Christine, thank you for your support For the rest of you, I am: 1. 52 years old, not so young but younger than many 2. Hold degrees in Information Technology and Communication (Professional Writing), I hope good qualifications for a technical writer in the IT industry 3. Have worked as a technical writer/trainer/support person/web designer in IT since the early nineties (though have only been involved in the community since about 1998) 4. Was a volunteer for around 5-6 years with the STC Australia Chapter committee Hopefully this is sufficient to convince you that I have the skills and experience to actually participate in the creation of a draft document for use to brief agencies on how to create job specifications for technical writers. However, I have no intention of producing any document without support of the technical writing community and professional associations such as the ASTC. Michelle Hallett IT Trainer/Support Analyst Leighton Contractors P/L Tel: 02 8668 6047 Fax: 02 8668 6666 Mob: 0434 183 541 Email: michelle.hallett@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ________________________________ From: austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Christine Kent Sent: Thursday, 18 January 2007 11:46 AM To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: 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 (c) 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 ***************************************************************************** This email, and any files transmitted with it, are confidential and intended for use by the addressee only. 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