Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/29869
When to Admit You’re in over Your Head INTERSECT GIS Janet says … So which is better: muddle through BY JANET JACKSON & MARK DOLEZEL your initial techno-confusion or con- fess that you don’t know how to make the technology work correctly? Well, the answer might depend on a variety of things, including your age, technol- ogy background, personal sense of adventure and whether you have some- one available to answer your immedi- ate questions (like a 10-year-old or a professional IT person). How quickly you candidly handle the situation also depends on when the technology-focused project is due. Is there time to try and figure out how to make it work without negative impacts? If there’s an immedi- ate deadline, it’s best to “fess up,” pick up your cell phone, click on your customized IT technical-support app and give a shout for help. If there’s some wiggle room on the deadline, then perhaps try what many younger folks do. They cluster their techno-knowledge by making some basic assumptions (“if this works like that, then this must work like this”) and work their way through it—a 2011 version of scientific trial and error. Don’t be shy about trying to click your way to a resolution. As long as the basic data/information are backed up, a solution typically will be found. If you find it difficult to keep up with all the Janet Jackson, a GIS professional, is president of INTERSECT, a GIS consulting firm. Mark Dolezel is an IT specialist at McKim & Creed; e-mail: intersect@ mckimcreed.com. 12 recent technology, you’re not alone. Knowing how and when to use the basic applications in Twitter, Google, LinkedIn, Facebook, Skype, e-mail, GoToMeeting, digital cameras, GPS and GIS—with their abundance of technical mash-ups and specialized extensions—is a tall order. And that doesn’t include all the software programs that come preloaded on basic PCs these days. Don’t be surprised if the next time you begin a job, you spend more time being oriented by IT professionals than human resources. If confusion or a confession causes anxiety, go easy on yourself. Most of us didn’t grow up surrounded by, dependent on and/or fascinated with technology. For most people, technology is a means to an end: getting the job done. And this means producing a high-quality product that’s G E O W O R L D / A P R I L 2 O 1 1 created bigger, better and faster than was previ- ously possible. Experimenting with technology probably isn’t on your weekend to-do list, unless your techno- experimenting is combined with using GIS or GPS to navigate a mountain bike trail or sail through the shallow waters up the coastline of North Carolina. Those are perfect opportunities for learning new and different aspects of technology and using the “if this works like that, then …” approach back on the job. Surprisingly, the confusion will quickly disappear, and techno-savvy confidence will arise. Is there time to try and figure out how to make it work without negative impacts? IT Mark says… Who in their right mind wants to admit that they don’t know something or are in over their head? There’s a type of humility in such an admission, but if you’re a confident person, you probably know when you’ve stepped outside your comfort zone or knowledge base and are in over your techno-savvy head. I love teaching users new things in the computer world. Whether it’s explaining simple Web concepts, how a specific program works or how to use social media to help market oneself, no question is too trivial. Many times, explaining simple verbiage to relative newbies opens up their eyes—a huge light bulb turns on, and the year of darkness and confusion they traversed now makes a bit more sense. I truly love “talking techie” to non-techie people. They try really hard to make sense of all the information that’s floating around. I also love it when someone tries to talk about the interwebs and how their gigabyte monitor is having hardware issues with Microsoft Word. You know they’re trying, but they have no idea. Mobility/GPS Special Issue