Keep It Simple for the Stupid
“You’ll never go broke underestimating the intelligence
of the American public” ~ P.T. Barum
A few days ago I was getting ready to go out and glanced in the mirror at the mop that was my hair. I had a bit of time so I decided I’d trim it up. Now before you go thinking this is some big ordeal allow me to explain. I almost always sport a buzz cut that I can do myself with the handy #2 length guard and a set of clippers. I’ve been cutting my own hair for years and have it down to about a 10 minute process. The reason my head resembled a mop was because I had just been too lazy to take those 10 minutes. Anyway, as I said, I decided to finally cut my hair. I covered the sink and about 15 minutes later (I told you it had gotten long) I was done. Well, almost…
The one problem with cutting your own hair is your neck. No matter how hard I try, I just don’t have enough coordination to trim a straight line on the back of my neck. Luckily, I’m married and don’t have to worry about that anymore. My wife just pops the guard off, turns the clippers over and in about three seconds, I have a nice clean line. We’ve pretty much got it down to a system. Well, almost…
My wife was in the other room getting ready so I popped the guard off and sat the clippers down for her and proceeded to brush my teeth. While I was brushing I noticed I had missed a pretty large chunk of hair that was now standing up at the back of my head making me look an awful lot like a human peacock. As I said, I had done this about a thousand times and every now and then I just miss a spot. Anyway I picked up the clippers, turned them on and with two quick swipes removed the tuft.
Unfortunately, as those of you who have been paying attention probably already realize, I didn’t mention putting the guard back ON the clippers. That is, in fact, because I hadn’t. So, while I did succeed in removing the peacock look, I simultaneously created two rectangular bald strips on the back of my head. I of course realized this as I was setting the clippers back down and noticed my trusty 2 guard sitting on the other side of the sink. After consulting with my now laughing wife, I came to the conclusion that my only real option was to finish off the rest of the head like that. Another 15 minutes later and viola, I joined Darren Rowse and Shoemoney as a member of the bald bloggers brigade.
Moral of the story? Even smart people (just allow me my delusions please) do dumb things once in a while. What does that mean for your blog? To borrow Mr. Barnum’s line, you’ll never go broke underestimating the intelligence of your audience. That’s not to say you act as if everyone that reads your blog is stupid. Shoot, in my case I’m pretty sure most of the readers still have their hair which puts them one step above me. The point is, everybody has learned different things at different times through different experiences. One reader might know a lot about SEO but know next to nothing about usability. One person might know a lot about writing compelling copy, but have no idea how to use WordPress. By taking the time to make sure you cover all your bases, you’ll allow your site to be a useful resource for novices and experts alike.
In short, keep it simple for the stupid, even if the stupidity is only temporary. 
Comments
Travis Roberts August 3rd, 2007
Thanks for making me laugh, I used to cut my own hair at one time as well. We are building a house so the stress makes me feel like mine is just falling out!! Stop by my blog sometime, I am blogging about the stressful building process.
FIAR August 3rd, 2007
Nice! I linked you on this post for my weekly round up.
Wild Bill August 3rd, 2007
I can’t make that mistake. The last time I went bald I looked like a retarded Buddha. And who are you calling stupid?
FIAR August 3rd, 2007
And who are you calling stupid?
You
Blogging Experiment August 3rd, 2007
Lol FIAR the fight picking day was yesterday remember?
My mom said I look like Lex Luthor on Smallville, but she’s my mom so take that with a grain of salt.
FIAR August 3rd, 2007
What? I’m supposed to stop fighting because of some arbitrary date change. You retarded Bhuddas don’t get off so easy. Nor do you Lex Luthors.
Patricia - Spiritual Journey Of A Lightworker August 4th, 2007
I remember when I was probably in my early 20′s, we went through a rough spot, financially. My husband and I were still college students. I decided to cut my own hair. About the 3rd time that I did it, some how, I cut a small spot in the back (where I couldn’t see what I was doing) to the scalp. I didn’t have the luxury of bald-headed women being a fashion statement like it is for you guys today. I made myself a crocheted bun holder, stuffed it with a black scarf and pinned it on. I wore that thing for over a month until some hair grew back to cover the bald spot. Needless to say, I didn’t cut my own hair again. I do my husband’s neck for him in between his visits to get a decent haircut. He snips and cuts when his hair starts curling out at a certain length. I imagine the lady that cuts his hair wishes he would leave it alone.
ClickforNickdotCom August 5th, 2007
I tried cutting my own hair, sadly had to shave it off
HMTKSteve August 6th, 2007
I also cut my own hair with clippers. My short guard broke last month though so I can’t trim my beard as easily as I used to with the clippers.
I look at it this way, why spend money on a hair cut every few months when I can just buy the clippers and do it myself? I used to be a “barracks barber” back in my army days so it’s no big deal for me to do my own hair now.