Help! I'm stuck

 

In your working life you probably work within a team or, if you work alone on a project, there will probably be colleagues nearby with similar skills. Usually if you hit a technical problem there'll be someone around that you can discuss it with.

But it can be very different when volunteering with a charity. Even if you've only limited experience you might know more about ICT than anyone in the organisation - perhaps more than all of them put together!

Suddenly you're the expert! Most of the time that is fine. You can advise the charity on what they need and help them deliver a great project.

But what happens when you hit a problem? You get an error message you've never seen before or the database that works fine on your laptop won't open on their network. Who do you turn to now?

There can be a lot of pressure at this point. Your charity contact might be wanting to know why it doesn't work and making well-intentioned but ludicrous suggestions. You probably wish they'd shut up and go and make a cup of coffee to give you a chance to think about it.

You'd normally turn to a colleague at this point to ask if they've come across anything similar. But this time you might have to do a bit of research on your own.

I've found myself in this situation quite a few times and have a few tips that might help:

  1. First of all, don't panic! If you're on-site explain to the charity that there's a problem and you need some time to think about it. You might want to leave and arrange to come back another day, or ask them to give you half an hour to think about it - get them to make you that cup of coffee!
  2. The internet is your friend. Chances are someone has had a similar problem before and they've blogged about it or discussed it in a forum. If you've got a relatively unique error message then simply typing it into a Google search can get you an immediate answer. However, that doesn't work so well if you have a generic error message such as "File not found". In that case you need to put a bit more thought into your search keywords
  3. Check the website for the product you're using. Many suppliers of both hardware and software provide on-line support for their products. There may be a Knowledgebase you can search or a forum where you can ask questions.
  4. Look for a user group for the technology. As well as forums and bulletin boards there are Usenet groups and e-mail lists discussing virtually every IT product available. Before asking questions always search the archives and read any FAQs. The regulars on the list might see the same question asked everyday and you'll get flamed if you rush in and ask stupid questions. If you do post a question try to give as much information as possible - what version of the product are you using, what operating system, try to describe the problem in detail. If there are a number of boards in a forum try to put your post in the most appropriate place and give it a descriptive subject - a post with subject "Help!" can easily get ignored in a busy forum.
  5. Don't expect an instant answer. Wait a couple of days before re-posting and try to include more information if you can. Perhaps no-one has seen this problem before or you didn't explain yourself properly.
  6. It might be appropriate to contact a more generic e-mail list such as the LASA Circuit Riders list. The circuit riders have a wealth of experience in working with VSOs.
  7. Read the manual or the help files. Look for examples of solutions similar to what you're trying to do - perhaps you can spot where you're going wrong.
  8. Keep the charity informed. If it looks as though it's going to take longer than expected to find a solution let them know. They'll appreciate the fact that you're putting in so much effort for them.
  9. If all else fails - give up! But don't give up entirely. You might have to find another way to do things or put in a less elegant solution, especially if you're forced to work with elderly hardware or an old version of an application. There's usually more than one way to skin a cat and sometimes you simply have to compromise.

If you've any hints and tips to add to this list please let us know. There may be a slightly bemused volunteer who would really appreciate the help.

Below is a list of some sources of information that I've used in the past:

  • Microsoft support - detailed support for current versions (and some older versions) of Microsoft products. Includes known bugs with details of patches or workarounds.
  • Google groups - Google now hold the archive of Usenet groups dating back to 1981 . Although it's usually better to read individual groups via a newsreader the Google search facilities can be helpful if you don't know which group you want.
  • DaniWeb - an IT discussion forum with lots of boards covering software and web development, operating systems, hardware and more.
  • UK circuit riders list - an e-mail based discussion group supporting the Circuit Rider movement in the UK. Good for questions relating to the voluntary sector.
  • A list of e-mail lists - e-mail based discussion groups on a number of topics including MS Access and Visual Basic. Contributors sometimes include MS staff involved in the development of the product.

Anne Donnelly, Project definer