...at least, according to my relatives I do. *Disclaimer:* This post isn't really search-related or remotely useful/valuable. Deal with it. I'm bored.
I'm in Michigan right now. Hot, humid, flat, skinny tree'd, built Ford (or GM, or Chrysler) tough, crickets chirp at night, everything is a half hour drive away, Michigan. I was born and raised here, but moved to Seattle for college, where I fell in love with the Emerald City and got a pretty sweet internship-turned-job working at the Moz Plex. Still, like a good daughter/sister/niece, I try to visit the Mother Land once or twice a year. And these visits, my lovely readers, have gotten increasingly confusing and complicated after I started working for SEOmoz.
Sure, SEO is a tricky concept to grasp if you're not in our industry (unlike saying "I'm a doctor," or "I'm a teacher"), but generally people can get the gist of it. I, however, have the futile task of trying to explain to my relatives what I do for a living every time I come to visit. These are blue collar folks originally hailing from Tennessee, Kentucky, and other parts of America's Heartland. People who send me emails with ridiculous fonts and giant emoticons. People who forward me the same six damn chain letters I've received since I was thirteen years old. Basically, it's an uphill effort.
The last time I was in town, I had the following exchange with my aunt:
My aunt: "So what do you do now, Rebecca?"
Me: "I work for an Internet marketing company."
My aunt: *blank look*
Me: "Um, so...have you ever searched for something on Google?"
My aunt: *blank look*
Me: *sigh* (thinks to self: damnit, that's usually a good segue...)
And this is usually what my Mom says:
Anyone talking to my mom: "What does Rebecca do?"
My mom: "I don't know. Internet something. (Note to Mom: technically, Internet porn is *something*, so you might want to try and clarify a wee bit.) They must like her, because she travels a lot." (Either that, or I have a debilitating body odor, and the conferences are a good excuse to get me out of the office so they can air out the Korean funk.)
Anyway, imagine my surprise during this trip when the typical "Rebecca does something with computers" mentality changed. A couple days ago I went to a family birthday party. All of my relatives were in attendance, including some I haven't seen since I was a little girl. As soon as I walked in and said hello, one of my uncles said, "Hey, did you hear the news?" I shook my head, and he proceeded to state very facetiously, "Yahoo! bought Google!"
I was confused, not because I believed him (my exact response was, "If anything, it'd be the other way around"), but because I was wondering why he was telling me this. Did my uncle actually understand my line of work, and thus think that I'd be compelled to blog about something that newsworthy? Does he read the blog?! Holy crap, I underestimated my relatives!
That, unfortunately, was not the case. A short while after that exchange, one of my cousins came up to me and said, "Hey, so I hear you're working for Google!" At that point, it clicked. Somehow, in all of my and my brother's attempts to enlighten my relatives about search engine optimization, my family heard "blah blah blah GOOGLE" and interpreted it to mean "Rebecca works for Google!" (I think the "Have you ever searched for something on Google" is what's really hurting me here.) I tried to explain to my cousin that no, I didn't work for Google, but once I started to clarify his face fell and he looked sort of disappointed. I guess SEOmoz isn't shrouded in the same sort of mystique as the almighty, all powerful Google. Sorry, Rand.
By the end of the day, I got tired of seeing faces go from excited to bored, so whenever anyone asked me if I worked for Google, I just mumbled a "mmmyeah, hey, is that fruit salad?" and ambled off. Even my mom and aunt fell victim to the Google ruse:
My aunt: "So what does Rebecca do? She works for Google?"
My mom: "Yep."
I guess what I'm trying to say is: Damn you, Google. You've even monopolized my job title. The least you could do now is get me on your payroll in order to really sell the facade. ;)
By: Rebecca Kelley
Apparently I Work for Google
Moz News
The author's views are entirely his or her own (excluding the unlikely event of hypnosis) and may not always reflect the views of Moz.
Whenever we go and visit family and they introduce us to new people, we get this dialogue going:
"This is Chris; he's an engineer at Boeing! He makes planes! This is Jane... Jane, honey, you explain to Aunt Moira what you do."
The fact that Chris doesn't actually "make planes" is another matter entirely...
I can relate. Here is an article about my cousin in the hometown Wisconsin newspaper:
https://www.fdlreporter.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070731/FON0101/707310361/1985
That link is showing up as invalid for me.
