Re: Standard English vs "industry standard"

[Svi Ben-Elya <svi -dot- ben-elya -at- AKS -dot- COM>]

I recommend that you send an email to all people who write or correct
documents with a copy to the head of R&D and the CEO with a list of company
documentation rules to be followed for all documents intended for external
use. Prepare a short intro paragraph stating that these rules are intended
to ensure that the company projects a unified and professional image.

The list of rules can can be short and you can add to it in the future. I
have found this to be very successful.

The issue of whose name is on the document should be irrelevant. The entire
company should be interested in its name and image. If you make this point
clear, both the CEO and the entire Marketing department will support you.

-Svi-

On 26-Mar-99 23:34:09 Julie Bruce  wrote:
>
>I edit a document and return it to the SME in
>charge of it.  My edits include such things as
>proper sentence structure and syntax, spelling out
>acronyms on first use, standardizing units of
>measurement (dB for decibel rather than Db).  He
>returns it to me with some of the corrections
>returned to their former status, and with new
>non-standard entries,
>
>To date, I have only had this problem once.  Usually my problem is getting
>them to read it in the first place.  Most of them aren't interested and
>when they do, it is a quick once over.  I did run into this problem once
>with a Software Engineer.  I corrected a manual that he had written before
>I got here and I received it back with my corrections changed back to the
>way that they had been before.  I wrote a well thought out explanation for
>each of my changes, recorrected the document and gave it back to him.  He
>took offense and quoted the standards thing.  When it all came down to it
I
>simply explained to him that it was my name that was going to be
associated
>with the document, not his.  If he wanted it done his way he could write
>the document himself and make sure that the world knew that it was NOT my
>document.  Fortunately, my manager supported me.  In the end, I won.  He
>definitely did not want to write the manuals!
>
>P.S.  Most of our argument was as to whether or not you put a comma before
>the and in a list.  Example
>
>     The couch, love seat, rug, and chair          versus         The
>couch, love seat, rug and chair.
>
>P.P.S.  I hope this does not start another grammer argument!  Whatever
>method you choose to use for your commas is up to you.  Like I said: it's
>your name on the manual, not mine or vice versa:  It's my name on the
>manual, not yours!
>
>
>

____________________________________
Svi Ben-Elya
svib -at- aks -dot- com
chase -at- netvision -dot- net -dot- il
_____________________________________

Aladdin Knowledge Systems Ltd.
Internet Security Unit (eSafe)
Ashlag 22, Haifa, Israel
Tel:   +972 4 872-8899 Fax: +972 4 872-9966
Visit us at our Web site!  http://www.esafe.com

Aladdin supports Idealist. Visit http://www.idealist.org

 From ??? -at- ??? Sun Jan 00 00:00:00 0000=