Imaginary Landscape
RSS FeedEverywhere I turn, I see the title Evangelist related to technology jobs. Am I the only one that thinks this is silly?
Webster's New World Collegiate Dictionary (Fourth Edition) defines evangelist as follows:
- Any of the four writers of the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John.
- A revivalist or preacher who holds large public services in various cities, now often televised.
Come on, people. Is it just me who snickers every time I hear the word Evangelist stapled onto some equally pompous title? Is it just me whose head fills with head-slap healing, Kool-Ade drinking, Tammy Faye marrying images every time I shake hands with someone who proclaims himself (or herself) as an Evangelist of anything?
Perhaps it is the hip thing to do. Certainly its use is not confined to tiny creative agencies. The tech world is filled with Evangelists. Vint Cerf's title at Google is "Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist." Chief, huh. Perhaps he leads an army of little Jimmy Swaggerts.
Microsoft lets you search for local "Microsoft Developer and Platform Evangelists." The term "Apple Evangelist" rates its very own Wikipedia entry.
Perhaps I shall re-title myself - managing partner is so boring. Perhaps the Maven of Marketing, or Czar-in-Chief, All Things Interactive? How about Supreme Honcho of Interactive Technology?
That last one is cool. Not so sure about the acronym though.
Updated 07/14/10 @ 11:02AM CDT by brian
Categories: Business Rants Technology
