The Digital Home

With election day fast approaching and Americans running to the polls to cast their vote for the next president of the United States, I thought it was an appropriate time to discuss when (if ever) technology will take center stage in American politics.

Maybe I have a vested interest in seeing technology take center stage in American politics. After all, I believe that it's the most important industry in the world, thanks to the Internet and the billions of dollars it generates for the economy each year, but I know many disagree. Some say that the health care industry matters more than technology and others believe the environmental industry takes the cake. Good arguments can be made for any industry, but I think more politicians need to see the value of technology.

The Internet is the lifeblood of the world. Without it, we would be thrown back into the Stone Age. Why? The world runs on it. In just a few short years, the Web has become as important to our lives as water. Can you imagine what would happen if the Internet suddenly disappeared? Almost every single company in the world would be crippled. The entire online industry would die in one day and the stock market would crash. We would be sent into financial turmoil and start fighting over scraps as supermarkets and stores became unable to communicate with vendors.

Now, I understand that and I'm betting you do too. But when will politicians finally realize that caring about technology really does matter and they can't just set it aside like it's a fringe concern?

For years, I've wanted to write this piece, but for one reason or another, I didn't think it was the right time to do it. But now, as I look at technology zealots like myself who have been forced to submit to the will of the vocal minority that has no idea what this industry is all about, I think it's time.

Whether it's lawmakers, the RIAA, MPAA, "family groups" or other misguided individuals, these people are taking the technology industry to task for everything it stands for and anything it does. Gone are the days of appreciation for what technology provides and here are the days of contempt.

Years ago, technology lovers were not-so-affectionately called geeks who had no idea what the real world looks like. These people were ostensibly scared of the opposite sex in high school, enjoyed tinkering with electronics on weekends and hardly ever played sports. But as those geeks created technologies that transcended industries, they suddenly gained respect and the pejorative has become a term of endearment in appreciation for the creature comforts those people created.

But now, a new group of people has emerged to confront the tech lovers all over the world and stop them from being able to do what they want with the technology they own. And while many have tried to confront them on an individual basis, it has not worked. And it's for that reason that we must all come together and fight the ridiculous impositions brought upon us.

Over the past few months, I've frequented a number of technology websites that have tried to sway public opinion by telling the world where the writer or the publication itself stands on an issue.

And while I have no problem when a technology publication informs its readers about a political issue relevant to the world of tech and subsequently tells those same readers where the politicians stand on the particular issue, I don't think it's a technology journalist's responsibility (or right) to opine on world affairs or the economy.

In fact, just as I don't talk to my readers about sports and politics because it's outside the parameters of my work, political and sports journalists shouldn't wax poetic about the world of technology.

To be quite honest, I think it's disgusting that journalists would use their pulpit as a vehicle to promote their own political views even though it has nothing to do with the industry they cover.

Big 4 or CNET?

(Credit: CNET)

For those of you who are unaware of my history, I used to work at an unnamed Big 4 auditor before I made my move to writing. Back then, my life was one big blur of hard work, mental exercise and boredom.

My whole life I enjoyed technology and the world of gadgets, but I never seemed to have an outlet to express it. So, with quite a bit of luck, I was able to start in this business as a volunteer writer who wrote feature length articles that were assigned to me. From there, I was offered a position with Ziff-Davis as a part-time blogger, and then parlayed that experience into more writing gigs. Today, I'm lucky enough to be a tech journalist who spews his beliefs to people like you every day. And while I understand that you sometimes disagree with my opinion on a given subject, I respect your belief and welcome any retort you may set forth. Trust me, I have learned over the past few years that no one can be right about this business all the time, but if you love what you do and truly believe what you say, you'll never lose sight of the truth.

But with over 15 publications currently asking me to express my opinion or write up features on a daily, weekly or monthly basis, I commonly find myself reverting back to the days as "big bad auditor Don." When I was an auditor, I knew business inside and out and was lucky enough to see how CEOs, CFOs and the rest run a successful operation. But what always struck me was how different tech companies are from every other industry.

Tech companies are typically run by visionaries or young people that were the original creators of the product or service. And while other businesses have the same kind of operation, it always seemed that tech companies were different -- until they became too big.

Small tech companies don't have employees wear suits to work each day and more often than not, the employees will roam around the halls with a tee-shirt ans jeans on. Working for a tech company seemed fun, appealing, and more often than not, relatively laid back -- nothing like my job as an auditor.

Knowing business is important in tech writing. I'm a firm believer that if you don't know business, you simply don't know technology. Everything that guides these products from R&D to our store shelves is governed by the business world. If the execs think a product will succeed based on countless days of research and market analysis, you'll see it. If, after research is complete, those same execs believe a product isn't suitable for the market they are targeting, it'll die on the vine.

Sometimes, products slip through the cracks and perform poorly because of issues that were either unforeseen or ignored. Other times, expected junkers become hits because they fill a void in a market. Either way, this business is unique.

Try to find me another industry that's as unique as the tech industry. How many different sites are able to update news every single day with at least thirty or forty stories? More often than not, people read these stories because they share the same love for tech that I, and the rest of the journalists in my field share.

That said, we must never lose sight of the fact that business dictates this business and the dollar sign will trump all. Sometimes companies are wrong and other times right, but we're lucky enough to live in a world where the majority of technology products fall under the "good" category.