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>> Could
> anyone offer any advice on
> topics a professor would want to cover in such a
> course?
And someone replied:
How about "how to be resourceful" and "how to think
for yourself"?
Not to be blatant and rude, but the point of your
assignment seems to be the identification and assembly
of knowledge and not the creation of a web site. You
need to do your homework, not have us do it for you.
My advice is to make good use of this list's archives,
as well as the archives of other mailing lists. Also,
web search engines are wonderful things that help you
find info.<<
And now I ask:
Since when is asking SMEs (in this case us, as working technical
writers) for their opinions and insights *not* being resourceful? I
don't think the student asked anyone to do the homework, but merely to
contribute our opinions and expertise. I would hope that a college
student would already know how to do well-rounded research.
Here is mine, based on my experience as a working writer who's gone back
to school for a master's degree in technical communication:
You need to know how to write.
You need to know how to present information so people can find it.
You need to know how to do research, including interviews.
You need to know how to get your facts straight.
You need to know about your subject matter, whether it's software or
horseshoes or whatever.
You need to be able to learn new, often difficult things, very quickly.
You need to know how to be tactful and diplomatic.
Jay Malone
Lead Technical Writer
Resource Consultants, Inc.
Vienna, VA
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