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 think that most people on this list would not be so argumentative about a
lack of paragraphing in a post. Bonnie posted her suggestions in private
and the OP brought the issue back to the list. Generally, arguments on this
list are reserved for disagreements about writing conventions and the career
of technical writing, so there might not be many people who will jump in on
the argument about the use of carriage returns to take sides.
The arguments here about formatting or why somebody chooses to not format a
post do not belong on this forum. This discussion should be taken off-line
or to TechWr-L-chat. This is a professional forum.
Additionally, people tend to use this list during the work week and this
thread cropped up over the weekend. I imagine that there are a few people
who might have something to say in response to the OP's thread or on either
side of the irrelevant argument, but people probably won't post until
Monday, if they post at all.
I, personally, did not respond to the OP's thread because she stated, "I'm
not writing to get suggestions as to what to do." I didn't see a question
in her post or a topic to open for discussion (since she mentioned,
essentially, that she didn't want a discussion), so there was no need to
respond.
Although, I do think that it would be polite for the OP to format her letter
to the forum so that it is more readable at a glance, rather than writing so
that readers need to parse key points. We are, after all, writers who are
capable of writing for ease of readability, although forum writing often
lacks proper writing structure and precision, posts tend to reflect courtesy
(or professional disagreement) towards forum readers in writing style and
tone.
We should also maintain a professional tone and composure because all posts
to this list are posted on the Internet. Posts reflect the nature of the
forum and they are easily searchable by keyword or author name.
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-
