Re: Definition of Tech Writer, was STC is broken

["Collin Turner" <straylightsghost -at- gmail -dot- com>]

My daughter just calls me a "Typer". People seem to understand that...

On Wed, May 14, 2008 at 9:28 AM, Gene Kim-Eng <techwr -at- genek -dot- com> wrote:

> No, I'm just quibbling over terms, like everyone else
> in this thread.  I agree with you on most points about
> the skills and capabilities technical writers need to
> maintain themselves as high-value professionals in
> the modern world.  Where we disagree is on this
> business of new age job descriptions.
>
> It *does* matter what technical writers call themselves,
> if they want prospective employers and clients to look
> at their resume and business card titles and think,
> "I need to talk to this person," rather than, "WTF is a
> technical communicator?" or worse, "No, I'm looking
> for a technical writer."
>
> I am a technical writer, illustrator, editor and
> publications/project manager.  If I can put on a lot
> of hats and do a lot of jobs, I want to list *all* of
> them on my resume, using names my intended
> readers will recognize, not throw them all away
> and substitute something that *nobody* will
> recognize just because it somehow makes me
> feel better.  Your list of job titles sounds to me as if
> you've spent some time in marketing, and if this is
> so, it confuses the hell out of me that you don't
> seem to see this point.
>
> Gene Kim-Eng
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "David Hailey" <david -dot- hailey -at- usu -dot- edu>
> I find this somewhat amazing.  All along, I have been saying that in the
> real
> world what we need to do is be communicators and not just writers.  I have
> said
> again and again, it doesn't matter what we call ourselves, but it matters
> what
> we do.
>
> You suggest somehow I am wrong, then write an argument that supports me,
> but say
> you want to call the people who do technical communication, "technical
> writers."
> Call them anything you like as long as in the real world they are
> technical
> communicators.
>
> As an aside, my path to technical communication was graphic artist, art
> director, publications coordinator, managing editor/technical writer
> (including
> documentation), innovations editor, training developer, and educator.  I
> have
> been in, and remain in the real world.
>
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