TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
RE: Single Spacing, Double Spacing, and Doing It Ones Own Way
Subject:RE: Single Spacing, Double Spacing, and Doing It Ones Own Way From:DJones <DJones -at- zebra -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Mon, 10 May 2004 14:13:53 -0500
Steve,
I was taught to put two spaces after a period when I was in junior high
school, circa 1980. I was taught NOT to put two spaces after a period when I
was in college majoring in Scientific and Technical Communication, circa
1987.
Based on that, to me, two spaces after a period reflects someone who is at
least 17 years out of date or who is too stubborn to change. Neither trait
would sit well with me if I were looking to hire someone. I would ask
myself, if this person is going to be a rebel on something as simple as
spacing after a period, how many other arguments will we wind up in? If I
did hire the person, I would have my guard up and be braced for conflict.
When I'm reading, I can easily tell that a period ends a sentence, even if
the author forgets to put a space after the period. Do I need extra white
space to show me at a glance where every sentence ends on a particular page?
Probably not. Except for the rare occasion where I see the abbreviation for
inch (in.), I don't tend to see periods that indicate anything but the end
of a sentence (I daresay that most people don't use periods in acronyms any
more). The second space simply adds unnecessary keystrokes.
It took my eye a while to adjust because it looked "wrong" when I switched
from two spaces to one. Now I find it just as wrong when I see two spaces.
If you switch, your eye will adjust, and your thumb will eventually stop
hitting the space bar twice. It just takes a little self-discipline and some
time.
Opinionated as always,
Donna
---------------
Donna L. Jones
Technical Writer II
Zebra Technologies Corp.
Vernon Hills, Illinois
- CONFIDENTIAL -
This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential, and may also
be legally privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, you may not
review, use, copy, or distribute this message. If you receive this email in
error, please notify the sender immediately by reply email and then delete
this email.
SEE THE ALL NEW ROBOHELP X5 IN ACTION: RoboHelp X5 is a giant leap forward
in Help authoring technology, featuring Word 2003 support, Content
Management, Multi-Author support, PDF and XML support and much more! http://www.macromedia.com/go/techwrldemo
>From a single set of Word documents, create online Help and printed
documentation with ComponentOne Doc-To-Help 7 Professional, a new yearly
subscription service offering free updates and upgrades, support, and more. http://www.doctohelp.com
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as:
archiver -at- techwr-l -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
