RE: An observation about the writer-engineer relationship

["Gilger.John" <JGilger -at- acresgaming -dot- com>]

Dick asked:

# So the question I want to throw open for discussion is this: 
# What is the relationship between these two very different 
# ways of being in the world and what does it teach us about 
# the way writers should approach engineers qua SMEs in order 
# to have a successful working partnership?

There is an interesting paper about why programmers behave the way they
do at  http://www.melloworld.com/ProgStone/ProgStone.html. It is rather
long, but well worth the time it takes to read.

The basic thesis boils down to two major thought patterns, or mental
maps, in individuals, mappers and packers. Mappers predominately migrate
to programming or similar work. Packers tend to want things neat,
orderly, and unchanging.

Some tech writers seem to have the packer thought process. These people
also seem to be the ones that complain most about SMEs and their
problems with communication.

Read it and share your opinions on the piece.

John Gilger
Technical Writer
Acres Gaming, Inc.
702.914.5585


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