Wiki ‘suicide missions’

17 09 2007

I’m currently reading Wiki for Dummies, and came across this delightful piece in Part III, Chapter 9:

Don’t go on wiki suicide missions

Wikis don’t have magical powers. They cannot create camaraderie where none exists, nor can they streamline an out-of-control operation. They are not powerful information magnets, nor will they make your team better writers, more organized, or more intelligent. In short, without a strong guiding hand, wikis are useless.

Wikis cannot promise instant returns or unbelievable creativity. Wikis allow users to quickly and easily update and upload information. Wikis are no substitute for holding a meeting, contacting your team members, or doing hard work yourself.

I couldn’t have said it better myself!


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Categories : Business/Work, Technical writing

Cruising for a career

17 09 2007

A friend’s blog had a list of careers that the “Career Cruising” site matched to her interests. Because I used to work with her and had a good idea of her skills, it was interesting to see how close a match this automated process was for her.

So I did the test myself and came up with this list of the top 25 jobs most matched to my interests. The ratings next to each are according to a further test on my self-assessed skill levels. Here’s my list:

  1. Editor – Very Good Match
  2. Market Research Analyst – Very Good Match
  3. Communications Specialist – Very Good Match
  4. GIS Specialist – Good Match
  5. Public Policy Analyst – Very Good Match
  6. Print Journalist – Very Good Match
  7. Translator – Fair Match
  8. Technical Writer – Good Match
  9. Lobbyist – Good Match
  10. Political Aide – Good Match
  11. Public Relations Specialist – Very Good Match
  12. Activist – Good Match
  13. Criminologist – Very Good Match
  14. Computer Network Specialist – Good Match
  15. Cartographer – Good Match
  16. Writer – Very Good Match
  17. Critic – Very Good Match
  18. Economic Development Officer – Very Good Match
  19. Desktop Publisher – Good Match
  20. Computer Trainer – Very Good Match
  21. Cartoonist / Comic Illustrator – Fair Match
  22. Corporate Trainer – Good Match
  23. Artist – Fair Match
  24. Economist – Very Good Match
  25. Website Designer – Good Match

Interestingly, my first career—teacher-librarianship—didn’t rank in the top 25 at all.

Of those 25, some are just so way out there that they were a surprise (esp. those to do with politics, economics, art, and PR). However the rest are really interesting! I currently work as a technical communicator (#3) which encompasses some website design work (#25) and critiquing (#17), tech writing—of course—(#8), DTP (#19), and editing (#1). I’ve been interested in maps and map making since I was a kid and would’ve pursued cartography (#15) or GIS (#4) if they were available. I was also fascinated by genetics and forensics (#13). For some years after leaving the secondary school teaching environment, I did computer training for adults (#20), and more recently I’ve presented to colleagues at international conferences (#22). So that’s 11 out of the 25 that I currently do, or were interested in pursuing. Not bad considering there are *thousands* of careers and job titles out there.
You can do your own assessment…

  1. Go to http://www.careercruising.com/
  2. Username: nycareers, Password: landmark
  3. Answer the “Career Matchmaker” questions (top left).

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Categories : Business/Work