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Subject:Re: Origin of PC terms From:Stephen Victor <svictor -at- LGC -dot- COM> Date:Fri, 9 Jun 1995 09:54:32 CDT
> And THIS, IMHO, should be a part of the credo of this group. We are TECHNICAL
> writers. Technical issues should be the primary consideration of our
> writings. We should be careful not to offend, of course, but we cannot
> concentrate on effective technical writing when we are so concerned with who
> may or may not be pissed off with all the various connotations they care to
> read into our every word.
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On the contrary, as technical writers, how our words might be perceived should
be paramount in our minds, if for no other reason that saving our companies'
collective behinds (and therefore our own). Someone else in this thread has
commented on the marketing and public relations aspects of our writing, and I
must agree. For example, I once worked for a company that produced software for
the call center industry. Our software and documentation were directed toward
telephone operators, who traditionally are women, and their managers, who quite
often are women who have risen from the ranks of operators. We were careful to
avoid gender-specific language when referring to these people in examples
(e.g., assuming that managers were male). Another example: this company decided
not to use a term then prevalent in the computer industry--abort (as in "Press
Escape to abort")--because of the controversial connotations of the term.
A good rule of thumb then: Know who your audience is, and don't piss them off
(to use your colorful wording). They're keeping you in a job.
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Stephen P. Victor svictor -at- lgc -dot- com
Landmark Graphics Corporation http://www.cda.ulpgc.es/steve.html
15150 Memorial Drive
Houston, TX 77009 USA
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