Workmanship

[Bruce Brodersen <baruch -at- TELEPORT -dot- COM>]

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Melonie Holman writes:

> IMHO, whenever I see poor technical writing it is my duty to my
profession
> to notify the company from which it came. If they have a writer on
staff, they
> should know their writing needs improvement (whether or not they are
willing
> to
> change it).

What unmitigated chutzpah! Who made you the arbiter of technical
writing standards? Who assigned you your "duty" to contact companies
and trash other writers' work? IMHO! In my humble opinion indeed!

How would you like someone who you've never met before to contact your
employer or your client and strongly criticize your work? How smug the
rationalization, "they should know their writing needs improvement."

If you are prospecting for work, and you see documentation that needs
improvement, contact the company. "You can use my services. I can make
this better for you." But to go out an destroy business relationships,
to go out and intentionally make people feel bad to satisfy your sense
of professional standing, -that will hardly raise the esteem of
technical writers in the world.

Rob McMartin has it right when he says,
> Don't bag the man who wrote the document unless you have sat in his
> chair.

No one is immune to criticism. Even top-flight professional writers
can craft awkward sentences, and then display the blemish as a post
for the world to see.


Bruce Brodersen
Technical Writing Services
Portland, Oregon
baruch -at- teleport -dot- com
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