Re: STC Transformation -- info

["Bonnie Granat" <bgranat -at- granatedit -dot- com>]

T.W. Smith wrote:
> Glad Dood sees the light <g>.
>
> --Bonnie Granat wrote:
>>> I am trying to figure out why I feel very uncomfortable whenever
>>> people talk about the need to "demonstrate our value."  I don't
>>> mean to criticize any particular individual or organization, but
>>> this idea is talked about a lot. I just don't get it.
>
> --And Dood said:
>> Join the club. :-)
>
> It's like this, at many places--my current gig is the poster child for
> this--managers perceive that anyone with a college education is
> capable of being an excellent technical writer in their native tongue.

Would you also agree to work for a man who thought he was a cat?

> The reason for having technical writers around, I would guess, because
> I can never get this answered, is because programmers and engineers
> are needed elsewhere. Thus, the writing skills are not valued and tool
> skills are, because the programmers and engineers don't have time or
> the inclination to become FrameMaker experts.
>

Did you freely choose to work there, or are you an indentured servant
(you know that's illegal, of course)?

> You can open their minds a crack by pointing out that if everyone is
> so damned good at writing, how come they haven't written "Harry
> Potter" or "Red Storm Rising," and they then perceive that native
> language use is perhaps not the only element in technical writing, but
> they then go and pass off some translation chore to a programmer- or
> engineering-buddy just because they happen to be a native speaker. One
> step forward, one step back. You can wedge the door open a little by
> pointing out that everyone has been driving since 16 or so but nobody
> in the office has yet won the Daytona 500 or LeMans ... still, a crack
> in the doorway is the most you get.
>

Why don't you just find a job working for non-Neanderthals?

> So, proving value sometimes, I would argue often, is necessary and I'm
> surprised you don't get it. I guess you've just always had cool and
> froody employers, Pan Galactic Gargleblaster anyone?
>

There's a logical problem here of enormous proportions. You are assuming
that the man who thinks he is a cat is going to have the appropriate
response to your demonstration of value. Don't you have enough evidence
to see that he never will? He never will because from the start he
thinks he's a cat.


> For example, one can demonstrate a 40-80 hour per-project savings by
> hiring a good technical writer, but those managers apply that to tools
> and not skill.
>
> Perhaps you have had the fortune to prove yourself by reinventing the
> tech docs process and saving your employer 1/2 million bucks per annum
> in the process ... I expect proof like that would be quite a feather
> ....
>
> So, I perceive demonstrating value is important and it is not a
> mystery why.
>

I've never worked for cats, that's all, just people who were normal.

Bonnie Granat
www.GranatEdit.com





^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

ROBOHELP X5: Featuring Word 2003 support, Content Management, Multi-Author
support, PDF and XML support and much more!
TRY IT TODAY at http://www.macromedia.com/go/techwrl

WEBWORKS FINALDRAFT: New! Document review system for Word and FrameMaker
authors. Automatic browser-based drafts with unlimited reviewers. Full
online discussions -- no Web server needed! http://www.webworks.com/techwr-l 

---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as:
archiver -at- techwr-l -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.