Reactions to Wired Article from Muniz and Schau
Just wanted to check in. We've read some of the responses to the story on =
our research and were somewhat taken aback.
It seems our study on, and our opinion of, the Newton community, is being =
misunderstood. Some appear to be misunderstanding what Leander Kahney =
(the Wired author) said about our study and what we said ourselves in the =
study. Please allow us to clarify a few points. =20
We never suggested that the community is the only reason people keep using =
the Newton. We believe that the community makes it ~easier~ to use the =
Newton (you can continue using them because the community facilitates it). =
We admire the ingenuity displayed by members of the community in keeping =
the devices going. It is a great resource, but we do understand that the =
ultimate reason why you use the Newton is because it is a solid piece of =
superior technology.=20
We never suggested that participation in the reintroduction rumors =
characterizes every member of the community. Obviously, there is =
variability. However, these rumors are the focus of a considerable amount =
of discussion, and there are several consistent patterns across incidents. =
As such, we feel that they do provide some indication of what is going on =
in the community and what is important to some segment of its members. We =
~never~ said that all users take part in these discussions. In fact, we =
note that many members are quite skeptical of the rumors. There is a =
large amount of rationality in these discussions. But there is also a =
great deal of spirited discussion (recall the Jan. 02 discussions of the =
iWalk rumor). =20
We recognize the large numbers of moderate users, who don't create =
webpages, participate in rumor discussions or even regularly post to the =
listserv. We ~certainly~ do no believe that any of you are neurotic =
superfans with a blind devotion. =20
We also never said that the Newton was outdated and obsolete. All we =
suggested was that, the simple reality facing any discontinued manufactured=
device, is that as the devices get older, it will be increasingly =
difficult to find parts for them and keep them working.
We don't want to get too wrapped up in debating the meaning of every =
sentence in the article. Some measure of disagreement is inevitable among =
the many varied members of the listserv. Not everything we observe is =
going to apply to every member of the community. These are two realities =
facing anyone studying any group. =20
We do feel that it is important for us to note that we like (and respect) =
everyone we have met through the list. A lot. We have enjoyed learning =
about the Newton and the people who keep them going. It's a great group. =
Think about how quickly queries posted to the listserv are answered, and =
how thoroughly they are answered. Not too many groups can boast about =
that.=20
We are planning on posting the main points of our rumor study on our =
research website next week and would welcome any comments. Agree. =
Disagree. Or other.
Thanks much for your time and attention.=20
Sincerely,
Al Muniz
Hope Schau
-- Read the List FAQ/Etiquette: http://www.newtontalk.net/faq.html Read the Newton FAQ: http://www.chuma.org/newton/faq/ This is the NewtonTalk mailing list - http://www.newtontalk.net/
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