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We were _never_ "just those who write manuals." Nobody's "hiding in that
role," nobody's "defending it as their territory," and nobody uses the
Microsoft Manual of Style to define tech writing. Well, maybe Bill Gates
does.
My point was, you shouldn't be a technical writer unless you're a damn
good writer to start with. A "user advocate," on the other hand, could
just be a really, really nice person.
Of course, a tech writer who advocates for the user brings a lot more
value to the company than one who doesn't. The same goes for a tech
writer who presents ideas graphically and not just textually, a tech
writer who works effectively with SMEs, a tech writer who prepares
regulatory submissions... you get the idea.
But none of 'em are tech writers if they can't write.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Chris Borokowski
> Sent: Thursday, April 05, 2007 2:04 PM
> To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> Subject: RE: Tech Writing a Growing Field?
>
> "Technical communicator" makes sense as the role
> expands. We're no longer just those who write manuals.
> We integrate the process (of getting the product to
> work for users) into the development as a whole. We
> are the user contact experts and should not hide in
> the role of writing manuals as the industry expands.
>
> Those who defend territory in fear of expansion often
> make themselves irrelevant. Technical writing is so
> well defined at this point, through things like
> Microsoft Guide to Style, that the risk is that it
> will be seen as trivial and others will come in. The
> only way to avoid that is to expand the role to its
> natural conclusion given changes in the market at this
> time.
>
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