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

["Suzette Leeming" <suzette -dot- leeming -at- gmail -dot- com>]

I've seen situations similar to this. A few years ago, a group of people
were coordinating responses to an RFP, writing in their responses and notes,
etc. At the end of all that, it was given to a receptionist to type up.

The RFP was completed, typed and sent out.  The receptionist had actually
typed everything people had written, including the words "make something up
for this" in a couple of sections.

No surprise, the company didn't get the business.

Suzette Leeming
Stouffville, Ontario


On 5/18/07, Writers Book Mall <steve -at- writersbookmall -dot- com> wrote:
>
> 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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