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Subject:Re: What do you want to be called? From:Catharine Strauss <cstrauss -at- EPICOR -dot- COM> Date:Tue, 17 Aug 1999 09:01:27 -0500
>I've heard the following used:
>-- Information Engineer
>-- Knowledgeware Analyst
I think these terms refer to a specific niche that is related to, but not
the same as, techwriting. My official title is Knowledge Engineer, and it
is not the same as being a Techwriter. It involves a slightly different set
of skills, and I see it as a subset of the techwriting field.
I think the terms above refer more to people who analyze, compile and make
existing information available than they do to people who write
documentation. In some ways it has more to do with categorization than
creation of new materials. Some days I'm much more focused on analyzing the
software that contains our knowledge base than analyzing the software that
we support.
While every good writer, and every good writing project deserve attention to
how the information is compiled, organized, etc, I see a significant
difference between Information Engineer and Technical Writer, much like the
difference between a novelist and a librarian or a reviewer.
The trendy terms in the field seem to use Information and Knowledge as
buzzwords, and I think Techwriter is a general term encompasses so much
more.
So, it depends. Feel free to change your title to Knowledgeware Analyst
(beware, however, of those who will stone you for arbitrarily creating new
words) if you feel that is more descriptive of what you do than Techwriter.
But changing the name of this list to information_guru-L is not accurate.
>I have enough trouble explaining what a technical
>writer does to people who are not in the high tech
>field! I don't need a "fancier" title!
>Nancy
Amen. Depending on the audience I will describe myself as a Knowledge
Engineer, a Techwriter, a writer or someone who "works for a software
company."
Techwriter is my first choice though. It's generic yet descriptive.
Sometimes I love the title "Knowledge Engineer", sometimes I'm embarrassed
at how trendy it is. <sigh>
