TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
The other day, I was trying to describe to management what is unique
about hiring and managing technical writers, as compared to, say,
engineers or analysts. It wasn't easy to get across without sounding
arrogant myself.
What I told them is that technical writers are a breed apart. They like
to think their work is creative, even while they fear it is horribly
mundane. They like to think their words make a difference in the
success of the enterprise, even while their jobs are the first to go
when the bottom line falls. They take intense pride in their work
and sometimes resent interference. Writers like to think they know
how to manage their own projects without micro-management. While they
don't mind interacting with others on the team to gain the information
they need, they don't like these other team members telling them how
to use the information.
With many years' experience under my belt, I have come to think of these
as central characteristics of writers, including myself. To some on
the *outside,* this may come across as arrogance.
SEE THE ALL NEW ROBOHELP X5 IN ACTION: RoboHelp X5 is a giant leap forward
in Help authoring technology, featuring Word 2003 support, Content
Management, Multi-Author support, PDF and XML support and much more! http://www.macromedia.com/go/techwrldemo
>From a single set of Word documents, create online Help and printed
documentation with ComponentOne Doc-To-Help 7 Professional, a new yearly
subscription service offering free updates and upgrades, support, and more. http://www.doctohelp.com
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as:
archiver -at- techwr-l -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
