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.
Subject:RE: Getting more than nits from reviews From:stevefjong -at- comcast -dot- net To:<techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Wed, 23 May 2007 16:38:23 +0000
As a former colleague pointed out, the most efficient user of a reviewer's time is to point out errors and to indicate WHY they are errors.
If the reviewer spots an error and rewrites the offending passage, it costs reviewer time and saves writer time--but reviewers generally make more money than writers, so it's inefficient. (And writers often rewrite such comments anyway, so some of the work is scrapped.)
If the reviewer spots an error and simply flags it (say, by writing "NO" in big red letters), the writer has to contact the reviewer and find out what's right. Any time saved by simply flagging is lost, and any time spent in setting up the meeting is waste.
If the reviewer flags an error and explains why it's an error, the writer can do the rewriting and the reviewer can go back to doing whatever the reviewer was hired for. That maximizes system efficiency.
-- Steve
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats or
printed documentation. Features include support for Windows Vista & 2007
Microsoft Office, team authoring, plus more. http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList
Now shipping: Help & Manual 4 with RoboHelp(r) import! New editor,
full Unicode support. Create help files, web-based help and PDF in up
to 106 languages with Help & Manual: http://www.helpandmanual.com
---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-