Handwriting & Pens Becoming A "trend" Among Professionals?

[Maurizio]

I thought this lawyer blog post by a self-confessed "old man" about a resugance of "analog tools" - pen and paper - might be of some interest to the pen folks here. Note also the penultimate sentence that "fountain pens are just cool":

 

https://www.attorneyatwork.com/why-analog/

Edited July 23, 2017 by Maurizio

[Bo Bo Olson]

Like Spenserian was once a mark of class and a dividing line, I've been expecting a 'official' resurgence in hand writing.

In fact, I'm expecting hand writing to be part of future job applications for higher jobs, to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Someone can analyze hand writing as a job to make sure the right type are hired, as shown by handwriting. Once a SOP part of hiring.

Sigh, I'd ended up in the chaff pile.

[Wahl]

Handwriting analysis has no scientific basis whatsoever, but I do like the idea that handwriting is becoming a trend among professionals.

[bogiesan]

At my company, handwritten notes have always been around. The importance of hard copy in this age of bit-rot and general lack of cyber security cannot be overstated. The written (and typewritten) archives at my company are priceless, their value literally beyond comprehension.

 

Maybe outsiders are just now becoming aware of handwriting or are seeing a few more people adopt the practice.

[watch_art]

Haven't read the article, but regarding hand writing as part of a job application - back in 1999/2000 or so, when I worked at the local country club, in the kitchen, we would go through applications, and bad handwriting was the first thing we looked at to discard some of them. If we couldn't read the writing we'd throw them away.

(read it - good article)

[Zookie]

I agree with those who say that hand written notes can't be hacked, and a note (or letter) written in a nice hand is just plain classy. Shows a lot of individualism. Dare to be different

[Driften]

I agree with those who say that hand written notes can't be hacked, and a note (or letter) written in a nice hand is just plain classy. Shows a lot of individualism. Dare to be different

 

Sure hand written notes can't be 'hacked', but they can be stolen, forged, lost, redirected, copied, etc. They are not more secure, just different.

[Studio97]

I wworked for a small business where we didnt have formal job applications. We requested a hand written resume describing their background. No computer generated resumes. We could figure out a lot about an individual's communication skills and certain abilities. We also learned that some people looking for work would not put out the effort to hand write a resume.

Also years ago i wrote a lot in patient charts where in my connection to fountain pens began.

[Chrissy]

"Fountain pens are just cool." Indeed they are.

[fabri00]

Professionals, like lawyers, doctors, professors of university, have always been using fp here in Italy more than other categories of peoples.

[sketchstack]

I have a colleague that I turned on to fountain pens. He regularly meets with clients and he sees a professional benefit as it's more respectful to take notes on paper vs typing them into his laptop.

 

While of course I think he's right, I wondered why it should matter. But then I realized how infuriating it is to be talking to someone, only for them to pull out their iPhone and start typing while I'm still mid-sentence. Are they taking notes? Writing a text to someone unrelated? Are they watching a humorous YouTube video? Etc etc.

 

Whereas if someone starts writing while I'm talking, it's fairly unambiguous.

Edited July 23, 2017 by sketchstack

[Studio97]

Sometimes the higher ups didnt always like my notetaking in meetings....well youuuu said on july 23..... Yet i know that with my pen flying they knew i was paying attension. They also knew that if a task was written in my pocket moleskine that it would not be forgotten.

Edited July 23, 2017 by Studio97

[inkstainedruth]

"Fountain pens are just cool." Indeed they are.

 

Yeah, that was my favorite line in the entire article.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Mister5]

For what it's worth among my gaggle of lawyers we often take written notes, but that's about it. If anything the move to digital has been increasing, though that's to be expected in my specialty, eDiscovery. Among some of the older attorneys at some of my clients General Counsel I've encountered resistance to new technology. I've been the only one to use a fountain pen. Most of the attorneys use the house supply of Paper mates with the occasional disposable rollerball brought from home.

