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.
<Snippage begins>
I am bewildered by some of the questions purportedly by technical communicators asking, do you place an a or an before LED, how do you gather material, the difference between a leaflet and a small manual, how to write procedural steps and on and on. I now can see why certification by STC would be beneficial to our profession.
<Snippage ends>
Stan,
I can understand where you might get the idea that "the technical writing profession is going downhill" when you read some of the questions that *you* already know the answer to, but before you throw stones from your glass house, I think you need to take a few things into account.
1) Not all of us are technical writers by trade. (I, for example, am a Computer Trainer who just *happens* to be writing manuals to accompany my courses.)
2) Not all of us use English as our *primary* writing language. (Hence, the term LED may be new to someone who has been speaking French all their life and now needs to write and English manual.)
3) Some of us are crossing fields of reference here. (Someone who *used* to write manuals on engineering procedures may now be charged with the task of writing manuals for the hardware used in these procedures.)
4) Some of the subscribers are students who don't know the "rules" of technical communication yet, so they may ask questions that *seem* uninformed. Were you an expert when you started?
5) Four days is not enough time to get to know what type of issues are discussed on the list, or even to know what type of people from what walks of life are contributing.
Yes, sometimes we flame each other (accidentally *and* on purpose!), sometimes we ask a question out of desperation only to find that once we've voiced it, we figure it out ourselves, sometimes we want to start up a llively discussion on an issue, so we start a thread with a seemingly "stupid" question, sometimes we ask because it's easier than looking it up, and sometimes, we get a question from someone who has *never* done any technical writing before, and gets charged with it because there's nobody else.
I can't say I agree with the way all of these things happen, but they do. I, for one, enjoy seeing that other people are having as hard a time with this writing stuff as I am. In fact, when I joined the list 6 months ago, I had never written anything more instructional than a list of tips for Time Management, and I found the list invaluable.
The insights, experiences, and yes, problems of others, have made me realize just how big the feild of Technical Communication/Writing is, and has helped me make some decisions as to where I want to go with it.
Just because someone is a writer, that doesn't mean that they are a Word Processing genius, or an On-Line Help specialist. They have failings just like me, and if I can help them, I feel better and so do they.
I for one enjoy this list immensely, and feel that if you're willing to dis' us after four days, what can we learn from you if you're not willing to learn from us?
Just my two centavos.
Lisa Comeau
IS Super-User/Trainer
Certification and Testing Division
Canadian Standards Association
Rexdale, ON
comeaul -at- csa -dot- ca