Maybe we should form an SEO "news" site and just throw up articles about ourselves that we can show our relatives....ohh wait, Sphinn.
We just had 2 new people start working and one asks what I do.
Now, keep in mind that they hired her to do part of my job. The sooner I don't have to keep staring at Webmaster Tools, adjusting AdWords bids and link build and get to do what I'm good at, the better.
ANYWAY... so she asks what I do (the person hired to do part of what I do). I explain it - so she goes "Sooo you're like Google Girl? Why don't you work for Google if you're so good?"
I believe I deserve chocolate for taking that.
I have no chocolate unfortunately.
However I do have a thumbs up... hope it helps
Awwww... THANK YOU!
Almost as good as chocolate ;-)
I have two responses:
Irreverent - You know how there is a lot of porn on the internet? I try to make sure you only see that when you actually search "@#$ %^7@ *&$%"
Earnest - I spend most of my day teaching people what I do, so they can decide that they would rather pay me than do it themselves.
Irreverent - You know how there is a lot of porn on the internet? I try to make sure you only see that when you actually search "@#$ %^7@ *&$%"
HILARIOUS! May I borrow that one? LOL
Sure!
It works best if you say the dirty stuff with a straight face.
Ohh...I could see myself getting into a lot of trouble with that one....cause it would be hella dirty, with a straight face just so I could see the look on the face of the person I'm talking to.
Pat knows what's up with that one ;)
Love it, Rebecca - and great to see you blogging from the road.
Here's how I generally describe our job (though it sounds like your family might be tougher than most of the folks I talk to):
Level 1: I work at an Internet startup (yeah, I know, we're not technically a startup, but it's basic enough that most folks get it)
Level 2: I work with search engines like Yahoo!, Google & Microsoft (even if you get a "huh?" with Google, you'll get a glimmer of recognition with Microsoft)
Level 3: I help people get their websites ranked higher on search engines like Google & Yahoo! (now we're getting closer to the source)
Level 4: I work in search marketing and run a blog on search engines (you've got to have a relatively savvy person for this one, but for 99% of my Seattle-based contacts, this works well)
Level 5: I work at a company called SEOmoz - we provide tools and content to search marketers (it's a whole new level of explanation, but once again, with a savvy crowd, it usually works)
So, maybe the Detroit-based Kelly's are simply more Level 1 type folks :)
I tend to go with a Rand Level 3 response as standard, and then depending on how they respond, go from there.
Level 3 is my default.
When I started working here, Level 2 would have been all that my family could handle. Now Levels 3.5 - 4 are working, as they've apparently read up on the subject.
And Rand, ah, you didn't spell Rebecca's last name correctly :P
I generally just tell people I build and market websites. Most people stare at me blankly no matter what I tell them so I'm not sure it matters.
Hahaha! So often, so true...! LOL
Very good description of the levels - unfortunately even if you GET to level five, chances are you only have under 10 minutes to do so before you get the "eyes roll back in the head and glaze over" effect.
Thanks for the laugh Rebecca. At least there's solace in knowing you and your relatives could kick nearly any SEO's ass in a game of euchre.
This certainly sums up one of the many reasons conferences are enjoyable - not only can you get based level 5 - people are actually EXCITED to hear about it.
3 is good but some people still think seo is those giant lists of words at the bottom of pages and submitting your site to the engines so...
Many times it seems like my SEO efforts are for Google's sake (after all, I'm helping them return better results!), so maybe they should put us all on the payroll...
Someone from Google here?
Mr.Matt Cutts are you listening?
That's exactly how I feel sometimes!
I think the problem here is a lot of people assume brand = industry. Like Xerox = copiers or Kleenex = tissue. So with this kind of thing, Google = The Internet.
"Hey Lucas! Haven't seen you for ages. What do you these days?"
"Looking for Viagra?
Lucas has the cheapest prices.
Compare Viagra Prices with Lucas
www.buyviagra.com"
"Oh... you're a spammer"
"Close enough."
Well you do work for Google, you just don't work for Google. ;)
I take a chance to leave a simple comment because we all have already experienced the same kind of conversations over here. In France, I dare to think the SEO/SEM market is less mature than in the US, so people (my mother, sister, friends, colleagues' families, etc.) keep on asking us the same question (What do you do ?) and the better reply for them to remember is : Arnaud is working on computers, he works with Google. After a while, you move away because I do understand people do not grasp my job.
Your post is fresh and funny because it my target everyone in this industry.
