Writing about technology, I must use the correct terms to avoid losing or, worse, confusing my audience. While working on my current assignments, a non-technical SME confused the terms access and permissions. No one’s head exploded (though I think in one case, it was a near thing) and we were able to understand the very valid point being made… eventually. That moment sent me back to my ever-growing glossary.
The difference between Access and Permissions reminded me of the famous Verna Myers quote about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI):
Diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance.
Verna Myers, founder and president of Verna Myers Consulting Group and star of a TED Talk on overcoming bias
Access is being able to get there and Permissions is1 what you’re able to do there.
Permissions and Rights sometimes get conflated and that difference requires a more nuanced discussion.
- This is grammatically correct. Annoyingly. ↩︎
Technically Writing 