Re: MIL specs (was RE: general publication quiestion)
Why hurt Muslims' feelings with creative expressions such as Islamofascists? Why hurt Richard's feelings for his use of an innocuous political term? That term has no more stigma than calling someone a Democrat. You say labels hurt, yet had no problem trying to label Richard as an ahole. Mike Wickham ___ You are currently subscribed to Framers as [EMAIL PROTECTED] Send list messages to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/archive%40mail-archive.com Send administrative questions to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
OT: MIL specs (was RE: general publication quiestion)
Why hurt Muslims' feelings with creative expressions such as Islamofascists? Don't get me wrong, I am not a Muslim. Yet when a hijab-clad mother of six was killed in broad daylight in front of her three-year-old in Fremont, California on Thursday, I could not but feel the pain of the anguished family. Her only fault was that she wore the scarf encouraged by her faith, just as jews would wear a scull-cap, Christians would wear a cross, Sikhs would wear a turban, and Hindus would wear a red Bindi. Labels hurt. If as enlighted writers we are free to use terms such as Islamofacists, how do we stop people from coining derogatory phrases using our religions, ethnicity, and color? This is a land of the free and the brave. However, some self-regulation is in order. Where is the moderator? In response to: From: Combs, Richard [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: OT: MIL specs (was RE: general publication quiestion) To: Daniel Emory [EMAIL PROTECTED],Framers List framers@FrameUsers.com Message-ID: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Content-Type: text/plain;charset=us-ascii snip Don't get me wrong -- I'm a huge fan of the US military (especially when they're killing Islamofascists). I donate to Soldier's Angels, the USO, VFW, PVA, ... ___ You are currently subscribed to Framers as [EMAIL PROTECTED] Send list messages to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/archive%40mail-archive.com Send administrative questions to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
MIL specs (was RE: general publication quiestion)
>Why hurt Muslims' feelings with creative expressions such as >Islamofascists? Why hurt Richard's feelings for his use of an innocuous political term? That term has no more stigma than calling someone a Democrat. You say labels hurt, yet had no problem trying to label Richard as an ahole. Mike Wickham
OT: MIL specs (was RE: general publication quiestion)
Why hurt Muslims' feelings with creative expressions such as Islamofascists? Don't get me wrong, I am not a Muslim. Yet when a hijab-clad mother of six was killed in broad daylight in front of her three-year-old in Fremont, California on Thursday, I could not but feel the pain of the anguished family. Her only fault was that she wore the scarf encouraged by her faith, just as jews would wear a scull-cap, Christians would wear a cross, Sikhs would wear a turban, and Hindus would wear a red Bindi. Labels hurt. If as enlighted writers we are free to use terms such as Islamofacists, how do we stop people from coining derogatory phrases using our religions, ethnicity, and color? This is a land of the free and the brave. However, some self-regulation is in order. Where is the moderator? In response to: From: "Combs, Richard" <richard.co...@polycom.com> Subject: OT: MIL specs (was RE: general publication quiestion) To: "Daniel Emory" ,"Framers List" Message-ID: Content-Type: text/plain;charset="us-ascii" Don't get me wrong -- I'm a huge fan of the US military (especially when they're killing Islamofascists). I donate to Soldier's Angels, the USO, VFW, PVA, ...
