FW: Technical Writers Needed for API Doc: Really?

["Trese, Timothy G." <Timothy -dot- G -dot- Trese -at- SAICSeals -dot- com>]

Cedric:
There was a speaker at the STC conference in Chicago who did a
presentation on writing for software professionals. I believe she was
based in Texas. Anyway, good presentation, and I think she's published
with cited references. She should have a paper in the Proceedings.
Anyone remember who that was?
As far as creating the job you want what local evidence can you present
management that they have a need? Has bad API documentation resulted in
work slowdown or stoppage? Disgruntled customers and excessive support
calls? A less than professional image with a critical audience? If
you're going to sell it to management, I suspect the first thing to do
would be to talk to your lunch buddies in development, support, sales,
testing, and marketing and find out where/if there's a critical need.
Second thing I would do, depending on your situation, is to just start
doing it. Take part of an API doc that you're asked to "proofread," burn
the midnight oil, and run with it. If it really needs the kind of
attention that only a tech writer can give it, you should be able to
improve it vastly over what the propeller-heads write. Plug the holes
with needed information (again by talking with your lunch-buddy
programmers). Reorganize the material logically and make it consistent.
Make it accessible and usable and all that good stuff, within the basic
design parameters. Keep track of your hours. Then submit a
before-and-after, along with a budget, with your formal proposal to
management. Sell them on the idea of working your magic with API's
promulgated by development, and you'll be that much closer to convincing
them that you should actually be doing the writing from the start.



^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Attention ForeHelp and Doc-to-Help Users! Upgrade your existing product to
RoboHelp for FREE, through January 15th. RoboHelp can import your existing
Help projects! Learn how else RoboHelp can benefit you. www.ehelp.com/techwr

---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as: archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot-  Visit
http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.