TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Re: Explaining what we do From:Joanna Sheldon <cjs10 -at- CORNELL -dot- EDU> Date:Mon, 29 May 1995 18:29:31 -0400
>I am seeking assistance on how to advise a friend at a small
>software company who is having to explain to software engineers
>what it is technical writers do that makes them so valuable to
>the company.
Good tech writers are worth a lot to companies who understand marketing.
Good documentation, precisely because it is so rare (a lot of folks would
rather spend money developing the product), is often what distinguishes a
good product from a not-as-good product in the eyes of the all-important
customer.
One of the technical writer's main jobs is getting engineers and management
to consider documentation to be part of the product -- the part that speaks
to the customer.
...JS
**********************
C. Joanna Sheldon, Ph.D.
GRAPHTEX Consulting
Technical Writing, Information Design,
Translation (French, German, Italian)
cjs10 -at- cornell -dot- edu
**********************
