RE: Stereotypes (WAS: what to look for in a Tech Editor)

[John Posada <JPosada -at- book -dot- com>]

>I tend to hang with a diverse crowd, many of whom are non-techies
>and most of whom have never heard of or met a tech writer of any 
>sort before.  I usually explain my job in simplified terms, they 
>usually say "Oh, I could never do that" or "I would find that very 
>boring!", and we move on to other topics.  :-)


This is a case of "writing" for your "reader". Put the description in terms
of something they understand.

"John...what do you do?"

"I'm a technical writer..I write about the seven computer system behind the
Barnes and Noble web page."

Do I write about software? Sure...glazed look. Do I write about hardware?
Sure...yawn. However, I also write about that magical stuff behind a web
page that almost everyone has seen and almost nobody knows how it works.

If you think about it, almost everyone on the list can describe what they do
in terms that makes what they do sound more interesting than reality.

"Megan...what do you do?"
"ya know those huge robots you see in the movies and commercials that swing
all over the place welding, painting, spinning, and assembling whole
automobiles? I write the instructions on how to build and run those beasts."

Whoa, COOL! Isn't that how the Terminator started? From robots? Do you know
Arnold?

Megan Rock
Technical Specialist
Product Information
FANUC Robotics America, Inc.

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