TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Re: What does a Tech Writer do? (Tech writing, publicity in US)
Subject:Re: What does a Tech Writer do? (Tech writing, publicity in US) From:Laura Johnson <lauraj -at- CND -dot- HP -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 7 Sep 1994 17:26:34 GMT
Julie Barker (julie -at- harston -dot- cv -dot- com) wrote:
: Reactions to revealing my status as a Tech Writer
: -------------------------------------------------
: Q: So what do you do?
: A: I write manuals that tell people how to use computer
: programs. <Bright smile>. Deep breath.
Here's the one I like:
"Oh, hey, maybe you can help me then. At work sometimes when I run the
flibbertigibbet word processor and then I connect to stimpy to run
SPSS, I don't get the Q: prompt and then I have to reconfigure the
scumble. What do you think is wrong?"
(Further investigation reveals that speaker is using a PC and proprietary
software to access a campus mainframe, which runs an obscure 70's-era OS.)
--
Laura Johnson * lauraj -at- fc -dot- hp -dot- com * Hewlett Packard NSMD * Ft. Collins, CO
"You have to remember that American publishers believe that their readers
are Spam-sucking trailer trash who'll buy whatever's shoved on the stand at
the local store, and it embarrasses them when they take an interest."
- Terry Pratchett