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I always phrase it in terms of "Hey-thanks for pointing that out! Send me
an email so I don't forget!" and try to drag out more detail. I encourage
that sort of thing.
I find the time I spend discussing documentation in the hall is well
worth it, in terms of being part of the team. Being perceived as
receptive to comments and available for questions is very important. I
even answer the Word questions cheerfully and enthusiastically.
As part of the company, the teamwork is important. I suppose it might be
different if I were a consultant.
But I certainly agree it has to be in writing, because it's too easy to
forget a hall conversation without notes.
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From: Sarah Perrault[SMTP:sarahp -at- KEYSAFE -dot- COM]
Sent: Tuesday, October 15, 1996 4:01 PM
To: TECHWR-L
Subject: Re: FW: Everybody's a Reviewer
..
I do NOT let people stop me in the hallway and tell me things about the
manual. I politely, but firmly, let them know I am in the middle of
something, and ask them to put it into writing. This saves me from lots
of
wasted time, especially with large review teams.
..
