Re: What do you think?

[Kris Olberg <kjolberg -at- IX -dot- NETCOM -dot- COM>]

----------
> From: Nancy Hoft <nhoft -at- WORLD-READY -dot- COM>
>
> Snipet One -- Question: Do you agree that the majority of technical
> communication is paper-based?

That depends somewhat on the definition of "technical communication."  But
even if we limit technical communication to the following subset, I still
disagree (although I have no hard facts).

- system documentation
- intra- and intercompany communication
- marketing materials
- policies and procedures
- application/hardware documentation

Let's look at intra- and intercompany communication, which is a staple,
corporate application. I'd be willing to venture that better than half of
the companies in the U.S. are using electronic media for this, with e-mail
being the form most widely used.

> Snipet Two -- Question:  What do you think of the word "forbidding"?
>
> "Computers and networks are, as Dale Spender (1995) notes, an
> environment of privilege-created by privileged white men and used
> mostly by them-and those environments are quite often forbidding to
> women and people from disadvantaged groups."

What is the context of this quote? What is the author trying to convey?

In 1995, the statistics showed that the Internet was a largely
male-dominated community, by a ratio of about 4 men to 1 woman. However, I
don't agree with any assertion that networks and computers were
"forbidding" to women and disadvantaged folks. IMHO, the more correct
assertion would have been that networks and computers were not as
"accessible" to woman and the disadvantaged. This opinion is based on the
speed which which women are reducing the deficit. Today, statistics show
that the ratio of men to women on the Internet is closer to 3:2. If the
Internet were truly "forbidding" to women, the statistics would not be
changing this rapidly. There are two significant contributing factors to
this rapid change: (1) the price of computers and Internet access has
decreased significantly since the early '90s and (2) the Internet itself
has become more accessible to "common" folks; that is, those outside of
corporate and educational institutions.

If you're concerned about whether "forbidding" is a word, it is according
to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary c. 1913.

> Snipet Three -- Do you think that your employers will be willing to
> train new hires in technical communication on how to use a computer
> to do their jobs?

I think this depends on the particular position. For technical
communicators, many employers are looking at computer skills as
fundamentals, meaning that they should have been acquired as a part of the
applicant's education curriculum. No computer skills at all would put
applicants at a severe disadvantage over others with at least basic skills.

The one question that wasn't asked but was implied is this: Should
technical communicators incorporate computer applications into their
curriculae? My answer is yes. Basic computer skills should be a
prerequisite to nearly every program offered at 4-year educational
institutions, similar to the way foreign languages are treated. If the
college freshman can't exhibit basic computer skills, a basic skills class
should be required. When the techcomm student begins taking more
specialized techcomm courses, homework ought to be done using the student's
application of choice, whether it be Word, WordPerfect, ASCII text, etc.
with handwritten homework being unacceptable. I don't believe, however,
that colleges ought to be teaching more complex distribution applications
such as RoboHelp, Acrobat, etc. Homework for courses in hypermedia can be
simulated using a word processor.

Regards...Kris
-------------------------
kolberg -at- actamed -dot- com
kris -at- olberg -dot- com

 TECHWR-L (Technical Communication) List Information: To send a message
to 2500+ readers, e-mail to TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU -dot-  Send commands
   to LISTSERV -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU (e.g. HELP or SIGNOFF TECHWR-L).
  Search the archives at http://www.documentation.com/  or search and
browse the archives at http://listserv.okstate.edu/archives/techwr-l.html