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Then you shouldn't sell that feature in your help for your users.
Adobe and Microsoft, at least, are doing exactly this with their help files.
If this upsets you, I suggest you start tracking what help is being tracked
in the products you purchase and then let the manufacturer know you don't
like it.
sharon
Sharon Burton
MadCap Software Product Consultant
Managing your content, one topic at a time
www.anthrobytes.com
951-369-8590
IM: sharonvburton -at- yahoo -dot- com
Twitter: sharonburton
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+sharon=anthrobytes -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+sharon=anthrobytes -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On
Behalf Of Robert Lauriston
Sent: Sunday, September 27, 2009 10:43 AM
To: TECHWR-L
Subject: Re: Follow-up to question about getting feedback from users
Being knowledgeable about legal issues regarding documentation and
knowing when to run something past the legal department are part of
being a good tech writer. For example, it's our responsibility to
ensure that our employers' trademarks and copyrights are recognized
properly, and that we're not infringing other companies'.
Common sense is also important. Any good tech writer should know that
selling someone an application containing a .chm that tracks and
reports on how they're using it without the user's explicit permission
is bad business.
On Fri, Sep 25, 2009 at 5:44 PM, Bill Swallow <techcommdood -at- gmail -dot- com>
wrote:
> I think these cases are why companies employ lawyers. Maybe it's best
> we leave this topic for them to hash out.
>
> On Fri, Sep 25, 2009 at 8:32 PM, <quills -at- airmail -dot- net> wrote:
>> Which is why I said the company that provided the .chm help file. MadCap
>> would be an incidental in culpability. Ignorance of the law isn't a
>> defense. Companies dealing with customers in the EU have to be aware of
>> the privacy laws. I'm just saying that there are different laws and
>> standards applied when dealing in the U.S. and in the EU.
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Free Software Documentation Project Web Cast: Covers developing Table of
Contents, Context IDs, and Index, as well as Doc-To-Help
2009 tips, tricks, and best practices. http://www.doctohelp.com/SuperPages/Webcasts/
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/
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You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as sharon -at- anthrobytes -dot- com -dot-
Free Software Documentation Project Web Cast: Covers developing Table of
Contents, Context IDs, and Index, as well as Doc-To-Help
2009 tips, tricks, and best practices. http://www.doctohelp.com/SuperPages/Webcasts/
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-
