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Subject:RE: Directions for tomorrow's techwriting From:"Sean O'Donoghue-Hayes (EAA)" <Sean.O'Donoghue-Hayes -at- ericsson -dot- com -dot- au> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Wed, 24 Apr 2002 13:44:31 +1000
Hi folks,
Interesting that you are talking about filling in the blanks in templates -
and the difficulties that can occur.
When I "personally" see such difficulties my first question is not how will
I rewrite this information or get the information.
My first question is if I can change the template so that the people who are
using it can "readily" understand what is required, when they can leave a
section out (and with quality standards identifying why the section is "Not
Applicable") and can complete it accurately.
Maybe it is "doing" ourselves out of jobs, but beyond writing information we
are also the "custodians" and creators of templates that should lessen the
load on our own shoulders and increase efficiency in our workplaces.
regards and thanks,
Sean O'Donoghue-Hayes
~sig-line: "To err is human, to bark is canine, to shred your legs is
feline...~
-----Original Message-----
From: Lisa Wright [mailto:liwright -at- earthlink -dot- net]
Sent: Wednesday, 24 April 2002 2:36 PM
To: TECHWR-L
Subject: RE: Directions for tomorrow's techwriting
>Phil Levy [mailto:phillevy -at- yahoo -dot- com] asks:
>
>>Actually, don't you think that XML will soon make it
>>easy for engineers to just fill in the blanks, thus eliminating the
>>need for most tech writers?
>>
>>>Bruce Byfield replied:
>>>No. It isn't just a matter of adding content in the appropriate
places -
>>>it's a matter of adding useful content. That's an obvious statement,
but
>>>people can easily forget the fact.
I agree Bruce. Structure is great, but it can't produce content. (This
example is highly Americanized--I have no idea what equivalents in other
educational systems would be.) Think about your first year university
students. What's the class most of them have the hardest time with?
English Comp. Your average essay has had a very basic structure for
years:
A very specific structure that students struggle with endlessly. It's
very logical, very simple, and it does very little to help them produce
coherent content. Just giving people blanks in which to plug content
does nothing to help them produce good content.
Lisa
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