How tech savvy is Tennessee? (Memphis, Knoxville: high school, university, live in)

[treezie]

So I own a small web design firm in Seattle. As Seattle is one of the most tech savvy cities in the nation, if not the most, everyone knows a web developer...so it's pretty hard to penetrate this market. So I have been thinking of penetrating other markets. I was thinking of penetrating the big cities of Tennessee. So my question is, how tech savvy are the big cities of Tennessee? I obviously don't want the level of competition that I see in Seattle. However, I want to be able to market to people that can appreciate the power of a website.

[BirdieBelle]

It is definitely a shortcoming in this area, something major employers count as a negative when they consider moving here. The area does not have a huge, highly skilled IT workforce. (programmers etc.)
As for whether people can appreciate the value of a good website, I think it may be a case of not knowing what you need or whether you need it. Those who own their own businesses will appreciate it, but not the majority of Tennesseans.
Still, there is a growing number of smart, creative people here, and they're going to need to work somewhere.

[hiknapster]

I worked for tech support for Comcast for a few years in TN and now own my own business.

I'm not sure I understand the statements, "As for whether people can appreciate the value of a good website, I think it may be a case of not knowing what you need or whether you need it. Those who own their own businesses will appreciate it, but not the majority of Tennesseans," especially the bold.

You are not sure if Tennesseans understand the value of a good website? Why? This is a state in the United States of America, not a third world country. Doing tech support I can tell you that there is just as many internet addicts here than anywhere else. I have also met some of the smartest people here in all of my 49 years. People here are not backward in some way. I live in a city that has the flagship school for the University of Tennessee. Nashville has Vanderbilt University.

I am quite sure that I am not understanding the question and statement. Well, I understand the question, I think. No, this is not Seattle, so yes, this might be a nice market to break into. I guess the answer has knocked me for a loop.

[Barking Spider]

There are a couple ways to take your post.
1. You are not good enough to compete in the Seattle marketplace, so you think that if you go to some backward State, you can be a success.
2. Don't have any idea of the demographics in Tennessee.
The above was meant with a "touch" of humor.

There is no shortage of web designers in the Knoxville market, in fact there is one that has a store front in downtown. Same can be said for the Nashville and Chattanooga areas as well. I don't know anyone in Memphis, but I'm sure there are plenty too.

That said, if you are good at what you do, and charge a fair price for your services, there is no reason why you can't succeed.

By the way, my daughter lives in Renton.

[treezie]

Hi everyone. So I did try out Tennessee and I've had very good results so far. Thanks for everyone's input.

@Barking Spider, where in Renton does your daughter live? And have you been up here?

[Borntoolate85]

Another thing to keep in mind, not just for a career point of view: Here in the DC area, it seems like every other person on the street is holding some mobile device. That's considered "tech savy". Almost everyone has their Facebook page as well. Yes, the gap in terms of "how far behind the times" I suspect in TN way be waning, but I have a hunch that is definately still there. For instance, I perceive that people in TN mainly just have flipphones and still listen to CDs, with MP3s and Smartphones considered "geeky" down there. Many probably still don't have an HDTV as well. Many probably have just basic cable and dial-up Internet, but is that just a myth? Volunteers, give us your thoughts!

[brentwoodgirl]

I ... am ... sorry ... my ... dial ... up ... keeps ... going ... out ... and ... I ... can't ... reply.

Plus my arm is tired from carrying around my big cell phone in its shoulder case.
CDs? Are those something like 8 tracks?
Can you get HDTV in black and white? Will my husband still have to hold the antenna while we watch TV?

Are you serious? Fed Ex, Nissan, HCA, Autozone, International Paper, and many more have their corporate HQs based in TN. Toshiba's television software office is based in Nashville and designs HD TVs for the entire world. This isn't a 3rd world country. Perhaps you should use some of your technology to do some research.

[DonCorleone]

I'm just concerned about the Fruedian implications of using the word "penetrate" 3 times in 3 consecutive sentences.

[BirdieBelle]

According to this site, Knoxville is at the top if a list of cities with the highest penetration (sorry Don) of no internet access. (Their phrasing, not mine.)
http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/...e-us-jan-6.pdf
But this site says 72.9% of Tennesseans are Internet users, though it doesn't define "use." You know, one time or ???
United States Internet and Facebook Usage State by State
Still, Tennessee's high school graduation rate is 75%, and only 45% of Tennesseans graduate from college.
So while the area where brentwoodgirl and I live and other metro areas have a high number of residents with postgraduate degrees and are very tech savvy, there are plenty of residents who are not exactly there.

[jabogitlu]

For instance, I perceive that people in TN mainly just have flipphones and still listen to CDs, with MP3s and Smartphones considered "geeky" down there. Many probably still don't have an HDTV as well. Many probably have just basic cable and dial-up Internet, but is that just a myth? Volunteers, give us your thoughts!

Haha not really. I mean if you wander out to backwoods Tennessee you'll probably still find a lot of dial-up Internet but that's because that's what's accessible. I'd say you can find the same situation in rural upstate New York, backwoods California or Washington and certainly in parts of Texas and Florida.

As for smartphones, those have penetrated all the markets fairly well. All of my friends are definitely very tech-savvy Android-using, mp3 playing, cloud-computin' intarweb fiends. Of course we're in our early 20s so it might take another decade or so for the "tech-savvy" label to stick really well.

And that's just in the Tri-Cities and Knoxville. In Nashville and Memphis, of course you'll find tech-savvy people and businesses. Both cities have huge industry in place that supports and draws from marketing, web developing, design, etc.

As for TVs, at least at the Target I work at we sell HDTVs by the crapton.