Reference Method Preference Survey Results Posting

[Kevin Smith <ksmith -at- OODB -dot- SYSCOM -dot- COM -dot- TW>]

(All bow down before the King of the Noun Strings!)

Documentation Preference Survey Results
Well, here's what you all told me, in your cute individual ways:

No. Of Respondents                                      40
Gender Split (My Best Guess, see: Pat, Chris, Robin, Kim)
Male                                                    15
Female                                                  25
Prefer Hard Copy                                        25
Prefer Online                                           10
No preference                                           5
Number of Respondents who baldfacedly LIED              1


Please note that in the following section, the percentage shown is the
portion of those who prefer that method, rather than the total body of
respondents.
Many gave multiple reasons, so don?t go counting %?s and yelling at me.
(Anyway, as far as you know, I could be making all of this up except for
your entry.)

Reasons for preferring HC                               % of preferents
It just FEELS better                                    40
I can make my own notes in the margin                   28
Speed                                                   24
Habit                                                   13
A break from the screen                                 12
Portability                                             12
Don?t trust the search engine                           12
Collateral reference                                    8
No closing or crashing                                  8
"I wear fuzzy clothes and my boss?s hobby is running." (?)      4
Can?t explain                                           4


Reasons for preferring OL:                      % of preferents
Speed (really)                                          20
Versatility                                             13
No wasted paper or clutter                                      14
Up-to-date                                              7
Easier to read                                          7
Helps me think like an OL doc reader                    7
Can?t explain                                           7
"Its quick, it?s slick, it?s *SEARCHABLE*!"             7
Checking form for professional purposes                 7
It?s cool                                                       7
Points of interest (to me, anyway) included the following:
Almost universally, those who preferred HC (a VAST majority, right?)
were apologetic for their preference!  Earth people.  Go figure.
Almost everybody had conditions under which they used the method they
DIDN?T prefer, even given a choice.
I haven?t prepared the figures, but each area of preference had a fairly
equal share of each gender group, with maybe a slightly higher male
presence in the OL camp (no, we didn?t all go camping, it?s an
expression).
SO....
That?s it, draw your own conclusions, and get started arguing with each
other about which method is superior!
Once again, thanks to all who responded.
And thanks for the Elvis stories.
Oh yeah, I prefer hard copy about a mungogingillion to one.

--
Hank, somewhere in TWG
Docs that Rock...
ksmith -at- oodb -dot- syscom -dot- com -dot- tw

"Call Careers Information...
 Have you got yourself an Occupation?"
                        -E. Costello

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