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On Wed, Nov 25, 2009 at 10:47 AM, Mike Starr <mike -at- writestarr -dot- com> wrote:
> I self-identify as a tech writer but as far as I can tell, I'm not anywhere
> close to dated. I believe I could hold my own in a "throwdown" (thanks,
> Bobby Flay) with most of my colleagues.
>
> <Digression> Maybe what we need to get some publicity for our profession is
> an "Iron Writer" or "Throwdown" challenge program.</Digression>
>
> I've not drunk the "communicator" Kool-aid yet because I'm inclined to
> believe that in the long run what clients and hiring managers want is
> *writing*... they don't think of it in terms of "communication" even though
> we may incorporate far more than just writing into our work.
>
> In addition, it just sounds pretentious to me... somewhat akin to
> "sanitation engineer" for "garbage collector" or "entrenching tool" for
> "shovel" or "utilize" instead of "use".
>
> I opposed STC's effort to replace "technical writer" with "technical
> communicator" in the U.S. Department of Labor Dictionary of Occupational
> Titles for that reason and also because their proposed definition did not at
> all mention either "writer" or "writing".
>
> Mike
> --
> Mike Starr WriteStarr Information Services
> Technical Writer - Online Help Developer - Technical Illustrator
> Graphic Designer - Desktop Publisher - MS Office Expert
> (262) 694-1028 - mike -at- writestarr -dot- com - http://www.writestarr.com
>
> Collin Turner wrote:
> > I am often amazed at how "stuck in our ways" the Tech Writing community
> > seems to be. It may be why so many find themselves unemployed and have
> > difficulty getting back into the job-stream -- I know, that sounds harsh,
> > but it's a fact. Our filed is evolving faster now than at any point in
> its
> > history. To say we're "Tech Writers" is to admit we're dated. We're
> > "Communicators". We document in many varied formats. If it's a message of
> > 140 characters or a manual of 330 pages, what does it matter so long as
> the
> > meaning is conveyed -- that is what lies at the core of our job, isn't
> it?
> >
> > I use 4 Twitter accounts for multiple purposes. Each of them lives in a
> > different ecosystem and each is extremely valuable. Two serve to bring me
> > eyes and ears, readers and listeners. As of now I have two podcasts that
> > reach over 20,000 listeners per month in more Countries than I can track!
> > This has happened in less than 8 months and I would not have that level
> of
> > success without tools like Twitter.
> >
> > Do not dismiss it.
> >
> > -Collin
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Are you looking for one documentation tool that does it all? Author,
build, test, and publish your Help files with just one easy-to-use tool.
Try the latest Doc-To-Help 2009 v3 risk-free for 30-days at: http://www.doctohelp.com/
Help & Manual 5: The all-in-one help authoring tool. Easy to use
but still has all the power you need. Get results fast in an intuitive
authoring environment that works like a familiar word processor. http://www.helpandmanual.com/
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