viewpoint

My Pressing Tech Questions

I need to know: Did I make the right buy? Will I become obsolete?

FROM THE EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
Jim Thomas

My new pen is not a pen at all — it’s a stylus with an electronic tip. It writes in an app on a tablet computer. For an editor, it was difficult to switch from ink and real paper to an e-notebook, but the move had its advantages: First, all my “pages” are in one place, so I no longer lose the page of notes that I stuffed into the pocket of the shirt that is now tumbling in the clothes dryer. Second, it’s lighter than carting around a laptop or reams of paper, often the cause of my lower back pain. Third, it wows family, friends and strangers, providing that conversation starter/ego boost that (let’s admit) we need from technology.

A good buy?

Was it a good decision? Hard to say. Electric styli and tablets are costly. While the prospect of not losing any notes is invaluable, the price of the stylus alone equals 150 paper notebooks purchased at a discount retailer. A full day of note-taking requires at least one change of the AAA battery. It took several hours to get the hang of writing on the tablet and even then, it just doesn’t look like my handwriting.

There are other alternatives, including the tablet keyboard and a program that transfers written notes to files on my laptop. I did not have the resources to sample each for any meaningful length of time. This purchase could be one of the finest IT investments I’ve made. Or, it could end up on the basement shelf along with the Betamax, Nintendo Virtual Boy and a Sugar Ray CD. I’ll keep you posted.

Technology purchases position us for the future, one that is largely unknown. And while you have to make the final decision on any purchases, our hope is that this month’s issue of OM provides you with a solid foundation of information that helps you build your practice.

Still working

One of my greatest tech fears is that one day a $19.95 software package will replace my position. To prevent such job obsolescence, Geoff Colvin, a longtime editor for Fortune magazine, recently told the satellite radio show “Leadership in Action” to focus on skills that computers, the Internet, etc., can’t duplicate. Examples include empathy, telling your story and offering a unique brand of service. I plan to start this exercise before I change the next AAA battery in my stylus.

And in the future, if you happen to receive a phone call from a digitized voice that identifies itself as an editor, please do me a favor and hang up. OM