What Am I Supposed to Do About This...?

Possums are stubborn creatures. Most animals caught in a humane trap want nothing more than to get out and run when you open the door. Possums are not so eager. In fact, I've had to lift a trap, turn it upside down, and shake it until the little guy loses his grip on the metal mesh-like sides and tumbles to the ground. I'm not sure why they're reluctant to leave. It could be they somehow feel safer there. Or it could be that they figure there was food there so it must be a good place to hang out until more food arrives. Kind of like the reverse of an automat - instead of pulling the food out of a box, you walk into the box and wait for the food to be put in.

Catching wild animals like possums and raccoons is one of the risks of trapping feral or free roaming cats. I've caught my share over the years. It's a little unnerving the first few times. What do you do? Fortunately, I knew a few wildlife rehabilitators and only had to make a couple of calls to get rational and safe instructions. But most people don't have those resources or know where to start. In fact, most people who want to help stray cats don't know where or how to begin.

So, a few months ago, a friend approached me about developing resources for people who want to do something about the feral or stray cats in their midst. After doing some research and pulling together some materials, I started a website - kind of a "do it yourself" guide for people new to this world.

Why a Website?I decided to use a website for a few reasons:

1. The material can be accessed immediately...provided the person looking for help has computer and Internet access.
2. There's no postage or printing expense to get the information to the people in need of it.
3. The information can be updated quickly and without the waste of tossing outdated printed materials.
4. Audio-video material can be provided at a much lower cost than sending out video cassettes, Cds, or DVDs.
5. We can always print out material for people who don't have Internet access.

I see two main drawbacks to using a website:

1. We lose the personal contact that we would otherwise have if they had to ask us directly for the information. Sometimes it is useful to talk to people to prevent them from undertaking unnecessary or ill-advised actions.
2. It can be difficult to effectively format extensive, detailed material for web use, especially for older users. I believe this is the reason that so many paper manuals still pop up in the workplace. More on formatting below.

Getting Started

There are actually a lot of sites out there with information on helping cats. Most are focused on "TNR" or trap-neuter-return. They link to either national groups or groups in geographic areas outside of ours for support. While I don't want to reinvent the wheel, I think we can improve on the available material with better visuals and formatting; in addition, we're providing links to resources local to our area and information beyond TNR. After all, not all cats in need are feral.

What I've posted so far is very basic. Just a start, really. No useful visuals - yet. And the formatting could use improvement. My plan is to approach the design as a technical writer, making it easier for visitors to find the material they need and understand it. While I develop the site, I need to keep these five things in mind:

1. Audience
2. Components
3. Meaningful descriptions
4. Effective visuals
5. Format and organization

Audience

Who is my audience? What will they do with this information? How detailed do we need to get? And what type of language should we use?

It's essential to determine these things before starting out. Typically the person writing instructions has experience and knows the process. But how familiar is the reader with the process, tools, or terms often used by experienced people? Can I use words like "feral" and terms like "TNR"? Can I just say "set the trap" without explaining what a humane trap is, where to get one, or how to set it up?

I've already determined that I'm writing for people who haven't done this before. Sure, we might get visitors who know the routine and are just looking for the local resources. But our primary intent is to have a site to which we can direct people looking for help. They will use this site to help them make decisions and take actions to help the cats. We'll have to take time and explain the difference between "feral" and "stray" and how to make those determinations. Instructions will need to be thorough and detailed. "Set the trap" won't cut it. We'll need to take time to explain what a humane trap is, what the parts are, and how to set it. We will concentrate a lot on detail and concise language.

Components

In a technical document that accompanies a tool or appliance, components refer to the structural components - or actual physical parts - and functional components- or tasks and operations in the use of the tool or appliance. The audience determines what components you describe and how you describe them.

Components on my website consist of the tools used to help cats and the processes - with a heavy emphasis on processes. Step one - assess the situation. Step two - prepare to trap the cat. And so on. Because our visitors are inexperienced, we will - eventually - describe the steps in detail. Alley Cat Allies does a good job of this on their site:

Click on image to view text.

