5 Types of Geeks
Written by guest blogger, Zach Swinehart
In my previous article, we learned that if we struggle with the techie aspects of internet marketing, it’s a must that we hire a geek.
In part two, I will tell you about five basic types of geeks. Each of them has their place, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see you using all of them once you really get the ball rolling. Let’s get started…
1) The general technology geek
This geek type is the most common, and can often be found hanging out in high schools and colleges. They are characterized primarily by the fact that they use technology. They’re not necessarily web designers or graphic designers; they simply grew up using technology, and are thus comfortable enough with it to help you out with your basic questions.
2) The highly skilled computer geek
This geek is the one that’s taken apart their parents’ computers, built computers from scratch, removes spyware and viruses, and ultimately will be your savior when your computer crashes in the middle of the night. They’re also the one to talk to when considering a new computer purchase, as they are likely up to date with the latest technology releases.
3) The simple WordPress geek
This geek is not super knowledgeable, and thus, is not very expensive to hire. Their knowledge consists of some basic HTML knowledge, in addition to general comfort on the computer. They can help you with basic WordPress tasks, such as updating posts & pages, adding photos, etc., but probably are not qualified to make important back-end changes to the site’s theme or plugins.
4) The advanced web geek
The “advanced web geek” is going to be your go-to guy/gal for anything you need done to your site that’s especially complex, important, or involved. This geek has probably taken web design classes in school, enjoys working on websites in their free time, and is eager to learn as many new things about the web as possible. They’re not so much characterized by a wealth of knowledge initially, but rather an eagerness to learn, and the correct fundamental knowledge to know how to find what they need.
5) The graphic & design geek
I’ve noticed that coders are generally not very strong designers, and designers are generally not very strong coders.
That’s why it’s important that you capitalize on your geek’s strengths, rather than trying to force them to do something they’re not well-suited for. That’s where the “graphic & design geek” comes into play. They can help you with layouts for online ads, website designs, e-book covers, as well as the layouts for your printed materials, and your code geek can take it from there if necessary.
In part three, I’ll be showing you how you can actually go out and get your very own geek! In the meantime, be sure to leave your comments and/or questions below.
Guest blogger, Zach Swinehart, is a true geek. He is author of The Geek Guidebook, recommended for those who want to hire a geek and get it right the first time.
Hi Zach, that is a good point about design and coding being two different things.
I think there are a few people who blend the two together reasonably well though. Not many, but a few.
fortunately, I have been able to handle most things myself.
Getting a good geek is important. the problem is that I am seldom 100% happy with the results I get. Any thoughts on a good service to find geeks at?
Joel,
Speaking as a geek myself 🙂 I can say that you are spot on with the types of geeks out there.
I feel that if you are an employer hiring a geek, the most important thing is not necessarily the salary (as that is important) but the fact that they are made to feel appreciated for their work and given new challenges all the time.
Hope this helps.
Scott
Numbers 1 and 3 sound very, very similar to me.
Actually, you are describing a recipe for disaster for any serious web enterpreneur…
The groups of “geeks” you are describing are most likely cheap #in the worse sense of the word# and not very competent in their areas of interest #there are exceptions#.
You are most likely wasting money on them, since they will usually do these things for free if you ask nicely. And if they don’t, just ask one of your nephews or younger cousins.
If you want to do things right, just hire a professional.
On the other hand, it s your business, and your money… invest them the way you see fit. But from my perspective, your site and your pc are your main assets.
I would expect you to throw a significant portion of your budget and care to make it work the right way.
Oh and for anyone out there calling a geek in the middle of the night because the pc crashed….
STOP BROWSING RANDOM PORN FROM YOUR WORK PC
Hi David, thanks for the feedback! In the next article, I’ll go into how to get geeks, so stay tuned for that. 🙂 (Or check out the full-length book on my site!)
