TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:RE: them engineers From:Chuck Martin <CMartin -at- serena -dot- com> To:TECHWR-L <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Mon, 22 May 2000 10:52:49 -0700
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Justin Cascio [mailto:justin-paul -dot- geo -at- yahoo -dot- com]
> Sent: Monday, May 22, 2000 9:20 AM
> Subject: RE: them engineers
> 5. Be helpful to them-- for instance, you can write out a few
> nice little
> methodologies for them on their internal processes, offer to
> take notes in
> their meetings (this is actually far more helpful to you but
> you can spin it
> so it looks like you're being selfless).
>
I have an issue with this, one that seems to come up over and over: why does
this have to be a one-way street? Why is it often offered as a "solution" to
kowtow to the programmer god? A technical writer is not an SCC* (Dilbert
notwithstanding), we are professional engineers who are as critical to the
success of a project as any programmer. We also often are the only ones
advocating for what real users of the product would need. Offering to take
notes in a meeting is not selfless, but simply a self-acceptance that you're
just a glorified secretary, and so deserve to be treated as such outside the
meeting as well.
--
"I don't entirely understand it but it is true: Highly skilled carpenters
don't get insulted when told they are not architects, but highly skilled
programmers do get insulted when they are told they are not UI designers."
- anonymous programmer quoted in "GUI Bloopers"
by Jeff Johnson
Chuck Martin, Sr. Technical Writer
cmartin -at- serena -dot- com
* Second Class Citizen
***********************************************************************
This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and
intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they
are addressed. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution
is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact
the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original
message.
***********************************************************************
