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What’s the State of Your Online Communication Skills?

Instructions

Take the following “challenge” and find out. Although admittedly unscientific, this “test” assesses your skills in several areas of online communication. First, answer the ten questions. Then, follow the instructions in the scoring section to determine your score and find out what that score means.

Answer the Questions

1. The primary tools for communicating online is:
1. words
2. pictures
3. sounds
4. words and pictures
2. My primary means of receiving the news is:
1. newspaper
2. radio
3. television
4. online service, such as the LA Times Online
3. Liz is planning her holiday baking. Using her word processor, she puts all of the recipes online. She links her word processing file with a spreadsheet file, which automatically creates a master shopping list, including items and quantities. Liz is:
1. anal-retentive
2. making unnecessary work for herself
3. somewhat creative, if a bit eccentric
4. being extremely efficient
4. In the beginning of your computer-based training course, you instruct users to type a response, then press Enter. In the fifth unit, you just instruct users to type their responses. What’s happening here?
1. Users do not need to press Enter, so you did not tell them to do so.
2. You goofed. You meant to say, “Then press Enter,” but forgot to write it.
3. By the fifth unit, users should have figured out that they need to press Enter after typing a response.
4. The editor should have caught the error.
5. You’re writing a help system and are planning to describe each screen in the application. What do users really need in the descriptions?
1. Step-by-step instructions on what they need to do on that screen.
2. A description of each field on the screen.
3. a and b.
4. Nothing, unless users are supposed to do something on the screen.
6. You’ve encountered a description of a screen that says,
   Displays the current status of a customer order.
   Ever the critical reader, you think:
1. Hmm, well written.
2. Sounds a little jargon-y.
3. Don’t like a description that starts with a verb, sounds too informal.
4. The word current is unnecessary.
7. Authoring is:
1. The primary skill needed for online communication.
2. Synonymous with writing.
3. A secondary skill needed for online communication.
8. The best place to display key information on a full-screen panel is:
1. in the center
2. in the upper left corner
3. in the upper right corner
4. anywhere, as long as users can easily find it
9. You are writing an online user’s guide for government regulations. Before users can apply the regulations, they need to understand some background concepts. You decide to structure the user’s guide as a:
1. hierarchy, in which users go through a series of menus until they reach the desired point.
2. web, in which users can read any piece of information at any time
3. path, in which users go through a sequence in the order you intend
10. You’re an information developer for a science museum. One of the elements of your web page is a calendar of events. How do you present the events?
1. In the month-at-a-glance pattern. Users click on a date, then read the details.
2. As a series of icons. Each icon represents a different event. Users click on an icon to get more information.
3. As a list, in which events are listed in a text list, in order of date.
4. as a list, in which events are listed in a text list, by category.

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Score Yourself

1. Award yourself points as follows:

Question	Response	Your Score
1	a-1 b-4 c-1 d-2
2	a-1 b-1 c-2 d-4
3	a-1 b-1 c-3 d-4
4	a-1 b-4 c-1 d-1
5	a -2 b-1 c-3 d-4
6	a-4 b-2 c-1 d-2
7	a-1 b-1 c-4
8	a-4 b-1 c-1 d-2
9	a-1 b-2 c-4
10	a-4 b-4 c-1 d-1

2. Interpret your score:
• 31-40. An Online Author. You’re aware of the unique characteristics of the online medium and can write material in a way that takes best advantage of the medium.
• 21-30 Almost Online. You’re aware that the online medium has some unique characteristics and are still working to take full advantage of them.
• 20 and below. Working Your Way Out of Print. You’re still in “print mode,” and need to become more fully aware of the unique characteristics of communicating online.

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