|
Thank you, Tharon! |
|||
|
Letters of Appreciation: |
Would you like to contribute to this page? If so, send your written sentiment and optional digital photo sized to approximately 2" x 2" and about 20 KB to tharon@ovostudios.com. | ||
|
Dear Tharon, When I emailed you one more UTEST email problem, and, in a moment of reflection, you shared with me that you were spending your sabbatical weekend at your office, in front of your computer, making UTEST work, but you really wanted to be playing with your children and working on your book. You wondered out loud to me whether anyone really appreciates the extent of your sacrifice... I knew that we all did, so I asked the others, simply, "How can we appreciate Tharon?" This page, with these good wishes and appreciations and these gifts is their response.
Thank-you for working so hard to make UTEST what it is. I have left many
other online communities because of the flaming, the spam, the useless
jokes and other drivel. But I have stayed with UTEST because the quality
has been consistently high and always useful. This is only because of
your moderating, Tharon. Your firm and gentle reminders and hard work
has made UTEST what it is. I save the UTEST posts because the UTEST Iist is more than just a passing interest. Its worth lasts beyond the normal life of most emails. It is a great, ongoing resource for all usability professionals. As a small, self-employed designer, UTEST gives me all the professional community I have at the moment, when my business market takes me more towards art and away from usability work, UTEST keeps me excited about what I went to graduate school for. Thank-you again for your work with UTEST. With
gratitude,
Dear Tharon - Deepest thanks for all your efforts over the years at steering UTEST. How many other online communities have stayed relatively happy, courteous and productive for over seven years? Not many, I should think.Almost everything I know about usability has come directly or indirectly through UTEST. For people like me who don't work in big companies and are a long way from the university courses and conferences, UTEST is a way to keep in touch both personally and professionally with people who do usability every day.Thanks again -- I hope to meet you one day and say my thanks in person.Regards ,Stuart Burnfield Gentoo Communications
Tharon,
Tharon, It's easy to take UTEST for granted, but I become immediately grateful for your efforts whenever I try to picture my life without it! Working from home can be isolating, and the UTEST community of interesting and spirited practitioners helps remind me why I enjoy my chosen profession - it's the people.Over the years I've been impressed by your firm yet tactful management of many sticky list issues. I realize your administrative posts represent the tip of the proverbial iceberg, and it's the other 90% of your efforts that keep this community afloat. No wonder you must feel like you're drowning at times! OK, I've stretched this metaphor past its breaking point, but I just wanted to say thanks for holding up the iceberg.Carolyn
Snyder
Guten Tag, Tharon, ich möchte mich bei Dir für Dein Engagement bei der Betreuung der UTest bedanken. Anbei ein Foto von mir und meinem Sohn nach einem etwas windigem Spaziergang :-). I want to thank you for your engagement serving UTest. With this I want to send you a foto of mine with my son after a windy walk :-). Grusz aus Dresden,
Tharon, As soon as I joined the secret community, I knew it was special. There are few virtual communities out there so well run and with such a high signal-to-noise ratio. Your commitment to run a place where we are free to express our ideas and to learn from one another's experience is inspiring.I got the pleasure of chatting with you on the phone last year. I was interviewing you for Persona development of a "community moderator." It was only at that time that I finally realized exactly how much you put into UTEST. I, as everyone else, appreciates your selflessness. Best of luck! May you smile knowing the impact your efforts have on all our lives.Elan Freydenson
Hi Tharon, Thanks for doing a great job, it's much appreciated over here in this wet and windy island. For me, outside the US and the STC, it would a fearful struggle to research even a little of the information that the list provides daily. And you've collected such a nice bunch of people!Warmest regards,
Hi Tharon, Although I've posted less than 20 messages over the three years I've been a member of this electronic community, I have learned so much by reading others' words of wisdom. I've found valuable resources through this group, which enabled me to enhance my skills and design better products. I'd like to thank Dr. Howard and all who share their wisdom and knowledge. Peg Rickard Tharon, Thanks for providing a convenient, professional medium for all levels of usability specialists to learn and share information. UTEST has been one of my best teachers.Thanks for your untiring efforts on our behalf. I hope to be lucky enough to meet you at some upcoming conference.Sincerely, Tharon, Thanks for all your hard work, your time, and your efforts for the UTEST world. This is, without a doubt, the best run forum around and has made my job easier. I'm sure there are times that you must wonder if all your hard work is worth it. I think you can tell by all the comments on this card that it is definitely worth it and all your hard work is very much appreciated, even if we don't express our appreciation very often. Thanks so much, Tharon, Not only has UTEST been a great resource, it's a real community builder. Usability is still a field with little understanding of what is required to make it happen by non-practitioners and there are still only a few companies which have more than a token usability person. As such, sometimes it can be rather difficult to find the support that one needs to know if an approach is correct and to get your bearings after a hard meeting with "the unwashed". UTEST fills a much needed purpose in helping us all to remember that focusing on the user is not only the right thing to do but the sane thing to do. Thank you!! Jon Meads Tharon, Thank you for providing a great forum for discussion and a myriad of learning opportunities. For a new group like ourselves it has been reassuring to belong to a larger virtual community. In fact, at times UTEST seems to act as a mentor that continually encourages our work. What you have achieved with UTEST is very special, and we are in your debt. The Usability Group at Motorola, Cork, Ireland.
