best use of graphics in FM (was: framers Digest, Vol 77, Issue 17)

[Rick Quatro]

Keith,

 

Your signature contains a definition of a racist. I wonder what you call
someone who makes blanket statements about unions, "big business", and
"republicans". I will be kind and call it stereotyping. It takes some effort
and intelligence to research issues and discuss them on their merits instead
of categorizing things according to labels, political talking points, and
sound bites. But of course, this requires that we think, which is more work
than many people are willing to do.

 

Respectfully (your Republican friend),

Rick

 

Rick Quatro

Carmen Publishing Inc.

*** 585-283-5045 *** NEW NUMBER

rick at frameexpert.com

http://www.frameexpert.com

 

  _____  

Date: Wed, 21 Mar 2012 15:21:53 -0700
From: keith.smyth at att.net
Subject: Re: framers Digest, Vol 77, Issue 17
To: framers at lists.frameusers.com

Ken, it might be a good idea to inform you MANAGER of the Third Tort Law.

You need to protect yourself by getting written instructions on what to
include, and not include in the document. I saw this happen to an individual
I was working with. Fortunately, he had signed instructions from the Product
Manager to not include some safety instructions, as it would "upset the
customer". So when a customer got burned badly, the customer went after the
company, the company went after the writer, and the writer offered up the
program manager, who got fired, and sued. Yeah, CYA.

Tort's Third Law
It is a good idea to be versed in Tort Law, specifically Tort's Third Law.
The emphasis of the Tort Law is consumer protection.  Tort Law did for the
consumer what the unions did for the worker.  According to the Third Law, "A
product is defective when, at the time of sale or distribution, it contains
a manufacturing defect, is defective in design or is defective because of
INADEQUATE INSTRUCTIONS OR WARNINGS."

This is important to any of us in the technical writing domain, as it puts
the onus on us to provide adequate (and standard) instructions, which
includes warnings in the instructions (and on labels if that is a part of
our job). Most writers are completely oblivious to their responsibility
under the Tort Law and many companies are equally oblivious (or choose to
ignore).
As such, they are also ignorant to the fact that they can be sued in a
liability action, as a company and as individuals, for their failure to
provide adequate instructions and warnings.

To make matters even more complicated, it's a double-edged sword for a
writer.   Business loves to hate the Tort Law and tends to kill the
messenger.  If you, as the writer, are doing a proper job, you are the
messenger.

There are also very few places that teach you this stuff - even the
university tech writing courses overlook it.
If you muck around without knowing the standards and the law, you could get
yourself and your clients sued.

BTW, The Big B (big business) is currently throwing a lot of money at our
political types to try and weaken the Tort Law and relieve themselves of the
burden of liability (recalling those bloody toys that kill or maim kids is
such a blessed nuisance and just munches away at the bottom line).

In addition, any politicians who do not play ball will find themselves up
against some pretty big bucks intent on running them out on a rail. The
republicans in particular are fond of coming to the aid of Big B and can be
counted on to slam dunk your protection under the current law.

 

--
Keith L. Smyth
President
Smyth Consulting
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------
Voting for someone because they are black is as racist
as voting against someone because they are black.

Beware an intrusive  government.

GOD BLESS THE UNITED STATES

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------
Technical Documentation Consultant

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.frameusers.com/pipermail/framers-frameusers.com/attachments/20120322/8ed58d2e/attachment.htm>