h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

So good to see you surface.

I would love to know your thoughts on all of this. If not here, then via email or via skype. My public email is agirlcalledben at yahoo dot co dot uk.

Ben

Hi! I may not surface often but you know I'm lurking somewhere, although not so much as I used to.

My thoughts? I'm immensely pleased, this really is the best thing that could have happened and all of you in the consortium deserve the highest praise. Seeing Robbie Stamp on board too is just amazing. It's all about trust from now on, those of us who don't have the bigger picture must trust the ones that do. If there are any sepcifics you'd like an opinion on, ask away, on here is fine, but I will drop you email as well so you have my details.

I do wish I'd been able to offer my services in any way, but I'm dealing with redundancy at the moment which kind of takes the wind out of your sails, doesn't it. I've been more deflated than I even expected. So I've been concentrating on my own rescue, and still am. The future is very uncertain. There was a journal post of yours from a while back that I have found very helpful indeed, the one about competency mapping, so thank you for that too!

Your situation sucks. There are so many hootoo-folk in a bad way right now. I really do feel for you. Part time is even more important than full time work, since the cushion is so thin. I'm glad my random ranting seems to have been of some use.

Could you drop me an email? Did you drop me an email?

Take care and, well, take care.

B

I did email, got through one level of security and then had another message saying it's an address you don't use any more but to reply, so I will do that! I've only just opened the 2 BBC emails (in my junk mail box).

Can I pick your brain please? I'm applying for something that says I need to describe when I have demonstrated "excellent stakeholder management" skills. This isn't really a language I speak, but I'm sure I could come up with examples, if I understood exactly what "stakeholder" meant in an educational context. Any ideas? I was thinking maybe Ofsted or the Teaching Development Agency (TDA) or examination boards. Or am I on the wrong track and it means something more internal to a business (school, college or university) such as doing what I'm told by the senior management team.

Any ideas?

My emails are a mess.

Stakeholders in business can mean one of two things.

It always means groups outside the inner circle who have a "stake" in what's going on. It tende to denote people who don't have direct and accountable responsibilities, but who are affected by the project or who can have an effect on it.

In the project wold, these are usually but not always inside the organisation itself. So if I am working on redefining the moderation process on h2g2 then project stakeholders are Researchers (whose posts get pulled) but also readers (who may be offended) and outside h2g2 you might think of lawyers (who will have to advise us on legal matters).

Likewise stakeholders in a business are people who are affected or who can have an effect on the business. Though it's a much debated term, and can just be people or groups the business has a contractual arrangement with like staff, customers or suppliers. In some definitions the environement is a stakeholder, or future generations. Think the oilspills and coral reefs or dolphins and tuna fishing or Thalidomide and its victims to see why someone might take that view. Still others have the press as a stakeholder, though for most businesses the press can have an effect on the business, but the business can't have much of an effect on the press.

So it's one of those terms people have an instinctive understanding of, but which unpacks into something much more complicated.

In your world, "excellent stakeholder managment" skills would apply to the groups you've mentioned, but maybe also also parents, teaching colleagues (especially part-time teachers or visiting speakers), the school governors, anyone other than the pupils in fact.

Does that help?

xxx

B

That's brilliant, thank you! I do like your concrete examples, it's very helpful to put it into a context I understand. After I'd posted I read your journal about being busy, so many thanks for taking the time out to give me an answer. I know have a good idea what to write in my letter.

This job hunting malarky is hard work! I've been pitching my sights at things that would be a slight move upwards, a strategy that has alwways been successful in the past. However, several times I've been foiled by there being "high calibre" candidates - which I've worked out means "over qualified but we'll employ them because we get their expertise and experience at a lower price". Applicants seem to be playing it safe and employers don't seem to mind any more. So now I'm thinking that's going to have to be my strategy too.

Meh.

It's hard to know what the right strategy is. I'm trapped in my own career because what I do is pretty much commoditised, so it's far easier for me to find work as a business analyst than it s for me to change careers.

I was more than happy to answer. It's made round to go round as my brother says. Besides which, stakeholder rights and corporate obligations to stakeholders is the nub and gristle of the dissertation I'm trying to right, so if I can't do a short explanation of what stakeholders are (with references, which are available on request ) then I really am doomed.

Good luck.

xxx

Ben

are

Hello my Dear.

Are you here? Could you drop me an email? I've a favour to ask.

xxx

B

Hi there! Yes, I'm here and firstly a massive thanks to the team who made it all possible. all round. And I love the Charles Rennie Mackintosh style font (does it have an actual name?) which is all very reassuring during the log in process.

I'll have a go at sending you an email, if I recall last time I tried there were several levels of security and I didn't get through.

My pleasure. I love the Starship Titanic vibe too.

Send it to h2g2communityconsortium at gmail dot com - he can forward it to me.

Hi! email seen and I did compose an answer but my elderly laptop froze and crashed before I could send it. The answer is definitely yes, and to the other question, well I'm employed and although it's not quite what I wanted, in the current economic climate I'm just glad to be working at all. I'll email more details.

And well done on completing the Masters work too! How do you fit it all in?

Yay! Funnily enough I was just this very second talking about the very subject with Z.

Good that you've got work. As you say - so long as it pays the bills that's the main thing. Though it's important it shouldn't actually suck your soul out either.

How did I manage to fit in a masters? By doing No Housework At All for the last three months. Srsly. Euch!

I find it hard to believe I'm really shot of the dratted thing.

Thanks for posting - I look forward to the email. Send to gmail.

Xxx

B

Hi! I've been rubbish and not done what I said I would in the emails. My very elderly 2005 laptop just isn't up to much and it takes so long to get online that mostly I just give up and use my smartphone for internet.

On the plus side, now that I know I have regular full time income again I'm looking at fabby new laptops in the sales. Then I'll be back on here more regularly.

Are you both going to the Manchester meet?

Lovely to see you back.

Indeed we are both going

I'm looking at laptops too - there are a couple of threads on Ask, one started by Mina in Octocber, one started by me a week or so ago, about laptops. Apparentlty the thing to do for is Sandy Bridge motherboards from Intel. They've been around about a year now; 3i and 5i are for day to day computing, 5i for low-end gaming, 7i for high end gaming. Not all 3i, 5i and 7i chipssets are Sandy Bridge apparently.

I'm rather impressed by John Lewis's 2 year warrantys....

DO come to Manchester. It would be lovely to see you!

xxx

B