The old saying presents something of a conundrum for today's modern audience. "Build it and they will come" might've worked in the old west when pioneering explorers traversing the sand-blasted plains saw an odd saloon built in the middle of nowhere as a proverbial oasis. Taking it to the 40's, even when the press caught wind of the the world's "tallest building" ever built, crowds would flock to that one single spot, swarming like bees to engulf a topical hotspot made hot by the media's singular voice, delivered by newspaper, radio and TV. Nobody knew everything, everybody had to know somebody who knew something. Whether it came from the air waves or from the dead tree, people made choices based on what they could see. Build it and they will come simply because your building's the only one around.
But the world has shrunk. No longer are people wandering out in the wilderness in desperate need of a good saloon, and information has become so free and unhindered, the popular press' influence on tourist-habits has taken a backseat to impersonal blogs and twitter posts. "Build it and they will come" no longer applies to this glitzy fast-paced world where every building looks the same and everything is the same. The most pressing question is: how can you stand out from the endless hordes of duplicate and similarly qualified individuals?
The American education system is designed to put kids through the grinder, pumping and relentlessly promoting children to higher and higher levels of education. You get the diploma, then you get the degree, then the masters, and finally the Phd. Surely if you follow this path to success, the accolades are all but ensured...right? The truth is, building it alone no longer works. There are tons of buildings that have the same height, color, and look as yours. No longer does the old adage apply. I propose then, a simple revision to make it more accurate to reflect today's modern sensibilities.
Build it, advertise the shit out of it, and then maybe, just maybe, they will come.