PS: I love your work. A loyal reader from France.
Apparently I work for Dell or Microsoft as well. I don't know how many people in my family assume I can fix their computer over the phone because I do what I do. I tell them, I know the Internet - not the device that allows you to get on the Internet!!
Wow, check out all the comments! I'm glad to see I'm not the only one agonizing about how to explain (without hand puppets) what I do for a living. Let's all band together and visit our relatives one-by-one with a Powerpoint or a big muscley goon who will explain precisely what we do. :D
Yeah, we're right there with ya. I'd say heck yeah about the Powerpoint except I don't think they'd know how to fire up the laptop and run it. :) Guess we have to go with the big muscley goon.
You guys threatenin' my momma? :P
A lot of my colleagues read SEOmoz but don't comment because:
The "where are you from", "how do you get into sem/seo", "how do you introduce yourself" style entries are super friendly and conducive for lurkers and shy commentators, especially since SEOmoz is already a comparatively happy-joy-joy search blog.
Not telling the Moz how to run their ship, but yeah, newb-friendly posts every now and then are good for the soul, especially for the new members of the community!
PS. Strikethrough still doesn't work in the comments section!?
But its so much fun when you feel like teasing someone a bit ... isn't it :P
I'll leave it up to my mood for the day to decide how I'm going to explain what I do for a living ;)
I see a whiteboard Friday video in the making.....with the hand puppets, please.
Hi Gang,
My family never had a problem understanding me being a web designer, but when I got into SEO a few years ago, it wasn't really clear what I did.
Then about 1-1/2 years ago, my mom said, "I read this article in Newsweek and now I have an idea what you do."
I read that article too, and I've been a fan of SEOmoz ever since.
Keep up the great work!
Risa
This was great and I can completely relate. I live in a small rural town in western Kentucky. I work from my home and all of my clients are out of the area. What I hear most is "eric works with computers." My dad has watched me over the years work on the Internet and his thing was "when are you going to stop playing on the internet and get a real job?" I showed him a check a couple months ago in the mid 5 figures I received from the sale of one of my sites and he finally said "maybe there is something to this computer thing."
This is a coal mining community and the Internet is beyond the grasp of many of the older people here. I don't mean that in a bad way; it is just that if they can't see it, hold it or otherwise sense it, then it doesn't really exist. So I continue to live a double life.....haha. My online life is tech oriented and very good. I have come to accept my offline persona " that computer guy "
I am on a crusade though..... trying to change that outlook one peroson at a time. 2 down 21,000 to go.
I guess we all go through the same thing. I find the easiest thing to do is just go with working for Google. Because my family called me up a few months ago and said the same thing to me.
Family - "I never knew you worked for Google!"
Me - "Neither did I..."
Family - "Is it true you get massages at work?"
Me - "Eh yeah...and we also have our own personal chefs for those long hard days."
Family - "Wow!"
Me - "Sometimes they have catered midget hosted parties on holidays too."
Family - "Wow! Sounds like a great work environment!"
Me - "GooglePlex for life."
Not only does this make you a legend in your family for years to come(if your family is anything like mine, the news will spread like wildfire that you have a personal masseuse and everyday at lunch Emeril makes a meal for you in your window office that overlooks Puget Sound) but it also helps Google in it's quest to control the world.
Since we will all be in the GoogleMatrix eventually at least you will get a premium reality plug in because of your ProGoogle promotion stance.
We all love SEOmoz but Google knows all and sees all, especially when Google is mentioned anywhere at anytime.
So yeah you work for Google. (Wink, Wink)
Keep the Google happy.
Resistance is futile.
"Catered midget hosted parites" and world domination?
I like your style :D
I'm in a similar situation. Its not only my family and friends that dont know what I do, Unfortunately its also many of my colleagues.
It would be nice if people thought I worked for Google, however most conversations between friends/colleagues go something like this:
"What does Kev do?"
"umm... uh.. oh! he's a geek"
and then people walk away satisfied as if that explains everything.
Haha. I can relate to this. It's funny because I am originally from Ohio and most of my friends and relatives there actually have a basic understanding of what I do. They may not understand everything I do on a deep level but they get the main jist of what SEO is. On the other hand many of my coworkers are completely clueless. I am currently in an industry where many companies have very basic business card type websites if they have a site at all. Our main competition when it comes to SEO are the big unerwriters and not the thousands of small agencies who are our real competition. Most of my coworkers come from these types of companies so they look at me like I have a third eye when I talk about my projects.
