Re: Future Tech Writer with Software Questions

Subject: Re: Future Tech Writer with Software Questions
From: Chris Morton <salt -dot- morton -at- gmail -dot- com>
To: "techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Date: Fri, 26 Jun 2015 14:55:44 -0400

Yes Robert, but the OP is just starting out. Beggars cannot be choosers. I
agree with everything you've said, but if one is hungry and/or is looking
to get a foot in the door in order to be in a position to recommend a REAL
page layout application, then one had better know the rutaments (sic).

And yeah, both companies for which I'm presently doing this work have many
other problems. They're plain for any outsider wearing my shoes to see.
That said, one is a part of a Fortune 500 holding company, the other an
employee-owned good ol' boy shop that has managed to "do real good." Both
pay my invoices and don't muss my hair, so their bailing wire/chewing gum
approach to business problem resolution isn't my cross to bear.

Now if either wanted to hire me as an *analyst*.......

> Chris

On Fri, Jun 26, 2015 at 2:40 PM, Robert Lauriston <robert -at- lauriston -dot- com>
wrote:

> My view is pretty much the opposite. I deny all knowledge of the
> advanced techniques using SEQ fields and so on that some people use to
> kludge Word into a semi-usable documentation authoring tool.
>
> Using Word as the primary authoring tool for technical documentation
> is a false economy. It's a safe bet that any company that does has
> made many other false economies. That means that workplace suck in
> many other ways, most of which you can learn about from reading
> Dilbert. I would never apply for a job where Word is the primary tool
> unless the were looking for someone to migrate to a professional
> single-sourcing tool.
>
> Having to convert a PDF to editable source is typically another sign
> of an out-of-control company you'd be better off not working for,
> unless they know they've made a mess and are hiring you to clean it
> up.
>
> On Fri, Jun 26, 2015 at 11:11 AM, Chris Morton <salt -dot- morton -at- gmail -dot- com>
> wrote:
> > First, become an expert in MS Word. Know everything there is to know
> about
> > creating, using, and (most importantly) fixing styles. Learn all you can
> > about Word's replaceable variables. The bulk of my work today
> > is reworking user manuals that were incorrectly formatted from the
> get-go.
> > Ping me and I'll tell you more. Related to that, know how to take a user
> > manual from PDF to Word and back again, discovering all of
> > the pitfalls along the way.
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> Learn more about Adobe Technical Communication Suite (2015 Release) |
> http://bit.ly/1FR7zNW
>
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
> You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as salt -dot- morton -at- gmail -dot- com -dot-
>
> To unsubscribe send a blank email to
> techwr-l-leave -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
>
>
> Send administrative questions to admin -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- Visit
> http://www.techwhirl.com/email-discussion-groups/ for more resources and
> info.
>
> Looking for articles on Technical Communications? Head over to our online
> magazine at http://techwhirl.com
>
> Looking for the archived Techwr-l email discussions? Search our public
> email archives @ http://techwr-l.com/archives
>
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Learn more about Adobe Technical Communication Suite (2015 Release) | http://bit.ly/1FR7zNW

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

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-leave -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com


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

Looking for articles on Technical Communications? Head over to our online magazine at http://techwhirl.com

Looking for the archived Techwr-l email discussions? Search our public email archives @ http://techwr-l.com/archives


Follow-Ups:

References:
Future Tech Writer with Software Questions: From: Craig Lashley
Re: Future Tech Writer with Software Questions: From: Laura Phillips
Re: Future Tech Writer with Software Questions: From: Chris Morton
Re: Future Tech Writer with Software Questions: From: Robert Lauriston

Previous by Author: Re: Future Tech Writer with Software Questions
Next by Author: Re: Future Tech Writer with Software Questions
Previous by Thread: Re: Future Tech Writer with Software Questions
Next by Thread: Re: Future Tech Writer with Software Questions


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


Sponsored Ads