RE: Baseline Skillset for Technical Writers?

["Anthony Markatos" <tonymar -at- hotmail -dot- com>]

Tony Markatos wrote:

The primary thing that a TW has to do is to determine the essential
end-user tasks [and individual steps] accomplished with the product and how 
all of those interrelate.

You may have to know some stuff about technology; however, that is
secondary.  (In fact, a pretty good manual can often be written without any 
knowledge of the technology employed.)

Ellen Hladky responds:

It might be true if you're documenting a simple graphic user interface. 
Maybe then you don't need to understand the operating system.

But if you're documenting a system that requires installation,
configuration, and various forms of integration with other systems, then 
you're not doing your readers any justice if you don't understand the 
technology.

Tony Markatos responds:

In, for example, creating installation & configuration instructions, the 
primary thing that a TW has to do is gain a rigorous understanding of the 
essential tasks (and their individual steps) that must be accomplished to 
install and configure the product.  Here, the end-user is the installer - 
not the ultimate product end-user.  This makes no difference in terms of the 
job-at-hand for the TW.  The same applies to any other form of 
documentation.

Elleh Hladky said:

Technical Writer is NOT a poor name for our career field.....

Tony Markatos responds:

It is in that it completely misses the boat as to what the main thing a TW 
does.

Tony Markatos
(tonymar -at- hotmail -dot- com)



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