Re: Definition of Tech Writer, was STC is broken

[John Hedtke <john -at- hedtke -dot- com>]

I have to agree with Gene on this one.  It has always fallen to us 
individually to promote ourselves and to raise public awareness about 
us and our profession.  The fact that most techwriters do not is 
because of the people we tend to attract in this profession for 
whatever reason.  Or, as my wife put it when I brought her to her 
first STC conference in 2001, "I've never seen so many cases of 
Asperger's Syndrome in my life!"

Yours truly,

John Hedtke
Author/Consultant/Contract Writer
www.hedtke.com <-- website
Region 7 Director, STC
541-685-5000 (office landline)
541-554-2189 (cell)
john -at- hedtke -dot- com (primary email)
johnhedtke -at- aol -dot- com (secondary email)



At 03:34 PM 5/8/2008, Gene Kim-Eng wrote:
>Even if the whole world knows exactly what tech writers do and thinks
>it's the most important job anyone could ever have, those folks who
>will be content to just quietly do what their job descriptions say and
>hope others will recognize their contributions because they're "not
>as gregarious, politic or downright bold as might be needed" to
>establish their credibility as individuals within the job are always
>going to be at a disadvantage compared to those who are.
>Dangerfieldism is something of a self-fulfilling prophecy.
>
>Gene Kim-Eng
>
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Beth Agnew" <Beth -dot- Agnew -at- senecac -dot- on -dot- ca>
> > It's not the Dangerfield plaint but the original core issue that our
> > Society does so little in the way of raising public awareness about who
> > we are and what we do, that it falls to each of us individually to
> > establish our credibility and often our job description in whatever
> > organization or situation in which we're employed. I've never had a
> > problem doing so, but there are techwriters who are not as gregarious,
> > politic or downright bold as might be needed to do that.
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