TECH Signal 268
Sysadmin summoned to explain italics – to a user with at least two degrees
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A sysadmin at a Wall Street law firm was urgently summoned to explain italicized text to a highly educated lawyer who was confused by the formatting in Outlook.
This anecdote highlights the persistent gap between specialized professional expertise and basic technical literacy. It serves as a reminder that support staff must be prepared to handle fundamental user confusion regardless of the user's academic credentials or professional status.
Written by elseif from the cluster below · every claim links back to a sourceThe three things worth knowing
A sysadmin working at a high-profile Wall Street law firm received an urgent support call regarding slanted text in Outlook.
The user, a lawyer with law and business degrees from an Ivy League university, was angry and demanded to know how the formatting occurred.
The sysadmin resolved the issue by showing the lawyer the italics icon, an interaction that amused the lawyer's secretary.
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