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[techwr-l] RE: Recap of the message about screwing up
Subject:[techwr-l] RE: Recap of the message about screwing up From:jarnopol <jarnopol -at- interaccess -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L, a list for all technical communication issues" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Mon, 30 Aug 99 14:32:53 -0500
Chuck writes:
<snip>
>Maybe. But I've also expressed to my main recruiter that I'm simply
getting tired of fighting, fighting to get information, fighting to get
cooperation.<
If you are expecting to get information on a silver platter, as part of a
normal day-to-day routine, I'd like to have some of whatever it is you're
smoking. Unless you're working in a highly evolved company, or you have a
higher-up who knows the difference that good documentation makes, this just
doesn't happen all that often.
>Heck, I even went to a job interview a few weeks ago where a newly hired tech
pubs manager said that she had been being given information by the engineers
without even asking.<
Yea, but was it information she needed or simply what the engineers decided to
give her? The point being, unless you know what you need, or can find out what
you need, what you get might simply be fluff.
>That's not to say that niceness isn't necessary. But I've also been in far
too many situation where I hear about a development meeting, go there to keep
up with developments on the product, and get asked something along the lines
of "What are you doing here? You're the technical writer."<
If this is the attitude of the company you're working for, what ARE you still
doing there? Either they don't know the value of documentation or someone
hasn't adjusted their attitude yet.
I agree with John Posada. A big portion of our jobs is to get the information
from the people that keep it inside their heads. If that's something you don't
like to do, maybe technical writing is the wrong field.
donning flame-proof gear,
jarnopol
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