A post targeted towards our non-web-savvy audience

A video that I saw recently prompted me to think more deeply as to how we communicate with our non tech-savvy audience and generally people who are quite new to the web. Coming to think about it, I now see that things can appear way too complicated and confusing to them. The explosive growth of internet as a medium of communication has enabled the technology to reach people working in a variety of fields and it is hardly surprising that all internet users do not share the same expertise in interacting with it. I decided to put on my thinking cap to find out how a new web user might approach our site and answer a few common questions they might ask.

So here goes… (Warning: If this post appears a little too silly to you, please skip to our next one :) )

1. There is a hyphen/dash(?) in your web address. How do I type it?

Yep, it is the hyphen. And you can find it right next to the 0 (Zero) key on your keyboard. (No Shift key press required)

2. But I use Google to find your site. Is that all right?

Umm… yes. If you google up ‘home designing’ we end up as the first result. But why take the roundabout route? You could just easily add us to your bookmarks and get to us with a single click from then on.

3. Is there any way you can update me as soon as you have a new article up on your site?

Yes, there is. The easiest would be through Facebook. Click on the ‘Become a Fan’ link on our fan page here: http://www.facebook.com/homedesigning and you will automatically receive updates through your news feed as soon as we publish a new article.

4. Can I buy the stuff you feature on site? I totally love some of them!

This is one of the top queries we get through email. The truth is we are a design blog that highlights the work of top designers, visualizers and furniture makers. We do not directly sell their products through our site. In fact, the only product we sell on our site, is this eBook. But in every article we feature on the site, we give a link to the original maker/designer. This link is a cue. It means that more info is available when you click on it.

5. Can I hire your services? I want you to design something for me.

Unfortunately, we do not offer that service. As mentioned above we are a design blog and completely dedicate our energies to running this blog.

6. I love your website. Is there anything that I can do to help?

Thank you! Here are 3 simple things that you could do that won’t cost you anything but still go a long way in helping us.

1. E-mail our site to a friend: You know which of them are into this sort of thing. :) There is a good chance that your friends might find this site a valuable resource.

2. Add our link to your blog or site: Do you own a blog or website? Great then! You could add us to your blogroll or use the following code to add us manually.

<a href="http://www.home-designing.com">Interior Designs</a>

3. Give us some love, socially!: If you are active on any of the following social sites, here is what you can do.

Facebook:Join our fan page, we have a community growing there.
Twitter:Follow us, Tweet Us.
Digg:Digg our site.
Stumbleupon:Thumb us up.

In general, please help spread word around. Greater our audience, greater would be our motivation and more time we can dedicate in hunting up awesome resources!



So there you have it. Have more questions? Shoot them off in the comments below. And remember, there are no dumb questions! :)