Re: Tech Writer as Webmaster

[Peter Gold <pgold -at- NETCOM -dot- COM>]

[snipped details and responses]

A person "in charge" of a web site is more than just a page designer, and
more than an knowledgeable writer of content. Publishing existing
documents by means of conversion to HTML or .pdf and designing a context
in which to present a guide to the content is only part of a true
information site.

The same issues that seem to echo constantly through this list (taking
notes or not to take notes; software a vs software b; how much do people
make in city "y" in this job; etc.) and this one all revolve around "what
is the position/job description." "Technical writer" is more a
neighborhood or region than a specific address. Similarly, web sites
require someone who can create forms and parse the information returned
by a form into something useful, serve data from a database repository to
those who query it via a form, manage security securely, and many more
similarly specialized computer-world tasks.

IOW, define the job by the tasks it requires, then see if you can do them
all, and if so, then you deserve the pay these multiple specialties can
bring. Otherwise, IMO, just because you're doing the same skills you have
now in a new location, the marketplace won't pay significantly more for
long. Over time, it's more likely that the hordes attracted by star pay will
compete until the golden egg becomes a commodity.

Just my 2c.
__________________peter gold pgold -at- netcom -dot- com__________________

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