Wednesday, September 29, 2004
Quality, not quantity
A while back, the company with whom I do technical writing was taken over by a much larger firm. Of course, we had to adapt to the new owner's documentation processes -- new template, different editing regimen, and a different style guide. The old style guide was huge -- "a tome" in the words of someone I used to work with. The new one is more streamlined, prompting the documentation manager here to rue "it isn't as big or detailed as the old one."
And is that a problem? I don't think so. A good style guide is short, quick, and to the point. Take a look at The Elements of Style. It weighs in at around 100 pages, but it's effective. And even though it's decades old, The Elements of Style is still as relevant today as it was when it was first published.
And is that a problem? I don't think so. A good style guide is short, quick, and to the point. Take a look at The Elements of Style. It weighs in at around 100 pages, but it's effective. And even though it's decades old, The Elements of Style is still as relevant today as it was when it was first published.
