RE: On the fence

["Swallow, William" <WSwallow -at- courion -dot- com>]

::  I think it curious that an STC mag would undervalue the 
::  contributions of
::  technical writers (assuming this is true, I never imagined 
::  that the STC did
::  not pay for articles)? I mean, what value does your 
::  knowledge have? Is it
::  worth a pat on the back and a line on your resume, or is it 
::  **also** worth
::  some renumeration? Isn't being paid to do research and 
::  contribute to the
::  skills and knowledge of the profession worth a little more than job
::  satisfaction? I can understand the idea that giving your 
::  product away for
::  free attracts future customers, but to give the product 
::  away for free to a
::  professional journal?

It doesn't really surprise me though, as the STC only minimally compensates
its speakers at conferences as well. This isn't that big of an issue for
people whose employers send them to the conference anyway, but for
independent consultants and small consulting shops, this is an expensive
means of exposure. 

When I spoke at Help U., I was pleased to be informed that not only would my
admission ticket be complimentary, but a nominal gratuity would be paid to
me for each session I would teach. Had I held more than one session, I would
have broken even on the airfare and lodging as well (had I paid my own way -
thank you, former employer who downsized me *g*). 

Even though there is the exposure, I think in the case of conferences, where
travel, lodging and admission are cost factors, compensation is a big issue.
With writing for a journal, not as much, but of course there is the issue
that you are essentially donating the info you spent X amount of time
verifying on your own. But, if there's nothing holding you back from
publishing your work in other journals and magazines concurrently with TC,
then the issue is not as big (though the principle remains).

::  As technical writers, what do you think of the value of your work?
::  Seriously. I understand there is a benefit to breaking into 
::  the industry and
::  getting set up, and all, but that's what being an intern is 
::  all about,
::  that's what being entry-level is all about. If I want JoAnn 
::  Hackos to share
::  her particular insights about managing my publications, 
::  should she do it for
::  free because the pat on the back feels really good?

I'd say it's up to the writer for the most part. There's no law saying they
have to pay for content. If they want to, great! If they don't, then the
writer has the ability to opt out of that publication. Of course the
publication is taking a risk of losing good info.

This issue strikes home to me on both sides: I frequently share info with
various Tech Comm communities and resources, and I'm the editor for one such
resource - InFrame Magazine. We don't pay for content on InFrame. It's a
resource for people to share info for the purpose of sharing info. Sure, we
have an advertising model, but that little bit of money goes back into the
site to pay for hosting fees and so forth. Neither I nor the publisher make
a dime on the site. In fact, the publisher eats the bills every month anyway
- it's more of a productive hobby for us than anything else.

::  I don't know. For the past 10 years, until quite recently, 
::  I've been good
::  for an average of 12 hours-per-week of volunteer community 
::  service (no,  not
::  court-related ;?). That had nothing to do with my 
::  profession, though I might
::  consider doing a newsletter or something pro-bono on 
::  occasion, but not for
::  the pat on the back, for personal reasons. Isn't 
::  contributing research,
::  work, and professional experience to a professional society 
::  journal more
::  than some general volunteer work you do because it feels 
::  good. If not, why
::  do I have to pay dues at all, why doesn't everyone 
::  involved, including
::  vendors, do this pro-bono?

Good question. I know in the case of the STC, the dues go toward funding for
local events, I'm sure it goes for initial facility payments for the
conference, printing/publishing, and probably a host of other small incurred
costs. I don't *think* any STC "brass" are actually paid, but I could be
wrong. Actually, I assume there are at least a small number of people
working in operations rolls to keep the society running smooth. But I don't
know for sure.

I'll be honest, I replied directly to the original poster suggesting to go
for the article anyway for exposure/visibility, if that was something of
value to that person. You gotta do what you think makes sense. People
contribute to TC all the time. Any contributors here want to elaborate on
why they wrote for TC even though they knew they wouldn't be monetarily
compensated? This is a very interesting topic. :)

***************** 
BILL SWALLOW 
Technical Writer 
C O U R I O N   C O R P O R A T I O N 
1881 Worcester Road 
Framingham, Mass.  01701 
T E L * 508-879-8400 x316 
F A X * 508-879-8500 
www.courion.com 
***************** 

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