A note to end users

Now, normally the things I write about here are for other IT folks, sharing information, commiserating about work, or software companies, stuff like that. Today, however, I want to take a moment to talk to the end users and offer up some advice. Now I offer this advice for a very simple reason. When other people in your group make a mistake, you should all learn from it, so please, understand that this is being written in a spirit of cooperation, sharing, and a desire to see you get the IT support that you want.

When you need help with a computer problem, you are probably not going to get the best service your IT person can give you if, in the process of asking for his help, you refer to that help as “all that technical bullshit”. I’m betting that if someone, say, at a party, referred to what you do for a living as “bullshit”, you might be a little peeved, irritated, or maybe downright angry, right? If I wrote something about all the legal bullshit, or all that medical bullshit, I’d probably have an online army of lawyers or doctors making their way here to royally flame my butt, and I’m betting that if one of them happened to be my doctor, he might not be very cheery the next time I’m in for a check-up. I can pretty much guarantee that calling what they do “all that technical bullshit” is not going to get you a very cheery response from your IT folks. Keep it in mind…

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