I Use Things Other People Think Are Cool
by Steven Rossi on January 16, 2009 in Technology, Thoughts on Life
I realized recently that I use many of the software products, web apps, and other things that I do simply because other people think they’re cool. I’ve run into this problem numerous times recently: I noticed that I’ll force myself to come up with a way to use a product because I think I need to rather than because it serves a purpose to me.
An example? Evernote. Evernote is a GREAT product. It has a ton of great features, and I’ve blogged about it before. I simply have very little use for it. I already use DropBox to sync my files without having to create documents in a proprietary format. Of course Evernote does other things, but the point is that I don’t really need to do those other things. Despite having little purpose for Evernote, I try really hard to use it so that I feel like I’m part of some elite group that uses really cool stuff.
Have you had similar experiences, or am I just sick? Share some thoughts.
by Ben Hammond
On January 16, 2009 at 3:33 pm
Wow. yeah, I think that’s problem that many many people have, including myself… cept I started using Evernote before I knew that lots of others used it. I know that I did that will the version of shazam for windows mobile. I noticed that others around me were using it so I thought that i should too. Then I realized that I really don’t care most of the time… or that there is usually someone around you who knows what the song is… and that takes about 25 seconds less time.
by Steven
On January 16, 2009 at 5:25 pm
Heh, yeah. I figured people would be able to relate to what I was saying. Your example of Shazam fits exactly with what I was talking about…using things that don’t serve me a real purpose just because other people are using them. Thanks for your response.
by Bendaroos
On January 19, 2009 at 7:05 pm
Oh wow! I have never seen Evernote before. I guess I’m going to try it out because you think it’s cool. How funny is that?
Really, this shows how critical it is to create cool products. So much marketing comes from word of mouth. If a few people think something is cool, it is highly likely their friends will all try it and so on and so forth.
I’m wondering if I can get Evernote for my iPod Touch…checking iTunes…YES!
by Steven
On January 19, 2009 at 8:28 pm
Heh, yeah, Evernote is definitely a great product. I know that lots of people love it. The iPhone app is really cool, too. Glad you found it!