atw: Re: Agencies, contractors and other gripes (another longish contribution)

Great Hedley, so get on board and offer your services too.   If you have a
new way, suggest it, generate energy and allow others to be part of it.
 
As with you, this is no longer my cause.  My income comes largely from other
sources now, so my future is not impacted by this one way or another.
That's why I feel free to call a spade a bloody shovel, and tell it like it
is.  
 
As far as learning from history is concerned, we "elders" are the ones who
have not solved this problem for the last 20 years, and have watched our
industry conditions seriously eroded over that time.  We have watched good
people come, get disheartened, then broken hearted, then go, and have been
unable to help.  Perhaps it is time for us to remove ourselves from
pseudo-leadership positions at which we have clearly failed, and lend our
support and labour to new leaders who may just have that creative spark and
energy that we, as a generation, have clearly lacked - history attests to
that.  We can supply our industry knowledge to the new leaders and let them
turn it into something that works for them.
 
It is vastly unfair of those of us nearing the end of our non-careers to
pour cold water of those who are stuck in a stagnant industry and want to do
something about it.
 
Christine


   _____  

From: austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of
hedley.finger@xxxxxxxx
Sent: Thursday, 18 January 2007 10:59 AM
To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Cc: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx; austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: atw: Re: Agencies, contractors and other gripes (another longish
contribution)



Christine: 

Evidence-based activities are a wonderful thing: they have brought us
hearing implants, the Internet, computers more powerful than those on the
Apollo mission but no larger than a cigarette packet (sorry, I meant to say
"mobile phones"), and cognitive-behavioural therapy.  They may even bring us
industry recognised accreditation of technical writers. 

So when you speculate that Jill has '... too many vested interests that
would not be served by the average "untrained" TW becoming  proud of their
profession?', presumably you have strong evidence for an otherwise baseless
assertion.  What Jill, myself and others were supplying was not /negativity/
but /data/, in this case a little history.  Data are what is so useful about
Michael's contribution -- a sociological analysis of the difference between
editors and technical writers that helps explain why it is more difficult to
mobilise the latter.  It is similar to why it is so difficult to unionise
outworkers: alienation, fragmentation, diversity of employment, geographical
dispersion, barriers to communication, and difficulty in engendering a sense
of belonging to an affine group. 

Those who are ignorant of history are doomed to repeat it.  Many people
(excluding my lazy self) over the years have poured much energy into
implementing accreditation schemes, training schemes (some now realised),
and promotion of the trade.  Instead of treading the same fruitless path as
others in the past, it may be possible to use their experience to find a new
way. 

If you imagine that an "If you're so smart, why don't you do it?" attitude
will win people to your cause, go right ahead.  Me?  I am too old and too
near retirement to give a rat's.  But your petulant attitude has certainly
convinced me to join the cause -- not!  As for the lovely conferences, they
have exposed new technical writers to training resources and helped all of
us believe in ourselves as professionals.  So may the lovely Jill organise
many more lovely conferences (not excluding the lovely scratch rock band),
because they have their part in the mix -- just not for accreditation. 

I salute you for taking up the banner.  But be prepared for the long slog.
If you are going to be disheartened at the first jump and take it out on
people who truly wish the enterprise well, it is doomed from the start. 

Regards, 
Hedley

--
Hedley Finger
Training Content Developer and Tools Specialist
MYOB Australia Pty Ltd <http://myob.com/au>
P.O. box 371   Blackburn VIC 3130   Australia
12 Wesley Court   Tally Ho Business Park   East Burwood VIC 3151   Australia
<mailto:hedleyDOTfingerATmyobDOTcom>
Tel. +61 3 9222 9992 x 7421,   Mob. (cell) +61 412 461 558

© MYOB Technology Pty Ltd 2007


--
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.5.432 / Virus Database: 268.16.13/634 - Release Date: 17/01/2007
4:45 PM



-- 
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.5.432 / Virus Database: 268.16.13/634 - Release Date: 17/01/2007
4:45 PM

Other related posts: