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.
The care and feeding of SME's...I LOVE IT!! Sounds like a million dollar
selling book to me! :)
Melissa
>From: "Dori Green" <dgreen -at- associatedbrands -dot- com>
>To: <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
>Subject: RE: 40-hour weeks
>Date: Fri, 6 Jul 2007 11:27:12 -0400
>
>Melissa Nelson wrote: wanna form a support group? :)
>
>*********************
>
>It's called STC, the official support group for writers struggling to get
>the doggone info. I did a presentation at our local chapter's spring
>conference on care and feeding of (and info extraction from resistant)
>SMEs.
>
>Dori Green
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> >From: Richard Lewis <tech44writer -at- yahoo -dot- com>
> >To: Kevin McLauchlan <kmclauchlan -at- safenet-inc -dot- com>,TECHWR-L
> ><techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
> >Subject: RE: 40-hour weeks Date: Fri, 6 Jul 2007 07:44:32 -0700 (PDT)
> >
> >Only about 20% of my time per week is productive - that includes analysis
> >(i.e., learning). Where does the rest of the time go? In my current
> >assignment, I am driving enterprise-wide integration efforts (i.e., I am
> >doing a bunch of essential data flow diagrams). I have to talk with a
> >large number of analysts, managers, etc to tie their automation efforts
> >together. (Their documentation of what they are doing is largely
>useless:
> >I want to know what they are doing, and all they ever want to document is
> >how they are doing what they are doing.)
> >
> > Soooooo much time is wasted in trying to get answers to my questions
> >(i.e., not on learning, but in getting the learning inputs). There are
> >two main reasons for this:
> >
> > * Most people spend just about all of their time focused on things
>that
> >are either are non-relevant, or that should not be considered until much
> >later in a project. These people - often senior level - are basically
> >incapable of answering questions about some of the most important things
> >for which they are charged.
> >
> > * Some people are very turf conscious. They feel that if I know the
> >essentials of what they know that it subtracts from their power base.
> >
> > This is the way the work world works except in some rare,
>highly-focused
> >efforts - people working 41 or MORE hours per week focused on the trivial
>-
> >and taking forever to get some minor thing done.
> >
> > Richard Lewis
> >
> >
> >Kevin McLauchlan <kmclauchlan -at- safenet-inc -dot- com> wrote:
> > On Behalf Of Richard Lewis wrote:
> >
> > > I work a max of 40 hours a week. Of that, only about 20% of my time is
> > > productive.
> >
> >Ah, but remember that old joke:
> >
> >Homeowner has plumbing problem and calls plumber.
> >Plumber arrives, surveys situation for a couple of minutes, hauls out a
>big
> >pipe-wrench and hits the pipe hard.
> >"That'll be $200", sez the plumber.
> >The homeowner is outraged. "Whaddya mean $200!? All you did was whack the
> >pipe! I could have done that!"
> >Plumber ponders for a few seconds, scribbles on a pad and hands homeowner
> >an
> >itemized bill ~
> >"Hitting pipe ... $5.00
> >Knowing where to hit ... $195.00"
> >
> >At least some of that other eighty percent of your time is where you
>learn
> >all about "where to hit". Yes?
> >
> >Kevin
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >---------------------------------
> >Boardwalk for $500? In 2007? Ha!
> >Play Monopoly Here and Now (it's updated for today's economy) at Yahoo!
> >Games.
> >^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> >
> >Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats or
> >printed documentation. Features include support for Windows Vista & 2007
> >Microsoft Office, team authoring, plus more.
> >http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList
> >
> >True single source, conditional content, PDF export, modular help.
> >Help & Manual is the most powerful authoring tool for technical
> >documentation. Boost your productivity! http://www.helpandmanual.com
> >
> >---
> >You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as melmis36 -at- hotmail -dot- com -dot-
> >
> >To unsubscribe send a blank email to
> >techwr-l-unsubscribe -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> >or visit
> >http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/melmis36%40hotmail.com
> >
> >
> >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/ for more resources and info.
> >
>
>
>^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
>Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats or
>printed documentation. Features include support for Windows Vista & 2007
>Microsoft Office, team authoring, plus more.
>http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList
>
>True single source, conditional content, PDF export, modular help.
>Help & Manual is the most powerful authoring tool for technical
>documentation. Boost your productivity! http://www.helpandmanual.com
>
>---
>You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as dgreen -at- associatedbrands -dot- com -dot-
>
>To unsubscribe send a blank email to
>techwr-l-unsubscribe -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
>or visit
>http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/dgreen%40associatedbrands.com
>
>
>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/ for more resources and info.
>
>^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
>Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats or
>printed documentation. Features include support for Windows Vista & 2007
>Microsoft Office, team authoring, plus more.
>http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList
>
>True single source, conditional content, PDF export, modular help.
>Help & Manual is the most powerful authoring tool for technical
>documentation. Boost your productivity! http://www.helpandmanual.com
>
>---
>You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as melmis36 -at- hotmail -dot- com -dot-
>
>To unsubscribe send a blank email to
>techwr-l-unsubscribe -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
>or visit
>http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/melmis36%40hotmail.com
>
>
>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/ for more resources and info.
>
Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats or
printed documentation. Features include support for Windows Vista & 2007
Microsoft Office, team authoring, plus more. http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList
True single source, conditional content, PDF export, modular help.
Help & Manual is the most powerful authoring tool for technical
documentation. Boost your productivity! http://www.helpandmanual.com
---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-