job title nomenclature on biz cards

[diotima]

all,



i'm designing some business cards for myself as a technical editor and technical writer, and i find myself pondering the job titles we are given or give ourselves and the impressions these titles make on clients, employers, and recruiters. specifically, for those of us who function both as writers and editors, i'm curious if anyone has any thoughts on how this is best presented on a business card. for example:



technical writer/editor

technical editor/writer

technical editor, technical writer

technical editor (writer being presumed?)



do you think clients and employers have strong preconceptions associated with "editor" and "writer"? for instance, that editors just mark up documents while writers actually do the work? is it commonly assumed that editors are also writers, or do editors find they need to state this? any thoughts? does it matter?



diotima

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[Bonnie Granat]

diotima wrote:
|
| technical writer/editor
|
| technical editor/writer
|

This is the one I use, but I say "Technical Editor and Writer." I offer
both services, but my business name is GranatEdit. When I chose my
domain last year, it appeared that I would only be able to get editing
jobs, but I've actually been doing both since that time.

There is no way to know what your potential clients know, so I think you
have to say both, especially so people can find you in Google when they
look for either editing or writing.


--
Bonnie Granat
www.GranatEdit.com
Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Mobile: [phone]
Office: 617-354-7084



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[Dick Margulis]

Diotima and Bonnie,

I think "writer" and "editor" don't register as job titles with most
people in the corporate world, at least in the US.

I find that in American corporate culture (which does not necessarily
coincide with the target audience for your business cards), people are
hypersensitive to the titles manager, director, vice president,
president, and CxO. Any other title, no matter how descriptive of what a
person does, gets lumped into an amorphous mass of fungible worker bees
and does not register individually in the consciousness of the person
you give the card to. I'm sure there are exceptions for the occasional
cheeky title such as princess or witch, but you don't see those very
often and I don't recommend them (you'd be amazed how many people out
there are lacking the humor gene altogether).

As I said, corporate America may not be your target audience. And it is
entirely possible that owners of small businesses are better readers and
therefore more sensitive to your word choice in this context. But I'd
still suggest that you might be better served by being the president of
your editing and writing service than by being the editor/writer of your
editing and writing service.

Dick


Bonnie Granat wrote:

|
| There is no way to know what your potential clients know, so I think you
| have to say both, especially so people can find you in Google when they
| look for either editing or writing.
|




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[Bonnie Granat]

Dick Margulis wrote:

| As I said, corporate America may not be your target audience. And it
| is entirely possible that owners of small businesses are better
| readers and therefore more sensitive to your word choice in this
| context. But I'd
| still suggest that you might be better served by being the president
| of
| your editing and writing service than by being the editor/writer of
| your editing and writing service.
|

My business card says:

GranatEdit
Technical Editing and Writing


I should not have written earlier that it said "editor" and "writer." I
did so to clarify only what order I used.

My card has my name on the upper left corner, GranatEdit is in the
middle on the right margin, with a red line underneath it and extending
to the left a little bit, and thenTechnical Editing and Writing under
that.

Contact info is on the left side under that.


--
Bonnie Granat
www.GranatEdit.com
Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Mobile: [phone]
Office: 617-354-7084



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[Wade Courtney]

Who cares what they call you as long as you get paid.
--
Wade Courtney
Sr Monkey Poo Scooper

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[Bonnie Granat]

Wade Courtney wrote:
| Who cares what they call you as long as you get paid.

I believe the original poster is a freelancer in business for herself.
Not all people here have real jobs. ; )

--
Bonnie Granat
www.GranatEdit.com
Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Mobile: [phone]
Office: 617-354-7084



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[T***@bbc.co.uk]

I tend to agree with dick.

In the past I have used:

Technical Author
I have always perferred Author to writer - sounds a little more formal.

Technical Communications Consultant
Although that may imply that I only did the 'consulting' and not the
actual writing / production and publishing.

Corporate Communications Manager
This was used when, at long last, I had a say (if not final, penultimate)
in ALL communications - Technical, Marketing, Sales, etc - I still see
Marketing literature promising functionality that the product doesn't
have!!!

Information Specialist
Errr I guess I was specialising in Information!

Currently...

NO TITLE!!
Just have my name and company details, this may only work when the company
name is fairly explicit such as; Technical Writing Ltd, etc.


