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Subject:RE: Do I have to understand the material? From:"Jane Carnall" <jane -dot- carnall -at- digitalbridges -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Fri, 16 Aug 2002 18:19:27 +0100
Paul Strasser wrote:
<So I guess I was writing a user's guide to Interpreting Grand Geyser for
<Visitors. And you needed both a writer and SME - and I wore both hats.
And, unusually, you were THE SME - the only one, and one who could write.
I'm sure you delivered a cracker of a manual.
But - let's say that the necessary information on all the geysers was not
contained within the head of one SME who was also a writer. Suppose there
were four or five SMEs with overlapping information, and that none of them
could write coherently? A better manual might then be produced by hiring a
writer with some background (so that they wouldn't waste the SMEs time on
the really silly questions) but with the capacity to gather the information
and put it together, thus making connections these (hypothetical) five SMEs
might not even be aware of. This writer might not, at the start of the
project, know as much about geysers as any one of the SMEs - but a skilled
technical writer would still be able to put together an excellent manual,
though it would likely take somewhat longer than in the fortunate situation
where a skilled technical writer was ALSO the best SME.
Jane Carnall
"This is a lighthouse. Your call."
Apologies for the long additional sig: it is added automatically and outwith
my control. Home: hj -dot- carnall -at- virgin -dot- net
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