Saturday, March 24, 2012

Understanding people based on email address

As much as we try to avoid it, we all quickly summarize the people around us based on small bits of information.  Nobody said it was fair, but we judge people based on dialect, race, clothing, posture, and even walking gait.  Because I work in technology, I thought I would share some of my admittedly unfair biases based on email address.

These are currently in no particular order, and I expect to update this post several times as I think through this issue.

  • Me.com or Apple.com
    • Didn't fully use the internet until they bought an iPhone.
    • Loves to hate Microsoft products.
    • Brings out phone to show pictures of children, food, or recent vacation shots in an aggressive, unpleasant manner.
    • Will freak out when MobileMe shuts down in June, 2012.
    • Thinks the term "App" means something specifically about iPhone.
    • Believes Steve Jobs was an inventor/scientist.
  • AOL.com
    • Old person.
    • Probably does not know what a scroll bar is.
    • Thinks PowerPoint users are technology geniuses.
    • Externalizes internet problems.
    • Believes that prior to retirement, Bill Gates knew when they opened an email.
    • Frequent Facebook poster, uses "post to board" instead of "private message" causing everyone embarrassment.
  • Comcast.net
    • Probably a converted AOL user.
    • Knows how to unplug a router to restore Comcast service, or has a younger person around who does this for them.
    • Doesn't know IMAP from a hole in the ground.
    • Thought the hacker scenes in "Swordfish" were believable.
    • Leaves hundreds of application windows open and rarely restarts machine.
  • Gmail.com
    • Watched Tron 2010 in 3D the first month it came out.
    • Owns an Android phone but has bought at least one Apple device.
    • Has an opinion about password length.
    • Owns, or has considered owning a Prius.
    • Wears goofy shoes.
    • Cuts off bicycles when driving, but hogs lane when riding bike.
  • Yahoo.com
    • Buys the magazines found at grocery store cash registers.
    • Forwards spam email to friends.
    • Computer(s) infected with multiple viruses
    • Never backs anything up.
    • Asks people simple questions that could easily be Googled from the phone they are holding.
    • Possible creationist.