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Re: Writer vs Author (was Techwriting after the boom)

Subject: Re: Writer vs Author (was Techwriting after the boom)
From: Bruce Byfield <bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Sun, 08 Jun 2003 18:45:10 -0700


Michael West wrote:

If this were true,
As someone who has ventured out of technical writing a few times myself, I second Andrew's comment about what employers want in a technical writer.

But you don't really need experience outside the field to figure out the general attitude towards technical writers. Just ask yourself this question:

Why is the subject of dealing with SMEs such a popular topic among technical writers?

It seems to me that, if technical writers were well-respected as a group, then this topic wouldn't reoccur so often.

I would be asking the following questions:

Your questions are sensible, but beside the point in practical circumstances. It doesn't matter what the CIO knows, or how "technical" is defined. If the CIO is the one with hiring authority, then the CIO can set whatever qualifications he or she wants, regardless of how valid they are.

1. Define "technical".

Given that the CIO can set any standards whatsoever, I'm not going to respond to all your questions. However, this one seems worth answering:

To the average CIO, I'm sure it ideally means "having experience in the company's field."

If a writer with this experience can't be found, then it means, "having experience in a related field" or, if the writer's audience is developers, perhaps,, "having experience working with code and configuration files." If the scent of desperation is in the office air conditioning, it might mean, "having a background that suggests that the candidate can learn what's necessary to be effective quicker than anyone else" - but that definition is the last resort, and I wouldn't count on it in if you're looking for work.

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

"My love is of a birth as rare
As 'tis for object strange and high;
It was begotten by Despair
Upon Impossibility."
- Andrew Marvell, "The Definition of Love"



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Follow-Ups:

References:
Re: Writer vs Author (was Techwriting after the boom): From: Andrew Plato
Re: Writer vs Author (was Techwriting after the boom): From: Michael West

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