[Author Prev][Author Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]
[Author Index (this month)][Thread Index (this month)][Top of Archive]

Re: For shame, scrivener! Betrayal of the public trust

Subject: Re: For shame, scrivener! Betrayal of the public trust
From: Mike Starr <mike -at- writestarr -dot- com>
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Date: Fri, 04 Nov 2011 22:41:27 -0500

I'm not entirely sure technical communicators have a wellspring of public trust... for the most part the public is blissfully unaware of technical communicators.

Having said that, I'd suggest that flawed documentation that results in personal injury would be the greatest betrayal of the public trust by a technical communicator. Physical damage to equipment or corruption of critical data would be the next two items on my list.

Best regards,

Mike
--
Mike Starr WriteStarr Information Services
Technical Writer - Online Help Developer - WordPress Websites
Graphic Designer - Desktop Publisher - Custom Microsoft Word templates
(262) 694-1028 - mike -at- writestarr -dot- com - http://www.writestarr.com
President, Working Writers of Wisconsin http://www.workingwriters.org/

On 11/4/2011 10:14 PM, Steven Jong wrote:

An interesting side thread sprung up on plagiarism in technical writing. Everyone who commented knows the difference between reuse and collaboration (good) on the one hand, and plagiarism (bad) on the other. The job candidate who brings someone else's manual as a sample is a plagiarist. So too was whoever produced the text of my Senator's life story on his website, which turned out to be a copy and paste of another candidate's story. (I blame the writer, not the Senator, but in any event it's plagiarism.)

In the context of certification, I originally cited plagiarism as an offense for which one might be decertified. I recommend that you read the Code of Conduct that comes with the certification application package (not STC's Code of Ethics, which is separate) for details. But I'll also ask a general question.

In other certified professions, certain activities—in some cases things that are by no means illegal or immoral—are considered disqualifying, because they directly ruin public trust in that profession. Two examples that come to mind are dating a client (OK for a technical writer, but not for a psychiatrist) and declaring personal bankruptcy (OK for a technical writer or a psychiatrist, but not for a financial planner).

What ruins public trust in a technical communicator?

-- Steve
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Create and publish documentation through multiple channels with Doc-To-Help.
Choose your authoring formats and get any output you may need. Try
Doc-To-Help, now with MS SharePoint integration, free for 30-days.
http://www.doctohelp.com

---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-
To unsubscribe send a blank email to
techwr-l-leave -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
or visit http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/archive%40web.techwr-l.com


To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com

Send administrative questions to admin -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- Visit
http://www.techwhirl.com/email-discussion-groups/ for more resources and info.

Looking for articles on Technical Communications? Head over to our online magazine at http://techwhirl.com

Previous by Author: Blogs in the workplace
Next by Author: Re: indexing in MS Word 2010
Previous by Thread: STC Certification - What Does It Really Mean
Next by Thread: RE: Certification -- take 2,577

[Top of Archive] | [Author Index (this month)] | [Thread Index (this month)]

What this post helpful? Share it with friends and colleagues:

Sponsored Ads