Re: Techwr-L and Good Will

["Chuck Martin" <cm -at- writeforyou -dot- com>]

<tom -dot- green -at- iwon -dot- com> wrote in message news:237139 -at- techwr-l -dot-  -dot-  -dot- 
<snip>
>
> I have wondered that as well. I have not been on the receiving end of any
nastiness but have seen it and I do not know where it comes from or how it
can be justified. It's just a job(or what you do)afterall. It's not the alfa
and omega of life as we know it.
>

The last isn't necessarily true, at least for some of us. There are those of
us in this discipline for whom it largely defines not only what we do (for
work), but what we are. And for those of us, we spend a not-insignificant
amount of non-work time improving our capabilities, like Start Trek's
Scotty, whose idea of a "vacation" is to read technical journals.

For me, for example, it *is* the "alpha and omega" of life. I read jounals
and industry publications not only be better my skills, but because I *like*
to. When I open new software (like my new copy of RoboHelp X5), I look at
the manuals (if any) before I install, not to learn how to install, but to
look at the quality, the organization, and to get an idea of the quality of
the software itself. I recognize documentation and usability/interaction
design issues in so many day-to-day activities.

I don't just *do* technical writing; I *am* a technical writer. (Or
technical communicator, or my preferred user assistance engineer.)

That all said, there are plenty of people who, while may not feeling quite
so passionately, have still put in long years of training in the discipline
so they can excel, so they can do the best possible work, so that work won't
be the weak link in their company's product.

I would think that, for many who have worked so hard to become excellent, it
may be at the very least a bit galling to be approached by others who have
attached a pretentious title to their name asking about first-year
fundamentals. When that is the perception, it might not always be easy to be
perfectly civil. We are not unfeeling robots, and when emotional issues
arise, it is not always possible to completely keep emotions from responses.

And Eric does a fabulous job of keeping things on track, allowing the
latitude that occurs when people get involved in emotional issues yet
keeping the focus as well. It's a tough balance, and I know I wouldn't have
the patience and the time to do it myself.

I spoke about online communities for technical communicators (including
TECHWR-L) at the recent Conference for Software User Assistance, and I've
relied on this and other online TW communities for years when I've gotten in
binds, had questions, or needed reassurances. But in recent months, the
number of messages i nthese communities has declined, perhaps reflecting the
economic direction. Even though numbers might be shrinking, the memebrs of
those communities might very well be resistance to welcome with open arms
participants perceived as pretenders. We are, after all, only human.


-- 
--
Chuck Martin
User Assistance & Experience Engineer
twriter "at" sonic "dot" net      www.writeforyou.com

"I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. The day
may come when the courage of Men fail,  when we forsake our friends and
break all bonds of fellowship. But it is not this day! This day, we fight!"
                    - Aragorn

"All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given you."
                    - Gandalf



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