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Re: Silly Cautions (was: Toilet Brush Warning Wins Consumer Award)

Subject: Re: Silly Cautions (was: Toilet Brush Warning Wins Consumer Award)
From: Dick Margulis <margulisd -at- comcast -dot- net>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Date: Fri, 07 Jan 2005 11:15:02 -0500


Donna,

I like Friday humor as well as the next person--even when it isn't Friday.

Unfortunately, warnings are something we're stuck with. Changing the wording to make them sensible or to eliminating the ones we judge stupid are generally not options available to tech writers. Sure, it's worth having the discussion within a company, to try to get the lawyers and the managers aligned on what's really necessary and what's overkill; and if a TW can facilitate that discussion, great. However, as we should all know by now, legal wording and clear, concise communication rarely overlap. So most of the time, we just have to grin and bear it, at least until the courts start swinging the other direction.

Dick

Jones, Donna wrote:

I have to disagree with Al and Dan. I think this topic is relevant to tech writing and wonderful fodder for a light-hearted Friday tech writing discussion.

We all have to include warnings that tell people to have common sense, and it can be annoying and frustrating knowing where to draw the line. This award and the article serve to help us laugh at what we know is ridiculous and maybe give us some hope that something can be done about it.



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Silly Cautions (was: Toilet Brush Warning Wins Consumer Award): From: Jones, Donna

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