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.
Subject:RE: Why I like this list but not OT (long) From:Richard Lewis <tech44writer -at- yahoo -dot- com> To:Mary Arrotti <mary_arrotti -at- yahoo -dot- com>, vrfour -at- verizon -dot- net, techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com Date:Tue, 12 Dec 2006 12:08:53 -0800 (PST)
The best listserv that I belong to is the requirements engineering listserv. This is a real quite listserv - often weeks pass without anyone posting. But, when you need great advice from renowned authorities, it is an excellent source. Is there a lesson here?
Richard Lewis
Mary Arrotti <mary_arrotti -at- yahoo -dot- com> wrote:
Lately, I (like several people I privately heard from) have thought about unsubscribing. It's been hard lately to distinquish between on topic & random posts. I've been interested in a subject but ended up reading a lot of posts that - if properly identified - I would have skipped.
There are a lot of things we could discuss and it's not for me to define what topics are relevant or not relevant - or what should be discussed. Yes, employment, interviewing, management could be good & relevant topics. But what makes a post relevant & of interest to others & ON TOPIC is what's ACTUALLY in the post - not the subject line.
When a topic gets hijacked - changes from something of common interest to a dialogue of little interest to anyone but its participants (for example - personal exchanges or off-topic jokes) or veers completely away from tech writing - then I would consider that off-topic. Again, I'm not saying that people shouldn't post this type of thing. I personally wouldn't care if someone put their diary on techwr-l. I'd just like to be able to distinquish it from other topics.
A while back, I read a good article about what & when to post - it referred to speaking in an auditorium. Basically. the gist was to ask a few questions before posting - something along these lines...Is it relevant to tech writing? Have you added something to the topic? Are you saying something more than "me too"?
James Barrow wrote:
---------------------------------
Everyone is raving about the all-new Yahoo! Mail beta.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
WebWorks ePublisher Pro for Word features support for every major Help
format plus PDF, HTML and more. Flexible, precise, and efficient content
delivery. Try it today! http://www.webworks.com/techwr-l
Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats or
printed documentation. Features include single source authoring, team authoring,
Web-based technology, and PDF output. http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList
---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as tech44writer -at- yahoo -dot- com -dot-
To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Send administrative questions to admin -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
---------------------------------
Need a quick answer? Get one in minutes from people who know. Ask your question on Yahoo! Answers.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
WebWorks ePublisher Pro for Word features support for every major Help
format plus PDF, HTML and more. Flexible, precise, and efficient content
delivery. Try it today! http://www.webworks.com/techwr-l
Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats or
printed documentation. Features include single source authoring, team authoring,
Web-based technology, and PDF output. http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList
---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- infoinfocus -dot- com -dot-