RE: Definition of Tech Writer, was STC is broken

[Michael West <WestM -at- conwag -dot- com>]

Cheers,
Mike


"Lauren" wrote:

> > From: Michael West
> 
> > I don't believe that "business writing" and "technical writing" are 
> > necessarily mutually exclusive. 
> 
> What?  But they are different and I could not really see a business 
writer
> diving-in to do technical writing or a technical writer diving-in and 
doing
> business writing. 

A careful writer who is attentive to the needs of the business and the 
audience can do both successfully. I have done many successful 
communications projects that would not fit neatly into one category 
without bits that overhang into the other.

A common example is policy and procedure writing. 

> The risks of an unsuccessful technical document are lower than the risks 
of
> an unsuccessful business document, although the detail of technical
> documents is greater than that of business documents.  Risks are lower 
for
> technical writing ...

Don't kid yourself. Badly executed technical documents can -- and have -- 
led to catastrophes including loss of life.

-- 
Mike West
Melbourne, Australia
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