about world music?
Find Plagiarism
March 12th, 2012 at 8:25 amSome really wonderful work on behalf of the owner of this web site, utterly outstanding written content.
Georgetta Kallmeyer
April 16th, 2012 at 8:35 amPerfectly indited written content, Really enjoyed looking at.
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