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Subject:Suggestions for must-have tech writing resources From:Jennifer Kraus <jlkraus -at- AMETEKWATER -dot- COM> Date:Tue, 18 Feb 1997 16:58:42 -0600
I just began subscribing to this list-serv, and I'm very impressed with the members' broad range of experience. I am a recent graduate with a tech writing degree, and have been working about three weeks in my first post-graduate position. During college, I completed very valuable internships with academic journals and as a technical writer/editor preparing end-user computer documentation for the campus media development center, but the business world is new to me. My current position involves writing literature, primarily spec sheets and manuals, for water filtration products, as well as overhauling the company web site. For all intensive purposes, I'm the first professional technical writer the company has had, as the last person who held this position seemed to dabble in a lot of everything, but seemed to have no in-depth knowledge of anything, including technical writing (some of the documentation I've inherited is really mediocre). I'm the only technical writer in the company, and there are very few resources available to me insofar as records go. It also seems that the previous technical writer had established very few documentation standards...no style guides, standards for similar documentation, etc. Our web site has literally 100's of html and graphics files unde a single directory, and of course, I've have found no usable records on the web site's development and organization.
Now that you know my background, I would appreciate it any helpful mentoring suggestions anyone can give me as a beginning technical writer in a largely undefined technical writing position. In particular, I'm interested in any invaluable resources that anyone may have found over the course of their tech writing experience. I already use Chicago, and the Handbook of Technical Writing, as well as Desktop Publishing by Design. If the responses would be of little value to the listserv, please send them directly to me at jlkraus -at- ametekwater -dot- com
Thanks!
Jennifer L. Kraus
jlkraus -at- ametekwater -dot- com
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