A Consumer Manifesto to Start the New Year

Todd Bishop - @toddbishop, a contributor at TechFlash - may have written my favorite year-end post. It is a sort of Jerry Maguire letter to the technology companies whose products he buys. Here's how he starts:

A Technology Wish List for 2010

Todd Bishop on Thursday, December 31, 2009, 11:33am PST

As a technology consumer, my requirements of technology providers are actually pretty modest. Innovate, don't overcharge me, treat me fairly, protect my privacy, and don't construct artificial barriers for the sole purpose of benefitting your business.

(You should take a moment to read the rest of Todd's article by scrolling to the link at the end of this post.)

This is the kind of manifesto, that when I read it my eyes tear up. Why? Because it is a simple statement of what i believe as a consumer as well...but, with one addition. I would append the paragraph at the bottom with this: 'respect my intelligence, but don't make me have to have an engineering degree to use technology.'

I have never seen a hardware or software manual I wanted to read before I could enjoy some new gadget or software. Behavior modification doesn't exactly come from a "guide to..." or 'how-to' book.  The physical world has now transcoded to a digital one, and we have to all learn new behaviors to embrace the change. But I am a consumer, who prefers to enjoy what I consume "in the moment". Being surprised and delighted starts at the moment I realize how easy it is to enjoy your product after I open the box.  Don't overestimate how fun it is to learn a new way to do things.  Although I hate to admit I can be lazy as a consumer, if your product or service looks hard to setup because there is a lot to read before I can get started, then I'm afraid I'll pass.

Here's the full text of Todd's end of year plea.