[u3aavcuss] Re: Fw: Fwd: Help Desks at General Meetings
- From: "Mike Bean" <Mike.Bean@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <u3aavcuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2013 18:22:40 -0000
Shirley,
Cynic mode sets in immediately!
' . is proposing to set up an IT Help Desk on a regular basis at one of our
monthly General Meetings. ' - does he mean that the IT Help Desk is the
substance of that meeting - a sort of Gardner's Question Time or a
pre-meeting side-show regularly (monthly or periodically)?
The first, though quite fun with a panel of real experts, would probably not
hold an audience like AV's or WT's and perhaps nowhere so is probably meant
the second.
This too seems impracticable if Chiltern meetings are anything like AV and
WT's, vis arrival, chit-chat, club and group announcements, coffee break,
presentation & flee for the doors there's just so little time - except at a
v. superficial level.
IT in particular requires quite a deal of pre-knowledge of the environment
of a problem, error, interest and the OS, software, versions, hardware etc.
being used to be able to describe/understand/solve it and give a solution to
people of wildly different skills/knowledge that can actually be followed -
including, of course, the inevitable little glitches that throw one off
course in following other people's instructions.
In answering the usual AVU3ACUSS queries I can often spend an hour of so
understanding the problem, finding possible causes, evaluating practical
long-distance solutions and writing them up and that's in my own environment
with documentation and a fast internet connection using systems I know.
The use of 'a pupil' sounds interesting but I imagine in practice that
holidays, exams, etc. would reduce that input considerably - there's also a
turnover in students - they leave!
The nature of a Help Desk is that you consult it when you have a problem or
question - the Freelists mailing option is a far from immediate solution but
at least it may be reacted to in days rather than the best part of a month
(by when the details will have been forgotten or lost) and the collected
advice will be written so repeatable and correctable.
So - what could work? Well, I think that a coffee-time table IS the only
thing one could offer as long as the expectations are not set too high and,
unless agreed and defined in advance, not involving extra-club involvement .
except, by e-mail conversation, perhaps.
There are classes of question that are both easy to express and
straightforward to respond to - that's great and most satisfying to both
parties - but most IT questions are ill-formed and seldom have enough
background and the 'IT expert' may not be expert in that particular area -
most unsatisfying.
I had, at one time, thought of collecting together the questions and
responses accumulated over the years in the Freelists system but this
quickly revealed the remarks of the last paragraph and I could not face the
tortuous process of condensing the stories into anything useful and sorting
out the chaff of responses I and others have given before getting to some
sort of conclusion. Also many responses have gone either unanswered or no
indication given of their efficacy!
So - this has not been a very encouraging response to what sounds like a
'nice idea' but I think that due to the 10-times-a-year window in what is
usually a short and noisy (in the nicest possible way!) period with
(probably) insufficient background available from the questioner and lack of
facilities and probably context for the answerer it cannot work as
described.
Sorry
Mike
From: u3aavcuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:u3aavcuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of Shirley Stokes
Sent: 14 January 2013 16:24
To: u3aavcuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [u3aavcuss] Fw: Fwd: Help Desks at General Meetings
Hello Mike
I know that you are away paddling your canoe up the Amazon, but perhaps you
might care to answer this one when you return. I have also forwarded it to
Ron Meadowcroft.
Shirley S.
From: Mike Price <mailto:mikegtu3a@xxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, January 13, 2013 9:53 PM
To: mjandcp@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Fwd: Help Desks at General Meetings
Greetings all.
Here is a request for help from Peter Metcalf of Chiltern U3A.
If you can help, please reply to Peter directly.
Peter - if you would let me have a summary of the information you develop I
would appreciate it. We can try and build up such information for the
network.
Thanks and best regards,
Mike Price
Vice Chairman
U3A Thames Valley Network.
To: All Chairmen and Representatives of TVN U3A Groups
From: Peter Metcalf, TVN Representative Chiltern U3A
Subject: Help Desks at General Meetings
Chiltern U3A is proposing to set up an IT Help Desk on a regular basis at
one of our monthly General Meetings. Initially the Help Desk would cover IT
problems but this could be expanded to cover other subjects if it was felt
that there was a need.
We have recently had made very useful contact with a local grammar school
and one of the results is that one of their pupils would assist at this IT
Help Desk.
We would be very pleased to hear from any U3A Groups in the TVN which have
set up a similar Help Desk. Your experience; any pitfalls; what topics did
you cover; how did you make it work? Any comments from a Group already
running a Help Desk would be appreciated.
Thanks
Peter Metcalf
u3atvn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
.
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