I am not sure if anyone else has seen the Verizon FIOS commercials where the little kid is asking the tech about what he does. The tech explains that he is a Verizon FIOS tech and explains what he is installs using a bunch of technical terms. The kid just looks at him and says "nice truck". One of my coworkers said that whenever I talk he feels like that little kid because he has no idea what the hell I am saying. With the exception of our CEO and a few other people that is the reaction I get here.
Rebecca: honorary Googler!
:)
Maybe I should write you a note or something:
Dear Relative of Rebecca,
Please do not ask Rebecca any questions about her job. It's highly secret and very important, and that's all you need to know.
Sincerely,
A Googler
A note like that would be very helpful, unless Rebecca's relatives are like mine and would jump to any number of conclusions about what "Googler" could possibly be.
To put it another way, if my folks got a note from "A Googler" they would probably shut the blinds, turn out the lights and alert the neighborhood watch ;)
Then pin it to the front of my shirt like I'm in kindergarten again!
Whoa, I just noticed Matt's Chuck Liddell styled goatee. Matt is the Iceman of Spam.
You're right! His photo on here looks almost like a mug-shot!
And Matt, I got a response from someone from your team about a question I asked you at SMX Seattle - Thanks for taking care of that for me! Though if you walk around the office "chuck liddell" style I'm sure it was absolute terror that got that Googler to send me a note :)
> Korean funk
That'll be the gimchee. You can smell my gimchee from outside the house. I had a Korean flatmate, he got me onto gimchee and Korean noodles...yummee!
You mean Kimchi?
Funny post! I can relate to this one! Yeah, Google should get you in their payroll. lol :)
One time I was talking to some old friends back home and they asked me about what I do. I told them I was an SEO to which this one friend's reply was, "Oh, cool! Is that like a CEO?" Argh. So I had to explain to them what SEO is. It was really hard! Later on, another friend arrived and asked me about what I do.. "I'm a web designer." Ahh, there were no further questions. lol.
I can relate. Every time someone asked me what I do, I used to attempt to explain what SEO and CPC are. But once I mentioned the G-word, it was always "ahhh, I see" and "oh, I use Google all the time" and they moved on. My mother thought I put all the 'entries' in the Google 'database' as my job until I walked her through a SERP and pointed out the organic and sponsored results, explaining how each appeared. Now my canned response is "I help companies get potential customers to their website". People accept it, at least...
Last thing...so finally, do you work for google or not? ;-)
I gave this post a thumbs-up, because it made me laugh, but at the same time it does make me somewhat sad...
...why? I grew up in a small town in Illinois, and like Rebecca have found greener Internet pastures on the West Coast (ok, actually browner and bluer ones, in the Bay Area). But eventually I'd like to move back to the Midwest, because I love the people, and I love the pace of life there.
I actually spoke with another fellow Midwesterner at SMX & heard more or less the same story from her -- that the Internet has gained some traction but there's still an ignorance (and I don't use that term in a derogatory way, just in the pure sense of the word) about most things online.
Do other Midwesterners feel the same way? Has the increase in broadband penetration changed any of that in recent months/years? What kind of horizon do people see for a similar level of Internet awareness that exists on the Coasts (or at least the West Coast)? Do Google's expansions into Ann Arbor and Iowa signal any kind of change?
PS, Rebecca, if you're ever in need of a new nickname, "Korean Funk" doesn't sound too bad! :)
I too am a midwesterner, hailing from Rockford, Illinois. Despite being a city of 150,000 plus, it is often easier to tell people "near Chicago". Just like most internet related venues it is often easier to just say marketing.
I think the midwest is starting to grow a little more internet saavy, especially as new bloggers spring up all the time. The thing that I love about SEO and all related internet things is that you can go mobile... I can just as easily do my work from home in Rockford or on "vacation" in Arizona.
*sigh*
I too can relate, but as a designer (my official title...seo is only one of many hats I wear) when I tell people what I do I get one of these responses:
"Oh. I don't know how to use a computer."
or
"Oh yeah? My sisters's 12 year old son makes websites too!"
