My complaint about the tedious immortal thread

[Keith Hood <klhra -at- yahoo -dot- com>]

It is tiresome to have one's in box constantly filled
with messages that are no longer germane to the
purpose of the list, that long ago lost any
significant connection to the original purpose of the
thread, that are not accurately described by the
subject line, and that one must continually skim past
to find topics that may be of use. Continuing to use
the "Lawsuit" subject line for discussions of
philosophy is a disservice to other readers who may
actually want to read about that lawsuit and its
(logically) related ramifications.

It is tiresome to be forced to continually delete a
huge flood of mislabeled, misrepresented messages in
order to winnow the list down to those which may still
serve some useful purpose.

It is not sensible to continue to use a *very* old tag
line for a message the content of which has changed so
much that is has only the vaguest connection with the
board's purpose or even with its own subject line, and
in order to establish even that tenuous connection the
writer must resort to the use of parables. 

It would be just plain good manners for some people,
once they have been given a request, to stop
performing an act which they have been told is a
source of annoyance.

If you just absolutely must continue to the use the
subject line "Tech Writer Lawsuit," would you please,
if only for the sake of those who might actually be
interested in that lawsuit, make your posts actually
germane TO THAT LAWSUIT?

Failing that, if you wish to post messages about
philosophy, would you please use subject lines that
actually identify the real subject matter of your
posts? Is it too much to ask that a technical writer,
a person who is supposedly interested in making his
writing accurate, use a subject line that is an
accurate label for the true nature of his post?


--- "Leonard C. Porrello"
<Leonard -dot- Porrello -at- SoleraTec -dot- com> wrote:

> If the moderator has appointed you as a deputy, I'd
> happily defer.
> Otherwise, I'd suggest you missed the explicit TW
> tie-in: "This is
> analogous to the distinction that can be made
> between professional and
> amateur writers. Professional writers ideally
> understand their
> rhetorical decisions, why they are saying what they
> are saying in the
> way they are saying it."
> 
> If you can't see the discussion's implications for
> tech writing or are
> otherwise uninterested, you can always press
> "Delete".
> 
> Leonard
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From:
>
techwr-l-bounces+leonard -dot- porrello=soleratec -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
>
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+leonard -dot- porrello=soleratec -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- c
> om] On Behalf Of Keith Hood
> Sent: Tuesday, June 03, 2008 9:07 AM
> To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> Subject: Re: Tech Writer Lawsuit
> 
> OK, since I am a professional curmudgeon now that
> this
> discussion has turned into a philosophical
> discussion
> on a board that is supposed to be used for
> discussing
> matters related to technical writing, I will finally
> surrender to the urge I have had for days and ask
> can
> we *please* FINALLY end this thread? Or can someone
> still detect one live cell in this horse carcass?
> 
> 
> --- Gene Kim-Eng <techwr -at- genek -dot- com> wrote:
> 
> > They may balance out as far as current earnings
> > (though
> > the numbers of technical writers with
> non-technical
> > degrees
> > who switched might argue against that) but the
> > higher initial
> > salary means the non-techs would have to end up
> > earning
> > *more* to achieve lifetime balance.  A college
> > friend of
> > mine went on to earn her PhD, and on the first day
> > of the
> > doctoral program, the advisor told all present
> that
> > if they
> > were pursuing a doctorate because they thought
> > they'd
> > make more money they should drop out now and get
> > jobs,
> > because the added income for a PhD would never
> make
> > up for the years of lost income getting it.
> > 
> > And yes, the pay for engineering instructors
> > traditionally
> > is just as bad as for the humanities.  Most of my
> > engineering instructors in college were either
> there
> > teaching after having retired from careers in
> > industry
> > or because the job came with free use of college
> lab
> > and other facilities for consulting work that
> > brought in
> > more money than they made teaching.
> > 
> > Gene Kim-Eng
> > 
> > 
> > ----- Original Message ----- 
> > From: "Leonard C. Porrello"
> > <Leonard -dot- Porrello -at- SoleraTec -dot- com>
> > >There's a lot of validity to what you are saying.
> I
> > was thinking
> > >specifically of a recent Italian survey. It
> > demonstrated that while
> > >science and engineering graduates do earn more
> > right out of university,
> > >a few years down the road, salaries balance out.
> I
> > would suppose that
> > >the lower salaries of teachers of humanities
> would
> > be balanced out by
> > >the lower salaries of those teaching engineering
> > and science.
> > 
> >
>
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>       
>
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