OT: MIL specs (was RE: general publication quiestion)
Maybe we should change it to "This page intentionally left almost completely blank," to be more technically accurate :) Regards, Shmuel Wolfson 052-763-7133 Combs, Richard wrote: Daniel Emory wrote: Certainly I don't advocate the use of MIL specs for preparing commercial manuals. I do know, however, that most tech writers who produce manuals for commercial products remain blissfully unaware of the problems caused by their outputs. A valid point. Although some of us, at least, aren't _blissful_ about it. Resigned, maybe. Sometimes whining and grumbling. All I was trying to say is that tech writers in the non-military world should take advantage of remedial measures taken by the military to minimize foul-ups. True, when they're applicable. But don't forget the two most important concepts in the technical communications field: (1) It depends. (2) Know your audience. When your audience includes HS grads and GEDs, and they may be under stress, in a hurry, or otherwise highly distracted, and the consequences of a communication failure may be grave -- well, that's a bit different, I suspect, from telling UNIX system administrators how to upgrade the boot server software for their teleconferencing bridges. Software engineers, in particular, are often very literal-minded and Spockian. I've actually had an engineer point to an "Intentionally Blank" page (in another company's manual) and say, "A page is only blank if there's nothing on it." :-) Richard -- Richard G. Combs Senior Technical Writer Polycom, Inc. richardDOTcombs AT polycomDOTcom 303-223-5111 -- rgcombs AT gmailDOTcom 303-777-0436 -- ___ You are currently subscribed to Framers as [1]sbw at actcom.com. Send list messages to [2]framers at lists.frameusers.com. To unsubscribe send a blank email to [3]framers-unsubscribe at lists.frameusers.com or visit [4]http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/sbw%40actcom.co m Send administrative questions to [5]lisa at frameusers.com. Visit [6]http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info. References 1. mailto:sbw at actcom.com 2. mailto:framers at lists.frameusers.com 3. mailto:framers-unsubscribe at lists.frameusers.com 4. http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/sbw%40actcom.com 5. mailto:lisa at frameusers.com 6. http://www.frameusers.com/
RE: general publication quiestion
Your snip below deleted from my original post the main reason I gave for why intentionally blank pages should be unambiguously labeled. The snipped part was: The fact that, more and more, technical manuals are being delivered as computer files, not professionally printed and bound paper documents, increases the likelihood of printing errors when users print out all or part of a manual, and thus unambiguous identification of blank pages becomes even more important. In designing technical documentation, technical writers have an obligation to consider the impact of such things as printing and binding errors, particularly when such errors could have life-and-death consequences. = As the military has learned, some readers of technical documentation are not at the bright end of the mental continuum. Unless blank pages are unambiguously labeled so that even a low-wattage brain will get the message, the military has learned that some very troubling outcomes occur. The US military conducts, as a matter of course, thorough reviews of snafus to identify the causes of the foulups. Instances where poorly designed or written tech manuals contributed to a snafu are extremely common, and corrective actions are often recommended, which result in changes in MIL specs, and/or changes in the validation and verification process for military tech manuals. The standardization on the THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK solution was found to be the least ambiguous way to identify blank pages, because it allows a simple training mantra, namely: If you find a blank page in a manual which does not contain the above statement, something is probably wrong. Stop what you are doing, and seek advice from your superior. The fact is that the US military is the only true laboratory where technical documentation is subjected to extensive post-publication review to determine its effectiveness in the real world. Findings resulting from analyses of actual foul-ups lead to continuing improvements in tech manual instructions. Those who write manuals for non-military applications ought to also take advantage of that laboratory. --- Combs, Richard [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Daniel Emory wrote: --- Charles Beck [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Maybe I'm missing something, and then again, maybe I'm not. I too have always considered it a strange paradox when I see the words This page intentionally left blank. But there is no need to use it. == Mis-printed technical documentation has real-world consequences. A printer device can misfeed two or more sheets at once, inserting completely blank double-sided sheets, or, even worse, it may print one side properly, but mis-feed two or more sheets at once on the second pass to produce the backside pages, which results in an incorrect blank backside for one or more pages. snip How, then, do you prevent such consequences. There's only one way, and that is for users to be trained that any completely blank page or page side constitutes an error that must be corrected. Consequently, every single page must have text. The logical solution for an intentionally blank page is to place the statement THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK