To UNSUBSCRIBE send to: [log in to unmask] the following phrase "unsubscribe click4hp" as unquoted text. To view archives or manage your subscription (and create a password) go to http://listserv.yorku.ca/archives/click4hp.html
What's funny to me about *this *discussion is that it is just as
annoying to some of us as the original posting about how to unsubscribe...
Should they have known better? Sure. Do *you *make mistakes? Probably
[resisting urge for more snark].
For those of us who have been around long enough to supposedly "know
better" it's easy to ride the old high horse. I keep the text below
printed out beside my computer, just, maybe it's worth a few more
hardcopies out there...
(Of course, some of you will want to point out to me that not all of the
stuff below is completely, absolutely, specifically relevant, but
hopefully you get the point. If not, do us all a favour and email me
directly if you want to bust my b***s. Flame away..., just don't bug
everyone else with it.)
Marco
How to help someone use a computer.
Phil Agre
http://polaris.gseis.ucla.edu/pagre/ <http://polaris.gseis.ucla.edu/pagre/>
http://polaris.gseis.ucla.edu/pagre/how-to-help.html
<http://polaris.gseis.ucla.edu/pagre/how-to-help.html>
Computer people are fine human beings, but they do a lot of harm in the
ways they "help" other people with their computer problems. Now that
we're trying to get everyone online, I thought it might be helpful to
write down everything I've been taught about helping people use computers.
First you have to tell yourself some things:
Nobody is born knowing this stuff.
You've forgotten what it's like to be a beginner.
If it's not obvious to them, it's not obvious.
A computer is a means to an end. The person you're helping probably
cares mostly about the end. This is reasonable.
Their knowledge of the computer is grounded in what they can do and
see -- "when I do this, it does that". They need to develop a deeper
understanding, but this can only happen slowly -- and not through
abstract theory but through the real, concrete situations they encounter
in their work.
Beginners face a language problem: they can't ask questions because
they don't know what the words mean, they can't know what the words mean
until they can successfully use the system, and they can't successfully
use the system because they can't ask questions.
You are the voice of authority. Your words can wound.
Computers often present their users with textual messages, but the
users often don't read them.
By the time they ask you for help , they've probably tried several
things. As a result, their computer might be in a strange state. This is
natural.
They might be afraid that you're going to blame them for the problem.
The best way to learn is through apprenticeship -- that is, by doing
some real task together with someone who has a different set of skills.
Your primary goal is not to solve their problem. Your primary goal is
to help them become one notch more capable of solving their problem on
their own. So it's okay if they take notes.
Most user interfaces are terrible. When people make mistakes it's
usually the fault of the interface. You've forgotten how many ways
you've learned to adapt to bad interfaces.
Knowledge lives in communities, not individuals. A computer user who's
part of a community of computer users will have an easier time than one
who isn't.
Having convinced yourself of these things, you are more likely to follow
some important rules:
Don't take the keyboard. Let them do all the typing, even if it's
slower that way, and even if you have to point them to every key they
need to type. That's the only way they're going to learn from the
interaction.
Find out what they're really trying to do. Is there another way to go
about it?
Maybe they can't tell you what they've done or what happened. In this
case you can ask them what they are trying to do and say, "Show me how
you do that".
Attend to the symbolism of the interaction. Try to squat down so your
eyes are just below the level of theirs. When they're looking at the
computer, look at the computer. When they're looking at you, look back
at them.
When they do something wrong, don't say "no" or "that's wrong".
They'll often respond by doing something else that's wrong. Instead,
just tell them what to do and why.
Try not to ask yes-or-no questions. Nobody wants to look foolish, so
their answer is likely to be a guess. "Did you attach to the file
server?" will get you less information than "What did you do after you
turned the computer on?".
Explain your thinking. Don't make it mysterious. If something is true,
show them how they can see it's true. When you don't know, say "I don't
know". When you're guessing, say "let's try ... because ...". Resist the
temptation to appear all-knowing. Help them learn to think the problem
through.
Be aware of how abstract your language is. "Get into the editor" is
abstract and "press this key" is concrete. Don't say anything unless you
intend for them to understand it. Keep adjusting your language downward
towards concrete units until they start to get it, then slowly adjust
back up towards greater abstraction so long as they're following you.
When formulating a take-home lesson ("when it does this and that, you
should try such-and-such"), check once again that you're using language
of the right degree of abstraction for this
user right now.
Tell them to really read the messages, such as errors, that the
computer generates.
Whenever they start to blame themselves, respond by blaming the
computer. Then keep on blaming the computer, no matter how many times it
takes, in a calm, authoritative tone of voice. If you need to show off,
show off your ability to criticize bad design. When they get nailed by a
false assumption about the computer's behavior, tell them
their assumption was reasonable. Tell *yourself* that it was reasonable.
Take a long-term view. Who do users in this community get help from?
If you focus on building that person's skills, the skills will diffuse
to everyone else.
Never do something for someone that they are capable of doing for
themselves.
Don't say "it's in the manual". (You knew that.)
(This article is adapted from The Network Observer. Copyright 1996 by
Phil Agre.)
Kalda, Robyn wrote:
>> -----Original Message-----
>>
>> There was no purpose to send such a snarky email to the
>> entire listserve
>> only to vent your frustrations.
>>
>>
>
> I sympathize with the computer-challenged and with those for whom English is difficult. As a long-time listserv admin (not of Click4HP, but of many others), I have to disagree that the snark had no purpose.
>
> Misplaced "UNSUB ME" messages are annoying and time-consuming, not just to list admins. Those that do accidentally make it to the list end up permanently archived online, lowering the signal-to-noise ratio for anyone conducting a search. (So do those awful out-of-office messages people feel compelled to use, but we can argue about those another day.) On Click, some 1200 people then have to download those messages, read them, realize they're content-free, and delete them, all of which is a tremendous waste of time.
>
> Clear and accurate instructions for unsubscribing are printed at the bottom (and now top, I see!) of every single message posted to Click4HP, along with a list admin's email address you can contact if the instructions *aren't* clear to you or if some other problem crops up. No list admin ever minds a polite private message asking for help -- really.
>
> Occasionally, a polite notice is posted reminding people of the instructions, in case having them at the bottom (and top) of each message is insufficient -- which it clearly is, since people persist in blithely ignoring the instructions. If the occasional snark actually works to cut down on accidental administrivia postings to this list or any other, I can live with that.
>
> Robyn Kalda
> Health Promotion Information Specialist
> OPC Health Promotion Resource Centre
> (416) 408-2249 x2226 (New extension as of August 16)
> [log in to unmask]
>
>
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