Re: Request for help re: Margin size and bindings? 2) " Anyone can do it"

[kcronin -at- daleen -dot- com]

Sara wrote:

> In this particular situation I am frustrated nearly out of my mind by the
> level of ignorance about technical writing & writers. It often appears to
> be an apparent unwillingness to even entertain the notion that I actually
> *know* anything or can *do* anything. As a consequence, everyone in the
> organisation (where I was hired to do the formatting and editing of the
> documents) who has access to a PC seems to believe that *they* are instant
> overnight technical writing experts. 


This is what happens when other people get to review our work. It's called
being edited. And sadly, few companies still keep actual documentation
editors on staff. So you're stuck with whoever gets stuck with editing you
(and that's how the reviewer often feels - it's an additional
responsibility somebody piles on them). Thicken your skin and look for
whatever good information might be buried in their seemingly misguided
(but I hope well-intentioned) criticism.


> ...I nearly hit the roof and had a coronary when my immediate 
> supervisor contacted me by telephone to tell me he & another wannabe tech
> writer had just finished 'tweaking' my style guide. They had decided, 
> without consulting me or even asking for my input, that the page margins
> for the policies and procedures should now be: Top 1.75", Bottom: 1.75",
> Left: 3.0", Right: 2.75" on an 8 1/2 by 11 inch page!


Key word here: supervisor. The boss has told you what he wants.

It DOES sound stupid. Print a few pages of documentation formatted to
these margins and show it to the people that gave you these rules. Ask
them (without criticizing them, if possible) if this is the look they
want. Although math may not be your strong suit, it might be interesting
to calculate the increased number of pages this sort of formatting will
produce, and the associated increase in printing cost. Elna's post had
some great suggestions, too.

Submit all that input to them DIPLOMATICALLY, and remember the key word:
supervisor. You get paid to do what the boss tells you to do. If they want
the text on your pages to look like a racing stripe, give it to them.

 
> ...Is this situation unsalvageable? 


Annoying maybe, but it doesn't seem like they're limiting your ability to
create useful, accurate content. They're just upping the page count and
making the doc look a little silly. If you'd walk away from a job because
of this, the job market must not be as tough where you are as it is here.
 

> I see this latest incident with the margins issue as a direct sabotage and
> a direct reflection of my lack of credibility within this org and with 
> him.


That seems a bit dramatic, and lends credence to the Tina the Techwriter
profile created in Dilbert. It's not all about you - it's just a silly
decision. One which does not impact the quality of the content you create,
only its appearance.

 
> PS Sorry for long post...just had to vent!%^&* Really want to cry.


There's a lot of writers out of work right now. Think hard about how big a
deal this stuff is to you.

respectfully, 

Keith Cronin


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Check out RoboDemo for tutorials! It makes creating full-motion software
demonstrations and other onscreen support materials easy and intuitive.
Need RoboHelp? Save $100 on RoboHelp Office in May with our mail-in rebate.
Go to http://www.ehelp.com/techwr-l

Free copy of ARTS PDF Tools when you register for the PDF
Conference by May 15. Leading-Edge Practices for Enterprise
& Government, June 3-5, Bethesda,MD. www.PDFConference.com

---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as: archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot-  Visit http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.