How often have you used the expression “Internet savvy” to describe a co-worker or customer? Depending on their age or job responsibilities probably more often than not. But if you’ve never subscribed to an RSS feed, don’t know what a del.icio.us tag is, or feel social networking sites are a fad, it’s doubtful you should consider calling anyone Internet savvy.

I realized this during a web design meeting with a client when they stated their user community, many mid-30+, is Internet-savvy. Considering my client’s industry is far from technical (personality temperment), I can only wonder if they’ve even heard of RSS let alone visited a professional blog, a la Weblogs, Inc.

This brings to mind the saying “you don’t know what you don’t know” and is a fine of example of ‘knowledge with an expiration date.’ Most people’s understanding of “Internet savvy” expired when the first RSS feed was published. There are new terms, new technologies, and a higher expectation of getting content. Even if you don’t understand Web 2.0, some (or many) of your customers do. They may not know what RSS means but they’ll know it’s a shortcut to your content and come to expect it on the sites they visit. It’s just one indicator of many which distinguishes a current, if not forward-thinking, business.

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