08.28
The perfect is the enemy of the good. — Voltaire
Man I’ve heard that quote a lot recently, especially in the online news arena. It sounds all impressive and high falutin’, you know, being a quote from Voltaire and all. The problem is the above quote is almost always uttered as an excuse for something less than perfect or good… mediocrity.
Now, some would say that this is an outgrowth of the traditional newspaper mindset where existing in a virtual monopoly state — where “good enough” was in fact all that was needed for 30% profit margins — for so long has dulled that mindset to the realities of actual competition.
I don’t know that I’d go quite that far (tho it is fun to theorize on occasion) but I do bristle at the quote. Online operations are exceedingly competitive — and are becoming more so almost daily with the advent of local news blogs and the like — so if there are people running around thinking we can aim low and still be successful, well…
The quote is a recipe for mediocrity if you _stop_ at “good.” Releasing “good,” learning from it, then iterating through “better” and “best” is closer to the spirit, as I see it.
“Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.” ~ Frank Zappa