RE: Someone to do the "donkey work"?

Subject: RE: Someone to do the "donkey work"?
From: "Downing, David" <david -dot- downing -at- fiserv -dot- com>
To: "Technical Writing" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Date: Fri, 6 Mar 2009 10:40:01 -0600

From: Fred Ridder <docudoc -at- hotmail -dot- com>
Subject: RE: Someone to do the "donkey work"?


Responding to David Downing, Stuart Burnfield wrote:

> > I'm sorry if I implied that editors ought to do the donkey work.
> > I was just saying as an aside that our editor used to. What
> > I'm thinking is that ideally, the publications department should
> > bring in a "data donkey."
>

> See it as an opportunity to show that you're a fox, not a donkey.
>
> Giving the impression (even if unintentionally) that you're 'above' donkey work is bad. Showing that you're prepared to do donkey work if required is better. Finding a way to automate the donkey work out of existence is best.


Nicely stated Stuart. There is also a fourth approach one could take which is the worst of all: the passive aggressive approach where you may not give the impression that donkey work is below you, but you take twice as long as necessary to accomplish it.



-Fred Ridder


-------------------------------

Hey, I would *never* do that.

Happy Friday.

David Downing
Senior Technical Writer
Credit Union Solutions
Fiserv
 
 

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