If you are
repeatedly asked the same technical question you
may be the victim of technical harassment. While
it is most common to be asked the question
repeatedly within the same conversation, some
instances have been identified of habitual
technical harassment. Habitual technical
harassment is not uncommon and has been known to
exhibit group tendencies where members of a group
may ask the same question repeatedly. Untreated,
these instances of group technical harassment can
continue for years.
If you are asked
a technical question by a non-technical person
and they do not write your answer down it is
likely the question is frivolous. Most non-technical
people are not capable of remembering a true
technical answer for more than 30 seconds.
If you are
forced into a discussion where a person uses more
than three (3) buzzwords in one sentence the
person is most likely a fake and you are the
unwitting victim of technical harassment. One
note of caution, competent technical people have
been known to inadvertently use buzzwords after
reading mindless drivel like PC Week or LAN Times.
If the person has been known to use more common
technical terms in the past such as "stuff"
and "things", they are most likely
victim of computer magazine brainwashing.
If during a
troubleshooting session a person uses the term
"trick". For example "maybe we
could trick the database into thinking it has
been updated". This is a sure sign of
technical harassment.
If a person
explains that a needed feature will be provided
by a vendor and that person is nontechnical then
you are at risk of being technically harassed. If
you believe that person, you have definitely been
technically harassed, if you don't believe them
you have only been technically annoyed.
If when trying
to resolve a technical problem with a product
from a vendor and you are instructed to call the
salesman that sold us the product you are being
set up for technical harassment. It is a common
reaction for a non-technical person when they
have purchased technical equipment to call
another non-technical person. The dialogue
between two nontechnical people usually provides
some sense of comfort that they aren't the only
ones who are confused.
