Re: Advocacy writing (was Re: Computer security (was Re: Should I furnish computer?)

Subject: Re: Advocacy writing (was Re: Computer security (was Re: Should I furnish computer?)
From: Bruce Byfield <bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Wed, 06 Jun 2001 11:20:11 -0700

Sandy Harris wrote:
>
> There's been some discussion of the overlap and differences between tech writing
> and marketing communication. I wonder, though if many other tech writers find
> themselves doing things that are more advocacy than either purely technical or
> marketing.

In some fields, advocacy is implicit in what you are doing. For example,
if you are writing a Linux manual, comparisons to Windows are hard to
avoid if you want to explain something in a familiar frame of reference.
And, naturally, such a comparison is either implicitly or explicitly a
plug for Linux.

That's often true even if you are only talking in technical terms. For
instance, in Sandy's comments, it's hard to avoid noticing the
assumption that Linux is more setup for security. That is almost
certainly the case, yet Windows advocates are likely to take exception
to the idea. So you end up becoming an advocate even though all you
wanted to do was discuss security.


--
Bruce Byfield 604.421.7177 bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com

"there's another train there always is
maybe the next one is yours get up and climb aboard
it's another train."
-Pete Morton, "Another Train"

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References:
RE: Should I furnish computer?: From: mclm
Computer security (was Re: Should I furnish computer?): From: Sandy Harris

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