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Re: Style Guide (was #$ -at- % secretary stuff and the grammar guru)
Subject:Re: Style Guide (was #$ -at- % secretary stuff and the grammar guru) From:Heidi Martin <hmartin -at- MICRON -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 13 May 1998 11:01:32 -0600
Speaking of acting as the company's grammar guru: the Tech Comm and
MarCom depts. at my company are just starting to put together a
corporate style guide. I'd like to pick your voluminous brains on a few
questions related to the creation and use of style guides:
1) If your company has a style guide, do people use it (i.e., follow
the guidelines contained in it)?
2) How do you make it known within the company that a style guide is
available, and, more importantly, how do you get them to use it?
3) Are there any style guides you would recommend we look at as we
begin this venture (either good or bad examples)? (FYI, we are in the
electronics industry.)
You can reply to me directly and I will compile the responses for the
list.
TIA,
Heidi Martin [Insert Standard Disclaimer Here] :~)
Tech Comm
MCMS
>----------
>From: Janice Gelb[SMTP:janiceg -at- MARVIN -dot- ENG -dot- SUN -dot- COM]
>Reply To: Janice Gelb
>Sent: Wednesday, May 13, 1998 10:51 AM
>To: TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
>Subject: Re: #$ -at- % secretary stuff and the Grammar Guru
>
>Keith writes:
>>
>> I find that as a writer, everyone expects me to be the grammar guru. I'm
>> happy to help with simple questions. Likewise, I often have to edit some
>> large stuff that gets out to the world, but doesn't fall under the domain
>> of tech pubs. But!!! I don't have time to edit every little 2 page memo
>> that comes through my colleagues' doors. Cripes! These people are
>> supposed to have degrees, right?
>>
>> How do you deal with these people? Where is the dividing line between
>> wanting to help and wanting to buy a gun?
>>
>
>Well, I'm an editor and not a writer so that might make a difference.
>We actually encourage people outside the tech documentation area to
>bring things to us to edit in the hopes that when they have something
>that *is* going to the outside world, they'll remember us. Also, it
>gives us an opportunity to evangelize the internal style guide--the
>existence of which, despite our best efforts, is unknown to many people
>at the company outside our tech documentation area.
>
>
>*****************************************************************************
>***
>Janice Gelb | The only connection Sun has with this
>janice -dot- gelb -at- eng -dot- sun -dot- com | message is the return address.
>http://www.geocities.com/Area51/8018/index.html
>*****************************************************************************
>***
>
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