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Maybe it's our job to "sell" what we do and get them on our side with
superior materials.
I use a single source publishing package (Paligo) but I resist all attempts
to create PDF documents. My focus is on online help and training materials
(including video). I also document processes and FAQs in Confluence (which
I do not believe is suitable for end user documentation). Users can print
topics and sections and whatever they need from the online help.
I try to reduce the number of trees we kill while also keeping in mind that
everyone absorbs information in different ways.
On the employment side....
I've worked for managers who make Dilbert's manager look good. One in
particular wanted me to copy Apple's style and create documentation with
less words - more pictures. When I showed him an Apple technical manual
with lots of words and no pictures, he responded it should be like Ikea.
I write user content for financial applications. I don't know how to do
that with pictures alone. Maybe I resisted because I despise documentation
that is little more than a pictorial tour through a system with little
information on the nuances, etc. Or maybe I couldn't get the picture of a
dollar bill with wings to represent a deposit. Instead, I played to his
ego, pointed out that obviously he was more forward thinking than I was,
and begged him to choose a topic in our help files and provide me with an
example. He beamed with pleasure and said he would do just that and get
back to me. The topic was never discussed again.
On Tue, Feb 21, 2023 at 1:46 PM davecc0000 <davec2468 -at- gmail -dot- com> wrote:
> What you say is true, Suzette, but if peers and management believe that
> this is any part of a TW job description, itâs money in the bank.
>
> Dave
>
>
> > On Feb 21, 2023, at 7:33 AM, Suzette Seveny <suzette -dot- seveny -at- gmail -dot- com>
> wrote:
> >
> > Technical writing is more than spell check and "writing well" (imho).
> It's
> > also user analysis, readability levels, user advocacy, cross-referencing,
> > and indexing.... etc.
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