Re: New TECHWR-L Poll Question

[Bill Swallow <bill_swallow -at- yahoo -dot- com>]

> Of the technical writers you have worked with 
> in the past year, you have been most surprised 
> at the:
> 
> * Lack of writing skills
> * Lack of editing skills
> * Lack of tool skills
> * Lack of product knowledge
> * Lack of industry knowledge
> * Lack of social/political skills
> * Lack of planning/time management skills
> * Lack of resourcefulness
> * Lack of enthusiasm/curiosity
> * Other/none of the above

Man, what a pessimistic poll! But, if I had to choose,
I'd choose "other" - for "all of the above". I'll be
the first to say that I'm not perfect and that I make
mistakes - even big ones. But... one writer I worked
with in the past was just totally clueless. I and
others I worked with had to re-do everything this one
writer did... from scratch.

On the flip side, I've had the pleasure of working
with many excellent technical writers. Some were user
doc wizards, some were tool maniacs, and others had an
attention to detail you wouldn't believe.

In turning this poll around, I've learned a lot from
working with these people - both the good writers and
the bad. I learned through observation and experience
what skills I needed to grow and what not to do on the
job. 

Huh... just had a blank thought... I was trying to
figure out the purpose of the poll...

=====
Bill Swallow
Technical Writer
PowerAdz.com
518.687.6107
bswallow -at- poweradz -dot- com

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