The Internet is not the real world

July 12, 2008 07:30 PM

I was talking with one of my friends who's not a programmer today, and mentioned the term "Microsoft Developer Evangelist." His reaction was priceless. "So, what, there's this guy standing on a street corner screaming 'Praaaaayuuuhhs Microsoft!'?"

It's funny, because to anyone in the industry, the term "evangelist" wouldn't even register. Sure, I've thought about how odd it is when you consider the religious origins of the term, but I've been clued into industry marketing--and not just Microsoft, I've seen it all over--enough to know what it means. Or at least enough that it doesn't stir up bizarre images of computer cults.

It's just funny, because I can't imagine anyone on the inside saying that. Not in a blog, not in a forum, and not on Twitter. Hey, we've got an image to maintain here. We wouldn't want people to think we didn't understand the terminology. And we sure wouldn't want to think we weren't passionate by making light of the craft.

It just reminds me that, as great it is to keep up with the community online, and talk the language, and stay informed, sometimes we need to step back and put down the Kool-Aid. At least enough to realize how funny we sound.

(Which reminds me of this blog post I ran across a while back.)

Comments

They have a church?

Michael Neel • July 12, 2008 09:46 PM
I think it was Alan who told me about going though airport security a while ago, with a backpack that said "Microsoft Evangelism" and the TSA guard commented something like "they have their own religion now?"

Well, they don't call it "The CATHEDRAL and The Bazaar" for nothing.

Dylan Wolf • July 13, 2008 01:51 AM
It's not like they need Microsoft to formalize it. Religious debates are pretty common among IT folk.