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: What to call us From:Steve Wax <stevewx -at- ESKIMO -dot- COM> Date:Thu, 22 Jun 1995 01:03:41 -0700
Marta wrote:
<snip>
>While I don't have any objection to my peers/colleagues adopting other
>titles for the same work I do, I don't know who it *really* impresses. I
>know that when I meet a Sanitation Engineer, I'm dealing with a garbage man
>with a vocabulary (or a thesaurus).
<snippity snip>
>We say what we *are* (technical writers, technical communicators, document
>engineers, information engineers, etc.), when asked what we do, when we
>should be telling people what we *do*.
Thanks for your insightful and sensible post. Of course we should be doing
as you suggest because, existentialist echoes aside, we are what we do.
steve wax stevewx -at- eskimo -dot- com
-------------------------------------------------------------
After the final no there comes a yes
and on that yes the future world depends. --Wallace Stevens