Hi Tharon, I'd like to add my thanks to you for all your efforts in making and keeping UTEST a valuable service to the usability community. It's been a joy to be a participant in the forum, and an honor to be a member of the Advisory Council. I hope you realize how important UTEST is - it's a phenomenon! It represents more than just an online forum. It is truly a community. If I don't say this every day, please know how proud I am to be your colleague. You're one in a million!Thanks very much, Tharon, for your contributions to usability (and for associating Clemson with more than football!), George Donahue Dear Tharon, I'm not sure I can think of anything original to add to the words of thanks contributed so far by other members of the UTEST community ... but I can't let the opportunity pass to at least say that my thoughts echo those expressed. As a relative newcomer to the list ... can't remember the exact date ... the community has been both a lifeline and an inspiration. I consider it a great privilege to be on the receiving end of so much collective wisdom, so freely shared, and upon reflection conclude that the trust this requires is in part (perhaps wholly) due to the way in which the community has been established, and how it is administered. Whenever I'm hesitant about posting what seems a 'dumb' question, I always remember your wonderful post (from the recent past ... sometime in 2000!) reminding the community of the purpose of UTEST ... i.e., as a space to safely share knowledge, process focused (my interpretation) ... your expression 'inchoate brain farts' is one that often comes to mind as I tentatively type away, and spurs me on to hit 'send'. Anne Thompson
|
Tharon: I'm so glad that all of us members of UTEST have been given this opportunity to give you the recognition you so richly deserve. The UTEST discussions have been a very significant part of my transformation over the last six years or so from a technical writer to a usability-savvy person. I feel that I am able to bring so much more to bear in my quest to help people do their jobs easily and well, and I give major credit for that to my participation in UTEST.Without you, there would be no UTEST: it's that simple. I could go on and on about the many ways in which your care and feeding of UTEST through thick and thin have made it and kept it as undoubtedly *the* premier example of an electronic collaborative community at work, but I'll leave that to others. I'll say just this: to my mind, you are one of the stars of the professional usability firmament, and it has been a pleasure and a privilege to have associated with you in this way.Best wishes for continued stardom. ;-) --Dick Miller
Just a little note of thanks for all your hard work and effort that you put in providing what must be the biggest and best on-line usability community. The way it is managed is sensible, professional and very well thought-out. I've found it of the most enormous value and just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate all the effort that must be involved behind the seams. Kind regards,
Thanks very much for all your efforts, Tharon. You've made this a community in a very real sense, and made it possible for us to get help, sound off, get jobs, hire people, test the waters, float a trial balloon, find contracts, have a good laugh, and all that in an atmosphere of respect and trust.Thanks again,
I want you to know that myself, and everyone else at User Interface Engineering, thoroughly appreciates the hard work and effort you put in as custodian of the UTEST list.UTEST has become a foremost resource in the world of those who are interested in eliminating frustration and enhancing the quality of life. It has changed the direction of product and web site design and dramatically enhanced the lives of many who participate.The American Heritage Dictionary defines Custodian as "One that has charge of something; a caretaker." Being the custodian of UTEST is an incredible responsibility. One that has very long hours, requires seemingly endless patience, and extreme dedication.There are few people on this planet that could pull something like that off. You are one of them. You've done an awesome job.Don't ever think that a single one of us doesn't realize it. We're just not very good at showing it sometimes.If we held elections for heroes, I'd vote for you! (Of course, we'd have to fix the problems with dimpled chads and the butterfly ballots first.)In the meantime, I'm definitely renewing my Tharon Howard fan club membership!Thanks for all your hard work. It's had a huge impact across the world.Jared M. Spool
