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.
Subject:The Magical Subject Line From:"MacDonald, Alexander G. AP" <macdoag -at- HPDAPP03 -dot- HPDAP -dot- MSMAIL -dot- ABBOTT -dot- COM> Date:Fri, 4 Oct 1996 14:10:00 DST
Hello,
I like grammar, I like grammar lots. I write technical words constructed
inside sentence units that explain things to people in a simple way. I use
several tools to complete my job...a word processor, a dictionary, a generic
style manual, my own style manual, technical manuals...you get the idea. I
subscribe to a list server thingy that puts messages from other people of
similar interest in my mailbox. Sometimes I am very interested in what
these messages say...for example..I am quite obsessed with money and salary
and compensation packages and health insurance; and I also like to read
messages that compare and contrast competing software packages. But
sometimes I read words put together in these messages and I become
disinterested. Later on in my technical writng day, I may see words in the
subject line of a particular mail message that remind me of my disinterest.
I click my little delete button and the mail message goes to wherever
messages that are deleted go. Sometimes I click the delete button a lot. I
don't mind though...the amount of time I spend clicking my little delete
button is negligible compared to the value of the messages in which I read
and save; or read and delete. If someday I find that I am
disporportionately disinterested, I can send a special message somewhere
that stops messages from going into my mailbox. Thank you technical writing
professionals...and please, I do not want to prevent you from writing your
technical words...so if you like, click the delete button. I won't be
offended at all...I probably won't even know.
