RE: INDUSTRY COMPETITIONS

["Anna Langley" <alangley -at- ts -dot- checkpoint -dot- com>]

Good points, Andrew. Thanks for the feedback.

Anna Langley
Courseware Team
Check Point Software Technologies, Ltd.



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-----Original Message-----
From: Andrew Plato [mailto:gilliankitty -at- yahoo -dot- com]
Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2003 6:45 PM
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Cc: alangley -at- ts -dot- checkpoint -dot- com
Subject: Re: INDUSTRY COMPETITIONS


"Anna Langley" wrote...

> I'd like to interject something here: Thanks to all the suggestions on
this
> list today, I have found several organizations that offer industry awards.
> BUT the real question is, of what value is the actual award if it's from
an
> organization that has less clout than, say, STC?

There are organizations with less clout than STC? Wow.

> There are quite a few
> organizations out there that offer all sorts of "excellence" awards. If
I'm
> going to put something on my resume that shows I won an award, it better
> darn well be from an organization of value in my industry.

I think its important to differentiate your INDUSTRY from your PROFESSION.

Your industry is security. And it has plenty of groups, associations, and
periodicals. There are a lot of people who watch and monitor industry
segments.
An industry award or recognition therefore has broader appeal. If Neohapsis,
ISSA, Information Security, or some other group praised your product's
documentation, this would reach a wider audience of people - many of whom
may
consider good docs a reason for purchase.

Your profession, is technical writing. Most professions have their own
groups
and associations. But these tend to be more insulated. I would bet that the
majority of people at your company have no idea what or who STC is. The
majority of people in your industry, security, have no idea who or what STC
is.
 Thus, professional awards rarely have the reach and appeal of professional
awards.

That much said, it is my opinion that industry praise is more valuable to
your
company and your long-term employability than professional praise. Industry
praise will sell products. Professional praise will only earn you
(personally)
kudos from fellow writers. (In the case of STC, it won't even win you that,
for
some people.)

However, earning industry praise, especially for documentation, is hard.
Usually, if anything is said it is negative. It is rare when industry folks
point out good docs. However, when they do, it means a lot.

Andrew Plato

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