New nose count

[Herman Holtz <holtz -at- PALTECH -dot- COM>]

        This solicitation has aroused a good bit of inteerst, judging by the
responses. It's becoming clear that there is a significant amount of hardware
documentation--operating, installation, and maintenance manuals--still done,
at least some of it by writers who also document software.

        The evidence that a large percentage of tech writers handle a variety of
assignments continues to grow. I am also finding responses from writers in
organizations that support a large number of tech writers--about 35, in at
least one case.

        Some of those posting responses are also making their status--staff versus
independent--known, in belated response to my original survey, but the ratio
of 60-40 (staffers to contractors) still holds pretty well.

        The diversity of work assigned to and undertaken by what appears to be most
tech writers appears to be a general characteristic and reflects to me, in the
retrospect of my own years of full-time techwriting--fifties and early
sixties--evidence of a still growing career field. - Herm

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