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Subject:RE: Information Engineers From:John Posada <jposada01 -at- yahoo -dot- com> To:Mary Arrotti <mary_arrotti -at- yahoo -dot- com>, Gordon McLean <Gordon -dot- McLean -at- GrahamTechnology -dot- com>, 'Stuart Burnfield' <slb -at- westnet -dot- com -dot- au>, techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com Date:Tue, 1 May 2007 07:51:32 -0700 (PDT)
> I don't understand the perspective of this as an either or
> situation. I've worked with technical writers who couldn't write
> clearly and others who had difficulty understanding the technology
> or business they wrote about. In both instances - the documentation
> suffered. If you work in a competitive market - you don't have the
> luxury of not meeting either skill set - it's usually expected &
> required of you.
I only believe it can be an either/or situation because where the
writer comes from will have an impct on it. If the tech writer comes
from an English or Journalism background, their writing skills will
probably be stronger than their technical skills. OTOH, if the writer
comes from an IT background, their technical ability will probably be
stronger than their writing ability.
Take two people; one with a masters in literature and one with a
masters in compsci. Don't you expect two different strengths?
Granted...they may both fool ya. But as I've become fond of saying
lately, when you hear hoof beats, don't expect zebras.
John Posada
Senior Technical Writer
"They say everyone needs goals. Mine is to live forever.
So far, so good."
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