HTH

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[Gurudutt R. Kamath]

Hi,

I agree with you that Technical Editor would be fine as it includes the
writer. Also, I would suggest you use one of them based on the
composition of your market or what you like doing. If you expect more
editing assignments, then TE would be it, if writing then TW. Somehow I
am not for the slash versions though it has its strengths!

Apart from the editorial solution, how about some printing solution?
Print 50% cards with TE and 50% with TW. How about back to back? The
front says TE and the back TW or vice versa! How about saying TE in the
card and then outlining all your activities in bullets at the back.

I haven't done any writing for the last one year and have been mainly
doing technical editing. Eeks! My invoices say Technical Writing
Consultant (most of my contracts say Consultant -- though I personally
feel I am just an Editor!)

I have Resi (SOHO): 1234 5678 printed on my card. People ask me whether
my phone number is from London! I should have put Office/Residence
instead.

Guru
Send an email to documentorg-***@topica.com to receive my
column-book on technical writing (for newbies). Last piece on Microsoft
Manual of Style being my Bible/Geeta!



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[Steve Hudson]

Technical writing services, but quite frankly IMHE its different on every
card: Documentalist, Creative document solutions, Technical Communicator

See, the problem with tech writers is the last word. Wanna be writers -
every last one of us :-)


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[shankAtIndiaDotcom]

| I have always perferred Author to writer -

debatable: author implies (entails?) authority;
many of us do not have authority over what we
write, it is sanctioned by SMEs. Maybe you
have...

| actual writing / production and publishing.

hmm, my job title is consultant but I write and
edit. So what am I? I go about telling people I
am consultant - editor. Does that really matter?

| Marketing literature promising functionality
| that the product doesn't

... yet have?

| only work when the company
| name is fairly explicit such as; Technical
| Writing Ltd, etc.

The company I am trying build is heterodocs. So
far it has only a domain name registered
(heterodocs.org). What does that tell you?

I am trying to imply 'dealer(s) in diverse
documents' but be frank: does it sound like it?

=====
Thanks and regards,
Sankara S Rajanala
--------------------------
No man but a blockhead ever
wrote, except for money.
- Dr Samuel Johnson

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[Andrew Plato]

"diotima" <***@myway.com> wrote in message news:***@techwr-l...

| do you think clients and employers have strong preconceptions associated
| with "editor" and "writer"? for instance, that editors just mark up documents

| while writers actually do the work? is it commonly assumed that editors are
| also writers, or do editors find they need to state this? any thoughts? does
| it matter?

Well, if you want to be precise in terms of definition:

Editor: This is a job that takes existing material and improves it. While
editors may author some material, this is not the focus of their work. Not all
editors are good writers or communicators.

Writer: This is a job that authors material from nothing. A writer starts with
a blank piece of paper (or computer screen) and produces something. Not all
writers make good editors.

Communicator: A generic term for a person who is capable of communicating
ideas, concepts, designs, etc. independent of the media used. A communicator
must possess knowledge and expertise about a topic to effectively communicate
information about that topic. Very, very few people calling themselves
technical communicators actually possess the necessary technical knowledge to
be effective communicators. They are usually editors, improving other people's
work. Not all communicators can write well.

Most people who call themselves "technical writers" or "technical
communicators" are actually editors since they do not author content or possess
the technical skills to communicate ideas. They merely improve other people's
work.

Some people, who possess the necessary technical skills to communicate
effectively, have elected to call themselves "technical authors" to clearly
differentiate themselves from people posing as technical writers.

If you handed me a card with the title "technical writer" I would expect you to
be able to author content from scratch based on your own knowledge.

Andrew Plato




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[David Neeley]

Andrew,

It seems your own particular prejudices are showing again.

When I first began an assignment at Nortel, documenting a campus-grade switch called the MSL-100, I was handed the engineering documents for a new feature which was the primary addition in the upcoming software release. As usual, my job was to thoroughly learn the material as described by the engineer (an Indian gentleman whose English was enthusiastic but rather obscure), then to render that understanding in terms that could be easily understood and applied by the switch technicians in implementing the new feature and by both the customer's network engineers and marketing people in understanding and communicating to their customers about the added feature.

