radical revamping of techpubs

[Gutierrez, Dorianne]

Got to chime in on this interesting discussion.

Technical Writer wrote:

In a world in which dynamic online help files are rapidly replacing hard copy documents, it seems more useful to focus on developing a skill set that enables high-volume production of acceptable quality content, rather than obsessing over trivial (to most users) details of grammar, construction, or voice.

I see your point, but I think this is polarizing a non-issue. I don't think "high-volume production of acceptable quality content" and "details of grammar, construction, or voice" are incompatible goals. If I am hiring a technical writer, I want someone who can pay attention to both. In rapid development environments (whatever you care to call that model), there are plenty of tools to help automate your high-volume production. It doesn't take longer to write clearly and consistently. And I don't think you can safely say "the majority of users" don't care. Depends on the users. Depends on the product. Personally, I can blink at a few errors but when they become egregious, I think "Jeez Louise, they can't even run a spell-checker? What other details can't this company be bothered with?" The "dynamic online help files" are part of the product, and I start to question quality control for the whole product.

Thanks for the thoughtful discussion, everyone.

Dorianne

-----Original Message-----
From: framers-bounces+dorianne.gutierrez=polarislibrary.com at lists.frameusers.com [mailto:framers-bounces+dorianne.gutierrez=polarislibrary.com at lists.frameusers.com] On Behalf Of Technical Writer
Sent: Friday, October 19, 2007 12:37 PM
To: gflato at nanometrics.com; framers at lists.frameusers.com
Subject: RE: radical revamping of techpubs


 
And I know of a CEO who used to either get there first, or let the wannabes struggle over the crumbs. Name of Bill Gates.
 
Quality is primarily a subjective opinion; witness the 90+% of the population of the planet using Windows, despite the occasional Blue Screen of Death, or necessary re-booting orre-installing required. Similarly, whether a product is crap or not is again an opinion, not an objective evaluation that can applied in all cases. The Debian flavor of Linux is considered "the best" by some, and "the worst" by some. The opinions are subjective.
 
Everyone TW wants to believe that he or she is producing quality documentation that creates a warm fuzzy in the user, and makes customers-for-life of the company that produces whatever is being documented. I simply suggest a reality check may be more useful.
 
If the TW is documenting software, perhaps he or she should change fields to one with a slower pace of life (and writing). The option is to accept the realities of the marketplace, and how those influence and constrain the production of technical documentation. In a world in which dynamic onlne help files are rapidly replacing hard copy documents, it seems more useful to focus on developing a skill set that enables high-volume production of acceptable quality content, rather than obsessing over trivial (to most users) details of grammar, construction, or voice.
 
In that direction may lie the future of TW--get it written, get it online, and concentrate on the Pareto principle of satisfying the needs of the majority of users rather than obsessing over the subjective opinions of the minority. 
 
 
 
< From: gflato at nanometrics.com> To: tekwrytr at hotmail.com; framers at lists.frameusers.com> > ...or similar biggies realize that time-to-market is everything, > > Time-to-market is not everything if you sacrifice quality. If you're first on the market but your product is crap, the fact that you were first on the market is irrelevant. > > I know a CEO who got fired because all he cared about is being first on the market but his products were crap and failed often. Other company's that were slower to market but turned out quality products, stole marketshare from that company. The company almost went under until the board of Directors wisely fired him and put a new CEO at the helm.> > > -Gillian> > 
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