Re: [oswg-dis] Re: reader comments & reviews

[cogNiTioN <cognition@bigfoot.com>]

On Sat, 5 Feb 2000, Deb Richardson wrote:

> Guylhem Aznar wrote:
> 
> > It's amazing authors have time enough to bash the documentation project
> > that distributes their docs (whichever is the DP) but have no time to
> > help it.
> 
> I think you've missed the point a little here.  If an author is writing
> free docs then he or she _is_ actively helping a project.  A
> documentation project is nothing without content, and thus the content
> developers (aka: writers/editors/translators/proofreaders/etc) are much
> more important than the people coordinating the website, mailing lists,
> etc.

Content is nothing unless the public can see it. Can read it, and can find
it easily.
 
> Top priority is the documentation.  All else is secondary.  Never make
> the mistake of underestimating the value of your contributors.  

Never unenderestimate the value of *everyone* involved in the project.
I do a lot of theatre work, teching mainly. and while most people think of
the actors as the main focus, if it wasn't for the technical people the
show wouldn't run smoothly, posibly wouldn't even run. The same can be
seen everywhere. l0pht recently commented on it in an article about their
merger with @Stake. l0pht had the R&D side done, but found they were
spending too much time on the admin/marketing/buisness side of their
projects. With @Stake they get to do what they're best at, and the
marketing types do aswell.

Every link in a chain is important, not just the ones with the spot light
on them.
 
Let the authors write the HOWTOs, and others sort the rest out. Authors
are welcome to help, but if you start imposing rules on what else they
have to do, then I feel you're likely to get less authors, which wouldn't
be the desired effect.

/cog



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