RE: How to fend off a tech writer

[Matthew Horn <mhorn -at- macromedia -dot- com>]

obie1121 -at- yahoo -dot- com asked:
>>Does everybody else get these
>>instructions too, or is it just me? 

Nope. It's just you.

Here's some free advice on how to deal with developers so that you never get this kind of request from the development department again. 

1) Beat them at their own game. Literally. Learn how to play foosball or Unreal Tournament and then smack 'em down. Gets you some respect, but better yet, gets you in a position to be around when important decisions are sometimes made about the product.

2) Don't just go to them with problems. Stop by and say hi sometimes. Or shoot them an email about something you read on slashdot.org. This way, they don't see you coming and start running the other way.

3) Get access to the source code and do your own check-ins for docs and samples. Learn how the source code repository application works and become a go-to guy for people.

4) Read the code first. You want to ask them a question they haven't asked themselves, not a stupid question that a typical user might have.

5) Find bugs and report them. Developers have a soft spot for QA folks sometimes, and if you show them that you are just as capable, it adds a few inches.

-matt


-----Original Message-----
From: Michael Oboryshko [mailto:obie1121 -at- yahoo -dot- com]
Sent: Thursday, May 09, 2002 1:40 PM
To: TECHWR-L
Subject: How to fend off a tech writer



Well, it happened again. After 3 months on the gig, I got an
email from a middle manager stating "Don't distract the
developers... send all your questions to me instead... etc
etc..."

What I'm wondering is -- Does everybody else get these
instructions too, or is it just me? 

It's dawned on me that, thanks to my semi-meticulous archiving,
I now have a collection of these emails spanning multiple gigs
over the last five years or so. It's a fascinating chronicle of
all the various techniques management uses to keep tech writers
at arm's length. They will do anything to keep tech writers from
interacting as peers on the development team:

1. The Gatekeeper: "Funnel all your requests through me..."

2. The Pest: "Don't distract the developers with your silly
requests..."

3. The Obstacle: "Put all your questions in writing..."

4. Trial and Error: "Just do the best you can, then we'll review
the document..."

5. What else???

What I'm proposing is that we create a repository of these
missives from all our collective experience. Please send them to
me (sanitized to protect the guilty, of course) and I will
publish them somehow on a web site. I think it will be highly
entertaining... also it will be very useful as unscientific
research that provides some insight into management attitudes.

Note: I'm not requesting support or advice on how to handle the
situation; I can deal with it. But as custom dictates on
techwr-l, please fire away with any free advice!

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