Tharon Ever since my first, nervous post, UTEST has welcomed me, nurtured me, consoled me, amused me and sustained me. Through UTEST, I have met business and professional contacts who help me every day. Even more important, I have met colleagues who have become friends. You manage our list so effectively but so gently that I find I forget how hard you work for us.Thank you. Tharon, We at Cognetics Corporation would like to say thank you for a wonderful behind-the-scenes job with UTEST. We're all well aware of the level of time, personal investment, and energy that goes into hosting and moderating a list like UTEST, and it's amazing that you have carried this so well and for so long. Usability practitioners view the list as a sort of professional home -- a place where they can feel safe, ask for advice, and test out crazy ideas without the fear of ridicule or censure. UTEST has given people the strength, knowledge, and resources to champion usability in their companies when they might otherwise have given up. It has created personal and professional relationships, gotten people jobs, and given people the ability to educate themselves. Thanks to your moderation and the board of advisors, the signal-to-noise ratio is far better than most other e-mail discussion groups. You have helped to build the usability community, and for that we are grateful. Scott McDaniel
Tharon, How can one note express my gratitude for 10 years (!) of your assistance? Even before UTEST, we were exchanging ideas when we were each finishing our dissertations...UTEST has seen me through 3 different jobs-- and it has helped me grow in each one of them. UTEST has done more for my professional growth and development than any referreed research articles could ever possibly hope to accomplish. UTEST has helped me find (and hire!) job candidates for 6 positions.Thank YOU!!! Mary Beth Raven Lotus Sametime User Interaction Designer Iris Associates/Lotus/IBM
Tharon, Most of what you do for UTEST is largely invisible, which is why it is so valuable -- and so effective. I am especially glad for your emphasis on community building; it's a big part of why I participate.Mille grazie! Elizabeth Buie Computer Sciences Corporation Tharon,
Tharon, Thank you for all the years of hard work keeping UTEST up and running. Sometimes when things go very well, we don't appreciate them. It's like being a guest every day at a great dinner party, and forgetting that somebody actually put a lot of effort into shopping, cooking, and presenting a tasty and attractive gourmet meal. You are the "master chef" behind the scenes, finally coming out of the kitchen to take your well-deserved bow. Bravo! UTEST helps me do my job better, keeps me informed and challenged, and gives me an online professional community. Much appreciation to you! Simone Shapiro
Tharon, Thank you for your magnificent and graceful job as UTEST's keeper. Although I'm not one of the prolific posters, I have come to rely on UTEST for many reasons. When I was one of the many long-time usability people at Digital, UTEST educated us on the rich set of issues being faced in other contexts. Now that I am a lone usability professional at PictureTel, UTEST is my daily dose of a usability community and it keeps me professionally stimulated, sometimes amused, and always supported. The usability profession has burgeoned in a way that would not have been possible without UTEST. Every one of us has benefitted, and through us the users of new products worldwide. Thank you.
Dear Tharon I am glad to admit that I studied so much from being a UTEST member, that I find it amazing. I have a 40 pages document with all kinds of usability links and books. a small portion of it, I have in between my ears :-) So thank you Tharon, for your help to let the usability be recognized worldwide (even here in Israel we have UTEST members) good luck to us all Moshe Ingel
|
Tharon, UTEST has been part of my day for so long (since 1991?) that I can't imagine life without it. This online community that you have created has been a fundamental force in shaping and sustaining my interest in usability. UPA, UTEST, and SIG CHI -- for me, these are the major professional organizations in usability. Words pale when compared to your efforts over the years, but please accept my sincerest thanks for your untiring stewardship from which we all have so richly benefited. Yours truly,
UTEST, the "secret" community of usability testing aficionados, has helped me realise that I am not alone in my quest for information, help, and comments on one of my favourite subjects. Tharon: thank you for making that happen!Regards,
Tharon, Thank you for all your hard work maintaining Utest. I have benefited greatly from the discussions and resource pointers generated by the Utest community over the past two years----I don't know where I'd be without it!Your patience and longsuffering with cranky email servers ("Tharon, I've been kicked off...again...could you add me back?") are appreciated. You've always had a kind word and friendly response, even when reminding us about listserv rules. ;) You put the usability into Utest. With much thanks, Mary E. Hightower (MEH)
Hi Tharon, I just wanted to express my appreciation for your hard work in running the most valuable usability resource I have. Many of us usability folk are a lone voice in a company, always fighting to get our message across, so it is really helpful to have access to a whole bunch of virtual colleagues. The importance of a proper moderator has really struck me recently. One of the usenet groups I follow has a 'Troll' posting highly offensive comments regularly and there is nothing we can do about it, apart from leave the list. So, thanks very much indeed for keeping our list on track, relevant and free from trolls! Cheers Carl Myhill