in the center (not the edges, which may be incorrectly trimmed or mis-printed) of the page. All this concern over completely blank pages strikes me as odd. But then, I read Charles Beck's explanation of *why* there's no need -- the part about *headers* and *footers* that's conveniently snipped above. And only one way? This is beginning to sound more like a religion than techwriting advice. In the past, I've used a level-1 heading that reads Notes at the top of the extra page (below the header's ruling line) -- does that lack the rigorous user training component that the statement THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK seems to possess? What about this in the center bit? Does it have to be horizontally centered too, or can it align left in the text column? For that matter, if you have wider inside than outside margins, should it be centered on the page or in the column? For those of us who like the golden ratio, would it be beyond the pale to place the statement 1.62 times as far from the bottom of the page as from the top? I think that would be more aesthetically pleasing, FWIW, but I admit I've done no research of the effect on user training. And since I brought it up, there's this from will white: Isn't there also a matter of aethetics? An empty chapter end page consisting only on a header and a footer is, in my estimation, an eyesore and an embarrassment. Glory be. I never thought I'd see the day when THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK was defended for aesthetic reasons. And by someone who eschews the elegance of the capital W, no less. Just warming up for Friday. ;-)
Re: OT: MIL specs (was RE: general publication quiestion)
Certainly I don't advocate the use of MIL specs for preparing commercial manuals. I do know, however, that most tech writers who produce manuals for commercial products remain blissfully unaware of the problems caused by their outputs. Unlike typical users of commercial products, most users of MIL=SPEC manuals have received thorough training on the systems they will maintain/operate, including classroom exposure to the manuals they will use after they graduate. Nevertheless, they frequently foul up, and sometimes it's because the manual is poorly written or deficient in other ways. Unlike the commercial world, the military reacts by investigating manual-caused snafus, and taking corrective action, which may include modification of both the training and the manuals. All I was trying to say is that tech writers in the non-military world should take advantage of remedial measures taken by the military to minimize foul-ups. One such remedial measure was to require blank pages to have the infamous THIS PAGE LEFT INTENTIONALLY BLANK appear in the middle of each empty page. The absence of this statement on a blank page assures that the reader knows something is missing. The military learned the necessity of this measure the hard way, yet the general ridicule this subject receives each time it arises is equivalent to ridiculint the fact that car manufacturers discovered it was wise to prevent idiots from starting their automobile while the shift lever is set to reverse. --- Combs, Richard [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Daniel Emory wrote: The fact is that the US military is the only true laboratory where technical documentation is subjected to extensive post-publication review to determine its effectiveness in the real world. Findings resulting from analyses of actual foul-ups lead to continuing improvements in tech manual instructions. Those who write manuals for non-military applications ought to also take advantage of that laboratory. First there was only one way. Now there's the only true laboratory. I'm seeing a pattern here... Ever hear the (chiefly British) expression horses for courses? :-) Don't get me wrong -- I'm a huge fan of the US military (especially when they're killing Islamofascists). I donate to Soldier's Angels, the USO, VFW, PVA, ... But if some edict were to declare that henceforth all technical documentation everywhere must be done to MIL specs, I suspect I'd change professions or retire. At the least, I'd have to go on anti-depressants. Dan Emory Associates FrameMaker/FrameMaker+SGML Document Design Database Publishing [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ You are currently subscribed to Framers as [EMAIL PROTECTED] Send list messages to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/archive%40mail-archive.com Send administrative questions to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
RE: OT: MIL specs (was RE: general publication quiestion)
Daniel Emory wrote: Certainly I don't advocate the use of MIL specs for preparing commercial manuals. I do know, however, that most tech writers who produce manuals for commercial products remain blissfully unaware of the problems caused by their outputs. A valid point. Although some of us, at least, aren't _blissful_ about it. Resigned, maybe. Sometimes whining and grumbling. snip All I was trying to say is that tech writers in the non-military world should take advantage of remedial measures taken by the military to minimize foul-ups. True, when they're applicable. But don't forget the two most important concepts in the technical communications field: (1) It depends. (2) Know your audience. When your audience includes HS grads and GEDs, and they may be under stress, in a hurry, or otherwise highly distracted, and the consequences of a communication failure may be grave -- well, that's a bit different, I suspect, from telling UNIX system administrators how to upgrade the boot server software for their teleconferencing bridges. Software engineers, in particular, are often very literal-minded and Spockian. I've actually had an engineer point to an Intentionally Blank page (in another company's manual) and say, A page is only blank if there's nothing on it. :-) Richard -- Richard G. Combs Senior Technical Writer Polycom, Inc. richardDOTcombs AT polycomDOTcom 303-223-5111 -- rgcombs AT gmailDOTcom 303-777-0436 -- ___ You are currently subscribed to Framers as [EMAIL PROTECTED] Send list messages to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/archive%40mail-archive.com Send administrative questions to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
