RE: Concepts (was Technical Writing Tests)

[Matthew Horn <mhorn -at- macromedia -dot- com>]

Andrew, 

Thanks for posting a list of "people who actually read docs". It made me think, so I commend you for that.

But I think everyone's experiences are different. I've been in the business for almost 10 years (I know, I'm a newbie), but I've never read other tech writer's docs to rip off styles, and I don't think I know anyone who has. I'd rather read specs and rip off good ones.

Furthermore, my boss never reads my docs (who would have the time?), and the only co-worker who reads them is my editor. Peer reviews sound nice on paper, but they don't seem to exist in my world.

Finally, I think there are alot more diligent readers out there who are using my docs to do something. I know this from watching forums and discussion boards and interacting with users on said forums. 

Here's an amended list:

The people who actually read docs (in order) are:
1. Your editor
2. The honestly diligent reader
3. Your competitors
4. Potential customers 
5. Forced users
6. The curious


Matthew J. Horn
Sr. Technical Writer
< m a c r o m e d i a >

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