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Subject:A Different Tread about Thread Names From:Wayne White <jewe -at- MINDSPRING -dot- COM> Date:Sun, 1 Nov 1998 04:45:15 -0000
Dear Techwriters,
I just read the posts about keeping the thread name constant. I totally
agree that the logical approach is to use the exact same thread name as long
as there is a "thread" of the original discussion involved. However, I have
been reading and logging every post for the last month.
One disheartening fact I have discerned about techwriters, just as all
techwriting is not a Xerox copy of other documents, all techwriters are not
a carbon copy of each other. I say disheartening for one reason only, when I
first starting reading the posts I was a naive beginner who thought he had
found utopia. A bountiful harvest of professional writers who went out of
their way to help each other without ever hearing a single word of
disharmony. Although I still believe this manifesto is basically true, I
have found, as in any group of people, human frailties exist, fester, and
infect. But, I think about the Borg from the tv series Star Trek, a group of
half human, half machine beings who only work for the common good without
individual thought or concern. Their existence depends on total order and
the perpetuation of the common good. By working with one mind, no variety
can develop and no branches of continuing thought could occur. I am not
referring to sexist or bigotry remarks which have no place in any
professional group, but to tolerance of individual expression in different
formats.
I have been closely following the job posts. You would think this subject
thread would be uniform, right? Check out these subject line thread names
over the past month:
If I tried to use my inbox assistant in Outlook Express to route *job
openings* to a folder I call *jobs* from the subject thread, well I guess
you can see not all people automatically think of a position in their
company as a job opening. Life would be simpler if they did but, do you want
to be a Borg, or do you want the human variations which make us individuals,
with all the accompanying frailties (which may occasionally lead to
discourse, dissention, and even anger). Just my thoughts as the month comes
to an end.
Wayne White
jewe -at- mindspring -dot- com