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

It seems as if my post on this topic exposed some discontent (maybe I
should call myself a 'discontent provider'?), as well as putting some
people's backs up.

Respondents, both on- and off-line, shared my frustration that their
work wasn't being valued for the effort that went into the overall
effect, encompassing both the words and the organisation and
presentation.

The ensuing discussion of the many skills that may or may not be
required of a technical writer is interesting, though I suspect it could
be duplicated for most professions. Even the word 'writing' can be
understood at different levels - nearly everyone learns to write, in one
sense, at school and most of us were then made to write essays, which
took us to another level of mastery. Then a few took it further into
more specialised areas, while others moved off in other directions. And
as you expand your skill more and more - both in writing and in other
fields - you realise more and more how much more there is to it than you
previously thought. But, on the other hand, if you stop expanding a
skill at any point, there's a danger you'll continue to think that the
level you've got to is all there is to it. (I suppose that's why I found
people used to be amazed that anyone could do research in mathematics -
they naturally identified mathematics with what they learnt at school,
and how could anyone research *that* subject?) So it's natural enough
that people will think they know what writing is, and it's also natural
enough that their idea of what it is will be quite different from what
we think it is after years of practical learning. And, of course, what
we think it is will also vary, depending on the direction our learning
took us. If my technical writing had taken me into financial systems,
for instance, I'm sure my view of what it is woud be quite different.
And my understanding of the work of, say, a horticulturalist would be
stuck in what I've learnt working in my own garden.

All of this just shows that my anger at web designers who 'can hardly
write a coherent email' was misplaced. If people have a mistaken idea of
what I do, then maybe I should do more to tell them about what I do.
(Maybe that's not entirely unrelated to what Brian was saying to me.) I
suppose it's really up to all of us to let people know what the work is
for us and stand up for the reputation of technical writing. Inventing
different names to distinguish different types may be a good idea, but
not if those names only make sense to those with experience of doing
whatever it is. (Though I don't have time to get into the subject now, I
suspect that any title with the word 'information' in it is going to be
pretty useless.)

Oh yes, and I meant to mention that word ART that Christine introduced.
When I read that, I immediately thought that people would have a fit and
accuse her of pomposity or worse. But I do agree with her - in fact, to
me art is an appropriate word wherever you do something with full
engagement. Whether it's pompous or not depends, I think, on your
attitude to others. And if it is pompous, then it probably isn't art.
Well, maybe - hey, what the hell do I really know about this? (I was
undoubtedly being pompous in what I said about that web designer.)  

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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