Excellent. Now I think you have helped to focus your definition of technical documents by thinking through the audience, purpose, and context for technical documents. Keeping checking your definition each time you use another kind of technical document. Does your definition measure up?

Everyone, please post your online examples of policies or procedures so we can all see them.

Perhaps thinking about the rhetorical foundations of communication will help us: what is the audience for tech. docs?, what is the purpose of tech. docs?, and what is the context for tech. docs?

Prinna brings up a good point about persuasion. Here's my question though--Is there an inherent persuasion factor in technical documents like online help? I realize that it is not a kind of blatant "buy this now because Shaquile O'Neil says so" type of persuasion, but certainly a helpful help system persuades us that the software is good, that perhaps I should use this software when the upgrade comes out....? Perhaps, in other words, there are types and levels of persuasiveness in technical documents. Certainly we cannot deny the pragmatic nature of technical documents either. Is this a realistic appraisal?

Welcome to Techdocspoliciesprocedures. This web space is our discussion area for students and professionals who study or write technical documents, policies, and procedures. For starters, let's take on the question of definitions. What are technical documents, what are policies, and what are procedures? Have you ever written any of these? Give us examples, definitions, or both.