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.
RE: The cranky user: The importance of documentation
Subject:RE: The cranky user: The importance of documentation From:"Latella, Vincent" <VINCENT -dot- LATELLA -at- saic -dot- com> To:"Technical Writing" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Tue, 2 Dec 2008 15:15:24 -0500
Nice article! Thank you for sharing it.
The author makes an interesting point regarding indexes, although I'd
like to hear his opinion regarding *when* adding one is warranted.
I'm assuming he'd say that it's somehow tied to document length and/or
complexity; whereas a two-page quick reference wouldn't benefit greatly
from an index, a 200 page manual clearly would.
Regardless, surely he doesn't advocate the inclusion of indexes on
*everything,* does he?
I just wonder if there's a rule of thumb that can be applied here. I'd
wager to say that not all of us create documents that are "undermined"
by their lack of indexes.
Regards,
Vin Latella
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+vincent -dot- latella=saic -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+vincent -dot- latella=saic -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On
Behalf Of Cardimon, Craig
Sent: Tuesday, December 02, 2008 2:21 PM
To: Technical Writing
Subject: The cranky user: The importance of documentation
************************************************************************
*****************************************************************
Information contained in this e-mail transmission is privileged and
confidential. If you are not the intended recipient of this email,
do not read, distribute or reproduce this transmission (including any
attachments). If you have received this e-mail in error, please
immediately notify the sender by telephone or email reply.
************************************************************************
*****************************************************************
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
ComponentOne Doc-To-Help 2009 is your all-in-one authoring and
publishing
solution. Author in Doc-To-Help's XML-based editor, Microsoft Word or
HTML and publish to the Web, Help systems or printed manuals. http://www.doctohelp.com
Help & Manual 5: The complete help authoring tool for individual
authors and teams. Professional power, intuitive interface. Write
once, publish to 8 formats. Multi-user authoring and version control! http://www.helpandmanual.com/
---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as VINCENT -dot- LATELLA -at- saic -dot- com -dot-
ComponentOne Doc-To-Help 2009 is your all-in-one authoring and publishing
solution. Author in Doc-To-Help's XML-based editor, Microsoft Word or
HTML and publish to the Web, Help systems or printed manuals. http://www.doctohelp.com
Help & Manual 5: The complete help authoring tool for individual
authors and teams. Professional power, intuitive interface. Write
once, publish to 8 formats. Multi-user authoring and version control! http://www.helpandmanual.com/
---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-