I hate getting asked this question. I'll be in a bar, drinking away, when someone (generally female) will ask, "Boy, you drink a lot! What do you do for a living?" - To which I've tried a multitude of replies. Everything from, "SEO", "Search Engine Optimization", "Internet Marketing", etc etc etc.....and you know what? It always kills the conversation right on the spot because it doesn't give her a chance to follow up (or she's just too dumb to give me a decent enough question so I can try and explain it to her). Though at least it's a segway where I can start asking her questions and keep some conversation going...
I need to come up with a good alternative job title....maybe I should just say I work in the "entertainment industry" ...
From the family side, forget it! I had my 85yr old grandmother once ask me what the "www.com" thing was in commercials. I tried for 3 hours and I don't think she got past her first question, "Where is the internet?"
Best reply in the bar is, "I am like Neo in the Matrix. Online I am the One." Gets a laugh (sometimes)and usually steers the conversation away from from what you do because once you say anything like SEO, Internet Marketing, or Google Manipulator, it usually results in a blank stare.
And unconfortable silence is one thing, but blank stares are a real downer in a bar.
"I'll be in a bar, drinking away, when someone (generally female) will ask, "Boy, you drink a lot! What do you do for a living?"
Dude, with a non-sequitur like that, you know the girl blatantly wants to take you home anyway. I don't think you need to worry too much about the follow up. It's kinda like saying:
"Hey, my name's Burgo, I like peanut butter... wanna fandango?" (Cleaned up for decency's sake).
Well, I'm not always that lucky, but you get my drift. "Internet marketing" isn't like saying, "I'm a firefighter".
Ahahah, really nice and good feeling about this famous question.
Here in France you use to answer "informaticien" and that is something like "data processing specialist".. Not sure I prefer this to "computer specialist" and even "work in Internet".
And it become really funny (?) when you have to fill an administrative form that just gives you the checkbox "Informaticien" (of course you also can check peasant).
+
Peasant SEOs! I love it.
Nice post Rebecca.
I usually go with Internet Marketing. Most people understand what marketing is. Then if they want more, I go with Rand's #3. Then people usually ask about the details and it's time to make their eyes glaze over. I rather enjoy that part. After that I try to find a way to walk away or ask them what they're doing and it's enough to change the subject to themselves. Which is what most people want to talk about anyway.
I agree to you Rebecca (and the first two comments)..
It is frustrating sometimes when you have to explain abt google>seo>serps>blogs> etc etc in order to let them kno you are an SEO.
But hey didn't Google employees itself go through the same thing years ago? - What?? search engine??
I think, instead of SEO, rephrasing the title to the following may help -
-Google challenger
-Google ranker
-Google optimizer
-Google magician
-Google website integrator
-Google solutions
-Google artist
-Google interpreter
-Google man/woman
Cheers!
Mani
"Competitive Webmaster" is a title that the general public seems to understand (thanks John Andrews!)... Though "Internet Marketer" works wonders, sometimes in my experience using the title, people have confused it as a title for a spammer or someone that works on internet porn (I don't completely understand why so many people confuse anything internet-related to porn, but I guess they associate the two based on browsing activities they've witnessed or personally engaged).
Living in Kentucky and also having an internet only business, I get similar reactions from relatives, but I'm betting there's not a state where that wouldn't happen.
That was a great read, BTW.
Maybe we should buy Google and then we'd get some props !
I understand completely. Try explaining to your grandmother you run a lead generation company. I am no stranger to the "blank look
It is good to know I am not alone in describing my job. I work for a private investigative firm as an in-house seo, but I started out as an investigator. After years of trying to explain what I do I just say I am a private investigator. This really doesn't work all that well either because then people have a million other questions like "hey can you find my deadbeat husband?" or "can you follow my wife?" I think from now on I will just tell people I flip burgers. Maybe, better yet, I will just start crying, lay on the ground in the fetal position and sucking my thumb. That should get them to leave me alone.
Wow, I just wrote a post on the same topic (not linking so people don't think I'm trying to get a link out of this) and someone commented to refer me to your article. I love your story, and all of the people who commented that they've had the same experience. It was great writing the article for our blog because it allowed the employees at my agency to really talk about the experiences we've all had with trying to explain what we do.
I work at a relatively large ecommerce company (~400 employees) in Omaha, Nebraska (population 500,000) and it's difficult finding local people with enough practical experience to work here. We wind up training the people we hire, or hiring from the coasts for upper-level management positions. It is tough when there isn't a large pool of experienced peeps to recruit from.
Google is building a server farm in nearby Council Bluffs, IA, so maybe that will help somewhat.
