TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Re: A sobering encounter (So now what?) From:Bil Gladstone <admin -at- bcnexus -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Mon, 02 Dec 2002 20:41:03 -0800
kcronin -at- daleen -dot- com wrote:
<snip>
> Again I say, if you want the marketplace to value the contributions of tech writers, start as an army of one - start by making the marketplace value YOU. And if we ALL do that, we CAN influence the marketplace.
>
> Instead, it seems like many tech writers are sulking, whining about how we need to be appreciated. Think about how YOU react to somebody whining. Does it make you sympathize? Or does it make you wish that the person doing the whining would just go away?
<snip>
What we're talking about here is marketing. Marketing yourself -
marketing your product. It's like any small trade business. A guy might
be a great plumber, but if he opens a plumbing business for himself, his
tradecraft is almost irrelevant to business success.
Having acquired basic TW skills and knowledge (tools, products etc.),
the next set of skills learned ought to relate to marketing and self
promotion. If a group - STC or other - could offer a vehicle (or
education resources) for marketing the individual member, or the trade
generally, that would be valuable, IMHO.
Bil Gladstone
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Check out SnagIt - The Screen Capture Standard!
Download a free 30-day trial from http://www.techsmith.com/rdr/txt/twr
Find out what all the other tech writers, including Dan, already know!
Order RoboHelp X3 in December and receive $100 mail in rebate, FREE WebHelp
Merge Module and the new RoboPDF - add powerful PDF output functionality
to RoboHelp X3. Order online today at http://www.ehelp.com/techwr-l
---
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.
