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Subject:Tech Comm Portfolio From:Shelley Hoose <shoose -at- mail -dot- metro -dot- net> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Sat, 6 Nov 1999 18:25:31 -0800
Hi All,
Oh wise techwhrlrs, give me your wisdom on this topic:
I am a newbie transitioning from marketing communications to tech
communications, and am creating a portfolio so I can get a job. (I do have
some tech writing samples to put in it.) I am wondering, however, what is
an appropriate term to call myself.
My generic resume says that I'm a "writer, editor, designer * print and
web." My tech comm resume inserts the word technical before "writer."
But is the word "design" appropriate for the tech field? I have not seen
it often used. Or would "information design" be better? Actually now that I
think about it, why don't technical communicators refer to themselves more
often as information designers -- I think it is a more descriptive term.
Does it sound too high-falutin? Not able to be understood by an average
reader? Because "technical communicator" also does not tell the story.
In any case, for those of us (and I gather it's most of us) designing our
docs as well as writing them, is there a common descriptive term?
And, another question: is an instructional designer a sub-category of an
information designer?
I await your wisdom.
Shelley
Shelley Hoose
writer, editor, designer * print & web
821B Midpine Way
Sebastopol CA 95472, USA
Tel./fax: (707) 829-5753
E-mail: shoose -at- metro -dot- net