Meaningful Descriptions

Language used must be verifiable and precise as well as appropriate for the audience. Use of carefully chosen accurate terms and figurative illustrations help make the information meaningful to the reader. Defining the audience, as described above, guides the author.

In the examples I provided under Audience, I will want to define the term "feral"- probably with a link to a pop-up definition - because many of our visitors will not know what distinguishes a feral cat from a stray cat. Parts of the trap, such as the trip plate, will be described. For instance:

The trip plate is the flat, rectangular metal piece on the floor of the trap at the opposite end from the trap door. When the trap is set, the trip plate is elevated just slightly at an angle. When the cat steps on the trip plate, he pushes it down pulling on the lever which releases the trap door.

Again, we will need a lot of detail with plain language to make this site useful.

Visuals

Visuals can make nearly any instructional material so much more meaningful than words alone. They can show the reader what an object looks like inside and out, in its entirety or just part of it. They can be used to clarify descriptions, show relationships in size or proportion, illustrate relationships, or demonstrate hard to describe concepts. Photographs, diagrams, illustrations, charts, models, and videos can all be used to support the text.

This is where many of the sites I visited (my own included) fall short. Too few illustrations. While the Feral Cat Coalition's website provides some wonderful information, it's all text:

Click on image to view text.

Others, like mine again, include lovely pictures of cats. Some even have photos of cats in traps like Cat Snip:

Click on image to view text.

While Alley Cat Allies' site has very few visuals with the text, they do have a couple of slide shows and one very useful video:

Click on arrow to view video.

I will add illustrations of traps, photographs, and, I hope, video to supplement the text on our site.

Format and Organization

Instructional information is typically provided in some kind of sequence based on the needs and expectations of the audience. It can be organized in:

• Spatial order - where components are located in relation to one another; describes appearance and structure. An example might be a description of the different components of a humane trap.

• Chronological order - a sequence of events in time; describes steps in order of when they are performed. This could be something high level like

"Step one: Assess situation. Step two: Plan to trap. Step three: Set trap."

or something more detailed like

"Step one: Push lever in front of trap door and squeeze against door. Step two: While still squeezing, lift trap door so it is flush with the top of the trap."

• Priority order - describes components in order of importance. On our site, this might be characteristics for determining that a cat is feral.

How to present information on-line is challenging. Too many sites treat the screen as if it is a paper page. Organizing instructional material on the web so that it is easy to read as well as easy to access can be difficult. Clicking from one page to another to access next steps can annoy users. However, pages with a lot of text are visually unappealing, can take a long time to load (especially if there are a lot of graphics and the visitor has an older computer), and make specific information difficult to find.

I'm a fan of Information Mapping, also called Structured Writing, in my paper documentation. Attempting to adapt that format to web delivery (without the expensive training) has been on my to-do list for some time. In the meantime, I will seek out well-structured "how-to" sites.

Another option is to provide high-level information on the site with links to more detailed documents in .pdf or .doc format. This may be useful but could prove problematic for visitors without the appropriate software. Some users don't know how to find or download the necessary tools to open these attachments; others may be wary about downloading anything for fear of viruses.

Next Steps

So, the to-do list gets longer. While I know our audience, I need to concentrate on:

• Providing more information overall.
• Descriptive, concise language appropriate for my audience - including definitions.
• Adding meaningful graphics.
• Ensuring that I use the appropriate order for each description.
• Creating downloadable documents.
• Formatting the site so it is easy to use.
• And, lest I forget, adding instructions on dealing with those darn possums when they won't leave the trap!

Lots to do. But, it's for the cats so I can't complain.

Just Having a Little Fun

"Some people have too much time on their hands."

Working in the grown-up - read "stodgy" - world of banking, I can guaranty I'll hear that from at least one person when someone passes around a clever, but unproductive, little virtual toy. You know what I mean. The little file or web link that, when you open it up, a rabbit sings or appropriately placed clicks allow you to hit an elf over the head with mallet. Or it could be something that just opens up and looks pretty with sudden bursts of color that morph into different flowers or psychedelic swirls.

