RE: taking too long

["David Cooper" <david_cooper_consulting -at- sympatico -dot- ca>]

Andrew,

Your "arguments" aren't arguments (that's my point, in case you missed it).
Your recent postings are full of unfocussed rants about tech writers, users,
the business, the world, the way things are, he who has the money, and so
on. Are you contributing anything to the discussion, or just venting? Don't
you have a diary?

Just for fun, here are my arguments, from your last posting alone:

"many businesses have collapsed into oblivion with user obsessions."

Name one. Name one business that has failed by spending too much time
thinking about their users. Never in all my experience, reading,
conversations with industry professionals -- nay, not even in my wildest
imagination -- have I ever heard the captain of a sinking software company
say "Alas! I only we'd only spent a little less time thinking about the
user."

"largely due in part [sic] to the overwhelming incompetence in the tech
writing profession."

Based on what criteria? Here's a wake-up call for you -- Tech writing isn't
a profession. We're not doctors, lawyers, engineers, pharmacists, or
electricians. Bus drivers require more training than tech writers. And that
works fine, as long as the hiring manager understands the concept of a skill
set and either (a) hires people who know how to manage projects, plan
resources, propose solutions, even affect organizational change, or (b)
makes sure those skills are available from elsewhere in the organization.
Before hurling an accusation of "incompetence" at a list full of people, I
suggest defining what your criteria for competence are, and being prepared
to offer both evidence and -- here's a thought -- suggestions for becoming
competent.

"starry-eyed promises of usability based on theories gleaned from web sites
is just not worth the investment."

What IS worth the investment? Pumping out reams of copy and code without a
plan, without a thought for the user, without being able to defend your
design decisions? I'd rather just burn my cash, thanks -- it'd be a faster
way to go broke. Sorry, but without considering usability, the web designer
& tech writer & programmer & project manager & every other shareholder
should just pack up and go home. I'd much rather be accused of being a
"starry-eyed" while working to better serve the users who pay my wage than
having my head so firmly implanted where the sun don't shine that I have
nothing but contempt for the kind of project management skills that every
other industry uses as building blocks of profitability, but for some reason
are viewed as fluff in the world of software development.

(By the way, I wasn't bitching -- I was challenging you to defend your
position, which I'm still looking forward to.)
Dave


-----Original Message-----
From: Andrew Plato [mailto:gilliankitty -at- yahoo -dot- com]
Sent: Thursday, October 10, 2002 10:21 AM
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Cc: david_cooper_consulting -at- sympatico -dot- ca
Subject: Re: taking too long



"David Cooper" <> wrote in message news:171902 -at- techwr-l -dot-  -dot-  -dot- 
>
> Here's a fun game -- find a paragraph in the most recent posting for this
> thread that does not include (a) a broad generalization about software
> developers, (b) a broad generalization about writers, or (c) a sarcastic
or
> condescending statement of unreasoned opinion presented as empirical fact.
>
> Hmmmm...can't find one, can ya?
>
> I've seen more thoughtful exchanges on Jerry Springer. Anyone have
anything
> _constructive_ to say?

Apparently not. All you are doing is offering a pointless meta-argument
about how
the discussion fails to meet your exacting standards.

Why don't you actually present some counter arguments rather than just
bitching.

Andrew Plato

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