Re: To continue OFF-TOPIC topics...

[Geoff Lane <geoff -at- gjctech -dot- co -dot- uk>]

On Sunday, August 2, 2009, doc -at- edwordsmith -dot- com wrote;

> The Ekiga topic, for instance, has been introduced and can fail
> over to the CHAT list now. Anyone interested can follow it.
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While accepting that Eric's decision is final, it is my opinion that
discussion of any technology that lets us function better as tech
writers is on topic for this list. I'm confident that a discussion of
XML or DITA wouldn't get stamped on because they are tools of our
trade. However, I suspect that a minority of tech writers use them -
just as a minority of tech writers use VOIP and allied technologies
(e.g. video conferencing and "Net Meeting").

FWIW, VOIP is IMO a key enabling technology. It can let you integrate
with a remote client so that you're home office becomes an extension
on their exchange - the same extension that you use when at their
site. VOIP is also something that lets outsourced workers be more
effective. So it's something that can potentially affect every staff
tech writer, and thus something of which we need to be aware to stay
ahead of the game. We need to communicate both with SMEs and with
reviewers and editors, and VOIP lets us do that more easily. So while
I suspect it has minimal impact on the tech writing profession right
now, I feel that it will become more pervasive and, just as with XML,
contractors probably need to get to grips with it or live with a
smaller customer base.

Just a thought ...

-- 
Geoff

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