But explaining SEO/SEM? Forget it - it will never get any easier :-)
Yeah nice. I went through my courtship with my wife and about 2 or 3 years in to the marriage, one day my wife causally told me, "Yeah, my family thinks you work for the CIA."
Soda snorts out my nose, "Wha?"
"Well, you know, you work on a computer all day."
I still havn't really got that cleared up with them. The more I tell them the more they think it's a cover up.
That's incredible... the CIA?! I can understand the Ebay and Google things, but the CIA is pretty extreme!
LMAO... it's usually the other way around.. when u tell your family you used to work in a basement at langley wathcing IP traffic, they thought you were a spy and travelling the world getting shot at...
As you can see by the breadth of the comments, it's not about the Heartland or the color of anyone's collar. My parents are both over-educated native NYers, and they don't get it either. My father only recently stopped asking me if I was having any luck looking for a job. He figured that, whatever I've been doing for the past seven years, it couldn't have been real work.
And be happy with your emails with wacko fonts. My parents (who are obviously a good deal older than yours, seeing as how I'm a good deal older than you) can't manage that either. My mother still hasn't learned how to send email, and my father has tried once or twice, but apparently couldn't figure out how to backspace or mouse over errors. HE JuusT g0tt te w0rdds en thare end LafT then s tHay wrrre.
While awaiting my senior year of college this summer, I got a weekend job waitressing. When asked why I don't work day shift during the week, I try to tell them about my 9-5. I said "Search Engine Optimizer" but then I just changed it to "writer." It's easier. They then went on to tell me that I wouldn't have any trouble with the electronic cash register-you know-because it's a computer...
I'm from China. I have spent my years separately and equally in Xinjiang, Changzhou and Nanjing. Nanjing is scorching-hot currently. It worthes the title "one of China's Four Furnaces". Yesterday it shot 38.5 degrees centigrade, the highest in recent years. A construction worker died from heatstroke in field work. Scientists say more extreme climates will come to hit. Well, I still love Nanjing for its well-preserved historical presentation. And of course for its people: walking in the 1912 Bar Area, you inevitably "spot a girl comparable to Zi Yizhang or Maggie Cheung every several steps." Actually, rumor says beautiful girls are more numerous in Nanjing than in any other city in China. Sadly, they are not SEOs, and they blossom when I'm in dead sleep.
Back to SEO, I use the following titles alternatively:
* translator* consultant* market researcher* project manager (well, seo work can be viewed as project)* any title I come up with timely
I don't bother to explain to my clients; they find me.
I avoid relating my job to website or e-commerce. Or they will keep asking more useless for transaction.
If they think my work has something to do with google, well, I admit, and give no more clue.
To sum it up, being held sort of mystique is cool.
Thrilled to have you on the blow, LaFingn. I didn't get to Nanjing on my recent trip to China, but I heard very good things; I'll have to get there next time :)
This article is a CLASSIC. I can't tell you how many times I've had the same conversations with family members and others over the past 8 years, or so. Like you, I have learned to craft, and re-craft various "laymen's titles" so people could better understand what I do for a living.
Here are a few that I’ve used in the past.
I've found that the third one has worked the best because it allows me to segue into specific things I do to drive traffic to websites.
Thanks for the post!
Eric Itzkowitz
i'm sticking with the line i stole from stevenp a while back:
"i make websites sexy to search engines."
i can imagine this one might work well in a bar...though i've never actually tried it.
Whenever I visit the folks.....I always change the screen resolution settings on their laptop.
They love the nice BIG 800x600 and they HATE when I do it.... but I love messing with their settings.
When asked --- I just tell everyone I work for the FBI and they leave me alone!!
Funny story Rebecca!
Hey, at least relatives don't come up and ask for help. Imagine you're a doctor, you just know your christmas family get-together will be filled with "I got something on my leg / arm / stomache / lower intestine - what is it?", "my doc gave me pills for xyz and abc, is he right?". The way it is now, they'll just change the subject and think you're a geek from Mars.
Actually, I was just at a family reunion and got several questions along the lines of "So... if I'm searching for [apple] but I want information about the fruit, not the tech company, is there a way to, like, tell Google not to return results with the word 'computer' in them?"
