(no subject)

The latest projects at work have been a little different. Either they were started by the other company and thrown to us to finish, or were completely scripted by another company to the point where it is just gruntwork to cut and paste text into web page templates.

Today we were told by the other company basically to be good monkeys and just cut and paste what we were given. If what we were given was bad, so be it, the other company would take the blame.

All very well and good, but since we are branches of the same company and the name in BIG letters is the one people will associate with crappy work, it is cold comfort.

Why on earth hire a team of experienced instructional courseware developers and then turn around and hire technical writers without instructional design experience to write the course? Of course, the technical writing company is a pal of the guy in charge of the other office's project, SO...

They give us fully storyboarded courseware. We plug it into web pages. We are not to tinker.

And it is BAD. I mean, really poorly written. It is an embarrassment to be associated with this material. It's written on the level of "Pat the Bunny." "This is the bunny. See Jane pat the bunny. The bunny is soft. Now YOU pat the bunny." (Not to malign "Pat the Bunny" in any way, shape, or form--I think "Pat the Bunny" is cute, but I don't think you should address ADULTS in the same manner.)

I have to keep reminding myself, "They pay me just the same."