RE: Are tech writers inherently snobby?

["Karen Field Carroll" <kfcarroll -at- cox -dot- net>]

Whoops--No, Gene has nothing to do with this! I'm terribly sorry if the
message gave that impression (and specific apologies to Gene).

Gee, I can't wait to see what kind of hostility a mistake like this draws to
my Inbox. :)

-----Original Message-----
From: Combs, Richard [mailto:richard -dot- combs -at- Polycom -dot- com] 
Sent: Tuesday, August 25, 2009 2:53 PM
To: Karen Field Carroll; techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: RE: Are tech writers inherently snobby?

Karen, did you mean to reply to Gene's message (which you quoted below),
or was that inadvertent? His post doesn't seem to have anything to do
with your font question, wasn't off-list, and isn't arrogant, so I don't
see how it can be related to your question. But others looking at it
casually might assume otherwise. 

Richard

> -----Original Message-----
> From: techwr-l-bounces+richard -dot- combs=polycom -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+richard -dot- combs=polycom -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com]
On
> Behalf Of Karen Field Carroll
> Sent: Tuesday, August 25, 2009 3:42 PM
> To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> Subject: Are tech writers inherently snobby?
> 
> Hello.
> For the second time in two days, I've posted to the list and gotten an
> off-line reply that I thought reeked with arrogance. Each time I wrote
back
> and asked for clarification on the tone, because, as I'll be the first
to
> tell you, I'm somewhat defensive and tend to read a lot into e-mails,
and
> so
> I wanted to be sure I'm not being my over-protective self. (In today's
> case,
> the tone was so obvious I'm pretty darn sure it's not just me.) But
this is
> such a consistent pattern--I've worked with many writers who thought
they
> hung the moon--that I'm starting to wonder if people in our profession
> (including me, because I can definitely be a snob) are prone to being
a
> holier-than-thou.
> Any thoughts?
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: techwr-l-bounces+kfcarroll=cox -dot- net -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+kfcarroll=cox -dot- net -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On
Behalf Of
> Gene Kim-Eng
> Sent: Tuesday, August 25, 2009 1:47 PM
> To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> Subject: Re: Have We Entered a Post-Literate Technological Age?
> 
> I have my doubts about this one.  I think control enhancements will
still
> keep
> most of the maintenance and repair operations out of the hands of end
> users,
> and
> the "future enhanced" spinning wheel will do more but require no more
user
> skill
> than the old models peoples' grandmothers used to teach them to use.
If
> equipment becomes more design-for-service oriented and moves away from
> disposability, the maintenance and repair manuals will still be there,
but
> as
> long as the "back to basics" trend doesn't go all the way back to
people
> having
> their stuff made locally by village smithies, the people doing the
related
> work
> will be providers of repair services.  There will always be some
people
> techy
> and ambitious enough to want the Sams Photofact book, but most will
bring
> their
> stuff to the repair shop or call the traveling fixers the way they
used to
> back
> in the days of tube radios and TVs and cars with distributor caps and
> carburetors.
> 
> The transition of tech writers' jobs *back* to being more interesting
and
> more
> down-to-earth, but requiring more knowledge of what goes on under the
> hood.has
> already been in motion for some time now.
> 
> Gene Kim-Eng
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "McLauchlan, Kevin" <Kevin -dot- McLauchlan -at- safenet-inc -dot- com>
> When your equipment is solid and meant to last, you'll tend to learn a
bit
> about
> how to maintain and fix it, rather than count on throwing it away and
> replacing
> it because a new one /i/s/ used to be cheaper than a repair.
> 
> 
> 
> 
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Free Software Documentation Project Web Cast: Covers developing Table of
Contents, Context IDs, and Index, as well as Doc-To-Help  
2009 tips, tricks, and best practices.
http://www.doctohelp.com/SuperPages/Webcasts/

Help & Manual 5: The complete help authoring tool for individual
authors and teams. Professional power, intuitive interface. Write
once, publish to 8 formats. Multi-user authoring and version control! http://www.helpandmanual.com/

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