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.
Some of you may remember that I was... involuntarily idled in January. (Not
addled - I was that long before I was idled.)
Well, the good news is that I found gainful employment close to home with a
large multinational with only about four weeks of looking. So things aren't
too bad for TWs out here in the Silicon Valley. The better news is that I've
got more responsibility and a better title. The best news is that my salary
increased by about 30% (so I promptly bought a BMW Z3).
Of course, with all good news comes some bad. The Tech Pubs department here,
which functions under the umbrella of Information Design, had no staff (!?!)
for about eight months, and only a very junior writer for the past six.
There are no processes, and all the (major) documentation is about five
years out of date. In addition, several products have been held back from
release as needed documentation was incomplete. (The FCC can be very picky
about those little details.) To top it all off, there has never been any
form of document control (or even organization), so important files are
scattered hither and thither across four servers, in a directory system that
has no apparent structure or naming conventions.
This has made for a frantic few months, as I attempt to get a handle on
what's missing, what's needed, and what's next. I've just completed a major
project (one of the incomplete documents for our LAN radio) and have a few
minutes to breathe today.
So, I wanted to say hello, and resubscribe to this valuable resource.
Now I'd better get back to work.
Dan
Have something to say, and say it as clearly as you can. That is the only
secret of style.
- Matthew Arnold
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