TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Re: The Sponge (was employer's mistaken job requirements)
Subject:Re: The Sponge (was employer's mistaken job requirements) From:Scott Miller <smiller -at- PORTAL -dot- COM> Date:Fri, 29 Jan 1999 09:03:11 -0800
I dunno... I see this trend in Andrew Plato's posts where he's just getting
less and less abrasive, which is not nearly so entertaining. The corrupting
influence of the list, I guess. Anyway, much agreement on the sponge idea,
although I would stress this aspect:
> Good detectives are able to handle immense amounts of data. They can sift
> through
> mountains of ideas, evidence, and discussions to locate the core
> issues that comprise a case.
>
That is, when being a sponge, you have to know which information to absorb.
I've seen a lot of docs that include tons of information; the writer was
obviously a superb sponge, but sponged the wrong stuff. This comes from
attempting to document things, as opposed to helping the user accomplish
goals.
