atw: SEC: UNCLASS Re: Are you content to be a 'content provider'?

I'm again pleased to acknowledge the common sense and breadth of
perspectives provided by the answers to my post. 

As many of you will have surmised, my rant was prompted by an actual
experience, which accounts for - though doesn't excuse - my resentful
tone. Some of the respondents rightly took me to task for my arrogant
claim to the right to determine styles and formatting without reference
to others involved. 

I guess I could tone down my complaint by making it a request for
recognition that technical writing encompasses more than just stringing
words together, at least for many of us. (Actually, it'd probably be
more honest to say that I'm really talking about myself, but hoping
others may agree!) Of course, where a number of writers are
collaborating, they'll need to agree on how to get a consistent look and
feel, so everyone's going to have to accommodate others' ideas. But the
real core of my complaint was that I felt that people who had no idea
how technical writers work or what we do, and in fact were skilled only
in web-related matters, were coming in and imposing their ideas without
any recognition of what we may have learnt at the coal-face. 


Howard

----------------------------------
        Howard L. Silcock
         Technical Writer
   Common Services SOE Program
Network Infrastructure Development
      Department of Defence
    Unit 3-4, 25 Napier Close
        Deakin ACT 2600           
        (02) 626 58828  
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