New nose count

[Herman Holtz <holtz -at- PALTECH -dot- COM>]

        The immediate response has been good, too good, perhaps: I realize that the
job I set myself is more difficult than I had anticipated because so many of
you do many different things. I was surprised by the diverse job
activity of many--doing both hard copy andonline help files, for
example. Some write code. Some do Web pages. So I probably will have to do
this more as narrative than as statistics. That, however, may make the
reporting and resulting information more pleasurable and useful than it
would have been as pure statistics.

        Hard copy--software manuals and other user information mostly--is easily
the most common activity. At least 11 of the initial respondents reported this
as an activity, probably their main activity in the majority of cases. Online
help was second: 7 respondents reported this as part of their activity. Only 4
reported writing hardware manuals.

        In general, software documentation, in both hard copy and other media, is
easily the most common kind of writing reported. One or two reported writing
copy for disks, floppy and CD ROM.

        What I had to label as "Miscellaneous" included two who write for or about
Internet, one who writes articles for publication in peiodicals, one who
writes proposals and bid information, one who works in financial information,
one who edits sales and marketing materials, and one who writes industrial
safety and health regulations for a state government. - Herm

 Herman Holtz [holtz -at- paltech -dot- com] -dot-  Consulting & custom services
 for marketing/writing needs: brochures, direct mail, ghosting,
 proposals, manuals, other. Write, call for free estimates.
 PO Box 1731, Wheaton, MD 20915; 301-649-2499; FAX 301-649-5745.