Note to employer: Of course, I would never use company resources to circulate that nonsense.

It makes me sad to hear those remarks. I worry about those people. Is it that they just can't have fun? Are they oblivious to the creativity, thought, and skills that are involved in these designs? Or are they just jealous of the people out there who have the creativity and, yes, the time to create these little marvels?

The Biggest Toy Store

When it comes to finding these morsels of entertainment, the Internet is like a huge toy store. Flash websites are like the toys from FAO Schwarz - pricey and desirable. "Flash" is short for Adobe Flash, the tool used to create them.

Some Flash sites are strictly for entertainment. Others are used for commercial purposes. Either can be equally fun or enjoyable.

And, no, Flash isn't used strictly for the entertaining stuff. I'm sure there are many mind-numbingly boring Flash sites out there. But what fun is it to talk about them?

I was recently introduced to some samples of the entertaining or interesting variety. I had a hard time picking a favorite but I think I have to go with this Converse site at: http://www.converserussia.ru/.

Do Not Adjust Your Set

With all of the samples to choose from, why this one? Terry Gilliam. The visuals remind me of his animation from Monty Python's Flying Circus. I love Gilliam's animation. But why does it work?

• Images - The images are interesting. The whole bizarre collage effect of unrelated images pasted together gives the viewer something to look at. There's a quirky sense of humor - the Russian doll with the mismatched male basketball players' legs, the vine with the megaphone, the basketball player with the winged fur hat (or is that an afro?).

• Animation - While this site has fewer moving parts than some of the other sites, it still provides interest. The constantly moving images are minimal and not terribly distracting. For the viewer who moves the cursor around a bit and tries clicking here and there, there are some surprises. I particularly like the wire connecting the large high-tops.

• Color - With collaged images, there are so many mistakes you can make with color. Florescents with earth tones just don't work. The designer(s) at this site kept the colors muted, with more earthy tones overall. They give the feel that all of the pieces are old. It pulls the disparate pieces together.

• Sound - The music is interesting and sounds like it was pieced together just like the images. If it starts to get on your nerves, there's a little icon you can click on to turn it off.

• Text - There's minimal text - most of it's part of the design. Or, I think it is. A lot of it's in Russian and I'm not bilingual so...

• Format and Layout - The images just go slightly beyond the limits of your computer screen. But that's part of the animation. As you move the cursor to the edge that is out of sight, the screen appears to move left or right, up or down.

More Fun...for Those with Too Much Time on Their Hands

I liked these other sites, too:

www.foratthastargerallt.se/kampanj/ - For horse lovers! Gorgeous!

http://lab.mathieu-badimon.com/ - Entertaining but not a high addiction risk.

www.mono-1.com/monoface/main.html - Warning: Can be very addictive!

The Times, They Are a'Changin'

October 19, 1987. The Stock Market crashed. The housing market slowed. Six months later, I was laid off from my job with a major mortgage lender. I almost instantly found another mortgage position, 400 miles or so away in Connecticut. So, I left my life-long home in South Jersey and relocated to central Connecticut.

As I was making this life change, savings and loans (or "thrifts") were failing. They had been since 1986, mostly due to bad real estate investments. (Sound familiar?) President Bush (the elder) introduced a "bail out" in February of 1989 but it was too late for my new employer. They just happened to be owned by a Texas-based savings and loan. By all accounts, they were doing well, then, boom! They were declared insolvent near the end of 1988. The RTC (Resolution Trust Corporation), an arm of the OTS (Office of Thrift Supervision), took over our parent company and our mortgage subsidiary was shut down in February of 1989.

I returned to South Jersey and found another job...in the mortgage business. The economy improved and, two voluntary job changes later, I landed my current position. That was a little over 12 years ago.


Today I face the possibility of another involuntary separation. My employer cut 75% of our workforce in the past year and a half to 2 years. News reports and "implod-o-meters" on the Internet predict our imminent demise. Those of us who remain show up every day and wait for the other shoe to drop.