Before I was handed the assignment, I had known nothing about this function of a digital switch. It took me nearly a day and a half to figure out what the engineer was saying in a manner that could then be communicated clearly and succintly. From eight pages in the engineering document, including six diagrams, the resulting document was three pages with one diagram and a small table that covered the information thoroughly and yet succinctly.

I would guess this is not unlike the assignments of many other technical writers. In this case, the resulting material was both a distillation and a total restatement of the original design documents. Although I didn't "start with a blank screen and compose it solely with my pre-existing knowledge" neither did I serve only as an editor.

To take your argument and understand how nonsensical it is, let us understand what it means to be a "technical communicator." In a very real sense, most technical knowledge is derived from the work of others--whether that be in books, white papers, monographs, articles, or whatever. If we take your assertion literally--that we must already possess the "technical knowledge" but without "improving others work"--then I would suppose we must dispense with all sorts of technical books and materials necessary for most of us to attain the technical knowledge of which you speak, or we are reduced to "improving others work" and cannot therefore class ourselves as technical communicators.

Bunkum, pure and simple.

Anyone who can produce materials on technical subjects that are useful in instructing others about the subject--specifically, those who have an interest or a need to understand it--would be a technical communicator. If the person in question is highly "technical" is nearly beside the point. While some engineers become outstanding technical communicators, others who are equally gifted may have acquired their expertise working in the field and doing the research necessary for creating successful projects.

In fact, there are certainly some facets of technology that require a much deeper understanding of the underlying science than others do. Documenting microcircuitry, for example, for an audience of engineers who use that documentation in determining how to incorporate the circuit into other designs...that would indeed need a highly technical understanding even to grasp the design documents.

As I mentioned in another thread, we too often confuse being "schooled" with being "educated"--and a gifted writer who insists upon a high level of quality in the finished product will do the research necessary to create it. If that writer is "highly technical" in background or not, what matters is the finished product that meets the client's expectations and the customers' needs. There are obviously some who have mastered sufficient levels of technology to work happily and successfuly in their area but who may have little formal technical training. Several of the most gifted and successful technical communicators I have known, for instance, had been anthropology majors.

To observe that there are people who seek employment as technical writers who have little understanding of technology, and that better training should be available as a lifetime proposition for those in the field--I would completely agree with both assertions.

Beyond that, I'm afraid, I believe your argument overstates the case.

If I were seeking to employ someone as a technical writer, I would seek a person who can take the materials and resources available in my situation and, using them, create high quality materials for the users of my products within the constraints of time and budget with which I operate. If the person can do that, I am quite willing to grant that the term "technical writer" is appropriate. If the person cannot, I have no interest what they put on a card one way or another.

David


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[Ned Bedinger]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Andrew Plato" <***@yahoo.com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-***@lists.raycomm.com>
Sent: Thursday, August 19, 2004 10:36 AM
Subject: Re: job title nomenclature on biz cards


|
|
| "diotima" <***@myway.com> wrote in message news:***@techwr-l...

| If you handed me a card with the title "technical writer" I would expect
you to
| be able to author content from scratch based on your own knowledge.
|
| Andrew Plato
|

It just depends on the team and the range of documentation services
provided. In some cases, authoring that erects the documentation girders
and panels is sufficient for technical writing, because the subject matter
expertise can come from subject matter experts.

In other cases (Andrew's criteria fit here), there is no SME, no
developmental editor, no graphic artists, no product requirements or design
documentation--all the writer gets to work with is a crude map, a parachute,
and a push from the tech writer pool at 60,000 ft. The writer who has a
strong sense of the exact information needed and what to do with it is going
to hit the ground running, and any less prepared technical writer would be
doomed to the spin cycle for the duration of the project. API documentation
is one such project--the information is highly structured and predicatble,
but you need to understand the programming language (find the files where
the APIs are declared, read the code, write sample code, ...), or else you
can't write the documentation, or edit it. The project will be on spin
cycle from the beginning unless everyone on the documentation team has
fundamental expertise in the subject matter.

All projects are like this to some degree, with the writer's expertise being
the link most likely to fail in getting information from one expert to
another. The writer's ability to author new content is a window on the
writer's comprehension of the subject matter, but no team member (editors
included) can operate with just tools, rules, and methodology--everyone
needs authoritative comprehension to produce technical communications:

Here's a pointed stick to poke at the "author" criteria: If an editor edits
the electronic copy, isn't that authoring? It can certainly create meaning.