[N2theBreach]

It's becoming a trend? Oh no! I don't do trends. Actually, I would like to see more people adopt the thoughtful approach. I think the world would be a better place for it.

 

His comment on doodling struck a chord. I used to doodle extensively. Not only did it keep my mind in the room when the speaker got boring, he thought I was taking down his every word (as long as I wasn't sitting where he could see my paper!).

[nigelg]

Handwriting analysis has no scientific basis whatsoever, but I do like the idea that handwriting is becoming a trend among professionals

 

Handwiting analysis to provide character assessment (or assassination ) is indeed complete hooey. However handwriting analysis as part of forensic document analysis to say for example, this document was written by person A or forged by person B is well known. Wasn't there a thread some time ago about a forensic or government lab that had a bottle of every ink available or did I dream it ?

 

 

Sure hand written notes can't be 'hacked', but they can be stolen, forged, lost, redirected, copied, etc. They are not more secure, just different.

 

But it can be way more effort to steal and forge notes and other documents. Far easier to sit at a PC with a cup of tea and foul things up at the click of a mouse.

[Chrissy]

 

Yeah, that was my favorite line in the entire article.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

[Driften]

 

Handwiting analysis to provide character assessment (or assassination ) is indeed complete hooey. However handwriting analysis as part of forensic document analysis to say for example, this document was written by person A or forged by person B is well known. Wasn't there a thread some time ago about a forensic or government lab that had a bottle of every ink available or did I dream it ?

 

 

But it can be way more effort to steal and forge notes and other documents. Far easier to sit at a PC with a cup of tea and foul things up at the click of a mouse.

 

 

And it can be much easier to walk by a co-workers desk and remove the note telling them something of importance. Hacking takes skill. Destruction or service denial less so. Before the invention of computers people were very good at dealing with messing people up just the same over physical documents. Why do you think people/companies need paper shredders?

 

All of which really has little to do with why lawyers are into fountain pens. I think for some of them its more of a status symbol. An Italian pen to go with their Swiss watch. Actually nothing wrong with enjoying an expensive pen/watch/car/whatever if you have the money. It can just have more then one purpose for some. Those higher end sales also help pen companies stay alive.

[AAAndrew]

I take all of my notes at work with a pen on paper. I use a fountain pen because it is so much more of an enjoyable experience. I then transfer just those action items I need to do into my computer. My notes are rarely needed for reference. I use Staples' circa-like system and when my notebook begins to run out, I take the time to transfer the notes in my notebook, which are just in alphabetical order, and put them into a larger-ring notebook by subject (project). This step allows me to further curate and winnow down those pages which are mainly doodles which have important information. Doodles and notes which are no longer relevant to anything get chucked. (shredded and recycled) When I do need to go look through my notes I'm more likely to remember that it was in a meeting for this project, around this date. Sometimes the act of looking through reminds me of context I wouldn't think of before.

 

It's kind of like the old card catalog. It's so much easier to search for a single book in a computerized card catalog. But when you're doing research, almost always I'd find interesting sources I didn't know about when looking through the subject cards in the paper card catalog.

 

This system works for me, and I find paper and pen very convenient. I've tried with a ultra-light laptop and even a tablet and stylus, but it's never quite the same level of convenience to take notes, nor is it the same as having the physical artifact and seeing the notes through time by subject. I'm seeing more and more colleagues using paper and pen. (unfortunately, almost all using gel or ballpoints) in meetings and fewer portable computers or tablets in meetings. Of course, the younger ones who are growing up not at all comfortable with writing, may well slow this trend down. More's the pity.

[Driften]

I have worked from home the last 6 years and back when I worked in an office I was one of the few taking notes with a fountain pen. There were a couple of people taking notes with gel pens, but mostly it was going into laptops. In general I did what AAAndrew did and transfer the important parts of the notes into the computer later if needed. For the most part taking notes with a pen helped cement the content into my mind and I would not look at the notes again.