TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Re: It's Your Call: Which E-mail Disclaimer is Best? (LONG)
Subject:Re: It's Your Call: Which E-mail Disclaimer is Best? (LONG) From:"Jeanne A. E. DeVoto" <jaed -at- jaedworks -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Tue, 12 Jun 2001 21:26:30 -0700
At 2:28 PM -0700 6/12/2001, Robert B. Kennedy wrote:
>I was recently asked to edit a lengthy e-mail disclaimer for
>a client of mine. The manager's intent was to reduce the
>word count substantially -- which is what I did, reducing it
>from 113 to 71 words.
>
>Yet corporate counsel says the edited version "reads
>poorly." While choppy, I think the edited version will be
>READ MORE OFTEN and therefore is a better read than the original.
The second version *is* rather choppy. But the first version contains an
unreasonable amount of redundancy ("...the contents contains...").
However...the fact is that no one actually reads this sort of nonsense in
an email message in any case. It's not really there to be read. ("You may
not read this information" at the *end* of the message is a big clue here.)
That being the case, the shorter version clogs the network that much less
with useless text, and therefore is superior if only for that reason.
58 words:
This email may contain confidential information. If this message is not
addressed to you, you may not retain or use the information in it for any
purpose. If you have received it in error, please notify the sender and
delete this message. We try to screen out viruses but take no
responsibility if this email contains a virus.
--
jeanne a. e. devoto ~ jaed -at- jaedworks -dot- com http://www.jaedworks.com
What does not kill us makes us stranger.
*** Deva(tm) Tools for Dreamweaver and Deva(tm) Search ***
Build Contents, Indexes, and Search for Web Sites and Help Systems
Available now at http://www.devahelp.com or info -at- devahelp -dot- com
Sponsored by Cub Lea, specialist in low-cost outsourced development
and documentation. Overload and time-sensitive jobs at exceptional
rates. Unique free gifts for all visitors to http://www.cublea.com
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as: archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