Things are different from what they were in the late '80s. In the mortgage business back then, the people who suffered the most were employees of savings and loans. There was a rash of foreclosures but they were mostly concentrated in Texas. Now, it's global. You can barely find any business or person unaffected by the conditions.


So, as I consider my options, I find myself reflecting on how things have changed in respect to looking for a new job. The biggest change I see is the importance of the Internet.


Casting the Net


My, how things have changed. Back in the day, I found my jobs through one of three ways:

1. Professional recruiter who was paid a fee (usually by the employer).
2. Newspaper ads.
3. Personal referrals.

In fact, I can say I found positions with each of the three at least once.


Today, I don't know a person who starts a job search without the Internet. In fact, that's where much of the concentration appears to be. And it's no longer just going to an employer's web site, clicking on their "career opportunities" page, and scrolling through a list. We now have tools which, I believe, fall under the recent categorization of "Web 2.0".


The New and Improved Web
My understanding of Web 2.0 is still a little fuzzy. I've read articles but the techno-jargon gets in the way. But, what I grasp is this:

• Web 2.0 is user or audience focused. It seeks to interact with us. We're not just clicking on links. We're establishing the information we want from a site. We may even be adding information to a site or database.

• As information available on a site changes, the look and feel of the site doesn't. Data available on the site is independent of the site. Applications are running on the web. We're no longer looking at static pages where information must be changed in html to be refreshed.

So, how do we interact using Web 2.0? The articles I've linked to give plenty of examples: Wikipedia, blogging, iTunes, del.i.cio.us.
For job searching, the focus seems to be on two things:

1. Social networking sites - particularly LinkedIn
2. Interactive job search sites - Monster.com, industry specific sites.

Reach Out and Touch Someone


Going back to the old days, if you wanted to network, you had a Rolodex and hoped that you had everyone's home number. If you wanted to hook up (professionally) with some new contacts, you attended networking events, professional meetings, etc.


While the face-to-face meetings still have a place, the Rolodex is so 20th century. In today's world, the on-line social networking sites are where you stay in touch. And, they're where you can meet your contacts' contacts without a formal introduction. In my circles, LinkedIn seems to be the site of choice. I started getting invitations from departing coworkers just as the body count started.




By sending and accepting invitations to join one's network, you have access to a multitude of contacts and information about them. You can see where someone works, their past experience (like an on-line resume), and recommendations from current or former co-workers. This gives you a better idea of who you're dealing with.
LinkedIn has more applications that I've not yet explored. So far, the most critical area has been "People". Staying in touch right now just seems to have the most urgency. Particularly when you haven't had a chance to say "good-bye". But these are also the people who, as they land in new places, will be the most likely to help us late-comers (or late-leavers) land safely, too.
The social networking sites are part of Web 2.0 because we, the audience, are responsible for the content. We're building the database.
A Hunting We Will Go
Another newer function to the internet that I believe falls under Web 2.0 is the "define-it-yourself" job search. Some of these engines are undoubtedly better than others. The thing that I think makes them Web 2.0 is that you can narrow your search by setting criteria and then have links to the job...not just the site...sent to you when there's a new match.

My site of choice right now is USA Jobs. (With banks and other financial institutions failing and billions of dollars in bail-out money, those regulators will need plenty of people experienced with the inside workings to shovel through the muck and help set things right. )
With this site, you decide how much information you give upfront (like whether or not to provide a resume) and what jobs you want to "hear" about. You can set up as many searches as you want or need. And the information is constantly updated without changing the look or feel of the site.

What's Next?
Honestly, I'm not technically saavy enough to make predictions. I read that collaborative sites and audience defined functionality is the future. Some of it I find useful...like the tools I've mentioned here for networking and job hunting. Some of it I find confusing...like the new language of the internet and the associated tools. And some of it worries me...like the "democratic" nature of tools like Wikipedia - how "facts" and information can be owned by people without expertise in the given area. Maybe that's a blog for next week. "What scares me about Wikipedia." Hmmm...