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Standards for consistency, yeah, but how do you fairly evaluate TWs in the
software industry, working for companies where code freezes never happen?
Where test plans are a figment of somebody's vivid imagination?
Just because it's inaccurate this week, doesn't mean it wasn't right when I
wrote it for the fourth time three weeks ago!
Standards across the tech writing industry would be almost impossible to
enforce, because the way you write policies and procedures differs vastly
from a software user guide, which differs again from how to enforce safety
protocols, or how to put together a telcomm network.
The goal (at least for me, others may flame at will) is usability, I achieve
that by writing accurate, coherent, targeted content. The standards vary by
vertical industry and company.
Connie
-----Original Message-----
From: perrya [mailto:perrya -at- jps -dot- net]
Sent: Sunday, January 09, 2000 12:23 PM
To: TECHWR-L
Subject: Tech Writing Standards for Business/IT
Does anyone know of industry wide standards that are used to evaluate tech
writers? I have heard it is one error for every ten pages. What about
standards in bolding? I know grammar and consistency are standards, but what
about the other things. Are there standards that most firms using tech
writers use? what are they? where are they?
