Technical Harassment.... (faq)

Makes a change from MAKE MONEY FAST. cdi veterans should get a grin out of this non-informix but relevant post. Otherwise skip. cheers j. (forwards removed to shield the guilty) } } Technical Harassment } } In our complex technical environment there are many opportunities for a } competent technical individual to be the subject of technical harassment. } Sometimes it can be so subtle that you may not even be aware you are being } harassed. Worse yet, you may inadvertently technically harass another person } by accident. } } Following are some guidelines to help you determine if you are being } technically harassed. } } If you are repeatedly asked the same technical question you may be the } victim of technical harassment. While it is most common to be asked the } question repeatedly within the same conversation, some instances have been } identified of habitual technical harassment. Habitual technical harassment is } not uncommon and has been known to exhibit group tendencies where members of a } group may ask the same question repeatedly. Untreated, these instances of } group technical harassment can continue for years. } } If you are asked a technical question by a non-technical person and they do } not write your answer down it is likely the question is frivolous. Most } non-technical people are not capable of remembering a true technical answer } for more than 30 seconds. } } If you are forced into a discussion where a person uses more than three } (3) buzzwords in one sentence the person is most likely a fake and you are } the unwitting victim of technical harassment. One note of caution, competent } technical people have been known to inadvertently use buzzwords after reading } mindless drivel like PC Week or LAN Times. If the person has been known to use } more common technical terms in the past such as "stuff" and "things", they are } most likely victim of computer magazine brainwashing. } } If during a troubleshooting session a person uses the term "trick". For } example "maybe we could trick the database into thinking it has been updated". } This is a sure sign of technical harassment. } } If a person explains that a needed feature will be provided by a vendor and } that person is nontechnical then you are at risk of being technically harassed. } If you believe that person, you have definitely been technically harassed, if } you don't believe them you have only been technically annoyed. } } If when trying to resolve a technical problem with a product from a vendor } and you are instructed to call the salesman that sold us the product you are } being set up for technical harassment. It is a common reaction for a } non-technical person when they have purchased technical equipment to call } another non-technical person. The dialogue between two nontechnical people } usually provides some sense of comfort that they aren't the only ones who } are confused. } ________________________________________________________________________ Jack Parker - Hewlett Packard, DMD/IS Boise, Idaho, USA (x65388) jparker@boi.hp.com Currently on loan to CTSB/DTC ________________________________________________________________________ Outside of a dog a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read. (Groucho Marx) ________________________________________________________________________ Any opinions expressed herein are my own and not those of my employers. ________________________________________________________________________