Re: Bugs in Documentation

[Peter Gold <pgold -at- NETCOM -dot- COM>]

[snipped about how to learn of doc bugs]

I worked at a SQL database company whose manuals said something like
"mark up anything you want to comment on or that needs correction or
improvement and send it to us; we'll send you a clean copy plus the
revision when it's issued." I don't remember seeing any books come back,
but I do remember some phone calls, email, faxes, and correspondence that
called particular issues to my attention.

Tech support is the customer's contact with the company when a product
problems; tech support may keep a database of problems and their nature,
such as "doc bug."

In one PC software company where I was in tech support, several tech pubs
writers and managers visited a couple of times over a six-month period,
asked questions, took notes, asked for support issues logs, and
incorporated into the next release of the product documentation
improvements in presentation of concepts, corrections of doc errors,
common problems and how to fix/avoid/survive them, etc.

IOW, it's a process of bringing in all available resources to give the
customer the best information about using the product productively for their
needs.

Regards,
__________________peter gold pgold -at- netcom -dot- com__________________
        "We shape our tools; thereafter, our tools shape us.
          We ape our tools; thereafter, our tools ape us."
________...Marshall McLuhan, based on Ted Carpenter's idea_____

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