Re: Okay all you independent contractors: hit the bricks with THIS

[Andrew Plato <gilliankitty -at- yahoo -dot- com>]

"Dick Margulis " wrote ...

> No. Simplicity implies economy of language and clarity of understanding.

That is true...to a technical writer, editor, or other linguistic type person
simplicity implies clarity of understanding.  To other people, it does not,
necessarily, signify that. It can mean many other things.  This is
informational relativity. What seems very clear and well-ordered to you, may
seem childish, stupid, even worthless to somebody else.  

Hence, when developing information (versus just editing material) that's an
important concept to consider. If the information is *too* easy or *too*
simplistic, it may be perceived as common and inexpensive. Hence, the customer
won't pay $425 for it. 

Consider an arcane technology - like Mars rovers. Information about Mars rover
technologies is arguably harder to obtain than information about a Jeep Grand
Cherokee. Hence, knowledge of Mars Rovers is more valuable, since its harder to
acquire that knowledge. Therefore, there isn't a need to make that information
very simple or elegant, since there are a few people that need it, and they can
wade through gunky docs to get it. 

Remember, scarcity leads to value. If everybody knew the information your
company paid $425 for, then it wouldn't be worth $425. It would be free. 

>> Editors and tech writers ultimately commoditize information. 
>> As such, there is a perception, in some circles, of 
>> reduction in value when information is commoditized. 
>> Hence, in such industries tech writers may
>> be seen as detrimental to business. 
> 
> That's just too far out of left field to respond to.

That's information relativity. 

You're looking at this issue from the perspective of a technical writer, not an
executive or consultant. Hence, your priorities are different. When you alter
priorities and put yourself in the position of a consultant delivering
information, you begin to realize that your knowledge has value, and that
knowledge isn't always intended for mass consumption.

Its like what Alex Baldwin says in Glengarry Glen Ross:   

"These are the good leads, the Glengarry leads. And giving them to you would be
like throwing them away..."

What he is saying is that valuable information cannot be just given out,
commodity fashion, to anybody who wants it. People will waste that information
or misuse it. Moreover, it can denigrate the value of that information. If a
company invests big money in information, it isn't going to just hand it out
for free to every dipstick on the street. That would reduce the value of that
information and reduce the value of the investment. 

These are important concepts to think about. When you look past the words and
language into the actual information - your perspective changes. And you
realize that clarity is as relative as time. 

Andrew Plato 

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