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The Role of Social Media in Technical Documentation
An Oxford-style Debate
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Part 1: The DebateThe direct engagement between writer and end-user over social media is a more efficient process for content development.
The Participants
• 2 minutes for Opening Arguments
• 3 minutes for Rebuttal
• 1 minute for Closing Arguments
The Audience
• Vote before Opening Arguments
• Vote after Closing Argument
Structure
The Motion• Audience Vote
The direct engagement between writer and end-user over social media is a more efficient process for content development.
The Motion• Audience Vote
• Opening Arguments• 2 minutes
• “For” goes first
The direct engagement between writer and end-user over social media is a more efficient process for content development.
The Motion• Audience Vote
• Opening Arguments
• Rebuttals• 3 minutes
• “Against” goes first
The direct engagement between writer and end-user over social media is a more efficient process for content development.
The Motion• Audience Vote
• Opening Arguments
• Rebuttals
• Closing Arguments• 1 minute
• “For” goes first
The direct engagement between writer and end-user over social media is a more efficient process for content development.
The Motion• Audience Vote
• Opening Arguments
• Rebuttals
• Closing Arguments
• Audience Vote
The direct engagement between writer and end-user over social media is a more efficient process for content development.
Part 2: Results from Previous Debates
For
• Social Media promotes two-way conversations
Issues
For
• Social Media promotes two-way conversations
• Social interactions catch users “in the moment”
Issues
For
• Social Media promotes two-way conversations
• Social interactions catch users “in the moment”
• Social Media prioritizes user experience
Issues
Against
• Does not scale; impossible to review all content
Issues
Against
• Does not scale; impossible to review all content
• Potential for negative professional image
Issues
Against
• Does not scale; impossible to review all content
• Potential for negative professional image
• Accidental disclosure of protected content
Issues
Part 3: Patterns
“Against” Is Easier to ArticulateThe number of arguments advanced by the “Against” side easily surpassed the number of arguments advanced by the “For” side
• Social Media Governance
• Author Context Switching
• Informal Customer Service
Audiences Voted “Against”In every previous debate, the “Against” team always prevailed
• Splunk connects writers with users over social media
• Splunk representative argued “For”
• Audience still chose “Against”
The difficulty lies not so much in developing new ideas as in escaping from old ones.
—John Maynard Keynes
Disruption is inevitableThe average age of conference attendees trends toward middle age (above 45)
• A 20-something participant said that her generation prefers communication through Social Media
• Her generation will replace my generation, so her communication methods will eventual prevail
Part 4: Conclusions
What the Participants Concluded…
• Must be committed to Social Media
• Social Media should be “organic” to the organization
Further Reading• Blog:
http://www.astoriasoftware.com/the-role-of-social-media-in-technical-documentation
• Solution:http://www.astoriasoftware.com/solutions2/customer-engagement-management
Thank-you!
