UH-LA-LA-critique on "the janes"
Koontz - Jodi sent me a note about checking out a website that is suppose to be about empowering women in the DIY market. The site is a trip. Jodi remarked to me about the white Tee shirts, which enhance certain attributes of the women do-it-yourselfers, and the ladies pink tool belts...I must admit, when I ordered my tool belt, I choose a lovely teal color, totally diferent from all the guys of course! But really, pink? How sexist do you need to make this?
I am offended by 1). a male voice on many of the tutorials...what's up with that?
2) the generic tutorials. On painting the exterior of a house for instance, they first recommend inviting all your friends over because of course, anyone can paint! Not on my house I can tell you! It's not a bloody social event, it's called work, you geeks! And the example is for a lap-sided house---well what if my house is stucco? AND, the tools they suggest you use are so wrong for a novice! I would never pressure wash a redwood sided house, I can guarantee I'd ruin the siding, and I actually know what I'm doing. Nor would I recommend for a homeowner to use a power drill with a brush attachment to scrape off old paint, are they trying to get you to screw things up?? 3) Though the site claims to be for do-it-yourselfers, they still use construction terminology without explaining it. How many non-construction people know what a "jig" is? Well, you're suppose to use a jig for one of the projects, but they never explain what that is or how to make one, (F.Y.I. a jig is a pattern-which is kind of difficult to surmise from the word...). Like many DIY sites, the advice is only good to a point and then it's wrong---sadly, a homeowner doesn't know where that point falls.
I dig that there's a movement to empower the homeowner, be they male or female-but if you're one of our readers', please take DIY websites as general knowledge and then do more research on how to do things yourself, because it looks to me like many of these sites will have you on top of your roof with no way down...and I don't notice an 800 number listed for rescue!
I am offended by 1). a male voice on many of the tutorials...what's up with that?
2) the generic tutorials. On painting the exterior of a house for instance, they first recommend inviting all your friends over because of course, anyone can paint! Not on my house I can tell you! It's not a bloody social event, it's called work, you geeks! And the example is for a lap-sided house---well what if my house is stucco? AND, the tools they suggest you use are so wrong for a novice! I would never pressure wash a redwood sided house, I can guarantee I'd ruin the siding, and I actually know what I'm doing. Nor would I recommend for a homeowner to use a power drill with a brush attachment to scrape off old paint, are they trying to get you to screw things up?? 3) Though the site claims to be for do-it-yourselfers, they still use construction terminology without explaining it. How many non-construction people know what a "jig" is? Well, you're suppose to use a jig for one of the projects, but they never explain what that is or how to make one, (F.Y.I. a jig is a pattern-which is kind of difficult to surmise from the word...). Like many DIY sites, the advice is only good to a point and then it's wrong---sadly, a homeowner doesn't know where that point falls.
I dig that there's a movement to empower the homeowner, be they male or female-but if you're one of our readers', please take DIY websites as general knowledge and then do more research on how to do things yourself, because it looks to me like many of these sites will have you on top of your roof with no way down...and I don't notice an 800 number listed for rescue!
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