Re: Educating Rita

[Dawn-Marie Oliver <Dawn-Marie -at- CONCUR -dot- COM>]

        >  I've see plenty writers stick their nose issues where they
weren't invited only
        >   to then wonder why the engineers don't respect them.  How would
you like it if
        >   an engineer told you how to format a document, what fonts to
use, or the
        >   "correct way" to write. You'd be pissed.

        I've not only had them do this very thing (grammar corrections,
etc.), but
        I've had them become LIVID when I didn't make the corrections they
        indicated.

        I don't get pissed when an engineer comments on these things.  I may
get
        frustrated if it's excessive, but I always at least listen.  To me,
that's part
        of building mutual respect.

        If an engineer doesn't take a suggestion of mine, 9 times out of
        10, I say "Oh well".  That 10th time, not taking the suggestion
often takes up
        such a great amount of time documenting that I can convince the team
that
        the UI change is more effective.

        >   Furthermore, this issue beckons the misguided notion that tech
writers are
        >   "advocates" for the user.  I do not feel technical communication
has anything
        >   to do with being a "advocate" for the user.  This is something a
lot of tech
        >   writers use to distract themselves from their primary task -
production of
        >   documentation.

        But if the documentation is not usable by the audience it is
produced for,
        what is the point?  To continue your pizza example, "producing
documentation/pizza"
        might result in a pizza that had uncooked dough, frozen sauce,
ungrated cheese,
        and unsliced pepperoni.  It's all there (good information), it's up
to the
        consumer to find their own way.  (But I ordered a fully-assembled
and cooked
        pizza to be delivered HOT to my door; why do I have to do what I've
already
        paid for?)

        Dawn-Marie


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