Samples

Did you know that there was a time when people actually read release notes? Not all people read them, but some regular customers did.

Since I became an iPhone user, I’ve started noticing the release notes for updated versions of iPhone apps. The only major software publisher that consistly explains what’s new in a release is… Apple itself.

• Streamlined in-app notifications informing you when a person joins a collaborative document for the first time
• Preserve file format and full quality when adding HEIC photos taken on iPhone or iPad
• On iPad, press and hold the Command key on a connected keyboard to select noncontiguous words, sentences, or paragraphs using a trackpad or mouse

It’s not new that the release notes are an afterthought. Too often, they are written by the developer who has been given the responsibility for actually submitting the software for distribution.

Technical writers maintain samples of documents that they once created and add those sample documents to their professional portfolios. Even though I do not (repeat: not) have a portfolio for the sole purpose of employment, writing samples can be useful when seeking a new technical writing position.

Showing samples to prospective employers was always a grey area ethically. What we think of as samples are single copies of work to which we do not own the copyright. But allowing a prospective employer to examine these samples as part of an interview process is not worth anyone “lawyering up” over, especially since we as writers used to control access to the samples and since the duration of that access of yesteryear was enough for a quick perusal but not for any activity that would damage the copyright owner.