Re: Why are companies now requiring techical writer candidates to be SMEs?

[Andrew Plato <gilliankitty -at- yahoo -dot- com>]

Chuck Martin"  wrote ...

> Ignorance without the capability or willingness to learn is what's not an
> asset.

Everybody thinks they're a quick learn, few actually are. And people who do
learn quickly, usually do so because they are already familiar with similar
technologies/designs. 

Its clear that some employers are not willing to spend the time or resources to
train writers on their products/technologies. So in that case, ignorance of the
topic is not an asset to getting the job. 

> Both of these are misconceptions. User advocacy requires the capability to
> understand user goals--which usually have nothing to do with a particular
> company's product. I could spend a bit of time explaining here, but instead
> will refer you to Alan Cooper's book "The Inmates are Running the Asylum,"
> where such concepts are explained clearly and in detail.

I know the book well. Its an interesting read but summarily worthless. The book
rants and raves about how bad, bad, bad technology is, but offers absolutely NO
solutions for making those technologies better. Its a classic case of
"criticize things you don't know about."  The book is so consumed with its
cleverness and Seinfeld-esque "can you believe it" attitude, that it fails to
address the real issues of economics, demand, and development. 

User advocacy can only be authoritatively accomplished when you ARE a user. You
cannot divine the wants and needs of users by simply reading specs and
attending focus group meetings. You have to plant your ass in the chair and
become a superuser. And that means understanding the technology beyond what the
average user would know. 

Furthermore, if you study the cycles of technological progress, you will see
that barriers to use can actually help products achieve value. It also does
not, always, hinder acceptance. Cisco IOS, for example, is arguably one of the
least user-friendly operating systems out there. But it runs 90% of the router
market. Linux, UNIX, SendMail, Apache, etc. are all significantly lacking on
the "user-friendly" side, but their phenomenally popular technologies. 

So "understanding goals' isn't enough, Chuck. At least not to get a job in
today's market. 

> I still suggest that there is a difference between "technical and industry"
> skills and actual experience in the company's specific line of business. I'd
> be curious to know in just how many jobs you--or anyone--has taken over the
> years have you had previous experience documenting either that company's
> products or one of it's direct competitors (for that is essentially what is
> requested).

Most. I planted myself in IT, networking and security * years ago and I have
been there ever since. I have never had a dearth of work even during the past
few years of economic trouble. However, I have also cultivated an extremely
advanced skill set in some areas, particularly computer and information
security. 

The market has changed. Clearly employers want more than just somebody who can
write. They want and demand industry and specialized knowledge. For those of us
who have that knowledge, work has been and is plentiful. 

Andrew Plato 

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