Re: apologia pro vita sua (was Re: The Old Argument: FrameMa

[Harry Hager <hhager -at- dttus -dot- com>]

     Mark,
     
     Please don't take offense with any of this but for one that is so 
     dogmatic in your statements about the skills needed or not needed by a 
     technical writer, it would help us if we knew a little about the kind 
     of software you support with your technical writing skills: 
     
     1. Do you document Windows-based software? That is, does the software 
     you document run under any of the Windows or Windows-type operating 
     systems (including Macs) and fully use the GUI elements of windows, 
     menus, dialog boxes, list boxes, command buttons, and so forth? My 
     guess is that the vast majority of the LISTERS reading this, document 
     this type of software. 
     
     2. If the answer to question 1 is yes, do you include screen shots of 
     any of these GUI elements in your documentation? If you do include 
     screen shots of any GUI elements in your documentation, are you 
     telling us that you don't need to be concerned about page layout and 
     so forth, and that you let a graphic artist or DTP person handle all 
     these issues? 
     
     3. Do you instead document command line interface software? My guess 
     is that only a relatively few LISTERS reading this, document this type 
     of software today. 
     
     4. If the answer to question 3 is yes, perhaps the whole issue of 
     graphics, page design, and page layout is relatively unimportant to 
     you. If this is your world, I understand why you might think that 
     these skills are not important technical writing skills. However, to 
     take generalizations about the skills needed or not needed by a 
     technical writer in the world of command line interface software 
     documentation and try to apply them to a technical writer in the world 
     of GUI software documentation is perhaps erroneous, at least in so far 
     as the skills related to graphics, page layout, page design, and other 
     DTP skills.  
     
     H. Jim Hager
     Deloitte Consulting
     Pittsburgh Solution Center
     
     
     
     
     


______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: apologia pro vita sua (was Re: The Old Argument: FrameMaker
Author:  mbaker -at- omnimark -dot- com at Internet-USA
Date:    1/22/00 11:31 AM


To all those generalists who were offended by my comment that if people
 are
asked to do too many things they will not be able to do them all well, my 
apologies.
     
There is certainly a role for the generalist. Small companies who can't 
afford a team, and who have fairly simple technology, can doubtless benefit 
from a technical communication generalist.
     
However, it is still true that you can't do 6 different things, especially 
complex and important things, as well as you can do 1 or 2 things. If you 
are convinced that you have mastered 6 or 7 different professions then you 
are either DaVinci, deluded, or you have mastered 6 or 7 things of no 
consequence.
If you have hard technology and big writing challenges, you need specialized 
writers supported by a team of professionals in different disciplines.
     
If I need a plantar wart removed from my toe, I go to my family doctor. If I 
need triple bypass surgery, I go to a surgeon who will work with a team of 
highly skilled and highly specialized professionals.
     
The more difficult the task, the more you need to specialize and the more 
you need to work with a team of other specialists from different 
disciplines.
     
To those who seemed to think that I was dismissing the importance of design 
and layout, nothing could be further from the truth. My first tech-writing 
job, before I know there was such a profession, was a procedures manual for 
a desktop publishing shop. I know that page design and layout are hard 
skills that take a lot of time and energy to do well. A generalist can learn 
the basics. But a dedicated expert has more to offer.
     
I think most people here would scream blue murder if a graphic designer came 
on this list and said they do a little technical writing on the side to 
improve their employability. It's not that easy, we would tell them. And we 
would be right.
     
To those who suggested that they needed to keep control of layout because 
layout affects comprehension I have two things to say:
     
1. In so far as this is true, it strengthens the argument for having a 
professional do your design and layout since they better understand these 
impacts. One of the hallmarks of a poor writer is that they write things in 
a way that best summarizes their existing knowledge for themselves, rather 
than considering how their words will impact those who do not already know 
and understand. A good writer who is a poor document designer will likely 
make exactly the same mistake in design and layout.
     
2. It should not be true. Your content should be comprehensible independent 
of presentation. Presentation should aid in the ergonomics of reading, but 
it should not impact meaning or comprehension. To the extent that it does, 
it is bad design. To the extent that text is susceptible to having its 
meaning altered by presentation, it is bad text. (There are exceptions, but 
they are rare.)
     
With the continuing growth of information reuse and single sourcing, the 
importance of producing content that is independent of the eventual means of 
presentation is vital. More and more, content creators will be removed both 
in time and space form the design and the presentation of information 
products that use their content.
     
Finally, to those who think I am being unrealistic about the job market, I 
know most companies require writers to do DTP. My point is that in most 
cases they shouldn't. Wherever possible, they should build a 
multidisciplinary team of writers, editors, designers, programmers, and 
production people. Where everyone gets to practice their specialty at a high 
level, you will get higher quality and higher productivity. Single sourcing 
is going to require us to adopt this model anyway, but it should be the 
normal model for all departments of a reasonable size.
     
As to future job prospects, I think the economic inefficiency of the current 
model is becoming more and more apparent to many companies. To a lesser 
extent, perhaps, the quality impacts are being noticed as well. I expect to 
see things changing soon.
     
When it ceases to be the normal expectation of a technical writer that they 
do page design, layout, and pre-production, the quality of technical 
communication will improve markedly. There was a time when the barber pulled 
teeth. Perhaps in some isolated communities, they still do. I want a 
professional dentist.
     
---
Mark Baker
Senior Technical Communicator
OmniMark Technologies Corporation
1400 Blair Place
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada, K1J 9B8
Phone: 613-745-4242
Fax: 613-745-5560
Email mbaker -at- omnimark -dot- com
Web: http://www.omnimark.com
     
     
     
     
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 
Sponsored by Weisner Associates Inc., Online Information Services
Training & consulting for RoboHELP, Dreamweaver, HTML, and HTML-Based Help. 
More info at http://www.weisner.com/train/ or mailto:training -at- weisner -dot- com -dot- 
     
Sponsored by Rose Hill, Your Business and Career Coach. 
"Assume Success! Live Your Passion!" Get the gist at 
www.coachrose.com then call 503.629.4804 for details!
     
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as: hhager -at- dttus -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-27056L -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com 
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot-  Visit 
http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.