Re: Acronyms--RTFM

Subject: Re: Acronyms--RTFM
From: Jason Willebeek-LeMair <jlemair -at- ITEXCHSRV2 -dot- PHX -dot- MCD -dot- MOT -dot- COM>
Date: Mon, 10 Nov 1997 13:55:59 -0700

Sorry to disagree, John, but, by removing the F, you rip away the
soul-wrenching angst communicated by the phrase and leave behind a dry,
lifeless bullet point.

RTM is an instruction.

RTFM is a cry of despair, welling from the depths of a writer's soul and
flung to the uncaring gods (your choice) above.

Or something like that.

IMHO, YMMV, ETC.
Jason

> ----------
> From: Wilcox, John (WWC, Contractor)
> Reply To: Wilcox, John (WWC, Contractor)
> Sent: Monday, November 10, 1997 12:25 PM
> To: TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
> Subject: Re: Acronyms--RTFM
>
> ----------
> From: Miark
>
> The expression helps builds solidarity among writers by boldly
> expressing
> the deep frustration that we experience when people waste our efforts
> by
> not
> reading our work, and then waste more time by calling tech support.
> Expressing that kind of depth requires the use of an expletive, so and
> leaving it out would make the expression fall flat. And being shop
> talk,
> we
> should feel free to use such expressions, with the comfort of knowing
> that
> we aren't hurting anyone. So not only does it build solidarity, it's
> therapeutic--like screaming in a closet.
>
> 'N its fun 'n stuff.
>
> Mike
> -----------------------
>
> I see this horse isn't quite dead yet, so I guess it's OK to beat it.
>
> Consider the statement RTFM not as a matter of personal morality but
> as
> a tech writing issue:
>
> 1. Prime Directive: Consider the audience. By including the F, you
> make
> a gross assumption about your audience, whether they be your readers
> or
> fellow writers. You assume that they swear, or at least that they
> will
> have some appreciation for your use of it. That may be true in your
> culture, but I don't think it's a valid assumption among an audience
> as
> general as either a) your readers, or b) TWs in general. Expressing
> your frustration does not "require the use of an expletive." Nothing
> does. Well, possibly it would be required in order to "build
> solidarity
> among" street gang members, but among writers? I think not. If you
> consider yourself a good technical communicator, I would hope that you
> could find a way of communicating effectively with your audience
> without
> resorting to swearing at them.
>
> From my list of Secondary Directives:
>
> 1. Be complete. If you're sure the reader won't understand what
> you're
> saying without the F, by all means include it.
>
> 2. Be correct. Since manuals do not engage in sexual intercourse,
> RTFM
> conveys incorrect information.
>
> 3. Be consistent. Do you use the F elsewhere in your tech writing?
>
> 4. Be clear. RTM is clear. Inserting the F forces the reader to
> view
> the instruction through a filter.
>
> 5. Be concise. The F increases the word count by 33% unnecessarily.
>
>
>
> Regards,
>
> John Wilcox, Documentation Specialist
> Timberlands Information Services
> Application Delivery Group
> Weyerhaeuser, WWC 2E2
> Tacoma, WA 98477-0001 USA
> 253-924-7972 mailto:wilcoxj -at- wdni -dot- com
> (I don't speak for Weyerhaeuser, and they return the favor.)
>
> ~~
> Posts: mailto:techwr-l -at- listserv -dot- okstate -dot- edu
> Commands: mailto:listserv -at- listserv -dot- okstate -dot- edu (e.g. SIGNOFF TECHWR-L)
> Archives: http://listserv.okstate.edu/archives/techwr-l.html,
> Subjects: JOB:, QUESTION:, SUMMARY:, ANNOUNCE:, or none of these.
>
>

Posts: mailto:techwr-l -at- listserv -dot- okstate -dot- edu
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Subjects: JOB:, QUESTION:, SUMMARY:, ANNOUNCE:, or none of these.



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