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Recognition from your peers is always a good thing, as
is a self-congratulatory pat on the back.
But, I am much more skeptical about the real value of
industry competitions--beginning with the training,
experience, and qualification of the judges to
questioning how much the non-techwriter-bosses really
pay attention . . .. For example, I don't see an
employer making a decision to not lay-off technical
writers, and lay off more of some other group, say
engineers or programmers, because of an award the
technical writers just won . . . though, I'd like to
be wrong about that. ;?)
Cheers,
Sean
--- dmbrown -at- brown-inc -dot- com wrote:
>
> >
> > ...of what value is it to the company (and
> documentation
> > department) to claim documentation awards?
<snip>
> Some companies look at awards as evidence of the
> quality of their product. The fact that any
> element--even the documentation--has been judged
> excellent reflects well on the company. They can
> use that third-party recognition in marketing and
> selling, to distinguish their product from the
> competition.
<snip>
> A company may see such competitions as a way to spur
> employees to excellence, to stimulate creativity,
> and to develop in their profession.
<snip>
> From the writers' angle, the awards look pretty good
> on a resume, which can't hurt when the annual review
> comes around. For a contractor/consultant, they're
> a potential differentiator in marketing yourself to
> clients.
<snip>
> Perhaps strongest, though, is the motivation for the
> doc department. In a tight economy, an award or two
> might enhance the company's awareness of them, help
> them be seen in a positive light, and ultimately
> protect them in some future round of cost-cutting.
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