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Subject:Re: observation of tech writer status From:"Dick Margulis " <margulis -at- mail -dot- fiam -dot- net> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Fri, 1 Nov 2002 13:55:31 -0500
Bruce Byfield <bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com> wrote:
> Unless
>you have content, your writing ability doesn't count for much. A good
>tech-writer (or writer of any kind, for that matter), needs hybrid skills.
And had you not quoted me out of context, Bruce, it would be obvious to all that we agree on this.
> If division of labor is going to work, it requires some
>generalists who understand the whole picture. Some of those generalists
>should be managers and directors (although, all too often, they aren't).
>Others are tech-writers.
>
Again, we agree. But a generalist's knowledge is not necessarily an expert's knowledge; and what I argued in my previous post on this topic was that one person cannot be expected to have expertise in all aspects of a large, complex system--which seems to be what Andrew is asking for and what you agreed with him about.
Dick
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