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

[Lyn Worthen <Lyn -dot- Worthen -at- caselle -dot- com>]

I have to agree with Jenny & Andrew on this one, in spite of the fact that I
was once selected from a pool of more experienced writers -because- of my
total lack of knowledge/experience with the subject matter/technology.  The
client's approach was "you'll look at [the product] the same way our
off-the-street-end-users will, and ask the same questions, etc., etc."
Sure, I pulled it off, and yes, the client was quite pleased with the
deliverables, but it wasn't an experience I would willingly repeat, or ever
recommend as a great strategy.  

If I'd had more experience going into the job (i.e., if I knew then, as a
green writer, what I know now, after 15 years), I would have refused the
contract, and recommended someone with familiarity in the
subject/technology. 

I wouldn't go so far as to say a writer has to be an -expert- in whatever
they're documenting, but I definitely agree that the more you know about the
subject/market/technology/etc., the easier it is to produce a quality
deliverable.  And yes, I -do- think that the writer's knowledge should
extend beyond the technology itself to the -use- of the technology.

L

-----Original Message-----
From: jenny_berger -at- fairfieldresidential -dot- com
Sent: Tuesday, April 22, 2003 7:52 AM

Sorry, dude, Andrew's right. I've yet to meet an employer who valued 
ignorance among any member of any team, writer or not. Ignorance is 
typically defined as "the state of being uneducated or uninformed" 
(American Heritage Dictionary, 4th ed.). How can anyone produce a good 
document in an uninformed or uneducated state? Simple -- they can't. I 
know I can't produce good documentation if I'm ignorant in any way about 
what I'm documenting, and I know I'm a good writer. But being a good 
writer isn't worth a hill of beans in any market if I don't have a clue 
about the product, the technology or the industry I'm writing about. 

...<snip>...

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