Chat apps are no substitute for documentation (opens in new tab)

As a technical writer, I have a mixed opinion of chat applications like Discord and Slack. On the one hand, they make it easy to quickly get ahold of someone who can answer your questions, which is a relief if you’re struggling to gather information you need to write a draft. On the other hand, because it’s easy to quickly get ahold of someone who can answer your questions, that convenience can implicitly incentivize folks to neglect documentation. This is true on both sides: Folks with quest...