RE: Follow-up to question about getting feedback from users

Subject: RE: Follow-up to question about getting feedback from users
From: Keith Hood <klhra -at- yahoo -dot- com>
To: "Robert_Johnson -at- percussion -dot- com" <Robert_Johnson -at- percussion -dot- com>, "techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>, KevinMcLauchlan <Kevin -dot- McLauchlan -at- safenet-inc -dot- com>
Date: Fri, 25 Sep 2009 09:45:51 -0700 (PDT)

You see, to me, communicating through online means like Facebook and things like that aren't really communicating directly with the customer. By that I mean in person. My feelings are that using things like IM and Twitter and suchlike are no more personal than sending snail mail. More personal than creating an online help system yes, but still not direct contact in my book. (Yes, I am *old* - accident of nature.)

Second curmudgeonly thought of the day: what Robert wrote about seems to me to smack of having a tech writer trying to carry out two functions. It sounds like expecting him to not only turn out technical documentation, but also to act as tech support. I've been seeing more job opening listings like this recently - companies wanting tech writers who will also confer with users to provide help on using the products. To my mind, that is not an enhancement of the tech writer's position but rather an attempt by the company to find ways to cut the personnel roster even further, by forcing one employee to perform two functions.

>
> Robert_Johnson -at- percussion -dot- com
> noted:
> [snip]
> >
> > I don't think the issues of business etiquette and the
> art of
> > schmoozing
> > customers are quite as important in an online
> community as
> > they are in the
> > executive suit.  The online environment is much
> more
> > free-wheeling. 



^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Free Software Documentation Project Web Cast: Covers developing Table of
Contents, Context IDs, and Index, as well as Doc-To-Help
2009 tips, tricks, and best practices.
http://www.doctohelp.com/SuperPages/Webcasts/

Help & Manual 5: The complete help authoring tool for individual
authors and teams. Professional power, intuitive interface. Write
once, publish to 8 formats. Multi-user authoring and version control! http://www.helpandmanual.com/

---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-

To unsubscribe send a blank email to
techwr-l-unsubscribe -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
or visit http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/archive%40web.techwr-l.com


To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com

Send administrative questions to admin -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- Visit
http://www.techwr-l.com/ for more resources and info.

Please move off-topic discussions to the Chat list, at:
http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/listinfo/techwr-l-chat


Follow-Ups:

References:
RE: Follow-up to question about getting feedback from users: From: McLauchlan, Kevin

Previous by Author: Re: Follow-up to question about getting feedback from users
Next by Author: RE: Follow-up to question about getting feedback from users
Previous by Thread: RE: Follow-up to question about getting feedback from users
Next by Thread: RE: Follow-up to question about getting feedback from users


What this post helpful? Share it with friends and colleagues:


Sponsored Ads