Geekspeak still baffles web users

Excellent, I'm still in a job then :) 

Seriously though, there is some fun stuff in this Nielsen/Net Ratings survey quoted by the BBC but also some questionable data if you ask me (which I know you did).

• • while 40% of online Britons receive news feeds, 67% did not know that the official term for this service was Really Simple Syndication

Which 40% is then then? Most people I speak with don't have a clue about RSS and certainly 40% of them don't use it. and I know a lot of geeks, trust me. Even more worrying is this survey is of people who are already online so Mr Burmaster warns us that the numbers among the general population (non geek I assume) will be higher.

• • Interestingly, although 68% of those interviewed possessed an MP3 player, only 20% owned iPods - the biggest selling digital music player.

Ah, music to my Zune flavoured ears :)

• • In the relentless quest for the next big thing when it comes to new forms of digital consumption, there is a significant tendency for the industry to over-estimate consumer's knowledge and understanding of the seemingly limitless new terms and products out there

This is true though. I went to Tottenham Court Road in London this weekend to look at some hardware first hand as I simply can't get (or trust) the info I need online. I got the exact info I need from speaking geek to a very nice man in the Sony shop. Thanks Jose!

Meantime, I'll make a promise that where I use new acronyms on this blog, I'll endeavor to explain

 

Link to BBC NEWS | Technology | Geekspeak still baffles web users

Comments

• Anonymous
  October 08, 2006
  Hmm.. I wonder if they answered the question 'news feeds' thinking, 'yeah I turn on the TV and get my news feeds...'  or, 'I go to BBC.COM and read news feeds.'  If the question was, 'Do you get your news via RSS?' the numbers would be more like 5%.

• Anonymous
  October 08, 2006
  yep, my thinking too. 40% using RSS...shurely shome mishtake Mr Bond...5% would be way more realistic!