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Agenda

People to People Ambassador Program to People’s Republic of China Technical Communication Delegation Linda Oestreich, Delegation Leader STC Fellow and Immediate Past President 12 November 2008 San Diego STC. Agenda. 1. About me and the program. 2. Beijing. 3. Guilin. 4. Shanghai. 5.

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Agenda

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  1. People to People Ambassador Programto People’s Republic of ChinaTechnical Communication DelegationLinda Oestreich, Delegation LeaderSTC Fellow and Immediate Past President12 November 2008San Diego STC

  2. Agenda 1 About me and the program 2 Beijing 3 Guilin 4 Shanghai 5 Before and after

  3. About me and the program

  4. STC Fellow & STC Pres (2007-2008) San Diego almost-native Texas inhabitant for 14 years Former president SD-STC Often teach techcomm Champion for our profession Tech Pubs manager for HP Software, Rancho Bernardo Who I am

  5. People to People Citizen Ambassador Program In 1956 President Dwight D. Eisenhower founded an organization to promote world peace and understanding: People to People. Eisenhower believed strongly in the power of the citizen ambassador. According to him, “the people want peace; indeed, I believe they want peace so badly that the governments will just have to step aside and let them have it.” Since that time, thousands of delegates have explored fascinating destinations — from North America to Europe, Asia, Africa, the South Pacific and even Antarctica — making friends all along the way.

  6. Goals of the trip Gain better understanding of the common interests and challenges we share with our fellow professionals in China Assess state of information development in China Investigate starting an STC chapter in China (And later, investigate starting an STC China SIG) Learn more about China to support STC’s goal of becoming a more global organization

  7. Who we were (still are, I guess!) • Delegation comprised 15 professionals and 5 guests • Already a global and multifaceted group • USA, Canada, Belgium, and Australia/Indonesia • HP, SUN, Molex, Accenture, American Academy of Dermatology, Acrolinx, Geomodeling, and others • Software, medical, industrial, geophysical, telecomm, nuclear, and other industries • Detailed delegate list on delegate blog • Met several other delegations along the way: Ground Water Specialists, Midwives, Phlebotomists, and Emergency Room Nurses

  8. Where we went Beijing (municipality, Capital of China, northeast, about 14 million) Guilin (located in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region in the South, borders Vietnam, about 46 million throughout region, a number of ethnic minorities in this region, city has about 2 million) Shanghai (municipality, east coast, financial/high tech, Pudong is their Silicon Valley, The Bund is their European area, lots of Western influence, about 17 million)

  9. On the map

  10. Beijing

  11. Cultural days

  12. From in-country briefing Dramatic changes happening, practice makes perfect

  13. Professional agenda:Peking University, Professor Lai Mao-Sheng • Department of Information Management (formerly Library and Information Science) • Presentations from Peking University profs and grad students • Research and practice of techcomm in China • Relationship between media literacy and new media use (handout, not presented) • New role of CIO in China: turning technical information into business information • Selling IT to the organization: understandable terminology, common language • Designing information in China: Digital Museum of Science and Art • Presentations from delegation • State of profession today • Curriculum of one techcomm Masters program in US, returning to school for second career, working and going to school • Distance learning: Masters in techcomm

  14. Professor Lai’s business card • Chief Member, Council of China’s Information Association • Member, Council of the China Society for Sci-Tech Information • Chief member, Council of the Chinese Association of Information Economics • Chief Member, Council of the China Society for Sci-/Tech Journalism • Director of the National Institute for Information Resource Management (Beijing) • Consultant, Occupation Skill Testing Authority, Ministry of Labor and Social Security of the People’s Republic of China

  15. Chinese netizen’s top requirements • Information acquisition • Entertainment • Design focuses on being • Accessible • Informative • Interesting • Usable • Information architecture to address these needs includes • Content organization • Two levels deep • Taxonomy/tags • Behavior design • Visual design (function over form, invisible design) • Technical considerations (standards, search, content management)

  16. Professional agenda: Beijing Association of Science and Technology • Combined two different organizations • BAST purpose • Bridge between scientists, technologists, and government • Popularize science with lay community (youth contest) • Develop international academic exchanges • Scientific think tank • Presentations • Science popularization website and digital museum platform • Why tech writers should develop medical information • Discussion • Information popularization in China • Development of digital base • Role of professional associations in technical communication • Skills that make for successful job candidates in techcomm

  17. Professional agenda:Digital Industry Development Base • Beijing Cyber Recreation District (CRD) • First virtual reality interactive economic zone • Experiencing • Entertaining • Interacting • Competing • Interesting environment – white gleaming tubular walls, meeting rooms in concentric circles, seating in modular form • Theme music!

