TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
when i worked as a tech writer at a small antarctic research station i
cleaned toilets too. in fact, everyone but the lazy doctor cleaned (we were
called house mouses). we called him a loser. everyone did dishes, bathroom
duty, manuals, floor duty, writing, antenna rigging, editing, seal avoidance
(sometimes the big ones got in the middle of the only 30-foot stretch of
dirt road), boat class, procedures...whatever.
so my point is that it was an understood part of the job duties; everyone
helped because there were so few people. in a small company i would expect
people to just pitch in and clean up without being asked as one woman
responded...it's just polite. of course at a big company it's different
because there are full-time people for those duties. this isn't an open book
for the slobs either.
interestingly enough, i'm at a big company now and the managers wanted the
tech writers to take meeting notes and write them up...so i said
sure...after two weeks that ended. we never got to our tech writing work and
i made sure management knew it. it was loud and clear to them that tech
writer duties encompassed different venues. education of the managerial
masses.
so how do we judge and draw lines? i don't know. it's friday, the mountains
are calling, i think people should just be polite ******unless****** another
creature is being condescending. it's really "context sensitive". we write
enough context sensitive material that i believe the average tech writer
knows when the context is right (polite) or not (condescending). value
judgement. yup...i'm guilty.
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