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Re: Important Stuff They Don't Teach In Tech Writing School
Subject:Re: Important Stuff They Don't Teach In Tech Writing School From:TechComm Dood <techcommdood -at- gmail -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Mon, 30 Aug 2004 10:26:42 -0400
> When you say "all support," are you referring to this discussion or to
> articles and books you have read?
I was replying in context of the current discussion.
> To me, the term refers to an entire class of people (the people who will
> actually use the application). There's that other class of people who
> pay for the program but do not get within three feet of it but think
> it's wonderful because of what they have been told or have read that it
> can do to make *their* staff more productive.
>
> It's not a phrase I use myself, because I think there are more precise
> ways of describing what good technical writers do, but I have always
> understood those who do use it to be using it as a shorthand for "I help
> create a good product that the intended users will actually be able to
> use."
Very true, and it sounds like we agree in this view. My point was to
distinguish between "intended users"/"user profile" and "poor
schmuck", as it were. ;-)
General point: It's good to keep the audience in mind, as long as you
remember that no one specific person's requirements are "right" or
"gold"... you're designing for a profile or a collection of users, and
therefore "advocacy" must involve analysis, judgement calls, and many
grains of salt. ;-)
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