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> Of the thousands of university students, both undergraduate and graduate, a
> large chunk are lurkers, here or on the STC boards. Why don't they
> contribute more? For the exact same reason they all fill in "it was flippin'
> wonderful" when asked--every semester in every class--to comment on the
> class and instructor. Because every good student knows that every good
> instructor keeps track of who says what, and those "evaluation comments" can
> come back to haunt you.
I fail to see the parallelism between a university environment and
this list, but, regardless, your argument appears a fallacy. In most
(all?) university environments, evaluations are submitted
anonymously. And, from what I've seen, people do not tend to hold
back if they have strong feelings about a course. I would argue that
more often people respond "It was flippin wonderful" because of
apathy.
> Consider--if I rudely shoot down a poster for something I consider utter
> drivel, then find out later that the poster is the hiring manager at the
> firm at which I am seeking employment, has my freedom to post my real
> opinions benefitted me?
Lists such as this one are not a forum to express your opinion about
someone's "utter drivel". Doing so basically ends up as a personal
attack. It is a forum for you to share ideas and learn from others.
You don't have to agree with others, and you are welcome to
present an opposing opinion. I don't think any hiring manager would
reject an applicant who offered well-reasoned opposing opinions
that were presented fairly and without personal attack.
> and we are better trained, better educated, and better motivated than
> many of the current group of tech writers who seem to have gained
> employment in (what used to be)a high-demand employment field.
Gee, I can't wait until some of the better trained and better educated
tech writers hit the job market. I can't tell you how frustrating it is to
work with people who think they know everything, when they know
so very little and are not willing to learn, share, and grow. And,
frankly, I am tired of working my butt off so that things are done on
time and are done right.
I will close for now, lest my words become hypocritical.
Dana W.
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