The Three Feeders: One Size Does Not Fit All

The Story

"who's who" of the bird community

My personal workspace faces the front of our home, overlooking the driveway and the woods beyond.  This morning I spent some time observing birds coming and going from the various bird feeders we have installed below.  The scene was "convention like" - a veritable "who's who" of the bird community in attendance.

At the long and narrow nyjer seed feeder we had visitors such as the house finch, gold finches, and a bold chickadee who was unafraid to hang upside down by his feet to feast on the tiny seeds.  The larger mixed-seed feeder hosted a tufted titmouse, some nuthatches, and a cardinal or two.  Finally, the suet cake boasted the arrival of two distinct species of woodpecker - the red-headed and hairy varieties.

Even the ground was a gathering spot for consuming scattered seeds.  Many of the aerial visitors, while waiting their turn at the feeders, dropped down below to forage for dropped morsels.  A few even dropped down to crack open the seeds they had collected above.  A chipmunk and a mourning dove, too large to sit on the perches of any of the feeders, took advantage of the busy activity above as well, munching on the leftovers.

The Technology

A common question appears to be coming up in my consulting work lately.  Many clients ask me to advise them about the potential benefits and drawbacks of purchasing and utlizing smartphones, tablets, and laptops.  It seems that many already possess these three categories of technology, without a grounded sense of when they are best utilized - for what purposes.

Dell's interactive infographic

One way I begin to advise clients is by describing the features or liabilities of the particular technology  that can facilitate thinking, allowing them to begin to recognize potential of teach tool. With clients, I also stress the importance of knowing your purpose in any particular endeavor.  That is, what do you hope to accomplish while using a device? By identifying goals, then reviewing each device's potential uses and recognizing its' limitations, you too can begin to identify for yourself the best tool for each situation. Dell has created an interesting interactive info-graphic which may help understanding of the potential of each device.

In general, I believe that relative size does have a lot to do with the tool's capacity and use.  For instance I have found that:

Laptops are: the most full featured, the most powerful, while also being the heaviest of our portable tools.
Tablets are: not as full featured as a laptop, slightly less powerful, while being better when it comes to speed of use, weight, and portablility.
Smartphones are: a bit less robust than the tablet, substantially less powerful the others, but much smaller and the most portable of all devices.

Connections

Just as various birds prefer different kinds of seeds, and the feeders that distribute the seeds come in sizes appropriate to the particular bird's size and habits of feeding - our technologies have parallel sizes and benefits.  Knowing which kind of "bird" you are and which "bird feeder" your situation dictates, will help you to select the appropriate tool to meet your goals.

Big Birds = Suet Feeder = Use a Laptop: 
"Big Bird" uses are the times when you need to create content.  Be it drafting a document, editing a webpage, or responding to a lengthy email, your laptop is the suet feeder in your tool set.  Like suet, it will provide you with a wide range of "mixed seeds" and "fat" to bind your work together.  It will offer you the fullest range of features to support your needs.  The "Big Bird" option will let you do just about everything all of the other tools will - with the exception of making a traditional phone call.

Medium Birds = Medium Feeder = Use a Tablet:  
"Medium Bird" uses are the times when you need speed, lightness, and touchscreen ability.  Like the medium bird feeder, it provides many of the same options that your laptop will, however its not quite as useful in creating content.  Your tablet won't have traditional "Office" tools for creating documents, spreadsheets, or PowerPointss - but it can allow you to create those items up in the cloud.  Your "Medium Feature" option will allow you to quickly display web-based content with others, play games, and access email and calendars in a nearly immediate and portable manner.

Small Birds = Small Feeder = Use a Smartphone: 
"Small Bird" uses are the times when you need to locate quick answers and make responses in an immediate, mobile manner.  Like the small feeder, your Smartphone is very specific in its tasks - and it does tend to attract a particular kind of "bird." Its small screen size requires excellent vision (or the patience to pinch the screen to enlarge text).  Your "Small Bird" option is truly best for those tasks which are brief, on the fly, and don't require in-depth review or response of text based materials.

my laptop, tablet, and smartphone in action

Ground Scavengers = All Feeders May be Needed = Bring All Your Tools:  
There are some days when you just won't know which technology is best.  On those days, you may want to behave like the larger ground-scavenging creatures, bringing along all of your devices.  In these cases, much like the ground scavengers, you'll have the ability to meet any situation with the appropriate response and support.  Your "All Feeders" option will work best when you don't mind carrying all of your tools in order to be able to choose from your arsenal.  "All Feeders" options also allow you to use multiple tools in interesting, overlapping ways - or to share a device with someone who hasn't brought one along.

As you continue to explore the potential and use of your particular devices, I recommend you ask yourself some of the following questions:

• What do I hope to achieve today with my work?
• What types of access to the internet, documents, or programs am I likely to have or need?
• What tool feels like the best solution for my perceived needs?
• Will I be most successful as a "Big Bird," "Medium Bird," "Small Bird," or "Ground Scavenger"?

I'd love to hear about your experiences with these bird metaphors.  I'd also love hear your thoughts about which tools you prefer to take with you in your particular situations.  Please share your ideas and questions in the comments section below.

Thanks to Sean Seningen of 6 Hours Inc. for the photo of my 3 devices!