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Re: Asking for Author Credit In The Documentation?
Subject:Re: Asking for Author Credit In The Documentation? From:David Neeley <dbneeley -at- oddpost -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Sat, 4 Sep 2004 12:13:01 -0700 (PDT)
Steven,
I would think it would be extremely rare but by no means unheard of. One potential negative from the client's perspective is that it is a lure to competitors to seek to hire you *because* of your depth of knowledge of their new product. Why should the client company give that sort of potential step up to such competitors?
Perhaps you think that such a credit is worth signing a non-compete agreement...but I strongly doubt it.
Personally, I don't see the advantage you would gain beyond that of a client testimonial letter for your reference files. If in addition you can get their agreement to use copies of the docs to show potential employers samples of your work, that would be icing on the cake. With me, even that has been largely impossible because of client sensitivity to having their docs in that sort of circulation.
David
-----Original Message from Steven Oppenheimer <Steven -at- OppenheimerCommunications -dot- com>-----
Anyway... I'm a sole proprietor, and for the past year I've been doing a
lot of writing for a startup company. ...If I may say so myself, I have created some pretty sizzling documentation
for them. It occurred to me that, since this stuff is going out to other
companies, it would help me if I got some credit in the
documentation. Now, I have a very good relationship with these people, but
there is nothing in my contract which promises me credit. Still, I see no
harm in asking. My idea is to have something on the copyright page -- and
also, in some suitable spot in the online help -- which reads something like:
Documentation developed by Oppenheimer Communications (www.OpComm.com) and
the Staff of SuperNetworkWizards, Inc. [of course we'd use the real company
name here]
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support, PDF and XML support and much more!
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