Dear Tharon, UTEST remains the single best way that I know of to: - Stay current with the usability community It's a pleasure to have this chance to share our gratitude and a few photos so this "faceless" community you've worked so hard for will seem a tad more human. Many thanks, Tharon, I mustn't miss this opportunity to thank you for your tremendous contribution to my professional life. I have been an avid reader and occasional contributor to UTEST for more than two years. Your list was my introduction to the community of professionals in the realm of Human Factors, Human-Computer Interaction, and Software Usability Testing. It has been a privilege to learn from those who have generously shared their expertise and recommendations on UTEST. The contents of my bookshelves will never be the same! I have been inspired to make usability central to my software life cycle. And after twenty-some years in varied aspects of the software world, I am presently exploring the feasibility of returning to graduate school to obtain a formal grounding in Human Factors - as the basis for changing my professional focus. On the afternoon of December 21st, I will have you in mind as I meet with a professor at the University of Minnesota to discuss their graduate programs in Human Factors. I am sure that you have donated untold hours, incurring significant "opportunity costs", to create and maintain a robust, caring, and effective UTEST community. I am delighted that a subset of UTESTers have initiated this organized expression of appreciation. I am embarrassed to have not taken the time previously to express my thanks individually. Thank you, Tharon, for your vision, your energy, and your obvious commitment to usability-related practices and the usability community. I hope that one day I may have an opportunity to thank you in person, or better yet, to return the favor in some way. Until then, peace,
Tharon, Thanks for letting my join UTEST four (or more?) years ago -- it provided a great education while I was in school, and now that I'm working in the field, it's my single most important professional resource. And of all the listservs I've been on, none have been more civil or free of spam than UTEST, which speaks volumes of the job you (and the advisory council) have performed. thanks,
Dear Tharon, Theo Mandel, Ph.D. Tharon -- You are deeply appreciated by all the UTEST subscribers -- and perhaps even more so by the Advisory Council. We know how much time and effort you put into keeping UTEST up and running!! UTEST was a great idea when you started it. It's an even greater idea now that the community has grown so much. I'm sure that for newcomers to the field, UTEST has been a critical resource -- a lifeline to new colleagues around the world. Even for those of us who have been around since the beginning, UTEST is absolutely essential. It keeps us in touch with the rest of the community. It gives us a sense of community. It lets us know what is happening. It gives us a forum for continuing to grow and learn and exchange ideas. I know that you had no idea what it was going to grow into and we are all deeply in your debt for your continuing to work with it over the years. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Tharon, Your continual hard work for the UTEST community is greatly appreciated. Thanks to your constant efforts, UTEST gives a community of professionals a platform from which to learn from eachother.T Furthermore, the UTEST list affords an invaluable learning forum for myself and other students in this field of study. I can't begin to count the number of times the list discussions have contributed to the furthering of my education. Please accept this as my personal thanks for your constant efforts, which have provided this unique and valuable experience. Sincerely,
Dear Tharon, A while back, you asked UTest members to send you emails explaining why they valued UTest. You needed this as ammunition to validate and justify UTest to some higher powers. Well, I think it's quite clear by now that UTest has truly become a cornerstone of our global usability community and all of this is due in no small part to your personal dedication and efforts. Thank you on behalf of myself and my company. Sincerely, PS: if you're ever in San Diego, please visit us; we'd love to buy you lunch and talk a while :-) Tharon, I can only imagine how much work it is to shepherd such an unruly mob as us. Thanks! Cheers,
Tharon UTEST has been for me an essential part of my reading each day. I found it a valuable resource for information. It is always nice to know there is a community out there that cares about the same issues as you do. I learned much from the discussions and I admired the professionalism of all those who contributed to the discussions. I want to express my sincere thanks for all your efforts and I look forward to many more years of fruitful discussions. Regards Tharon, Thank you so much for all your service to all those interested in usability testing. It is greatly appreciated. Sincerely,
Dear Tharon, I too am one of the lurkers, not contributing often but getting value from the dialog among so many talented people, dialog that your efforts make possible. Without your vigilance, entropy would soon reduce the value of the list. You make a difference for a lot of people. Thanks! Paul Sawyer
|
|
