Worker\’s Playtime!

I admit it. My last post was rather cranky (see “I’m not your Information Butler“). I was frustrated by the dependence on ‘old’ methods of information sharing. The reliance on face-to-face contact and targeted phone calls to get information out is understandable given that it’s familiar. My frustration, however, is that we are not using the tools that can help filter, organize and pull news. Given the absolute tidal wave of information why aren’t we skilled at using “rss” to identify and bring valuable news updates to our desktop? Referring to a tool as “rss” is half of the problem and keeps it inaccessible and mysterious to those who could benefit most (rss = really simple syndication; aka, the orange button you see on many sites that allows you to subscribe to all site updates). To confuse matters even more “rss” is sometimes referred to as “feeds”, “XML”, or “subscriptions”. Whatever it’s called it’s clear to me that many aren’t using it.

So I’m offering an iGoogle workshop in November that will show people how to subscribe to site updates and the difference between Google Reader and using tabs to organize rss updates. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t pretend this is the answer but at least it gives people a tool to surf the information tidal wave.

Check out Robin Good’s blog for an interesting post on “Information Overload: What it is and How You Can Avoid It”

http://www.masternewmedia.org/information_overload_what_it_is_and_how/

Warning: Rant Below

“Do you have some time tomorrow to swing by my office for some Blackboard training? I’m interested in posting my syllabus and learning how to manage my roster”.

“Sure, is 10AM okay with you?”

“Yep, see you at 10″

This is an example of the type of conversation that I have everyday. Pretty banal, eh? The problem is that my group just offered 2 training sessions on this very topic. And in response to specific requests and being sensitive to people’s time we offered them in condensed 60-minute sessions. We advertised via email, and on two (two)! web sites (one with RSS), and took advantage of plenty of face-to-face opportunities to remind people about the date, time, and location of the workshop.

The response?

“Sorry I missed it but I didn’t know. I wish you had told me.”

This is just a tiny example but I find it rather ironic that in the age of information overload there are people who claim they didn’t know. Don’t get me wrong. I know how emails can get buried and I understand that dates and times can be forgotten. What I can’t understand is how it’s become an expectation that information is distilled, synthesized, and labeled for individuals to use. I can’t do that. I’m not your information butler.