Re: First day advice.

[Lydia Wong <lydiaw -at- GTE -dot- NET>]

The advice posted so far has been excellent (I've learned from
it!)--particularly the advice to listen and ask questions. Good listening
and interviewing skills are the trademarks of the best technical writers, I
believe. You can write beautifully, but if you can't obtain the information
you need, you're stuck.

I'll add one other little piece of advice, though:

Be sure that everything you write at work, no matter how small or seemingly
insignificant, is correct, complete, clear, accurate, and grammatically
correct. Also, be aware that you never know who might read it and therefore,
whom it might affect.

You never know who will see the results of your writing or in what context
it might reappear, particularly in this day of electronic communications.
What you write represents you, and it represents the company for which you
work. (This is true for any employee anywhere, but particularly true for
writers.)

So, review everything you write, and think about what it is really saying
and how it might be interpreted. Check that you've spelled everything
correctly (obvious, but we all forget to do it sometimes!). All this can
keep you out of trouble, and make you a better writer.

The bottom line is (this is probably a quote from someone, but I don't know
who!):
Don't write anything you wouldn't want someone else to read.

Good luck in your job!

Lydia Wong
Technical Writer
FarPoint Technologies, Inc.


	http://www.documentation.com/, or http://www.dejanews.com/