TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
I believe that FAQ info masquerades as an incidental or anecdotal type of
information organization, yet in fact it is one of a handful of fundamental
"sort orders."
Most people are accustomed to expecting 1) TOC (categorical), 2)index
(intelligent alpha), and 3)search (raw alpha) sort orders for accessing
info. Personally, I expect to also see information made available
4)chronologically. FAQ is information in the fifth most common order, that
of frequency or popularity, which in less problem-oriented contexts is often
presented as "What's Hot." (Additional orders, geographical, color, often
arise but I don't feel they're not fundamental.)
Once a list of FAQs becomes long enough (15, 20, 25 items?) that it benefits
from grouping into categories, frequency is no longer a factor and you
essentially have a textbook written as disjointed questions.
WEBWORKS FINALDRAFT - EDIT AND REVIEW, REDEFINED
Accelerate the document lifecycle with full online discussions and unique feedback-management capabilities. Unlimited, efficient reviews for Word
and FrameMaker authors. Live, online demo: http://www.webworks.com/techwr-l
Technical Communication Certificate online - Malaspina-University College, Canada. Online training in technical writing, software (FrameMaker, RoboHelp, Dreamweaver, Acrobat), document & web design, writing manuals, job search. www.pr.mala.bc.ca/tech_comm.htm for details.
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as:
archiver -at- techwr-l -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Send administrative questions to lisa -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
