20 Things

So you may have read 20 Things I learned About Browsers and the Web and noticed the push from Google to bring users using outdated browsers and other old technology into the 21st century. This online “book” which describes the Internet, web application, browsers and the like in a very simple and easy to understand maner is using some of the advanced technologies it explains. There are noticeable javascript and HTML5 animations that make us feel that we are really reading a book. I absolutely agree that users should upgrade to the latest versions of their browsers and that IE6 should die, but I do have a question: Is anyone who is using an outdated browser (and therefor not technologically up-to-date) going to even read the book?

First of all, there’s the obvious: the people this marketing campaign is targeting don’t care. If they did, they would be using an up-to-date browser already.

Second, if they do care and they were just ignorant of the facts, are they going to read it? It’s pretty long. They don’t really get to the important stuff (their message) until your almost a quarter the way through the book or so.

If they do read it there’s the third question (since I’m using the latest version of my favorite browser I don’t know) how does this even look on an outdated browser? I’m assuming that Google took the precautions to make it viewable, but will the pages flip in IE6 like the do in Chrome? I’m guessing not, but maybe that is Google’s point in this stunt. Perhaps when a user tries out a new browser and sees the difference they compair the two experiences and decide never to go back.

Please don’t misunderstand. I want all web users to follow the counsel found in The 20 Things Book, I just don’t know if anyone will read it. As a developer I do want to try to educate the users of my products to ensure they are following basic safe practices, perhaps Google is hoping that developers will advice their web users to read the book. I guess we’ll see.

So what do you think? Is there something I overlooked? It this move brilliant, or is it done in an attempt to persuade people to make smartter choices and done hoping it will get read?