Here's an example (joke form) of when the writer's job is done, but the
editor's comprehension of subject matter and grammatical rules determines
the meaning:

<joke>

A panda walks into a café. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun
and fires two shots in the air.

"Why?!" asks the confused waiter, as the panda makes towards the exit.

The panda produces a badly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it over his
shoulder.

"I'm a panda" he says, at the door. "Look it up."

The waiter turns to the relevant entry and, sure enough, finds an
explanation:

"Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats,
shoots and leaves."

</joke>

Haw haw haw.

Ned Bedinger
Ed Wordsmith Technical Communications



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[Goldstein, Dan]

| -----Original Message-----
| From: shankAtIndiaDotcom
| Sent: Thursday, August 19, 2004 1:35 PM
| To: TECHWR-L
| Subject: Re: job title nomenclature on biz cards
|
| The company I am trying build is heterodocs. So
| far it has only a domain name registered
| (heterodocs.org). What does that tell you?
|
| I am trying to imply 'dealer(s) in diverse
| documents' but be frank: does it sound like it?

No -- not to my American ear, anyway. To me, it sounds more like an
organization that Dr. William Frist might have founded.

Seriously, while many TWs refer to documents as "docs," this is not common
among other professionals in the US.

Dan Goldstein

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[Michele Davis]

Being the opinion wallflower that I am, I think something was lost as I
followed this thread.

1) Dan, do you mean: So now the U.S. senate is going to be led by the
cat world's answer to Dr. Mengele! A man who can do that is capable of
any infamy.
That Dr. William Frist?

and

2) Sankara, heterodocs.org to me implys a website offering articles
about being a heterosexual. My husband, the programmer, said
heterodocs.org made him think of a porn site. Then when I said, but it
is an ORG domain, he replied, well it says the same thing to me as
rockdocs.org, or wooddocs.org.

I'd rethink THAT domain name. I really would.

Just decided to step away from the proverbial wall for a minute.

Michele
--
Michele

"Writing is easy; all you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper
until the drops of blood form on your forehead." G. Fowler
www.krautgrrl.com



Goldstein, Dan wrote:

|>-----Original Message-----
|>From: shankAtIndiaDotcom
|>Sent: Thursday, August 19, 2004 1:35 PM
|>To: TECHWR-L
|>Subject: Re: job title nomenclature on biz cards
|>
|>The company I am trying build is heterodocs. So
|>far it has only a domain name registered
|>(heterodocs.org). What does that tell you?
|>
|>I am trying to imply 'dealer(s) in diverse
|>documents' but be frank: does it sound like it?
|>
|>
|
|No -- not to my American ear, anyway. To me, it sounds more like an
|organization that Dr. William Frist might have founded.
|
|
|



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[Tammy Lloyd]

I beg your pardon, Mr. Plato,

I am a technical writer--one who writes documents from nothing; I am also an editor editing my manager's documents and other company documents. I can't help but take some offense to your statement that "most people who call themselves 'technical writers' or 'technical communicators' are actually editors since they do not author content or possess the technical skills to communicate ideas." I'm not sure what type of "technical writers" you deal with, but everyone I've ever known as a technical writer was/is required to author, edit, and communicate ideas. Writing is certainly a form of communication; to do it well, writers must be excellent communicators.

I also disagree with your statement that "if you handed me a card with the title 'technical writer' I would expect you to be able to author content from scratch based on your own knowledge." Only autobiographical writers can rely solely upon their own knowledge/experience; while, all other writers must delve into research, including writers of fiction.

For example, I must rely upon my ability to interpret the technical explanations I receive from our engineers on new or existing features, my ability to test the software to verify it is functioning as expected, and my ability to research the technology on which the functionality is based. I'd certainly produce a very poor document if I only relied upon my knowledge.

I apologize if I am misinterpreting your meanings here; but, please don't stereotype (or perpetuate a stereotype) that degrades other professionals in the technical writing field by pigeonholing their duties and abilities.

Sincerely,

Tammy Lloyd
Technical Writer



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[Wade Courtney]

| but, please don't >stereotype (or perpetuate a stereotype) that degrades other professionals in the >technical writing field by pigeonholing their duties and abilities.

