Donna Jones wrote: <When I was in college back in the 80s, most people had no clue what a technical writer was, and they couldn't understand why they were needed. Apparently manuals and text books were created by magic in most of their minds. [poof!]>
I've been tech writing since the mid-1970s, when I got into the profession after six years as a tech in the U.S. Navy. My first job was as a member of a government contract organization updating a six-volume set of operation and maintenance manuals for an air navigation system. When that contract ended, I moved to a commercial company and found the most abysmal documentation effort I have ever encountered. It took nearly a year to get it organized, but our efforts (three TWers and a graphic artist) resulted in IBM buying 10 of our $500K+ systems, making us the leader in automated test systems. The company's original problem was exactly what Donna mentioned...they knew they needed a manual, but didn't have a clue how to create one. Today, I work with several technology organizations and they all understand the need for documentation, but have trouble getting from that need to reality. In most cases, a current employee (usually an engineer or marketing type) is assigned the task of creating the manual, which is most often written in Word. Unfortunately, most of these pseudo-TWers don't have a clue about content management or usability. Some of the efforts are okay, most are marginal at best, and some are embarrassing. I'm not complaining. I've made a good living cleaning up the messes and I thoroughly enjoy it when the company I'm helping finally "gets it." That is the real magic. Al Geist Technical Writing, Help, Marketing Collateral, Web Design and Award Winning Videos Voice/Msg: 802-658-3140 Cell: 802-578-3964 E-mail: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] URL: http://www.geistassociates.com (Online portfolio and resume) See also: URL: http://www.geistimages.com (Fine art photographic prints for home or office and beautiful note cards for all occasions.) ______________________________________________ Author Help files and create printed documentation with Doc-To-Help. New release adds Team Authoring Support, enhanced Web-based help technology and PDF output. Learn more at www.doctohelp.com/tcp. Interactive 3D Documentation Parts catalogs, animated instructions, and more. www.i3deverywhere.com _______________________________________________ Technical Communication Professionals Post a message to the list: email [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, unsubscribe, archives, account options, list info: http://techcommpros.com/mailman/listinfo/tcp_techcommpros.com Subscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Need help? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] Get the TCP whole experience! http://www.techcommpros.com
