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Subject:Re: More about the changes coming to tech writing From:Hannah Drake <hannah -at- formulatrix -dot- com> To:"Lippincott, Richard" <RLippincott -at- as-e -dot- com> Date:Tue, 6 May 2014 14:23:01 -0400
Pretty sure that until UX designers become faultless omniscient beings that
can predict every possible use and misuse by a user, people will need tech
writers.
On Tue, May 6, 2014 at 1:57 PM, Lippincott, Richard <RLippincott -at- as-e -dot- com>wrote:
> Not to sound like a broken record, but...no, technical writing isn't going
> away. As usual, it's changing, but it's not going away.
>
> We document the new, and so long as there -is- "new," there will be a need
> for people who do what we do. When human invention stops, then our jobs
> will stop...but at that point, we'll probably have our hands full with
> other worries.
>
> Now to the worry of the blogger: is -software- documentation going away?
> Not completely, but it's getting smaller for the reasons he states.
>
> For those who see tech writing as "user docs for software systems," you
> may indeed find the jobs are going the way of the 1920s Sears & Roebuck
> tech writers producing assembly instructions for kit houses, or the 1960s
> Zenith tech writers producing TV repair manuals. Of course, the Sears
> writer couldn't foresee the job of the Zenith writer, the Zenith writer
> couldn't foresee the job of today's SDK/API writer. Is it any wonder that
> our writers today can't foresee what people will be documenting as soon as
> ten years from now?
>
> I've said this before, I'll say it again: Our job description in three
> words is "We explain things." People will always need explanations. It's as
> simple as that. The method and media may change, but then that's happened
> before.
>
> So, as Douglas Adams would say: "Don't panic!"
>
>
> Rick Lippincott, Technical Writer
> American Science and Engineering, Inc. | www.as-e.com
> 829 Middlesex Turnpike | Billerica, MA 01821 USA | Fax +1-978-262-8702
> Office +1-978-262-8807 | rlippincott -at- as-e -dot- com
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: techwr-l-bounces+rlippincott=as-e -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com [mailto:
> techwr-l-bounces+rlippincott=as-e -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On Behalf Of
> Cardimon, Craig
> Sent: Tuesday, May 06, 2014 10:32 AM
> To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> Cc: Cardimon, Craig
> Subject: More about the changes coming to tech writing
>
> This is a lot, almost too much, to think about.
>
>
>http://customersandcontent.com/2014/05/06/the-death-of-technical-writing-part-2/
>
>
>http://www.doc-department.com/blog/view/183-will-there-be-any-technical-writers-in-10-years
>
>
>
>
>
> Cordially,
>
> Craig Cardimon | Technical Writer
> Marketing Systems Group
>
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--
*Hannah Drake *Documentation and Rock Maker Product Manager
[image: Office:] 781-788-0228 x137 | [image: Cell:] 617-610-6456 |
Skype*:* hannah.drake.formulatrix
[image: Formulatrix, Inc.]
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