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Subject:RE: What is "well Written"? From:"Roberts, Dan x36117" <Dan -dot- Roberts -at- broadridge -dot- com> To:techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com Date:Wed, 16 May 2007 09:53:22 -0400
For the most part, doc either is or is not technically accurate, almost to a
yes/no point. And, for the bean-counters, that a metric bean that can be
counted.
"Well written" on the other hand - how do you metricize that? Outside a
spell/grammar check (with a real understanding of both), maybe a check on
grade-level reading (if YourCo demands such) or a Fog Index or Readability
check (which is usually a measure of words per sentence and such), I don't
think you can do a lot with setting a metric or a "standard" for "well
written". Look at some of the discussions we've had here - passive/active,
user/you/understood-you, windows blatantly displaying/opening themselves -
there's no hard'n'fast rule in all of that.
So, back to the original thread - I'll aim for technical accuracy first,
then make sure the language conforms to basic well-known standards, then
finally diddle with the windows displaying themselves.
Dan Roberts
Dan -dot- Roberts -at- broadridge -dot- com (new!)
212 973-6117, or x36117
-----Original Message-----
From: Karen Murri [mailto:kmurri -at- comcast -dot- net]
Sent: Tuesday, May 15, 2007 8:44 PM
To: richard -dot- melanson -at- us -dot- tel -dot- com; techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: RE: What is More Important?
Yeegads! If that's your definition of well-written, you might as well go
with technically accurate, 'cause it certainly wouldn't be well-written by
my standards.
-Karen
-----Original Message-----
From: richard -dot- melanson -at- us -dot- tel -dot- com
Subject: RE: What is More Important?
OK, fair enough. Well written = understandable English, the occasional
missing comma, active/passive voice used inconsistently, about what a
current college grad could write.
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