Perhaps map companies and sign companies ought to employ technical writers to make sure warnings say what they should. Maybe there's a niche market for consulting there.
Where I live, many roads are posted with signs saying the roads aren't plowed in winter. It isn't that they're afraid of a tragic situation. Everyone around here knows what that means, it means be careful when you buy adjacent property if you're planning on living there in the winter. It will be up to you to keep the road passable and if you get stuck, it's your own fault--don't complain to the county highway department. Thomas Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Brierley, Sean Sent: Thursday, December 07, 2006 10:56 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [TCP] CNET Editor Death Caused by aTechnicalCommunicationMistake? Hi, Interesting tech writing tie-in. I am not claiming better wording on the map warning would have saved this guy. But, winter is a season. And winter begins (here) December 21. So, when the subject could lead to injury or death, should we technical writers be precise in what we write, or just impart the general idea and move on? Which is to say, it often snows in the late fall. Even here in Connecticut, we are prone to having significant snowfalls in the beginning of November, though our snowiest month is February. So, I say one mapmaker is guilty of not including a critical warning and the other is guilty of including a warning that is not specific enough--depending, of course, on when the road really closes (does the state close it on Dec. 21 or does the state close it beginning with the first snowfall, etc.?). Cheers. -----Original Message----- From: Thomas Johnson [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, December 07, 2006 10:43 AM To: Brierley, Sean; [email protected] Subject: RE: [TCP] CNET Editor Death Caused by a TechnicalCommunicationMistake? Maybe Sean is right that the warning should be written differently, but winter is winter unless you're interested in avoiding responsibility for your own ignorance of the outdoors.<snip> ______________________________________________ Are you a Help Authoring Trainer or Consultant? Let clients find you at www.HAT.Matrix.com, the searchable HAT database based on Char James-Tanny's HAT Comparison Matrix. Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] for details. Interested in Interactive 3D Documentation? Get the scoop at http://www.doc-u-motion.com -- your 3D documentation community. _______________________________________________ Technical Communication Professionals Post a message to the list: email [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, unsubscribe, archives, account options, list info: http://techcommpros.com/mailman/listinfo/tcp_techcommpros.com Subscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Need help? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] Get the TCP whole experience! http://www.techcommpros.com
