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.
Geoff Hart said:
<snip> If you've got the smarts to remember all the questions you need to
ask, then by all means show up with nothing more than a pen and a blank
notepad; if you're like me, having the questions written down is much more
likely to prove effective. It's all about preparation: you're imposing on
someone else and taking away time that they might prefer to spend doing
their own work, so the better prepared you are, the less of an imposition
your interview will be. It shows respect for the value of the other person's
time, it makes you appear more professional, and it gets you better answers
to all the questions.</snip>
To which I would add: often the developers I work with are slammed and have
very little time for anything other than doing their coding work. So when I
have questions for them, I ask for an appointment and send them an e-mail of
my questions - the e-mail allows them to be prepared for our session as
well. I find that I get better answers to my questions and the developers
are more likely to "find" time for me this way. (of course, the well-placed
fudge brownie works wonders too!)
McD
Deborah McDaniel
Technical Writer
Captura Software Inc
425-487-9484 XT 209
deborahm -at- captura -dot- com
