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.
When your product encompasses both sides of the transaction, it necessarily looks at a file transfer from both the server side (probably an administrator needs to deal with this) and the client (supplicant?) or requestor side. Probably a product user needs to deal with that. There would be no problem with your method as long as the docs for end users are separate from the docs for admins.
If they are together, then you could get around the problem by adding a directional qualifier to each statement "uploads to the..." , "downloads from the ...".
But I still don't think that a file server (singular) or the cloud (bunch of file servers) "uploads" to me.
In my little world, I upload to them, from any of my various devices, and they download to me (or I download FROM them). So I'm in the camp that has a size/complexity bias AND in the camp that has a directional bias.
As somebody else suggested, simplify with "transfer from __ to __", then it doesn't matter who is where, who instigates, who spent more money on their equipment, etc.
Or.... how about good-old "get" and "put" (it's been a while, and those terms dealt with register contents, but still... ).
This horse stopped twitching some time ago, didn't it?
-----Original Message-----
From: William Sherman
Sent: February-06-13 12:55 AM
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: Re: Upload/Download -- definition
I think you all are making it too complicated.
If I am doing the action, then I upload when I send and download when I receive.
If someone else is doing the action to me, then I receive when they upload and I send when they download.
Since I doubt your document includes you in the procedure along with the
person doing the work, I'd say the first part is all you need.
The information contained in this electronic mail transmission
may be privileged and confidential, and therefore, protected
from disclosure. If you have received this communication in
error, please notify us immediately by replying to this
message and deleting it from your computer without copying
or disclosing it.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
STC Vice President Nicky Bleiel is giving a free webinar on best practices
for creating mobile help.