re: What does it mean to be technical?

[Sean Hower <hokumhome -at- freehomepage -dot- com>]

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Goober Writer writes:
It seems like there's been a lot of discussion over
the years about what makes a true technical writer.
But really, what does it mean to be technical?
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In my mind, technical means you understand whatever it is you are writing about to an extent that is beneficial for your target audience.

This means that if you are writing GUI docs for a piece of software, you *don't* need to know code.

This means that if you are writing procedures for a manufacturing plant, you should know a little something about manufacturing.

This means that if you are writing an airplane maintenance guide you best know something about aviation.

This means that if you are writing for a bunch of software developers, you should know a little about the code they use.

Make sense? :-)

********************************************
"And in the morning, I'm makin waffles." ~ Donkey
Sean Hower - tech writer
http://hokum.freehomepage.com

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