Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Podcasts on Tech Writing
http://www.techwritervoices.com/ has podcasts highlighting latest trends, practices, and news related to the field of technical communication. This site is worth checking out from time to time.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Can Wiki render us jobless?
As I foraged a number of wikis for some crucial information, I had one of those moments where you can see beyond the next few years of your life… a point where the clarity of today meets the obscurity of tomorrow; an “aha” moment. Can Wikipedia take my job?
I don’t mean all jobs but mine or those in my league. I have always earned my living as a writer—a practiced, well-read, well-rehearsed, yet spontaneous writer from a commonwealth country, where a vast majority don’t converse in English (not that we have any other common language; between 22 recognized languages and a zillion others, we are a confused bunch of polyglots).
I am not a doomsday predictor or a negativist – I happen to love Wikipedia and use it extensively; more extensively than I can admit to my clients. But hey, there lies my fear – a lot of people out there are using Wikipedia very extensively. Now, mind you, Wikipedia or wikis in general, have no paid editors or writers. What they have is a bunch of regulars (besides the general public) who edit content passionately for no fee! It’s a case of “have knowledge, will share” syndrome. Can there truly be a better example of an open economy and open source? Now who does that these days—have all those editors come into some form of inheritance? I guess, a good cause finds its backers and I am none the less happy for it. What’s more fascinating is that the company that runs Wikipedia is an NGO – they do not want to sell and shape out, they do not want to be a conglomerate, these guys are out there to genuinely make a difference, to create a world where knowledge is uniformly accessible.
I grew up at a time in India where the encyclopedia cost the earth; well, definitely out of reach for the middle class as it was then. My parents bought me books, yes, but the encyclopedia was the ultimate yet unattainable thing on my wish list. So, I love to visualize a time when every child and adult has access to every word that they want.
But what about my job? What about people like me who get by with their love of the written word besides sheer grit? Let’s see, in the last few years, I have been paid to design and write e-learning courseware and design documentation that uses multimedia. All learning and knowledge is going online, so how long before all of it is wikified. It makes perfect sense to enterprises to allow people to edit and share content. It helps them cut costs and it keeps people engaged. Now come on, don’t tell me you don’t get a high just reading, sharing, and revisiting what you have written. Even as I type this, people are decoding complex content for others through their blogs. This is an “of the people, by the people, for the people” movement that is already fantastic, yet far from its zenith. Is it a matter of time before animators jump into the bandwagon too and create sharable multimedia? The possibilities are indeed endless. And my redundancy imminent!
So, my fellow writers, do you need to find alternative sources of income? I, with my limited vision and knowledge would say no. But it wouldn’t hurt to be flexible, be open to different types of writing assignments, and learn as much as possible (yes, you can use Wikipedia to expand your knowledge). As history has shown, fortune favors those who adapt, those generous at heart, and open to change—now doesn’t that sound a lot like a wiki?
I don’t mean all jobs but mine or those in my league. I have always earned my living as a writer—a practiced, well-read, well-rehearsed, yet spontaneous writer from a commonwealth country, where a vast majority don’t converse in English (not that we have any other common language; between 22 recognized languages and a zillion others, we are a confused bunch of polyglots).
I am not a doomsday predictor or a negativist – I happen to love Wikipedia and use it extensively; more extensively than I can admit to my clients. But hey, there lies my fear – a lot of people out there are using Wikipedia very extensively. Now, mind you, Wikipedia or wikis in general, have no paid editors or writers. What they have is a bunch of regulars (besides the general public) who edit content passionately for no fee! It’s a case of “have knowledge, will share” syndrome. Can there truly be a better example of an open economy and open source? Now who does that these days—have all those editors come into some form of inheritance? I guess, a good cause finds its backers and I am none the less happy for it. What’s more fascinating is that the company that runs Wikipedia is an NGO – they do not want to sell and shape out, they do not want to be a conglomerate, these guys are out there to genuinely make a difference, to create a world where knowledge is uniformly accessible.
I grew up at a time in India where the encyclopedia cost the earth; well, definitely out of reach for the middle class as it was then. My parents bought me books, yes, but the encyclopedia was the ultimate yet unattainable thing on my wish list. So, I love to visualize a time when every child and adult has access to every word that they want.
But what about my job? What about people like me who get by with their love of the written word besides sheer grit? Let’s see, in the last few years, I have been paid to design and write e-learning courseware and design documentation that uses multimedia. All learning and knowledge is going online, so how long before all of it is wikified. It makes perfect sense to enterprises to allow people to edit and share content. It helps them cut costs and it keeps people engaged. Now come on, don’t tell me you don’t get a high just reading, sharing, and revisiting what you have written. Even as I type this, people are decoding complex content for others through their blogs. This is an “of the people, by the people, for the people” movement that is already fantastic, yet far from its zenith. Is it a matter of time before animators jump into the bandwagon too and create sharable multimedia? The possibilities are indeed endless. And my redundancy imminent!
So, my fellow writers, do you need to find alternative sources of income? I, with my limited vision and knowledge would say no. But it wouldn’t hurt to be flexible, be open to different types of writing assignments, and learn as much as possible (yes, you can use Wikipedia to expand your knowledge). As history has shown, fortune favors those who adapt, those generous at heart, and open to change—now doesn’t that sound a lot like a wiki?
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