Also got the "So... who reads my Gmails and decides which ads to show?" :)
-Susan
Well actually it's not only happen at the internet industry. I work at a surf/skate retailer. Our headquarter is based in Kuta-Bali. Everytime i meet new people, knowing i came from outside Bali, they often ask my job for living as a standard protocol (you know what i'm saying?).
'So Robin, where do you work?' My answer will be always 'at City Surf, a surf/skate retail chain'. The conversation will goes like,"Surf and skate? Like Billabong?", "Yeah i said, we also sell Billabong", and their conclusion is always," Oh great, so you work for Billabong".
The funniest thing ever happened was, my neighbour. He's an entrepreneur and run a growing business. He bought a Billabong watch in a surf shop somewhere in Legian street. A couple of months after, the watch broke down. So he came to my house and like, "Hey Robin, my new watch is broken. I went to the store where i bought this and i can't claim my service guarantee. Since you're working at Billabong, i need your help!".
It's funny but yeah it happens.
Nice. That's too funny. I've had similar conversations before...yeah, it's frustrating. Didn't you know? Google = Internet = Yahoo. :)
Thanks for the good laugh!
Yeah... Same here... I just tell people I work in the marketing department of an airline. I don't even bother with the details.
That's worth a pretty good laugh XD I need to do is mention the term SEO, and that guarantees a half-hour conversation ... usually preceded by a blank look.Mind you ... if they don't fall asleep ... most of the peope I talk to seem to understand what the deal is ...
Rebecca,
That is pretty hilarious. I get the same things sometimes. One way I have gotten my point across is comparing online advertising (SEO etc.) to traditional advertising. Before internet a company promoted themselves on the radio, paper and TV. With the advent of the internet where a good chuck of the globe is surfing companies are looking for ways to reach these surfers. I help them reach their target audience. Thanks for the entertaining post. All the best.
Simple
People who send me emails with ridiculous fonts and giant emoticons. People who forward me the same six damn chain letters I've received since I was thirteen years old. Basically, it's an uphill effort.
I thought I was the only one getting the
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Send this to 100 friends in thirty seconds :)
Great post !
I have the same issue with my neighbors when they see me in my pj's all day :)
In a way you do work for Google, insofar as most of what you do is to stay relevent in its search engine.
This made me laugh pretty hard. I think most of us have had similar situations and you described it very well...
Anything to do with computers pretty much gets a blank stare from my family, they like to put "the" in front everything, much like our president unfortunately...
Just so you SEO's feel a little better when I worked in Tech PR (in the midwest) i tried to explain to people what I did and inevitibly I would always get "so you write articles for Time" or "so you write the advertisments?" Now that I work for a Web 2.0 App, I just tell my parents and friends I sell stuff online - its much easier that way
My mom has asked me at least 10 times if I work for Google - the answer is always "No - I work on things you see IN Google" but that doesnt do it either. The woman is intelligent, she writes technical manuals on how to setup, maintain, and use phone systems for the Dept. of Commerce (no VOIP there so the internet is a bit of a mystery yet)
I actually built her and my dad a blogspot blog to share photos and stuff with the grandkids and she wrote in there I worked for Google, I keep deleting it, and she keeps putting it back in there - even though I keep telling her it's not TRUE - "Well close enough," she says!
ARGH!
Great post Rebecca
~Carrie
I love trying to explain my job. Most just don't get it. In the end, I just say I do web design as they understand that a bit more. Or just that I sit on the computer all day. ;)
Hi Rebecca, I’m still laughing. Same thing happen to me over and over again. When I say I work as a Research and Analytics Manager, some people with basics concepts of internet ask me "do you work for Google Analytics?", some others just say, da what? or in the worst of cases they just stay quite for some uncomfortable seconds of silence.
A friend of mine opted for just saying, I develop websites, but a good option is just say "internet stuff" with the following disclaimer "not porn…not hacking" ;-)
Juan
www.damia.com.ar
I totally relate... SEO can take a lot of time to explain to someone that is not Internet savvy. I usually say "Internet Marketing" to the not so savvy crowd... Marketing is a term that is familiar to most people so that cuts down on the blank stares.. Like when I say something like Search Engine Optimization.
Nice post! TU for you...
This was a wonderful morning laugh. Mainly because we all have the same conversation. And I live in Austin!! I'm from the area. This is supposed to be the OTHER Silicon Valley and I still get the blank stares now and then.
Funny Stuff!
Great post, Rebecca. I'm a Michigan gal myself who moved to Northern California last fall for greener (and less humid) pastures.
