Big fat company

In the recent past I was asked to do a follow up of an important site, made by an important web company.

I was stunned...

The major web company showed me something I had never thought to see ever again: a very robust and uneasy admin panel for which they 'had to teach me for one day how to work with it'. The system was only working in I.E 5.0 and on PC.
I thought I went back into the middle ages.

I asked the guy something I wanted to have implemented, and he started finding excuses, on how difficult it was, and how much work it would take.
I guess he thought I was 'a woman' -read: doesn't know anything about IT- and thus was pretty silent when I started laughing and told him all the specifications how to do it.
-Don't fool me guys. I might not look smart, but I sure know what I am talking about-

Why am I telling this.
Because they don't get it.
These companies made a lot of money during the first internet bubble, then almost went bankrupt, and now finally get out of the dirt.
You would think they learned their lesson.
They didn't.
They still play magic with numbers and charge way too much.
And what do they offer? False tricks.
Really.

I know the story about a site that costed 25000 euro.
A friend of mine redesigned it, made a custom CMS for that client, easy and clean, no teaching involved, and did it for a mere 2300 euro.
The client swore they would never work with big companies again.

Let's pray high profiles web companies start to use well designed open source CMS-systems rather than working with those dinosaurs that are only I.E 5 compatible and should belong to the past...
I really don't get it, and it only explains why in the future, people will choose small smart web wizards rather than working with big website/marketing companies.
Those just don't get it...

They are stuck in their routine and look for the numbers.

Same story with ad/marketing companies. While recent numbers show that print advertising doesn't affect the viewer anymore, and internet should be regarded as a new way to influence people, few agencies seems to get that idea.

I believe smart companies should hire a consultant that is aware of new technologies and that can offer cheaper ways to have the same effect, rather than go to a company that has dollars in its eyes.
Podcasting and blogs can be seen as such a way to influence people in a different way.
Seems MortierBrigade is the only one getting the point (with HumoLiegt)

Posted on November 30, 2005
in Living in Belgium

Digg this | Add to Delicious | Technorati reactions | Permalink | Comments (0)