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It seems as if there all sorts of Support Groups devoted to the mental health and well being of various facets of our society. But there doesn't really seem to be any outlets for people who have to work with computers day in and out to discuss on a non-technical level the frustrations which can be particular
to this industry. I propose a grassroots campaign for a World-Wide network of Support Groups for people who have to work with computers, computer users, and stupid management on a daily basis.
I think may of the issues that Computer Professionals find themselves in are unique to this group. By nature we are very logical beings and can have trouble interacting with management, users and even other computer professionals on a day-to-day basis. Many times the only people we know who can sympathize with our plight are our co-workers and some of the same people we need to kvetch about.
It would be nice if there were a face-to-face (or even virtual) community where Computer Professionals could down and talk through some serious issues which are much deeper than "How do I fix error a, b or c?"
Your thoughts?
P.S.: If you are aware of something like this already please make sure to post a comment.
Doofus of the (unspecified time period)
http://web.tampabay...starchsr/doofus.htm
StarChaser the Tech Support Tyger's one tiger support group. [StarChaser, Oct 03 2000, last modified Oct 04 2004]
Tech Tales
http://www.techtales.com
One of the first computer-related stupid-user rant pages on the 'Net. (3 or 4 of the rants are my own!) [BigThor, Oct 03 2000, last modified Oct 04 2004]
Customers That Suck
http://www.customersthatsuck.com
Another excellent and hilarious rant site, with both technical and non-technical support sections. (Think tech support's awful? Check out some of the other areas!) [BigThor, Oct 03 2000, last modified Oct 04 2004]
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I'm thinking of something where you DON'T really talk about computers too much. Instead you provide support to others who are in the same field as you and give and take ideas about how to overcome the obstacles in working as a computer professional. |
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Now ve vait...for der StarChaser |
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...and ve vait... jeez, maybe he does actually work... |
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<grin> Yeah, I do actually work. But I have tues and wed off. I only read the .5Bakery at work, because it's killed, or at least badly wounded, several boring days at work . |
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Many, if not most, of the tech support humor pages are our version of the above. Having people who do the same thing you do sympathize with you generally helps, at least some. |
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[Example idiot story: On the Doofus page at the link, 'Loser the Second' has called in a total of 55 times since January first. -16- of those calls were for exactly the same thing, attaching a file to an Outlook message. This last time, he complained that we don't teach him how to do it, despite the fact that part of the reason that the simple call takes so long is that he keeps saying 'Slow down, I want to write this down'. ] |
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Good lord! I've never called tech support in my life! Maybe his Mom didn't wean him soon enough. |
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You're in luck! You simply need to become a member of http://www.CPSR.org
Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility
which has a Workplace working group, as well as conferences and resources for computer professionals.
Much thinking about the digital divide and the effect of computers on society as well. Not to mention a lot of work on privacy rights, encryption rights, potentials of computerized weapons, etc. |
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(arl
Carlp-nospam@cpsr.org |
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Jeez, StarChaser, you're a kindred spirit! I've been in tech support for an ISP for several years myself as well. |
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It's a tragedy that tech support is used for purposes other than its original intent; it was originally intended to solve configuration problems. Most of the users I speak to simply do not know how to use a computer (let alone the Internet!). Some don't even have basic reading skills, yet they *insist* that we train them how to use their PC! |
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Kind of makes you wish that there was such a thing as mandatory licensing for computer users, no? Something like a driver's license, but for computer use? |
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Yeah, tell me about it. I only deal with reps of other companies, rather than J Random Loser who scraped up enough out of their couch to buy an XT someone was using as a doorstop, and wants to know why AOL doesn't work on it... |
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But the companies seem to have totally stopped training their reps. I had one Monday who said he'd been given a computer and told to go dial in. They hadn't even given him his PASSWORDS, but I'm expected to have them. <In this case, it wasn't his fault...> |
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And BigThor, do a search on Techtales for 'StarChaser the Tech Support Tyger'...I'm in there too. |
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Tech Tales is well worth visiting! |
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