Because people in our home towns don't know or understand much of what we do, I'm concerned about the young people in these communities who might therefore not be aware there are more careers available to them than the generic "doctor, lawyer, firefighter" options.
Ha, funny article. Congrats on your job at Google! :)
i just say i do internet stuff aty an advertising agency during the day and dj in strip clubs at night.. (i don't dj in strip clubs, just dance clubs..)..
but that usually stops them in their tracks.
I have to say this was an enjoyable thread. Just yesterday I told someone I was in the Internet Marketing field. He asked me about what kind of sales calls I went on, which was odd considering he was an IT guy (well, ok, not that wierd I guess).
When I get the blank look, I usually ask them "when you do a search on the web, do you ever wonder how the #1 company gets to #1... well, those are my clients" I've been turning down business ever since...
Great post - I'm not even sure what I do :-(
Nevertheless, you made me laugh :-)
No worries. I get the same thing, and I actually work for Yahoo! My poor non-web savvy relatives have had me working for all sorts of web companies, and if that is the case, my paycheck is somehow much smaller than it should be ;)
I guess they underestimate our huge web-celebrity status LOL
Great post, Rebecca. How I can relate. On my last trip to the midwest veryone was convinced I was a hacker who took on Microsoft every chance I got. Where that came from, I'm not sure at all, but it's slightly better than "he's into computers" or "he's a computer geek; can fix anything". Maybe in the future when I'm asked I should just tell them "Ask Jeeves" :)
wow I like that Randy.
Random Person at the Bar: "So what you do you?"
Me: "Ever heard of Ask Jeeves?"
RPATR: "yeah"
Me: "Umm..I am kinda like that, only without the suit"
I know how it feels... Just when I had joined.. Public Relations - The worse thing is to explain to my grandmother - what is it? Now, when I am planning to get into Social Media Marketing - I have really no clue as to how I would be able to explain her!!
One thing she understands - Son, is not sitting at home!!!
Great post and hilarious comments. I have the same conversation with my in-laws every time we get together. After trying fruitlessly for years to explain it to them, I have finally trained them to refer their friends and colleagues to me "if their website needs more traffic." What better referral is there?
I just moved to Ann Arbor, MI and plenty of people here are aware of Google thanks to the new office downtown for Google Books and Adwords operations. I used to use a small Google notebook as a planner/notepad/sketchpad/to-do list but had to give it up because everywhere I took it out around town people kept asking if I work for them. Explaining our line of work to in-laws is one thing. Explaining it to your banker, a waitress, a librarian, and all the employees of the local Best Buy are another.
oh, darn can I relate to this or what, no one knows what SEO is, but everyone knows Google. Hence their non-technical human brain makes the assumption that I work for Google.
ARGH
Oh my gosh! I have had exact same conversations with my family and friends!
It usually goes
Them: "So what do you do?"
Me: "I'm a Search engine optimiser"
Them: "A what?"
Me: "I work with websites"
Them: "Oh, ok"
I've never actually thought to ask my mother what she tells poeple when folk ask her what I do for a living. I will find out now tho..lol
This is my first time commenting on SEOMOZ despite being an avid reader of Randy.
I just felt really compelled to leave a mark on this entry bc my parents had also asked me if I worked for Google after I gave them my elevator spiel on SEM! After nearly 3 years in SEM, my family and friends still think all I do is build websites...
To comment on the 1st few entries about the state of SEM in the Midwest, I can tell you that sponsored search in the Kansas City market (where my agency is located) isn't all too relatively competitive compared to other larger hubs I had clients in. For the two months that I've been here, it seems like local business owners are unaware or complacent about search marketing, but like anywhere else they quickly convert once you show them direct competitors on SERP1, be it organic or on the sponsored side!
Whoa... not until this moment, right here and now, have I ever wondered about what it is that my wife and parents tell others I do for a living.
Oh yeaaaaah... this will make for a really interesting conversation over weekend. LOL
Perhaps you *do* work for Google, Rebecca: I think you might be my doppelgänger (or I yours). I was in MI last week, too, w/ family... And having a heck of a time explaining what a "Webmaster Trends Analyst" does... though thankfully I can fall back on the generic "I work for Google" when I start to get the blank stares. :)
I feel your pain...
A few years a go i worked for macworld magazine, hence according to my relatives i worked for Apple. Nowadays when in the online marketing business, i work for Google apparently...