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Subject:Good Client, Bad Client redux From:Mitch Berg <mberg -at- IS -dot- COM> Date:Mon, 5 May 1997 16:58:35 -0500
Well, I guess I still know how to come up with a whomper of a topic...
I couldn't begin to summarize the response I've gotten on this thread
since I first posted it last - was it only Thursday? Sheesh.
In short: many like the idea of some sort of central clearinghouse of
comments, pro and con, about companies. Some like the idea of
collecting comments, others merely "objective" ratings of company
performance vis-a-vis tech writers in several areas, and others would
collect simply references of people who have worked for a listed
company. I'm starting to think that the last idea has some merit, as
well as less legal exposure.
The legalities of such a list were obviously a big issue.
My intentions in broaching the subject (and, possibly, in hosting such a
list) would be to produce an industry-wide clearinghouse of info about
employers. This could serve as a reference bank for potential employees
or contractors - potentially an early-warning system.
Alexia Prendergast wrote:
>
> >I think tech writers and editors must always try very hard not to become
> >pompous know-it-alls who think that only THEY have the key and that everyone
> >else should bow and politely request it.
I think any perception of "pompous knowitall"ism is the LEAST of the
Tech Comm profession's problems. Sub-par pay, low esteem from many of
our colleagues, being the last person paid at invoicing time, the first
to be laid off during a crunch, being routinely asked to take notes
during meetings, being treated like a glorified clerical temp - THESE
are the problems I'd like to start to address as someone with an eye to
the future of this field. And nobody'd have to "bow and politely
request" anything as the result of this list - it'd be BY tech writers,
FOR tech writers.
Unless, of course, you get too MUCH respect from your colleagues...
At any rate - I plan to find a legally-safe way to pursue this idea.
Stay tuned.
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