Re: general publication quiestion
I publish in pdf and in printed formats. The people who read the pdf do indeed think that the empty left page is a mistake, even though it has a header and footer. In fact, they print from the pdf. So I changed the format to delete empty pages. I don't print often anymore, but when I do, I have to force some empty left pages in order to get the chapters on the right pages. Some day, if I convert to structured Framemaker, I'll just use a printing style sheet and save myself some time. Nancy Carpenter Lead Technical Writer GENCO Distribution System 100 Papercraft Park Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15238 Doug [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent by: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 10/18/2006 11:44 AM To: framers@frameusers.com cc: Subject:Re: general publication quiestion Too often readers will suspect that there was a printing error if there isn't SOME content on the page. Having headers and footers on the page with no text between them only makes this type of person even more prone to suspicion. Putting an Intentionally Blank notice on the page helps to reduce the number of calls to the Help Desk, if nothing else. If you don't like the paradox, you could simply reword it. Intentionally Devoid of Relevant Content or somesuch. --Doug On 10/18/06, Charles Beck [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Why? Because we have always used running headers and footers, and those appear on the page regardless of other content. This means that, if there is no other content, at least the header and footer are there as a clue to the reader that this page was intentionally left blank. No need to declare it; the running headers/footers declare it, in effect. ___ You are currently subscribed to Framers as [EMAIL PROTECTED] Send list messages to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/carpentn%40genco.com Send administrative questions to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info. ___ You are currently subscribed to Framers as [EMAIL PROTECTED] Send list messages to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/archive%40mail-archive.com Send administrative questions to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
RE: general publication quiestion
Daniel Emory wrote: --- Charles Beck [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Maybe I'm missing something, and then again, maybe I'm not. I too have always considered it a strange paradox when I see the words This page intentionally left blank. But there is no need to use it. == Mis-printed technical documentation has real-world consequences. A printer device can misfeed two or more sheets at once, inserting completely blank double-sided sheets, or, even worse, it may print one side properly, but mis-feed two or more sheets at once on the second pass to produce the backside pages, which results in an incorrect blank backside for one or more pages. snip How, then, do you prevent such consequences. There's only one way, and that is for users to be trained that any completely blank page or page side constitutes an error that must be corrected. Consequently, every single page must have text. The logical solution for an intentionally blank page is to place the statement THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK in the center (not the edges, which may be incorrectly trimmed or mis-printed) of the page. All this concern over completely blank pages strikes me as odd. But then, I read Charles Beck's explanation of *why* there's no need -- the part about *headers* and *footers* that's conveniently snipped above. And only one way? This is beginning to sound more like a religion than techwriting advice. In the past, I've used a level-1 heading that reads Notes at the top of the extra page (below the header's ruling line) -- does that lack the rigorous user training component that the statement THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK seems to possess? What about this in the center bit? Does it have to be horizontally centered too, or can it align left in the text column? For that matter, if you have wider inside than outside margins, should it be centered on the page or in the column? For those of us who like the golden ratio, would it be beyond the pale to place the statement 1.62 times as far from the bottom of the page as from the top? I think that would be more aesthetically pleasing, FWIW, but I admit I've done no research of the effect on user training. And since I brought it up, there's this from will white: Isn't there also a matter of aethetics? An empty chapter end page consisting only on a header and a footer is, in my estimation, an eyesore and an embarrassment. Glory be. I never thought I'd see the day when THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK was defended for aesthetic reasons. And by someone who eschews the elegance of the capital W, no less. Just warming up for Friday. ;-) Richard -- Richard G. Combs Senior Technical Writer Polycom, Inc. richardDOTcombs AT polycomDOTcom 303-223-5111 -- rgcombs AT gmailDOTcom 303-777-0436 -- ___ You are currently subscribed to Framers as [EMAIL PROTECTED] Send list messages to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/archive%40mail-archive.com Send administrative questions to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
