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Re: What about the client's needs? (was: What would Andrew do)
Subject:Re: What about the client's needs? (was: What would Andrew do) From:Andrew Plato <intrepid_es -at- yahoo -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Tue, 15 Jan 2002 12:20:50 -0800 (PST)
--- Bruce Byfield <bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com> wrote:
> Andrew Plato wrote:
>
> >4. Our project with the client ended successfully, albeit with a little
> >egg on some faces. Nobody was angry, no lawsuits, no disagreements.
> >
> Let me play devil's advocate here, and suggest that this is probably the
> most important point. Just as publicizing the details of a law suit
> might lead to unfavorable publicity, so could a humourous story at a
> client's expense. Especially since a tech-writer is in your story,
> isn't there an even larger chance than usual that your story could get
> back to the people it's about? Or that other companies might see the
> story and wonder if that's how you treat confidentiality issues?
Exactly.
Under less happy conditions, a client may consider posts to a public forum
(even if you don't name the client) as a violation of confidentiality
agreements. Giving them another reason to sue you. Which is just another
in a series of reasons you don't post the intimate details of client
problems.
I picked my story because it was relatively benign and had the least
possibility to cause me trouble. And there are also a lot of other factors
in the story that I did not reveal. But, taken at face value, you could
speculate a lot about my story - and with good reason.
You're point is very well taken Bruce. A point that everybody should hear.
Andrew Plato
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