Giving TW help: Are we training our replacements?

["Chuck Martin" <cm -at- writeforyou -dot- com>]

Hey y'all, I've had this somewhat disturbing thought creeping into my psyche
recently and was hoping I might get some other points of view, with hopes of
getting some that might assuage my feelings about this. I know this has the
risk of getting emotional, but I'm not sure it's a topic that should be kept
hidden under the carpet.

Bottom line: When answering pleas for help here, and in other online venues,
are we in some cases telling people how our jobs are done fundamentally,
people who are angling to take our jobs for lower pay, especially people who
are "offshore?"

The reason that this thought, this question, even occurs, is that I've seen
posts in online venues recently, posts that appear to be made by non-native
English speakers, asking questions about topics such as how to organize
documentation, how to use tools, etc. For many, if not most, we've learned
these fundamentals through many years of training and experience.

But I wonder, too, if the question arises more because of my own situation.
Long have I been quick to jump in and offer answers when I knew them, here
and in other places. But until recently, I've been working regularly. Now a
parallel question that occurs goes along the lines of "Why should I tell
someone else how to do those fundamental things when I could be paid for
doing them?" Probably some frustration from still getting no responses when
I apply for jobs I'm quite qualified for.

Part of my (internal) struggle is that I know I'm probably making some
assumptions (I don't always have definitive information, and don't think
it's necessarily appropriate to respond by saying something like "Why are
you asking? Are you from India (or the Philippines, or Ireland, or Israel,
etc.) and have you ever had any TW training?") because I don't want to get
into the too-often-seen mode of righteous indignation and outrage and I
don't want this to descent into a racial issue.

It's just it seem the nature of some questions are different.  I don't
particularly want to be unhelpful. These communities are incredibly helpful,
especially when we're in situations where we're the only TW at a company and
we hit a bind, a FrameMaker crash, a RoboHelp quirk, etc.  But what happens
when people start asking fundamental questions that are typically taught in
even the 10-week certificate courses?

Oh yeah, happy 2004.

-- 
--
Chuck Martin
User Assistance & Experience Engineer
twriter "at" sonic "dot" net      www.writeforyou.com

"I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. The day
may come when the courage of Men fail,  when we forsake our friends and
break all bonds of fellowship. But it is not this day! This day, we fight!"
                    - Aragorn

"All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given you."
                    - Gandalf