OT: MIL specs (was RE: general publication quiestion)
Daniel Emory wrote: > The fact is that the US military is the only true laboratory > where technical documentation is subjected to extensive > post-publication review to determine its effectiveness in the > real world. Findings resulting from analyses of actual > foul-ups lead to continuing improvements in tech manual > instructions. Those who write manuals for non-military > applications ought to also take advantage of that laboratory. First there was "only one way." Now there's the "only true laboratory." I'm seeing a pattern here... Ever hear the (chiefly British) expression "horses for courses"? :-) Don't get me wrong -- I'm a huge fan of the US military (especially when they're killing Islamofascists). I donate to Soldier's Angels, the USO, VFW, PVA, ... But if some edict were to declare that henceforth all technical documentation everywhere must be done to MIL specs, I suspect I'd change professions or retire. At the least, I'd have to go on anti-depressants. ;-) Happy weekend! Richard -- Richard G. Combs Senior Technical Writer Polycom, Inc. richardDOTcombs AT polycomDOTcom 303-223-5111 -- rgcombs AT gmailDOTcom 303-777-0436 --
OT: MIL specs (was RE: general publication quiestion)
Daniel Emory wrote: > Certainly I don't advocate the use of MIL specs for preparing > commercial manuals. I do know, however, that most tech > writers who produce manuals for commercial products remain > blissfully unaware of the problems caused by their outputs. A valid point. Although some of us, at least, aren't _blissful_ about it. Resigned, maybe. Sometimes whining and grumbling. > All I was trying to say is that tech writers in the > non-military world should take advantage of remedial measures > taken by the military to minimize foul-ups. True, when they're applicable. But don't forget the two most important concepts in the technical communications field: (1) It depends. (2) Know your audience. When your audience includes HS grads and GEDs, and they may be under stress, in a hurry, or otherwise highly distracted, and the consequences of a communication failure may be grave -- well, that's a bit different, I suspect, from telling UNIX system administrators how to upgrade the boot server software for their teleconferencing bridges. Software engineers, in particular, are often very literal-minded and Spockian. I've actually had an engineer point to an "Intentionally Blank" page (in another company's manual) and say, "A page is only blank if there's nothing on it." :-) Richard -- Richard G. Combs Senior Technical Writer Polycom, Inc. richardDOTcombs AT polycomDOTcom 303-223-5111 -- rgcombs AT gmailDOTcom 303-777-0436 --
Re: general publication quiestion
Susan Curtzwiler wrote: Hi all, Is there any hard and fast rule that when you have a blank left page before a chapter break that you have to label it as This page intentionally left blank. ? I just put a small version of the company logo at the end of the text of each chapter. Then it's obvious that the content has ended, whether there's an extra blank page following or not, and there's no maintenance issue during future revisions. -- Stuart Rogers Technical Communicator Phoenix Geophysics Limited Toronto, ON, Canada +1 (416) 491-7340 x 325 srogers phoenix-geophysics com Developers explain How the Product Works. Technical writers explain How to Work the Product. Get Firefox! http://tinyurl.com/8q9c5 ___ You are currently subscribed to Framers as [EMAIL PROTECTED] Send list messages to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/archive%40mail-archive.com Send administrative questions to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
Re: general publication quiestion
The short answer is no, no more than for any other book. Blank pages are expected and accepted in books that use the convention of starting chapters on right pages. I think the labels started being used years ago when military and mil-spec manuals were issued and updated with change pages. Because inserting the change pages could cause some unusual pagination, the labeling was used to let the reader know that no content was omitted. Unless you're planning to freeze pagination and issue change pages, I wouldn't use them. Art On 10/16/06, Susan Curtzwiler [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hi all, Is there any hard and fast rule that when you have a blank left page before a chapter break that you have to label it as This page intentionally left blank. ? It would be much easier if I could use section break for odd pages (yes, this is using Word) instead of Next Page for a section break. It seems that when I use the Odd Page break, there is no place to enter any text. I am gradually converting my docs to Frame. -- Art Campbell [EMAIL PROTECTED] ... In my opinion, there's nothing in this world beats a '52 Vincent and a redheaded girl. -- Richard Thompson No disclaimers apply. DoD 358 ___ You are currently subscribed to Framers as [EMAIL PROTECTED] Send list messages to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/archive%40mail-archive.com Send administrative questions to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
