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I've been a member of this list (off and on) for a while, and have seen many
grammar-related threads. It seems that all of them veer off-topic or become
extremely opinionated and mundane very quickly. Some people actually RTFRB
(read the "fascinating" reference books) and post the correct answers, and
others debate those established and well-documented conventions with
subjective gusto. Wouldn't it be easier on the list as a whole to just avoid
stupid grammar questions completely? I mean, if you're too cheap to buy a
CMS, MSMoS, or a dictionary, there are plenty of free references on the web
(like www.w-m.com, for example).
Maybe I'm just out of touch with the REAL tech writing world, but shouldn't
we be using references and so forth at least on an occasional basis to get
our work done? If this is not the case and I am indeed delusional, then I
think it'd then be valid for me to ask such questions as "what's the best
sandwich to eat when writing a network administrator guide" or "my SME
verifies that our proprietary and yet unreleased product does X... can you
verify this for me?" Of course I'd never ask such questions IRL.
Hey, am I ranting? *vbg*
OK Eric, I'm tucked and ready in case you want to boot me. Just aim for the
left cheek, as the right one still has a bruise from the last time. *g*
All silliness aside, I think it makes sense to suggest that we utilize what
references we have available to us before posting basic questions to the
list. TECHWR-L could be a great resource for in-depth technical writing
information, but it's very hard to sift through the silt to find the gold
lately.
My thoughts only.
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BILL SWALLOW
Technical Writer
C O U R I O N C O R P O R A T I O N
1881 Worcester Road
Framingham, Mass. 01701
T E L * 508-879-8400 x316
F A X * 508-879-8500
www.courion.com
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