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RE: Speaking the SME's Language (was: Jumpstart a programming abi lity [- why?])
Subject:RE: Speaking the SME's Language (was: Jumpstart a programming abi lity [- why?]) From:"Giordano, Connie" <Connie -dot- Giordano -at- FMR -dot- COM> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Fri, 6 Jul 2001 14:55:10 -0400
Exactly what does this mean? I've been a software technical writer for
almost 8 years, and I've NEVER been asked to interpret code. Maybe because
my area of expertise is not API documentation, which is one place I could
see it being advantageous. Does the fact that I know more about process
analysis, usability and design than 99% of my colleagues make me stupider
than them simply because I don't read and interpret code? They don't think
so, and I don't think so.
Once again, many posters on this thread are assuming that programmers are
the only SME's. Hardly... Our Business Analysts are SME's on what our
software is supposed to do, our developers are SME's on how it does it, our
QA folks are SME's on why it doesn't, and the tech writers are SME's on
presenting the how and why to the people who have to use it.
Mayhap it was the attitude with which he answered the question. Refusing to
try says much more than explaining why an interpretation is likely to be
wrong.
The inability to read VB doesn't make a tech writer stupid--the tendency to
paint every tech writing job with the same brush is much more likely to.
MHO
Connie Giordano
-----Original Message-----
From: Anne -dot- Robotti -at- radisys -dot- com [mailto:Anne -dot- Robotti -at- radisys -dot- com]
Sent: Friday, July 06, 2001 1:34 PM
To: TECHWR-L
Subject: Re: Speaking the SME's Language (was: Jumpstart a programming
ability [- why?])
He wouldn't even try to *interpret* a code sample?! Geez, then we wonder
why we all get treated like we're so stupid all the time.
A friend of mine had a job interview with a software company last year and
was asked to interpret a sample of Visual Basic code. He told them that
he
was a writer and not a programmer and refused to try. Needless to say, he
did not get the job.
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