Regarding being satisfied, it’s going to come down to how close the results need to be to what you have in your head. It’s easy for us to want a geek that will create exactly what we’re looking for (especially when we’re used to doing it ourselves!), but the thing that’s personally helped me is simply asking myself if it really matters if the result is exactly like I see it in my head, and the answer’s usually no. 🙂
If it is a priority though that it be exactly like what you see in your head, my suggestion is to simply factor in an additional 50-75% into your geek’s time estimate, as the back-and-forth to get it perfect will take up extra time.
Definitely on the same page Mr. Scott! In fact, when I talk about interviewing geeks in a later article, I highlight the geek’s resourcefulness as one of the key traits to look for.
I think that the stories we all hear (or experience!) of geeks running off with the client’s money mid-project largely are because of a challenge coming up and the geek not being equipped to handle it, so they panic and run.
Thanks for the comment!
You’re right Kevin, they are! The only difference between the two is the knowledge of WordPress. In the internet marketing world, WordPress is commonplace; everyone’s heard of it, and many people have personally gone in and messed around with it.
But in the young person geek world, it’s not. As far as I am aware, they’re still not yet teaching WordPress in high school classes, so the distinction between 1 & 3 is small, but still very important.
Hope this helps!
Hi Dimitri, good to see your passion!
Some geeks are indeed cheap in the bad sense, but I actually outline a step-by-step interview process in the book (which I’ll explain in a later article here) that helps you to get around the low quality geeks.
I’ve been running my web design business for a few years now, and I’ve noticed that expensive companies are not necessarily more trustworthy than a young geek with only a little experience — it all comes down to interviewing them thoroughly and correctly, to ensure you’re not choosing someone that’s going to run off in the middle of the project.
hey zack definatly one area that is not easy to do if you have no expierence is coding i dont think that anyone with no expierence would even think to try it do you know if it is a hard thing to master
Great question Merrell! As someone who’s inherently creative & design-y vs. code-y, I know where you’re coming from first-hand.
Like anything else, coding is hard to master. But fortunately, there’s no need to become a coding master to run a successful online business, especially with simple conveniences like WordPress. My suggestion for you if you want to learn enough code to be able to pull yourself along would be to figure out the basics of WordPress, and do some of the simple html tutorials at the w3schools.com website.
But honestly, I think your time’s better spent doing the important stuff like coming up with content, while having a geek that can help you with the code. 🙂
i have lost of wide knowledge, don’t know what kind of geek i am. 😉
Very Geeky article Zach! I am looking for a geek of all trades (or is it a Jack of all trades?). The problem that I have been running into is that Geeks don’t know what kind of geek they are… or they think that they can fake geek in other categories. The “web master” geek is usually only a geek in one area… and is clueless in the other areas… but they still want your money. So they lie. Bad Geeks!!!
There is yet another geek,
Social Media Geeks get you found online using a wide variety of social media platforms and engagement processes. Having a beautiful website with functioning links is important, Social Media Geeks help new potential clients find your site.
Skilled Social Media Geeks utilize statistical analysis and psychology of marketing to convert fans and followers into purchasers.
You can hire a Social Media Geek to do your social media, or to set up a marketing plan for you,and empower you to take charge of your own Social Media through individual or group Webinars.
Well even if you indeed interview them thoroughly, you yourself cannot know all the difficult aspects of how to properly handle such a project.
But the main problem is that the “geek” himself does not have the skill to interview YOU properly and get all the required info he needs to make this work.
And his enthousiasm about learning stuff of course will not be enough. Especially when something weird is needed. The result will be crude at best. In the end, in the best scenario you will end up in a tiresome ping-pong of changes which will frustrate both of you. You will waste time and possibly money.
Again, try finding a serious professional. Not necessarily a big expensive company that charges with the hour. Just a small decent company or a standalone programmer that know what they are talking about and have done this before.
The work “geek” might be nice and catchy to promote a book, but there are traps there.
I understand that cutting costs is a nice thing, but don t overdo it.