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Subject:Re: Generalism vs. Relativity From:cruddy -at- optushome -dot- com -dot- au To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Tue, 11 Mar 2003 07:46:52 -0700
Firstly, yes this is a totally unfair post as I am nomail and will
probably miss any follow ups (heretic -at- tdfa -dot- com).
You haven't changed a bit Andy. Even this topic is the same. Did you just
cuttenpaste your rant?
Essentially, your ability to present an argument is seriously impaired. I
think what the real guts of the matter you raise is this:
You need general skills in order to be able to apply specialist skills.
The ability to learn is the most important. Do anything for 3 weeks you
have it down pat. Extend logically ad nauseum. Where on earth did you drag
the term relativist from? <Shudders>
The fact that a given person has this or that set of specialist skills
doesn't make them any more or less of a technical writer. However, a
technical writer operating within an arena that they are an SME for always
has a significant advantage over one who isn't, yet the writer who can
communicate effectively with a logical flow of ideas (after all this
practice I would have expected some improvement but no, Andy still refuses
to accept feedback and is what he is) will always have an advantage over
one who doesn't. The actual metric is almost irrelevant, as the one with
position is the one who has the PERCEIVED value in management's eyes and
this has almost nothing to do with any of the points of interest to us. <I better breathe now or fall over>
It is not that the concepts are in opposition at all. They are separate
values on a metric that contains many evaluations. Let's raise politics as
a viable skill for TWs. Struth, you don't even touch it yet it is a
fundemental aspect of garnering information. It could be argued that a
poor communicator, with few technical skills or knowledge in the area yet
who is an effective 'politician' is able to produce a product worthy of
the field of technical writing whilst holding said position.
Steve Hudson - Word Heretic, Sydney, Australia
I can do tricky stuff with Word or words for you.
heretic -at- tdfa -dot- com Ph: 612-9590-4340 / 614-2241-5965 http://www.geocities.com/word_heretic/products.html
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