Wikipedia: No Longer the Wild West???

Wikipedia is adding a layer of oversight to its system! It is going to try to assign editors to some of its entries. These volunteers would have to approve public edits before they are published to English-language stories about living people.

Repent. The End is Near. Crowds of people can no longer create the news, share information, and collaborate on online projects. Or so some people say while others see the change as a sign that these communities of online volunteers are getting more complex, and they need more rules.

Go to http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/08/26/wikipedia.editors/index.html to read the whole story.

I know that in my technical writing class, I cringe when a student tells me they found the information on Wikipedia. The old IT adage comes back to me: garbage in, garbage out. Maybe some controls are in order to give Wikipedia posts more credibility because I don't trust the accuracy and correctness of the entries. As the article points out, entries about Ted Kennedy and Robert Byrd falsely stated both U.S. Senators had died (this was before Ted Kennedy actually did die).

I'm not a Facebook user, but for those of you who are, you might enjoy this article as well about the 12 types of annoying Facebookers.

Go to http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/08/20/annoying.facebook.updaters/index.html.

What kind of a tech user are you?

I recently read an article on the CNN/Technology Web site that discussed whether or not people are suffering from Internet fatigue. In the article, the author talks about a report by PEW "called 'The Mobile Difference,' which places American adults into 10 different user types, depending on how they feel about information technology, what kind of information technology they have in their lives and how they use information technology in their lives." Then, the reader is asked to take the "what kind of tech user are you" quiz.

Well, I took the quiz and found out that I am a Media Mover. A media mover has a wide range of online and mobile habits and is bound to find or create an information nugget, such as a digital photo, and pass it on. These social exchanges are central to his or her use of information and communication technology. Cyberspace, as a path to personal productivity or an outlet for creativity, is less important.

Go take the quiz at at http://www.pewinternet.org/Participate/What-Kind-of-Tech-User-Are-You.aspx and let us know your type. Are you a Digital Collaborator, Ambivalent Networker, Roving Node, Desktop Veterans, Drifting Surfer, Information Encumbered, Mobile Newbie, or Technology Indifferent. Reveal....

What is the Technical Writer market like in Montana?

Earlier this month I received an email from someone wanting to know what the Technical Writer market is like in Montana.
Is it concentrated in a particular area of the state? This person says he primarily develops Help systems.

Thoughts?

STC Montana Webinar: Finding Value in Social Networks

I don't know how many STC Montana members are familiar with Scott Abel, but he has agreed to do our next Webinar on February 25 at noon to help us find value in online social networks.

Scott’s blog, The Content Wrangler (www.TheContentWrangler.com), is a popular online resource for technical writers with an interest in content management. Scott’s social networking site, The Content Wrangler Community (thecontentwrangler.ning.com), is a global network of content professionals that attracts thousands of members from around the world. A founding member of Content Management Professionals (www.cmpros.org), Scott previously served as Executive Director of the organization.

Scott is also involved with the Documentation and Training West 2009 Conference to be held in beautiful Palm Springs, CA, March 17-20, 2009. The theme is Moving From Unstructured to Structured Content (http://www.doctrain.com/west/2009). The event includes a special focus on the Darwin Information Typing Architecture. Paid registration includes two days of conference presentations, case studies, and panel discussions, as well as, access to 2 days of hands-on training workshops at no additional cost!

STC Members save $400 off the full price of admission when you register by telephone. You pay only $899. Call Eileen Savary at DocTrain Conferences at +1 978-649-8555. Use discount code STC. This offer is not retroactive and is limited to telephone registration only.

Anonymous Anger Rampant on Internet

I found this article on Cnn.com/technology interesting http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/11/03/angry.internet/index.html. Check it out.

If anyone is looking for a masters or doctorate thesis, it would be fun to study the blogging and social media communication tools and the role of anonymity in how we interact with each these days. At the "job jar" meeting we discussed e-mail and its litigious nature (I love that word!), and I think online communication does give one a sense of freedom to express yourself any way you like without boundaries.

I know I sometimes find myself tapping away on my keyboard to compose an e-mail without giving it much thought about where it might land and who it might affect. As the article points out, MySpace and FaceBook have destroyed lives because of online postings. I have become more cautious in recent days about my use of e-mail and have even gone backward a bit to picking up the phone to have an actual conversation with my co-workers. It's kind of nice.

Comparing Open Source CMS

Foliomag.com just published a review of open source CMS.

At our dinner meeting in Butte a few weeks ago, Brandi mentioned she uses DotNetNuke at work. I use Drupal.

I especially like the line in the article “'Drupal developers are in pretty high demand, so we weren’t able to staff up as quickly as we would have liked,' he noted..."

I'm pretty sure I don't qualify as a developer yet, but I'm working on it!

Technical Communications Lab Updated at Montana Tech

Check out this story about the technical communications lab at Montana Tech. Go to http://www.mtstandard.com/articles/2008/10/10/area/hjjbijijjcejfj.txt. I'm thinking that we could all take a tour of the lab as part of STC Montana's annual dinner in May.