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.
Yes, I think we should constantly be doing all those things like
encouraging the reader...it's how we get him/her to read our stuff. BUT
this might be more about usability & audience analysis & getting to know
our audience, and not working out of our own biases. Do you know what a
veliger is? I didn't, and wanted to change it to a better-understood term
(a larval mollusk; now you know!!). Then I found out my audience knew
veligers from mollusks like I know my phone number. What I would've
thought was helpful would've been perceived as patronizing.
So: do we really have here an argument for usability & audience
analysis before moving on to the rhetoric? For ex, do *all* engineering
firms work solely in greys and maroons? All lawyers in Times?
Mary Durlak
Erie Documentation
TECHWR-L List Information
To send a message about technical communication to 2500+ list readers,
E-mail to TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU -dot- Send administrative commands
ALL other questions or problems concerning the list
should go to the listowner, Eric Ray, at ejray -at- ionet -dot- net -dot-
