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But the metaphor is not quite right. Imagine having to call your story in at
the end of the 3rd quarter and then calling back at random intervals to
change the story and update it because some calls made in the first half are
being remade and changed at random intervals and you are finding them out as
you think to ask about them. And you still don't know how the game will turn
out. And have your story still be accurate when it goes to press.
That is actually more like the software industry, anyway. I too have done
some journalism and it is good training but you have to imagine writing that
story as the story is occurring and as stuff that has already happened is
changing.
Kinda of hurts my brain to imagine it. Maybe if Gordi re-aligns the
transporter.....
sharon
Sharon Burton
Anthrobytes Consulting
Home of RoboNEWS(tm), the award-winning unofficial RoboHELP Newsletter
www.anthrobytes.com
anthrobytes -at- anthrobytes -dot- com
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-----Original Message-----
From: George Mena <George -dot- Mena -at- ESSTECH -dot- COM>
To: TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU <TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU>
Date: Friday, 31 July, 1998 2:15 PM
Subject: Re: Concurrent writing and revision
>Speaking as a journalist turned technical writer from a long time ago,
>I've got to say Mark's right.
>
>Freelance sportswriters, probably the most underpaid of the lot, often
>have to be able to read their notes, and sometimes in the rain, esp.
>during football season. In reporting games (esp. high school and junior
>college events), there's no instant replay -- but there *is* the battle
>for the pay phone to get the story called in from out of town,
>especially if the host school's football coach wants you to stay out of
>his office, where a more private phone is.
>
>Nor is there any instant replay of City Hall meetings unless (a) the TV
>news boys are there and (b) they are actually foolish enough to give you
>their videotape for the 10 o'clock news.
>
>And graphics? Great pictures of Dwight Clark's "The Catch" over Everson
>Walls in the end zone at Candlestick back in 1982 are truly
>once-in-a-lifetime shots that you just can't have reperformed simply
>because your camera was out of film at the time.
>
>Covering life as it happens is the real challenge for journalists. It's
>also great training for becoming a tech writer because you don't have
>any time left to do it over. You have to get it right the first time or
>forget it.
>
>Stick *that* in your tech comm program at the university level! :D
>
>Good call, Mark! :D
>
>George
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Mark Baker [SMTP:mbaker -at- OMNIMARK -dot- COM]
>> Sent: Friday, July 31, 1998 1:53 PM
>> To: TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
>> Subject: Re: Concurrent writing and revision
>>
> [George Mena] snip
>>
>> It can be done. The content management system that my group uses
>> allows us
>> to accept design changes from development as little as one day before
>> internal release, without loss of quality. If you think that's
>> impressive,
>> consider the achievement of the newspaper industry. They have a
>> product with
>> a market window of, at best, 24 hours, and they successfully create a
>> new
>> product every 24 hours to maintain their market position. If
>> journalists can
>> do it, why can't technical communicators?
>>
>>
>
>From ??? -at- ??? Sun Jan 00 00:00:00 0000==
>
>
>
