Re: Tech Writer Responsibilities

["Katherine D. Fisher" <kdfisher -at- IX -dot- NETCOM -dot- COM>]

Karl A. Hakkarainen wrote:

> Marketing communications require some different skills. The materials are
> used by different audiences for different purposes. Nevertheless, you'd
> probably do well to consider the opportunity carefully:

> - It may help your company.
> - It will help you understand the products and services better, by
>   distilling the material to the essential items. ("It's fast. It's
>   cheap. It's good.")
> - You will have another skill to add to your resume.

> At 08:07 AM 9/25/96 -0500, you wrote:
> >I am curious. Should technical writers, whose normal responsibilities
> >are within an IS organization, take offense when asked to write or edit
> >marketing type articles and brochures? Is it proper that writers say,
> >"I'm a technical writer and only write user manuals! I can't write
> >maketing material."
> >
> >Apologies if this has been debated by the list recently. I just returned
> >to its friendly :) confines.
> >

> >
> >
> Karl A. Hakkarainen             Technical Documentation Manager
> Augment Systems, Inc.           508 392-8626 (voice)
> Westford MA 01886               508 392-8636 (fax)
> http://www.augment-systems.com/



It depends on how you want to define "technical writing."  My
understanding has always been that "technical writing" is a very
broad-based, general term that refers to a body of work containing one
sentence that contains one technical term. That can include just about
everything except fiction writing, IMHO. So yes--marketing pieces fall
under that umbrella.