I feel so dirty.
--
Wade Courtney
President/Principal Writer
Sabio Publications Inc
www.sabioinc.com

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[TechComm Dood]

| I am a technical writer--one who writes documents from nothing; I am also an editor editing my manager's documents and other company documents. I can't help but take some offense to your statement that "most people who call themselves 'technical writers' or 'technical communicators' are actually editors since they do not author content or possess the technical skills to communicate ideas." I'm not sure what type of "technical writers" you deal with, but everyone I've ever known as a technical writer was/is required to author, edit, and communicate ideas. Writing is certainly a form of communication; to do it well, writers must be excellent communicators.

You're getting too hung up on titles and not thinking about roles.
"Communicator" is indeed vague both in title and role. "Editor" as a
title means little, and as a role indicates that someone is quite good
at ensuring information is accurate, consistent, and
well-written/presented. "Writer" as a title means you write, but just
how is not easily determined, and as a role indicates that the
majority of time spent is on writing new content where once there was
nothing.

| I also disagree with your statement that "if you handed me a card with the title 'technical writer' I would expect you to be able to author content from scratch based on your own knowledge." Only autobiographical writers can rely solely upon their own knowledge/experience; while, all other writers must delve into research, including writers of fiction.

All true, but his description is accurate and what I'd expect as well.
Someone who pulls info from a spec and fills in holes by asking SMEs
questions, without validating and writing content themselves, isn't
necessarily a technical writer.

| For example, I must rely upon my ability to interpret the technical explanations I receive from our engineers on new or existing features, my ability to test the software to verify it is functioning as expected, and my ability to research the technology on which the functionality is based. I'd certainly produce a very poor document if I only relied upon my knowledge.

Is this true every time? If you were hired into a company that sells
query utilities to database warehouses, would you expect to be able to
do your job without ever learning about how queries are constructed,
or about databases, or the like? Would you feel comfortable in your
contributions to the company if you relied on others to feed you
information all the time?

| I apologize if I am misinterpreting your meanings here; but, please don't stereotype (or perpetuate a stereotype) that degrades other professionals in the technical writing field by pigeonholing their duties and abilities.

I don't think he did that at all. Other opinions may vary.

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[Andrew Plato]

"Tammy Lloyd" wrote

| I also disagree with your statement that "if you handed me a card with
| the title 'technical writer' I would expect you to be able to author
| content from scratch based on your own knowledge." Only autobiographical
| writers can rely solely upon their own knowledge/experience; while,
| all other writers must delve into research, including writers of fiction.

I think you're misunderstanding the concept of "your own knowledge."

Writers must internalize information to make use of it. Take ownership of
information. Understand it.

The ability to *write* is a combination of skills (language, logic, etc.)
that culminates in communication. However, understanding the subject matter
is a critical component. Its impossible to write material with any degree of
authority if you don't understand the content.

Once you understand something, you can explain it with authority. You
wouldn't buy a book on home repair from a person who cannot repair homes.
Why then should anybody buy any product with documentation produced by
writers who refuse or avoid learning the material.

A good writer is like an information processing plant. Raw information is
poured in one side, and useful, processed information is pushed out the
other side. A writer is NOT the person at the END of the conveyor trimming
off the excess threads and wrapping the information in a pretty box.

How you acquire knowledge (research, experience, sucking the brains out of
other people, etc.) is incidental. But you must possess it. Else, you're not
a writer.

| I apologize if I am misinterpreting your meanings here; but, please
| don't stereotype (or perpetuate a stereotype) that degrades other
| professionals in the technical writing field by pigeonholing their
| duties and abilities.

The only people who have pigeonholed and degraded tech writers is tech writers
themselves. Over the years, more and more tech writers flooded into the
marketplace refusing to learn the products/technologies they were documenting.
They kept calling themselves technical writers, but in fact they were neither
technical nor could they actually write anything. They were just wordsmiths.
Cleaning up other people's work.

That is what is degrading tech writing. People who claim they are something
they are not. Everytime a person claims to be a tech writer, but is unable to
actually author anything technical, the tech writing profession sinks another
notch lower on the respect-o-meter.

