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.
> I have developed a web-based survey related to this topic. Since writing is
> part of your jobs, I welcome your feedback. Please respond by March 12,
> 2001. Below is a link to the survey:
>
I'm not inclined to answer the survey (but, then, I disappoint
marketers on the telephone too). However, I did have a quick look at
the survey.
Maybe I've simply been dealing with the issues covered by the survey
for too long, but my first impression was that it covered topics
that may have been important a decade ago, or even five years ago,
but that are now largely non-issues. When various computing tools
first started to be used, their affect may have been worth looking
at. Now, however, we've been handed so many different tools that the
addition of one more hardly rates a notice; if we need to, we learn
a new tool, then get down to work.
Following closely on this thought, I detect an assumption that the
changes are profound. Possibly, I'm extrapolating unduly from my own
reactions, but, I suspect that most people who spend large amounts
of their work days writing aren't too concerned about the tools they
use. However, people on this list frequently complain about job ads
that focus too heavily on tools, so maybe I'm not alone in this lack
of concern.
On the whole, people who have some writing to do simply do it. They
may have some initial trepidation about a new tool, but, mostly,
they just get on with the job. I'm sure I'm not the only one on the
list who has lost track of the different tools they've used in the
last five years.
Even issues like the difference between paper and on-line are mostly
moot to me: the medium I'm using is just a special application of
the task of writing, not a distinct task in itself. Certain
considerations may be emphasized in one medium, and de-emphasized in
another, but the primary concerns of the job remain the same in all
media.
--
Bruce Byfield 317.833.0313 bbyfield -at- progeny -dot- com
Director of Marketing and Communications,
Progeny Linux Systems
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Develop HTML-Based Help with Macromedia Dreamweaver 4 ($100 STC Discount)
**WEST COAST LOCATIONS** San Jose (Mar 1-2), San Francisco (Apr 16-17) http://www.weisner.com/training/dreamweaver_help.htm or 800-646-9989.
Sponsored by ForeFront, Inc., maker of ForeHelp Help authoring tools
for print, WinHelp, HTML Help, JavaHelp, and cross-platform InterHelp
See www.forehelp.com for more information and free evaluation downloads
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as: archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -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.
