In general, it's best to give all potentially relevant information. So, in general, that quote provides poor advice.
However, it's important to write your number correctly. For example, a number understood to be approximately represented as "$1.2$" means "$1.2{\pm}0.05$" or "$\left[1.15,\,1.25\right)$".
If you want to add more information, you can't just tack the numbers on because that changes the implied precision of the value. But you can still do it. For example, Wikipedia lists a current value of the fine-structure constant, $\alpha$, as$$
{\alpha}
{\quad}={\quad}\frac{e^2}{4π{\epsilon}_{0}{\hbar}c}
{\quad}={\quad}0.007~297~352~566~4~(17),
$$in which the last "$64$" is understood to not be significant as it's modified by "$\left(17\right)$". Translated, this means:
$$
{\alpha}
{\quad}{\approx}{\quad}
\begin{array}{rl}
& 0.007~~297~~352~~566~~4 \\
{\pm} & 0.000~~000~~000~~001~~7
\end{array},
$$which if we had to write that using regular significant figures, would just be$$
{\alpha}
{\quad}{\approx}{\quad}
0.007~~297~~352~~57.
$$So, this notation can be used if you want to express additional information in a context in which the reader would assume that the number's form implies its uncertainty by codifying the difference in perceived uncertainty with an appropriate error qualification.
In general, though, the exact statistics of measurements can be pretty complicated; for example, error doesn't need to be normally distributed. So when it really matters, care must be taken to precisely specify what's meant.
In practice, most folks try to keep it simple to avoid a hassle. The basic significant figures system has been designed to be simple while working well-enough in many simple cases.