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And actually, I'm criticizing EVERYONE's use of "impact."
Ditto ""utlilize" rather than "use."
etc.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Dan Goldstein" <DGoldstein -at- riverainmedical -dot- com>
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Sent: Wednesday, September 21, 2011 11:34:08 AM
Subject: RE: Choosing and managing customer-facing terminology
"Effect," not "affect."
(I usually ignore typos on TECHWR-L, but you're criticizing someone
else's English usage, so I thought you would care.)
-----Original Message-----
From: mattgras
Sent: Wednesday, September 21, 2011 2:18 PM
To: Julian Cantella
Cc: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: Re: Choosing and managing customer-facing terminology
Actually, I think this topic may have a big "affect" rather than an
"impact" (KABOOM!!!!) on user perception.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Julian Cantella" <jcantel -at- us -dot- ibm -dot- com>
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Sent: Wednesday, September 21, 2011 10:55:43 AM
Subject: Choosing and managing customer-facing terminology
Hello,
I'm curious about how writers choose terminology that will be exposed to
customers. In particular, I'm thinking about text that is highly visible
and informs the users' view of the product, like embedded assistance in
software documentation.
Do you use whatever terminology your subject matter experts provide?
Consult domain publications and other products in the field?
When you decide what terminology you'd like to use, how do you enforce
it and ensure that everyone (other writers for the same product,
developers, maybe even marketing) is on the same page? Do you record
your decision in a common database?
And finally, what happens when you and your subject matter experts
disagree? Do you try to put alternatives in front of users?
This topic is pretty broad, but it's an important one that has a big
impact on users' perception of product and documentation quality.
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