The paperless workplace
Ξ August 15th, 2008 | → | ∇ Gadgets |
The Paperless Workplace - Forbes.com
One of the great unfulfilled promises of technology is the paperless office. Computers were to rid us of all that clutter and paper-shuffling. To be sure, we have seen a significant reduction in paper, but it is certainly not the nirvana we were led to expect.When was the last time you got a real interoffice memo on paper? It’s been a long time, hasn’t it? E-mail has made the interoffice memo extinct. However, there are days when I look at the number of e-mails in my inbox and can’t help but wonder if this is a good thing or not.
A recent post by tech consultant Vinnie Mirchandani, outlining about his attempts to go paperless, illustrates that going paperless is certainly not easy–nor is it for the faint-hearted. As Mirchandani illustrates, there are just some situations when having paper is the right solution.
The biggest advantage paper has is the usability factor. I can quickly scan the entire page, add notes to it, highlight important sections, hand it across the table and say “take a look at this,” or fold it and put in my pocket and take it with me. Yes, I know there are technological answers to all of these, but none of them are as easy as the old methods.
The reality is that although technology promised a paperless world, most of the technology effort was directed elsewhere. Technology just wasn’t that focused on usability…[more]
