Re: Distributing Word docs to customers

["Pro TechWriter" <pro -dot- techwriter -at- gmail -dot- com>]

Hi Mary:

I just read the whole thread to see if this had been added to the list:


   - Because you can make a PDF significanlty smaller than a Word
   document. Easier to download or send to a customer via e-mail.

I agree with the other issues about sending Word docs to customers, and I
have only done that when I have been forced to. And when I have been forced
to, I put my concerns in an e-mail, just for CYA reasons. The legal issues
are a huge risk, and the lack of document control will be an issue with your
auditors, if you have any.

Does your company use configuration management and controls for their
software? Would they send out code to customers? Maybe they do, but most
companies will not do that. Documentation is the same kind of asset as the
code, and should not be provided to customers unless there is a formal
agreement in place about how the customer will use or reuse the
documentation, and what kind of changes they are allowed to make (i.e.,
adding branding, adding an introduction that fits their company, and so on).


And, a quick question: what is so complicated about clicking the Acrobat 7
icon in Word to create a PDF? It takes, literally, less than a minute.

Good luck!
PT

On 5/7/07, Mary Arrotti <mary_arrotti -at- yahoo -dot- com> wrote:

> We're currently debating pros & cons of how we distribute our documents to
> our customers. I'm more comfortable with distributing all our docs (other
> than Help) to customers in PDF format. This has been common practise in my
> experience. A coworker prefers distibuting our docs in Word format so our
> internal sales & support people can copy text from the docs. (However, we
> wouldn't want our customers to do this.) While the obvious solution might be
> to produce both formats - my coworker feels this unnecessarily complicates
> our process.
> --





PT
> pro -dot- techwriter -at- gmail -dot- com
> I'm a Technical Technical Writer!
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