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> And that's perfectly fine. We're not debating your good intentions.
> The discussion is around the differences between usability experts and
> technical writers.
>
I've noticed that this thread has taken a turn from discussing the
comparison between "Usability Professionals" and "Technical Communicators."
I think that is important to maintain a distinction that one can be an
"expert" without necessarily being a "professional" in the field.
It is easy to split hairs about when a person transitions from dilettante to
expert, but I think that there is a clear line when a person is a
professional. Here, I think Dori said that a good technical communicator
should have some usability expertise, but a technical writer may not
necessarily be a usability expert. I also think that the crux of the
discussion lies in whether a technical communicator with usability expertise
is also a usability professional. I don't think that this is the case.
It is true that usability expertise is a part of technical communication and
that a usability professional should have writing ability. But is there is
or is there not a difference between a technical communicator and a
usability professional? I think that there is a difference, but those
differences overlap each other. After following this thread, I still do not
know the differences between the two professions, although I am convinced
that there are two distinct professions.
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