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> From: Becca Price [mailto:becca_price -at- yahoo -dot- com]
> more important than facts, IMHO, is the ability to find out the
> information. There is *so* much information that we need to
> know today, just to manage our day-to-day lives, and the amount
> of information is increasing at an incredible rate.
I agree that there is a ton of information out there. Many of us in
technical writing find that we can't be experts in every product our
companies produce, because there is just too much information for one person
to absorb and retain. I think that's why, in a lot of cases, we rely on
management to help filter the information and provide us with the details
that are necessary for and relevant to the jobs we're doing. (Of course,
there are times when I feel like too much is filtered. I'm a bit of a
detail-focused control freak, and I like to know what everybody in my
department is working on whether it affects me or not.)
What I don't agree with is the rather invasive attitude that "there's too
much knowledge out there, so I don't need to know any of it as long as I can
look it up." I had a college journalism professor who said that Americans
have a very surface-level knowledge. We deal with facts and experiences
rather than going deeper into theories, ideas, and philosophies.
What are the five most popular topics of conversation around your water
cooler? I find that the weather, the stock market, politics (and maybe late
breaking news, if it's really big), last night's sitcoms, and the local
sports teams fill most of the conversations that go on around me. These
conversations can be entertaining, and they do give us "something to talk
about" with just about anybody. I think what we all appreciate, though, is
that these topics allow us to converse for hours on end without ever having
to share too much about ourselves or learn too much about somebody else.
When is the last time you sat down with a 13-year-old and talked about the
violence going on the Israel right now and discussed the war-torn history of
that country? I'd dare say that most 13-year-olds aren't even aware that
the country of Israel exists and couldn't locate it on a map. Ask that same
13-year-old what she thinks of Britney Spears or the Backstreet Boys or what
happened last night on Friends, and she'll have lots to say, but don't
expect her to be able to think outside the knowledge box that pop culture
has built for her.
There is definitely value in knowing how to find information (and the
Internet has made this ever so much easier. I can't remember the last time
I visited the public library to look something up), but there is also value
in owning knowledge, inside our own heads, where we can bring it to the
surface at a moment's notice. I think this is particularly true of subjects
that we're supposed to be familiar with. It bothers me when I go to talk to
my SME about his product and he tells me, "I don't know. I'll have to ask
somebody and get back with you." Yes, he knows how to get a hold of the
information he's lacking, but he also bears the title of SME. The questions
I ask aren't THAT difficult! :)
Megan E. Rock
Technical Writer
megan -dot- rock -at- fanucrobotics -dot- com
All views expressed are entirely my own and are not necessarily shared by my
friends, co-workers, or employer.
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