Re: new title: Information Developer

Subject: Re: new title: Information Developer
From: Scott Havens <SHavens -at- ELCOTEL -dot- COM>
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1999 10:34:44 -0500

> It seems to me that YEARS AGO, the IBM publications people were
> calling themselves "Information Developers." In fact, they had a
> whole hierarchy of titles reflecting different levels and "flavors" of
> Info Developers. As far as I know, they probably still use the term.
> I thought this was general knowledge, so it surprises me that a couple
> of management-level people have expressed difficulties with the
> terminology, especially considering that the descriptive material
> below the resume entry SHOULD clearly indicate what type(s) of work an
> applicant is able to perform.
>
> As far as I'm concerned, you can call me a "Technical Writer," a
> "Technical Communicator," a "Technical Documentation Analyst," an
> "Information Developer," or even a "Publications Engineer." It's no
> big deal, because _I_ know what I do, and my resume clearly tells what
> I've DONE throughout my career. Just keep those paychecks coming,
> whatever you choose to call me!
>
> SRH
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Chris Seraidaris [SMTP:seraidarisc -at- VIEWSONIC -dot- COM]
> Sent: Wednesday, January 06, 1999 6:21 PM
> To: TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
> Subject: new title: Information Developer
>
> Several years ago the HR Department of my company (erroneously)
> defined =
> the tittle "technical writer" as non-exempt. Recently,
> management has =
> granted us the opportunity to telecommute, along with other
> improved =
> working conditions, all which necessitate an exempt status. To
> be =
> exempt, however, we have been told that legally we must have a
> new title =
> that does not include the term "writer" (since our firm has
> previously =
> defined "technical writer" as non-exempt).=20
>
> This is fortuitous in that we hope to expand our current role of
> writing =
> user guides, to include developing online help, tutorials, CBT,
> WBT, =
> etc. After a considerable amount of research, "Information
> Developer" is =
> the best title we have found.=20
>
> To illustrate that the title is already in use, see the job ad
> we =
> recently found on the Internet (shown below).
>
> Is there a risk of jeopardizing our future marketability to
> companies =
> whose HR departments may only have job openings for a
> "technical =
> writers"? Comments and suggestions are welcome.
>
> Thanks.
>
> Chris Seraidaris
>
> ---------------------------------------------
>
> Job Title: Information Developer
>
> Qualifications=20
> BA or BS in English, Technical Writing or equivalent
> experience=20
> Position requires strong interpersonal skills to interact with
> project
> managers, members of technical staff, and to collaborate with
> members of
> the Information Development staff.=20
> Must be able to manage multiple products, meet deadlines with
> limited
> supervision, and be a team player=20
> Proficiency with FrameMaker, RoboHELP, Word a must=20
> Knowledge of PhotoShop, Acrobat, HTML helpful=20
>
> Job Description=20
> Design and develop software documentation, including user
> guides,
> technical specifications, and training materials for both
> commercial and
> consumer products.=20
> Develop online help and online tutorials.=20
> Research product functionality, assess the needs of the
> audience, and
> extract information from subject matter experts and existing =
> documentation=20
> Help develop and maintain documentation style guides and
> procedures =
> for
> internal use.=20
> Edit and proofread company documents for grammar, style, and =
> consistency=20
> Aid in product design and QA testing=20
> Work as part of the Engineering Team
>
> --------------------------------------------------
>
>
>
> ======================================================================
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From ??? -at- ??? Sun Jan 00 00:00:00 0000=




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