by Josh Bernoff
Thanks to posts by Steve Rubel (along with a tweet) and the BBC, my musings about the word "user" have generated a huge surge in traffic and opinions here at the Groundswell.
The blogosphere's response has been overwhelming positive -- look here and here, for example. This is thoughtful. My favorite post title is "User is a four letter word." I think this idea is making people think, which was my intention.
To all the people who had this idea before me -- I'm on your side.
To those who said dishwashers have users -- sure they do. But they typically have owners' guides, not user's guides. Owners are powerful. Users, somehow, don't seem to be.
The masses coming to the blog have left me some pretty indignant comments. Developers, in particular, seem to think this word is a perfectly fine part of their world. I'm grateful that you think about users in your design. I'd be even more grateful if you think of them as people. I think the closer you are to technology, the more you need to use this word. I'm not out to stop you. But please allow me to think differently.
I came to this point because I think the book is/will be better with fewer "users" in it. When it's done you can judge for yourself.
Tags: the word user, user, bernoff, Forrester Research, Groundswell
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