proposed International Technical Writers Group

[Alexia Prendergast <alexiap -at- SEAGATESOFTWARE -dot- COM>]

Hi, all,

A few weeks back, you'll remember the commotion over
the proposed international technical writers union. Well...
here are the details on the proposed international technical
writers *group* ;-)

If you want to get involved or you have some suggestions,
see the contact info at the bottom of these email. If enough
folks want to get involved, we'll continue. (Please contact
us directly -- no need to clutter up the list.)

Thanks,
Alessandro and Alexia

*******************************************
International Technical Writers Group (ITWG)
*******************************************

----------------------------------------------------------------------
What is the ITWG?
----------------------------------------------------------------------

The International Technical Writers Group (ITWG) is a group of
volunteers who are committed to promoting technical writing,
world-wide.

We welcome new contributors.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Our purpose
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Our purpose is to:

-- Create a central point of reference for technical writers working
   around the world.

-- Stress the importance of documentation and technical writers in
today's
   technologically-advanced world.

-- Promote an international "culture" of good documentation and skilled
   writers.

Our purpose is not to duplicate the work of existing organizations,
but rather to complement them.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Our plans
----------------------------------------------------------------------

To accomplish our purpose, we plan to:

-- Establish an e-mail list for discussing topics about our
   profession (including certification, methodologies, international
   trademark and copyright laws, and so on).

-- Create a multi-lingual web site to share useful information
   (including job postings, established methodologies, warnings and
   documents regarding legal topics, links to existing resources,
   and so on.)

-- Create a worldwide network of technical writers willing to
   support each other with information and suggestions.

-- Help newcomers get started by sharing our knowledge and experience.

-- Publish reference documents containing basic information (for
   example, a list of common acronyms in various industries).

-- Do "basic research" about the effectiveness of various development
   methods (including object-oriented information engineering,
   cross-media development, and so on).

-- Contact and exchange information with schools, universities and
   student organizations.

-- Organize courses for novice and experienced technical writers, both
   on the Internet and in the "real world".

-- Define "good working practices", like the one used by chemists and
   software developers, to improve the average quality of
   documentation. (Good practices are guidelines, and are not
   mandatory, of course.)

-- Organize useful surveys to learn more about our market and our
   audience.

-- Establish and maintain contact with the technical and scientific
   publishing community, industry, and the rest of the world,
   to promote our work.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
How to get involved
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Join us if you are interested in promoting technical writing, world-
wide! You can join the e-mail list, contact us by e-mail, or visit
our web page.

Join the e-mail list by doing the following: (TBD)

Send us an e-mail message:
Alessandro Bottoni   albo -at- cadlab -dot- it
Alexia Prendergast   alexiap -at- sems -dot- com

Visit our web page: (TBD)

*****************************************

How does that sound? Any suggestions or additions?
--
Alexia Prendergast
Senior Technical Writer
Seagate Software
mailto:alexiap -at- sems -dot- com

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