Andrew Plato






__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Y! Messenger - Communicate in real time. Download now.
http://messenger.yahoo.com

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[Goldstein, Dan]

| -----Original Message-----
| From: TechComm Dood
| Sent: Thursday, August 19, 2004 3:01 PM
| To: TECHWR-L
| Cc: TECHWR-L
| Subject: Re: job title nomenclature on biz cards
|
| You're getting too hung up on titles and not thinking about roles.
| "Communicator" is indeed vague both in title and role. "Editor" as a
| title means little, and as a role indicates that someone is quite good
| at ensuring information is accurate, consistent, and
| well-written/presented. "Writer" as a title means you write, but just
| how is not easily determined, and as a role indicates that the
| majority of time spent is on writing new content where once there was
| nothing...

I have often seen job ads for "Editor" or "Writer." STC notwithstanding, I
have yet to see an ad for "Communicator."

-- Dan Goldstein

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[David Neeley]

"I have often seen job ads for "Editor" or "Writer." STC notwithstanding, I
have yet to see an ad for "Communicator."

-- Dan Goldstein"

In my experience, companies hire "technical editors" who are expected to check details--grammar, punctuation, page numbering, and the like--and little more. Thus, they are often considered less skilled than technical writers and are usually paid much less.

I believe this is somewhat wrong-headed. To me, it makes more sense to hire as an editor someone who is a very skilled technical writer and team leader, who can both handle the sorts of details necessary, but who can also serve to help educate the tech writers to follow the organizational style guides, to better organize their materials, and, in general, how to make their writing more effective and efficient. This would be much more the sort of "editor" that publishers employ.

In many organizations, from what I have experienced, there is seldom enough of this kind of ongoing quality check.

David




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[Bonnie Granat]

David Neeley wrote:
| "I have often seen job ads for "Editor" or "Writer." STC
| notwithstanding, I
| have yet to see an ad for "Communicator."
|
| -- Dan Goldstein"
|
| In my experience, companies hire "technical editors" who are expected
| to check details--grammar, punctuation, page numbering, and the
| like--and little more. Thus, they are often considered less skilled
| than technical writers and are usually paid much less.
|

As a technical editor (and technical writer), this has not been my
experience. I have never seen a job description for a technical editor
that did not include the items you mention below.

| I believe this is somewhat wrong-headed. To me, it makes more sense
| to hire as an editor someone who is a very skilled technical writer
| and team leader, who can both handle the sorts of details necessary,
| but who can also serve to help educate the tech writers to follow the
| organizational style guides, to better organize their materials, and,
| in general, how to make their writing more effective and efficient.
| This would be much more the sort of "editor" that publishers employ.
|

Many software companies employ such a person.

| In many organizations, from what I have experienced, there is seldom
| enough of this kind of ongoing quality check.
|

This is quite true. But those organizations that *do* have a technical
editor position usually expect the broad range of quality control
services that you mentioned. In addition, technical editors check the
documentation's usability, which means installing the program, using the
program as a user would, and so on.


--
Bonnie Granat
www.GranatEdit.com
Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Mobile: [phone]
Office: 617-354-7084



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[Gene Kim-Eng]

In all of the companies I have written or managed for, none of these
functions would be
considered "technical editing." A "technical editor" would be an individual
who has sufficient
knowledge of the subject matter to be able to spot minor errors in content.
One example I
can cite: one of my former companies produced systems that processed the
glass substrates
for LCD displays. Our system preheated the glass to 400 degrees C. On one
occaision, a
writer accidentally typoed a functional description to say "4000 C." Our
technical editor
returned the draft with the comment, "Wouldn't 4000 C melt the glass?"

Gene Kim-Eng


----- Original Message -----
From: "David Neeley" <***@oddpost.com>

| In my experience, companies hire "technical editors" who are expected to
check details--grammar, punctuation, page numbering, and the like--and
little more. Thus, they are often considered less skilled than technical
writers and are usually paid much less.
|
| I believe this is somewhat wrong-headed. To me, it makes more sense to
hire as an editor someone who is a very skilled technical writer and team
leader, who can both handle the sorts of details necessary, but who can also
serve to help educate the tech writers to follow the organizational style
guides, to better organize their materials, and, in general, how to make
their writing more effective and efficient. This would be much more the sort
of "editor" that publishers employ.
|
| In many organizations, from what I have experienced, there is seldom
enough of this kind of ongoing quality check.