  18. Our presentation and theirs • Kent Taylor on technology for information quality management (Acrolinx IQ Suite)—possibly will help them write better English • Overview, with emphasis on Chinese being more visually-oriented, Westerners being more text-oriented (following presentations couldn’t have illustrated this more) • DotMan: a business-focused virtual world (second life type of environment), but more secure and user-friendly • DotMan estimates they have 150 million Avatars with 7 million online at any one time (Second Life’s figures are 10 million and 50K respectively). • They have 9 similar worlds in the pipeline • Virtual worlds are fast becoming used for business meetings, distance learning, banking, etc. • Gartner states that in 5 years, 80% of regular internet users will have a virtual world presence. • See Virtual Worlds and China • Tour of gaming company that had offices in their building

  19. Guilin

  20. Cultural days

  21. What were the four ancient Chinese inventions? • Papermaking, gunpowder, printing, the compass • Papermaking, gunpowder, printing, the wheel • Papermaking, ink, printing, the compass • Spaghetti, gunpowder, printing, the compass

  22. Professional agenda • Guilin Hunter Information Industry Limited Corporation • Chairman and Professor of Guilin U in Dept of Electronic Sciences • Main areas of business: software outsourcing, product development (RFID), information service products • Very interested in impact of economic problems in US • Interesting thoughts about India vs. China (next slide)

  23. Guilin Hunter’s Chairman’s Thoughts on India vs. China

  24. My favorite meeting • Guilin Programmers Club • Engineers are the same the world over • Not so aware of techcomm, so good educational opportunity • Very aware of importance of professional societies, though; this one sponsored by Microsoft • Asked why Americans write narrative and personal stories when he just wants step-by-step instructions

  25. Shanghai

  26. Cultural days

  27. Professional agenda: Pudong Area • Accenture Shanghai • Global management consulting, technology services, outsourcing • Agenda • Deviated from original agenda • By far most relaxed, open discussion – very little “protocol” • Similarities and differences in our culture (Why do you…?)

  28. HP Global Development China Center • Software outsourcing, the whole lifecycle (R&D through packaging) • GDCC Agenda • International collaboration, virtual teams, knowledge management • Inter-cultural communication and business opportunities for technical communication consultants as solution providers in China • Some miscommunication initially around techcomm, but quickly turned around when we talked to actual writers

  29. Before and after

  30. InfoDev in China and India: Conclusions (by Hackos/CIDM) Organizations offshore for many reasons, not only to cut costs Successful organizations have carefully planned their implementations Many offshore implementations are co-located with product development Addressing cultural differences is important to success Organizations use on-site managers with cultural experience in both West and East Hiring is difficult because of English skills Organizations provide training after hiring Successful implementations have more than six information developers at startup Startup costs are high; ongoing costs, other than salary, are higher than domestic costs Savings are not as high as expected, based on salary differences

  31. What I took away • Overall • Old and new juxtaposition • Friendliness of people • Western influence and its importance • Sensory overload • Freedoms and restrictions • Techcomm varies widely, as it often does in West • Larger US-based companies more sophisticated • More universities developing programs • Smaller, local companies more likely to have engineers writing own stuff • Because no credentials or organizations, most companies start by hiring English majors, often through L10N • Regional differences • Shanghai most sophisticated in this area • Guilin the least • Beijing in the middle, more traditional • Confirmed much of Hackos ‘points, • However, don’t underestimate China’s determination and ability to be successful – need to watch and see how the profession develops

  32. Interesting terminology notes • Accessible • West: Content available to persons with disabilities • China: Content available to lower classes and younger people • Communication • West: Expressing information • China: Building relationships • Techcomm • West: Communicating about products • China: Communicating with people

  33. Future STC community in or for China? • China-interest SIG? • Chapter in PRC? Thoughts? Discussion?

  34. Resources • People to People web site (official trip journal will be posted there soon; also, you can read Hayhoe’s delegation’s journal from several years ago as well) • Delegation blog • Some interesting books and articles • Oracle Bones: A Journey Through Time in China • China Shakes the World: A Titan's Rise and Troubled Future -- and the Challenge for America • What Does China Think? • China Modernizes: Threat to the West or Model for the Rest? • Rivals: How the Power Struggle Between China, India and Japan Will Shape Our Next Decade • The Atlantic: “Their Own Worst Enemy,” James Fallows, November 2008. • If interested in STC SIG, please email me and let me know.

  35. Thank you! Linda Oestreich Linda.oestreich@hp.com lloriter@cox.net 858-655-3878 NOTE: Slide presentation made with considerable help from Alexia Idoura, Senior Manager, Symantec, North Carolina. Thanks, Alexia!

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