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:marketing vs. engineering vs. us From:Miki Magyar <MDM0857 -at- MCDATA -dot- COM> Date:Tue, 19 Nov 1996 08:51:43 -0700
Let's remember that 'marketing' and 'engineering' are not as rigidly
mapped as 'pi' or 'E flat'. And we certainly know that 'technical
communicator' (writer, editor, dogsbody) is a very slippery term! I have
done my stuff under the label of the engineering department, the
marketing department, the technical communications department, the
consultant, and no department at all. I've written and edited things that
were labeled as marketing, and similar things that were labeled as App
Notes. The key to whether I was perceived as a valuable contributor to
the team effort was not my label or the document's label, but the values
that management put on those labels. And that's a whole different arena.
I suggest we concentrate on communicating effectively with the real live
people who share our work place, and less on the abstractions of our
labels.
Now if this doesn't prompt some philosophical rhetoric, I'll be very
disappointed!
Miki
Apply disclaimer here.
mikim -at- mcdata -dot- com