I strongly agree with the original message regarding the four types of
user documentation. Asking that question is what an excellent tech
writer does at the start of a contract or job. ;-)
Writing four different types of documentation of course requires more
effort than writing one. But in my view the key message is that knowing
who your audience is, and the purpose of your document, leads to a much
better result for the target audience and simplifies the writer's work.
It helps you consciously think about which kind of documentation will be
most valuable, for a given need you want to satisfy. It helps you
prioritise work.
Regarding Dave Barton's perfectly valid concern, about resourcing all
four types, resourcing is always a problem. However one of the key
strengths of communal efforts to create something, especially from
volunteer work, is that work can be shared out; schedules are often
flexible; and users often appreciate the volunteer efforts.
Managing communal projects effectively is a bit of an art. Jonathon's
post about the barriers to contributing made me feel that here was a
kindred spirit. I personally certainly felt I needed a combination of
maze exploration, stubbornness, and persistent digging to find my way here.
Some discussions (and some trickles of effort), toward more easily
funneling helpful contributions towards the documentation could pay off
enormously. I think that's a separate topic, however.
My 2c.
luke
PS:
When I wanted to contribute to this thread, I hoped that the "Reply via
email to {Pixie}" link at the bottom of the archive page might do what I
wanted:
https://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/msg12948.html
Instead, it opened up a no-subject line addressed to pixie dot dust at
bk dot ru (IYKWIM).
Here's hoping this message is successfully threaded just by the subject
line!
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