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Subject:Re: Acronyms--RTFM From:"Wilcox, John (WWC, Contractor)" <wilcoxj -at- WDNI -dot- COM> Date:Mon, 10 Nov 1997 11:25:00 -0800
----------
From: Miark
The expression helps builds solidarity among writers by boldly
expressing
the deep frustration that we experience when people waste our efforts by
not
reading our work, and then waste more time by calling tech support.
Expressing that kind of depth requires the use of an expletive, so and
leaving it out would make the expression fall flat. And being shop talk,
we
should feel free to use such expressions, with the comfort of knowing
that
we aren't hurting anyone. So not only does it build solidarity, it's
therapeutic--like screaming in a closet.
'N its fun 'n stuff.
Mike
-----------------------
I see this horse isn't quite dead yet, so I guess it's OK to beat it.
Consider the statement RTFM not as a matter of personal morality but as
a tech writing issue:
1. Prime Directive: Consider the audience. By including the F, you make
a gross assumption about your audience, whether they be your readers or
fellow writers. You assume that they swear, or at least that they will
have some appreciation for your use of it. That may be true in your
culture, but I don't think it's a valid assumption among an audience as
general as either a) your readers, or b) TWs in general. Expressing
your frustration does not "require the use of an expletive." Nothing
does. Well, possibly it would be required in order to "build solidarity
among" street gang members, but among writers? I think not. If you
consider yourself a good technical communicator, I would hope that you
could find a way of communicating effectively with your audience without
resorting to swearing at them.
From my list of Secondary Directives:
1. Be complete. If you're sure the reader won't understand what you're
saying without the F, by all means include it.
2. Be correct. Since manuals do not engage in sexual intercourse, RTFM
conveys incorrect information.
3. Be consistent. Do you use the F elsewhere in your tech writing?
4. Be clear. RTM is clear. Inserting the F forces the reader to view
the instruction through a filter.
5. Be concise. The F increases the word count by 33% unnecessarily.
Regards,
John Wilcox, Documentation Specialist
Timberlands Information Services
Application Delivery Group
Weyerhaeuser, WWC 2E2
Tacoma, WA 98477-0001 USA
253-924-7972 mailto:wilcoxj -at- wdni -dot- com
(I don't speak for Weyerhaeuser, and they return the favor.)
