Everyone's Got an Opinion ... Right?
There's a school of thought that says if you don't vote, you don't have a right to gripe about your government. I think the same can be said about a lot of things--not just in general, but specific to Advance. In the last month or so, I've seen a semi-heated debate about the annual Salary Survey, as a prime example. Is it a scientific survey? In a word, no. Its results are culled only from readers of this particular publication (or people who just happen to stumble in) and not necessarily limited to one field. I'm not sure it's possible to say it gives an accurate impression of the state of things when you can't guarantee a good cross section, given the vast numbers of MTs in particular who don't even hang around online and didn't know they could weigh in.
Credentialed or not, independent contractors or employees or service owners, full-time or part-time--a disproportionate percentage in any one group can skew the results for the whole thing. Still, it provides a neat little snapshot and in a field where potential recruits are often met with a stone wall when asked what their earning potential would be if they decided to sink their life savings into a course. The variables are too great to be able to blurt out a figure to satisfy such a question, let alone the dicey nature of discussing specific employers' wages.
The survey was not a great secret. In fact, people went out of their way to reach outside the readership and invite participation. Quite a few took the opportunity, and quite a few didn't. What amuses me is that the ones who don't participate every year are always so vocal about it afterward. No surprise--MTs in general are a pretty opinionated bunch and not afraid to share their point of view. Unfortunately, they're also very independent-minded and not great about just following the crowd. (This is why AAMT and attempts at unionization have been such dismal failures--we're infamous for being as hard to herd as cats.)
I'm opinionated (ya think?) and have no problem giving my opinion. I've also been around the internet long enough to have a foundation in Usenet, newsgroups, and now message boards and blogs, so perhaps that's why I have a hard time understanding why everyone doesn't dive in routinely. MTs, especially, should find the internet fills a void because as a majority now work from home, we don't get many opportunities to network or just touch base with the outside world. For those of us who feel like shut-ins, it's crucial. Therapeutic, even. The internet might be a ginormous place, but you wouldn't know it once you find a place to engage. Even on an anonymous message board, it's become a place to connect almost intimately, to use your voice and to feel you have an opinion that might matter. Yeah, it might matter just a tiny bit, but when you're stuck in the house the majority of the week, every little bit helps.
I think the fact that Advance is a free publication is appreciated too little. Yes, it relies on advertising, but it's also more receptive to reader input than most publications. The addition of their digital format and this whole little corner of cyberspace is an opportunity for YOU to shape it into something relevant to you. I guess this is my challenge to you. Next time you see an invitation to weigh in, do it. Even if you're only posting on a message board, disagreeing with a blog post, or sharing a story, engage. This is not a static medium. It's a living, breathing thing that YOU can affect.
So why don't you?