Better Late Than Never

I have this weird aversion to technology where if I’m late to the party, I’m very hesitant to attend at all.

For example I really missed the boat on Instagram. For a long time I considered signing up, but the fact that I had committed to not doing so meant I held out on not doing so for even longer.

The barrier, for some strange reason, was that signing up to Instagram meant I’d be starting fresh. Despite having hundreds of photos already on my phone I’d want to share from the past few years, there was no way to ‘back date’ the awesome graffiti I saw in Mexico or the first tomato that grew in our garden.

I have a similar problem with Untappd, an app that allows you to record and discover craft beer. Over the years I’ve had beers that were limited edition never to be made again, and a few that were so bad I wouldn’t be again. Perhaps I’m thinking about this too much, but it’s a barrier for me when there’s no way for me to go back in time and record those beers.

I’m wondering if I’m not alone. And how technologist should think about those customers who arrive well after the tipping point. For those who missed the boat, how can you make it not only easy for them to board, but to appear as though they’ve been on board the whole time?

Interestingly I eventually jumped onto Instagram (about two years too late) and am loving it. I’ve discovered a new means of sharing photos more frequently than what you’d post on Facebook and really enjoying seeing those of my friends.

So I should probably set up that Untappd account too.

No Comments
  • Luke T
    Posted at February 28, 2014 5:55pm, 28 February Reply

    For many years, I didn't have any frequent flyer programs setup. And I did a lot of travel in that time (i.e. around the world). Someone asked my why and I didn't take advantage of this. Suddenly, I was angry with myself. But then someone else said something even wiser: "There is no point crying over unclaimed frequent flyer points."

    So I setup my programs and have used them ever since. That was four years ago. It's never too late.

    Unless you plan on not drinking beer any more, create your Untappd account. There are so many beers to go…..

  • Zac Martin
    Posted at March 1, 2014 3:10pm, 01 March Reply

    Great comment. No point crying over untapped beers!

  • Giovanna Alves
    Posted at October 30, 2014 3:56am, 30 October Reply

    Make the onboarding process as easy as possible for new users. Twitter tries to guide new users through where they should go and what they should do, but there's lots of great articles on how onboarding should work and from companies like 37signals that illustrate how to display the initial blank slate in a way that compels new users to contribute.

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