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This thread is dreadful. So I offer my small-minded, well-generalized answer
to all questions.
1) There is always someone who is offended.
2) Nobody (male, female, human, alien, or vegetable) cares one bit about
pronouns if they cannot understand the manual. Keep it simple stupid.
3) If you spend your time worrying about the tender sensitivities of a few, you
will never accomplish anything. (Don't use this philosophy with your spouse or
friends, however, keep it at work.)
4) Your job as a technical communicator is simple: ram as much information down
the reader's throat as painlessly as possible. You are not there to be their
personal lobbyist to Congress or care for their puppies. Just tell them what
they need to know and let them chart their own course to Nirvana.
5) Technical documentation priorities:
a) Content
b) Content
c) Content
d) Technical accuracy
e) Organization, effective layout, etc.
f) All that other tech writing bullsh*t like fonts and templates.
6) There is always something wrong.
7) It does not matter how well dressed you are, if you show up for the party
late nobody will care that you spent all your money on an amazing gown/tux.
I have to go watch Futurama now.
Andrew Plato
President / Principal Consultant
Anitian Consulting, Inc.
www.anitian.com
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