TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Re: Three biggest lies? (was HR vs...) From:"Wing, Michael J" <mjwing -at- INGR -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 12 Aug 1998 13:32:08 -0500
Possible additions are:
"I'll have the review and redlines to you by COB today"
"Nobody expects you to take notes or write up the minutes if you attend our
development meetings"
"The style guide covers every possible situation"
"The manual is the first thing that the user goes to after installing the
product"
"Our readers always notice and care deeply if there are two spaces after a
period, if bullets are square instead of round, and if the font is Verdana
instead of Arial"
"Your pay is within close range of the developer's"
"You'll never perform a non-writing task"
"Designers and developers will ask for and respect your opinion on GUI
design, layout, and functionality"
"You should having a fully-functional product in your hands in plenty of
time to complete your document"
"Don't worry. Your document probably will not need to be translated"
"The product's so intuitive, it practically writes the manual itself"
"Nobody here is going to offer anything but constructive criticism about
your work. There are no ego problems. We're a team"
"Your computer and software is every bit up-to-date as the ones they have in
Engineering"
"You won't be thought of as a nuisance by the SME's. They accept that
you're a peer and respect that you have a job to do."
"You don't need to know anything about a computer except how to turn it on
and work the word processor"
"The work is simple. Just write down what the thing does and how to do it."
> I have seen this statement more often than I care to remember in my years
> since becoming a technical writer. In fact, I've elevated it to the status
> of Number 1 on the list of the three biggest lies in Technical
> Communication.
>
> Number 2 is, "Author for multiple document formats (both print and
> on-line!)
> from a single source document!"
>
> Any nominations for number 3?
>
> Steve Fouts stefou -at- eskimo -dot- com
>
