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Subject:Need SME Review? Try this. From:John Posada <JPosada -at- book -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Thu, 31 Oct 2002 11:02:52 -0500
Hi, guys...
I've sorta become a source of information for my 6 SMEs when they need drive
and directory locations, output and input file names, network settings,
server configurations, etc.
Maybe every other day, one of them will ask me for a printout of the section
that contains information and I've been taking time out to retrieve the
section and sent it to their local printer. I've never said no and always
get to them inside of 10 minutes. The alternative is that they could go
online, access the PDF, locate and print it themselves
This morning, I tried something.
After I printed out a section, about 11 pages long, I handed it to the SME
and told him that from now on, there was a charge for the service. His eyes
got big and round.
I told him that my charge was for him to scan the document and give me a
change or addition to the content...I didn't care how little, just
something. OTOH, if he told me that there were no changes and that the
document was 100% accurate, that I'd send an email to the boss telling him
that the document section was approved by the SME.
Inside of 10 minutes, he gave me a markup with a change to the drive letter
of two shared drives where one of our systems writes log files.
Hey! I'm not proud...extortion can work too.
John Posada
Senior Technical Writer
Barnes&Noble.com
jposada -at- book -dot- com
212-414-6656
"Be accurate...the 4am wakeup call you prevent could be your manager's"
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