roundtable: Is the problem access, skill, talent or funding?

roundtable: Is the problem access, skill, talent or funding?

Is the problem access, skill, talent or funding?

SHELLY WARWICK (WARWICK@cpmail-nz.cis.columbia.edu)
Thu, 31 Mar 1994 10:00:10 EDT 

Message-Id: <MAILQUEUE-101.940331100010.384@cpmail-nz.cis.columbia.edu>
To: roundtable@cni.org
From: "SHELLY WARWICK"  <WARWICK@cpmail-nz.cis.columbia.edu>
Date:         Thu, 31 Mar 1994 10:00:10 EDT
Subject:      Is the problem access, skill,  talent or funding?

The concept of making everyone a potential video producer seems to 
involve four components:
  --connectivity (which is relatively easy to mandate);
  --technical skills (which can be taught - but which will require 
    interest/intelligence to be learned and applied)
  --creativity - (which does not seem a highly teachable skill in any 
    media and in video also requires a good grasp of technology)
  --funding (whether by grants, investment, rebate, etc.) to produce a 
    creative and technically good product to go out over the channel.)

To make an analogy - the postal service provides a fairly inexpensive 
communication channel, English grammer is mandated in all U.S. 
schools, and writing generally encouraged, yet how many individuals 
write letters to elected officials, produce flyers, newletters, etc.  
And, how many of the print materials produced by individuals, and even 
by organizations, have good content, good literary style and good 
layout?  Most non-profits with well-produced print materials either 
hire writing and graphic professionals or enlist them as volunteers.  

While I think it nice to envision a world where you can do real 
time/sound/motion visits with grandma, even though she lives in 
Homestead and you live in Honolulu, I think the emphasis should be 
on providing connectivity to schools and libraries, and creating 
and funding teaching environments that make the technical skills 
accessible to all those with an interest.  While I fully support 
providing a means to reduce or underwrite the cost of production 
for non-profit/community groups, I'm afraid that if we look to 
history, this will just be another cost that group members/supporters 
will have to bear, after all, no one handed out printing presses.

On another note, everyone as their own video producer may be a 
great concept, but I've wasted too much time on poor quality, cutesy 
phone messages, with long and loud music, to look forward to the 
video answering machine as a blessing.  Anyone for mandating a 
universal skip to RECORD code? :)

Shelly Warwick           
New York Orthopaedic Hospital
warwick@cpmail-nz.cis.columbia.edu

"Knowledge is of two kinds; we know a subject ourselves, or we know
where we can find information about it."  Samuel Johnson, circa 1750.

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