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Subject:ADMIN: Re: Knock it off From:Eric Ray <ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com> To:Donkeyxote -at- aol -dot- com, techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com Date:Thu, 06 Apr 2000 14:55:59 -0600
Donkeyxote -at- aol -dot- com tilted at the wrong windmill when he said:
> I politely disagree with the assertion that this list is not a
> proper forum for noting mistakes in grammar, spelling, and usage.
I'll politely remind you that this particular issue is not open
for discussion. If you care to have a "pick on grammar mistakes"
session, find a different list.
> We are, after all, writers, and mistakes made in postings here
> may very reflects we make in our professional documentation.
If the editing/proofing/testing/verification process for postings
to this list even vaguely resembles anyone's real process for
producing professional documentation, the problems go far
deeper than you can correct from afar. The issues are not
comparable and probably not even related. (E.g., I'm sure
that every writer on this list knows how to make subjects
agree in quantity with verbs and is careful not to out a
word.)
> As a tech writer I often find it necessary to prove my competence
> and worth to programmers, engineers, and others who believe their
> competence to be more valuable than my own. Any mistakes I make
> can be used by these people to bolster such beliefs and are thus
> harmful to my career. Perhaps more importantly, mistakes made by
> other technical writers harm all technical writers, in that they
> enhance the common perception that we are not really skilled
> professionals, worthy of being taken seriously.
I hate to burst your bubble, but pedantic attention to grammatical,
spelling, or other careless errors in an informal forum (such as
this one) is part of the problem, not part of the solution.
Really. Trust me on this one.
The developers (and writers) I work with expect basic
grammatical and lexical competence, but being able to understand
and work with the technical material (or not) is the
litmus test for "being taken seriously" and for being considered
a "skilled professional".
> Sadly, I've noticed many usage and spelling errors on this list site that
> do not appear to mere typos, errors that are glaring enough to make me wince.
> I believe that we all benefit when such errors are noted because this gives
> the writers who make them the chance to improve: and what better place to do
> so than in the (relative) safety of this list?
No, we do not benefit. The ego of the corrector is bolstered, the
pride of the correctee is hurt, and the free flow of information
is impaired. That's not beneficial to the community as a whole.
I repeat. This isn't the forum to exercise your editorial
frustration. Period. Again, from the rules:
* Do not directly attack anyone for anything on the list.
Take issue with ideas, not personalities, and do
NOT point out grammatical, spelling, or usage errors.
This forum is not the place to exercise editorial
frustration.
Eric
ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com
TECHWR-L Listowner
