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Bruce Byfield wrote:
> I suggested this question as a result of the reoccuring discussions
> about how much technical knowledge technical writers need.
>
It's an interesting question. Thanks for bringing it up!
> It occurs to me that those who believe that as high a degree of
> knowledge as possible should be sought might be more likely to answer
> this question "Very" - that's certainly true of me, anyway. By contrast,
> those who suggest that expert knowledge isn't necessary might tend to
> answer "somewhat" or "not very." I'm looking forward to seeing whether
> I'm right or wrong.
Don't know about the general response, but I can answer for my situation. I
think that you need to have a level of knowledge slightly deeper than you're
actually writing, to be able to write effectively. That amount varies
depending on your audience, but you should always be able to answer one or
two more detailed questions than you actually do.
For example, if you're writing to an end-user audience about a web browser,
you need to understand what an automatic configuration script does, and
basically how a proxy server works, even if your audience doesn't. If you
don't know this, you can't evaluate whether your instructions are effective
or merely (in)adequate.
If you're writing an API for an object, you need to know something about
what's going on inside the object, even though your audience doesn't need to
know this--you need the extra level of detail to be able to write it, as
opposed to reciting it...
>
> I also notice that, so far, over three-quarters of those who answered
> would not follow their subjects on their own, and that almost half are
> either "not very" or "not at all" interested.
>
Those are my thoughts on the level of technical knowledge--and I answered
"not very". I do take a professional interest in my topics, but I doubt I
would be reading up on telecom network fault management techniques or
billing transaction systems if it wasn't necessary for my work.
> I'm saddened to think that so many people are spending their lives at
> work that they don't especially care for. However, more to the point, I
> strongly suspect that the answers would be very different for
> developers. At least a large minority of geeks are regularly increasing
> their knowledge, and some even program in their spare time for open
> source or free software projects. I wonder: could that be the reason
> that so many tech-writers don't get along with their SMEs? Could the
> geeks unconsciously sense the indifference to the topics that occupy
> large chunkes of their lives?
>
Normally, I'd agree that it's a sad thing for people to spend their lives on
things they don't especially care for. But I'm not sad... I have a long
track record of choosing enjoyable, fulfilling jobs (see my web site!).
While I may not choose the topics I'm currently writing about without a
mercenary motivation, I'm quite happy digging into the puzzles presented by
these systems, figuring out how they work, and explaining them to others. I
have a great relationship with my SMEs, mainly because I can speak their
language and point out some solutions to thorny architectural/design issues.
I tend to have a wider view of the projects than the developers in the
trenches--I see the whole thing, while the developers are focused on their
small piece.
So, in short, I love being a technical writer, but I'm quite mercenary about
it. I really don't care about the topics I'm writing about, but I dig in and
enjoy the challenges and mental workout they present. Can't imagine what
else I would do, at this point!
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