RE: The importance of having technical credibility

["Robert Wisbey" <robert-wisbey -at- scitech-consultants -dot- co -dot- uk>]

Bruce,

I partially think it depends on the developers / SMEs you work with, and
the level of experience you have as a writer. For example, if a
technical writer is a trainee then maybe they would be forgiven for not
being so technically proficient. If however a technical writer has a few
years experience then they should really know their stuff in the area
they have covered during their career. In saying that, I hate to admit
the fact that I have come across some technical writers with more
experience than me (I have about 5 years) that do not know how to
install and use FTP Client software, and who "copy and paste" technical
specifications into an end user document.

Regardless of whether a technical writer's background is
artistic/scientific/technical, the fact of the matter is that with time,
an experienced technical writer *should* naturally develop *both* a
writing and technical skills to a high level. If they cannot achieve
*both* then they are in the wrong career.

Rob Wisbey
http://www.robertwisbey.com

-----Original Message-----
From: bounce-techwr-l-118026 -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
[mailto:bounce-techwr-l-118026 -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com] On Behalf Of Bruce
Byfield
Sent: 22 January 2003 19:03
To: TECHWR-L
Subject: The importance of having technical credibility



Yesterday evening, I attended a networking event.  Most of the people 
were executives or non-technical types, such as artists, but, judging 
from the name-tages, there was a scattering of developers - most of them

looking very uncomfortable about the company they were keeping, and 
huddling together in small groups of twos and threes at the fringes.

During the evening, I encountered most of these groups (when I work the 
floor at a networking event, I really work the floor - kind of like a 
train going downhill without any brakes). Each time, the conversation 
went something like this:

Developer: What do you do?

Me: Mostly, I write technical, marketing and business documents.

Developer (eyes darting about, looking as though he's going to take a 
step back): Oh.

Me: I've also written articles about Linux for Linux Journal and Maximum

Linux.

Developer (excitedly; looking like a horse that sees the stable ahead): 
Really? What about?

At that point, I'd be granted provisional human status, and we would 
then go on to talk about Linux, or some related issue, such as security 
or the open source movement. Later, several of them remembered who I 
was, too. One of them even said that they hadn't expected to have a 
conversation about open source technologies at the event.

I've got no objection to talking to executives (they're the ones with 
the job) or to artists (they're often closest to my type), but I came 
away with a renewed sense of my long-held conviction: if you want to be 
taken seriously by developers and SMEs as a tech-writer, gain some 
technical expertise, and demonstrate it.  

-- 

Bruce Byfield bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com 604.421.7177
http://members.axion.net/~bbyfield

"There is no science without fancy, and no art without facts."
- Vladmir Nabokov, inteview, 1966


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