RE: Most embarasssing error (was Finding errors in manuals)

[Writers Book Mall <steve -at- writersbookmall -dot- com>]

Well, let's see. There was the time we sent out a
proposal and the client very nicely called us up and
explained that they couldn't open the files...because
their anti-virus software had quarantined them.

And then there was the time when we reused parts of a
previous proposal. You know, with text about how we
saw this customer as strategically and uniquely
important to us and all that. The previous client's
name was in that section.


--- Jodie Gilmore <jgilmor -at- pacifier -dot- com> wrote:

> My best error was from typing too fast and not
> proofreading. I meant to type
> "filename" but typed (believe it or not) "file
> enema".  The developers
> thought this was hilarious, and offered to write a
> new procedure... :)
> 
> __________________________________
> Jodie Gilmore
> Fulcrum Communications, LLC
> Washougal, WA
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From:
>
techwr-l-bounces+jgilmor=pacifier -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
>
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+jgilmor=pacifier -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com]
> On Behalf
> Of Kevin McGowan
> Sent: Friday, May 18, 2007 8:30 AM
> To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> Subject: RE: Most embarasssing error (was Finding
> errors in manuals)
> 
> Here's mine...it's a classic that I still bring up
> whenever I see my old 
> co-workers.
> 
> We worked on a network management product, and
> throughout the guides were 
> discussions of different "community strings" that
> allow access to computer 
> MIBs yadda yadda yadda.
> 
> A generic community string is "public." however,
> upon the accidental removal
> 
> of the "l"...we had many questions about what these
> community strings could 
> do.
> 
> The best part was that when we fixed it, we alerted
> the company who was 
> reselling our product (and rebranding our docs) so
> they wouldn't suffer the 
> embarrassment. Sadly, they never fixed it, and
> subsequent versions of their 
> manuals had the error. :)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> >From: "V. Camgros" <camgros -at- mindspring -dot- com>
> >Reply-To: "V. Camgros" <camgros -at- mindspring -dot- com>
> >To: "Van Boening,Tammy"
> <tammy -dot- vanboening -at- Fiserv -dot- com>, 
> >techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> >Subject: RE: Most embarasssing error (was Finding
> errors in manuals)
> >Date: Thu, 17 May 2007 15:09:14 -0700 (GMT-07:00)
> >
> >At the risk of flooding the list and annoying the
> mods, my contributions to
> 
> >the list of shame:
> >
> >During a walk-through/acceptance test for a
> military contract technical 
> >manual, our Navy captain reviewer took one look at
> the COVER of a manual 
> >and said "I'm afraid I'm just going to have to
> reject these out of hand."
> >
> >During the rush to create a cover for a
> meticulously written manual, one of
> 
> >us had blithely typed "Department of the Army".
> >
> >Ooops.
> >
> >Strangely, this second one is another cover. My
> quality in tech pubs 
> >instructor stressed the elusive nature of errors 
> by telling of a time when
> 
> >one of her (staff's, I think) manuals went out with
> a 60-point IMB on the 
> >cover.
> >
> >She worked for that large blue mainframe company.
> >
> >We've all done them. If you say you haven't, you're
> either fibbing or 
> >living on a large river in Egypt!
> >
> >regards,
> >Vickie
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> > >From: "Van Boening, Tammy"
> <tammy -dot- vanboening -at- Fiserv -dot- com>
> > >Sent: May 17, 2007 2:11 PM
> > >To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> > >Subject: RE: Most embarasssing error (was Finding
> errors in manuals)
> > >
> > >So, I was the author of a hardware manual for a
> training class for a
> > >bunch of truck drivers years ago - seriously, the
> Hooters T-shirt, let's
> > >go to a strip club after work kind - and this
> made it through in the
> > >manual (to my absolute horror and to their
> absolute delight) -
> > >
> > >Instead of "tighten the wrench", it was "tighten
> the wench" - ah yes -
> > >that helped break the ice in the class. After
> something like that, I
> > >rarely get heartburn over a typo or two in a
> manual.
> > >
> > >TVB
> > >
> > >-----Original Message-----
> > >From:
>
techwr-l-bounces+tammy -dot- vanboening=fiserv -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> >
>
>[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+tammy -dot- vanboening=fiserv -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com]
> > >On Behalf Of Combs, Richard
> > >Sent: Thursday, May 17, 2007 3:00 PM
> > >To: Connie Giordano; Michelle Vina-Baltsas;
> techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> > >Subject: RE: Finding errors in manuals
> > >
> > >Connie Giordano wrote:
> > >
> > >> I literally just came across this in a manual
> I'm editing right now:
> > >>
> > >> "Press <ENTER> to exit:"  Hope that makes you
> feel better ;-)
> > >
> > >Well, it sure looks funny, but it's not
> necessarily _wrong_.
> > >
> > >After all, we Windows users click Start to quit.
> ;-)
> > >
> > >Richard
> > >
> > >
> > >------
> > >Richard G. Combs
> > >Senior Technical Writer
> > >Polycom, Inc.
> > >richardDOTcombs AT polycomDOTcom
> > >303-223-5111
> > >------
> > >rgcombs AT gmailDOTcom
> > >303-777-0436
> > >------
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
>
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