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[Gene Kim-Eng]

I pondered this question briefly last year, when I was freelancing while
"in between" companies and kept thinking that I really needed to get
some cards printed. Fortunately, I turned out to be busy enough that
I never got around to getting the cards done, but I was leaning toward
not putting a "job title" under my name and just listing "services," i.e.,
researching, writing, illustration, editing, etc.

Gene Kim-Eng


----- Original Message -----
From: "Goldstein, Dan" <***@DeusTech.com>
| I have often seen job ads for "Editor" or "Writer." STC notwithstanding, I
| have yet to see an ad for "Communicator."



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[Bonnie Granat]

Chuck Martin wrote:
|
| My own business card says the same thing as under my name in my sig.
| "User Assistance & Experience Engineer"

I find that so vague as to be meaningless. You could be talking about
nuclear reactors or refrigerators.

--
Bonnie Granat
www.GranatEdit.com
Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Mobile: [phone]
Office: 617-354-7084



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[Lee Hunter]

| Chuck Martin wrote:
|
|>My own business card says the same thing as under my name in my sig.
|>"User Assistance & Experience Engineer"

Bonnie Granat replied:

| I find that so vague as to be meaningless. You could be talking about
| nuclear reactors or refrigerators.


It's almost as bad as people calling themselves "information architects"
(whatever the heck that is).

_____________________________________________________

Lee Hunter - Technical Editor & Information Architect

------ http://www.hum.com ------- 613-282-1904 ------
_____________________________________________________

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[David Neeley]

It seems a few of you folks are considerably behind the times. "User Experience" is an increasingly common field of endeavor in our Web-based information world. I have reviewed job openings in and around this area many times over the last several years.

David



-----Original Message from Lee Hunter <***@hum.com>-----

| Chuck Martin wrote:
|
|>My own business card says the same thing as under my name in my sig.
|>"User Assistance & Experience Engineer"

Bonnie Granat replied:

| I find that so vague as to be meaningless. You could be talking about
| nuclear reactors or refrigerators.


It's almost as bad as people calling themselves "information architects"
(whatever the heck that is).

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[Lee Hunter]

I wrote:

|> It's almost as bad as people calling themselves "information architects"
| (whatever the heck that is).

Post by David Neeley
It seems a few of you folks are considerably behind the times. "User
Experience" is <snip>

Actually it was a lame joke.

See my sig.


_____________________________________________________

Lee Hunter - Technical Editor & Information Architect

------ http://www.hum.com ------- 613-282-1904 ------
_____________________________________________________

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[Bonnie Granat]

David Neeley wrote:
| It seems a few of you folks are considerably behind the times. "User
| Experience" is an increasingly common field of endeavor in our
| Web-based information world. I have reviewed job openings in and
| around this area many times over the last several years.
|

My point (and it was no joke) was that not all companies that need
technical writing produce computer hardware or computer software. If
Chuck wants to work only in that field, then his job title is grand,
because the CEOs in noncomputer-based organizations probably won't
understand it.


--
Bonnie Granat
www.GranatEdit.com
Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Mobile: [phone]
Office: 617-354-7084



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[Bonnie Granat]

With regard to technical editing, I'd like to say this, which I just
wrote to a friend offline and want to share with the whole list (my
correspondent was saying that most technical editors he knows don't run
the application or know the content at all):

Anyway, I'm TE of a different stripe, I guess. If I'm editing software
documentation, it's really pointless to just correct grammar and
punctuation and spelling -- and it's impossible, too, to do just that
with any confidence that one is not harming the document.

How in the world am I to help the writer convey the meaning of something
if I don't know what the writer is actually trying to convey?

Editing without understanding the content is crazy, in my opinion.

Without understanding the content, certain things will *seem* wrong,
certain commas will appear to be misplaced, and those items will be
changed --- but they will have been correct, and I will have done a very
bad thing to a very good document!

A good technical editor knows this. Anyone who is simply reading for
spelling, grammar, and punctuation may be an *editor* -- but she is not
a *technical* editor, which is what I am.

If I ever sound any more like Plato than I do right now, I promise to
drown myself forthwith.


--
Bonnie Granat
www.GranatEdit.com
Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Mobile: [phone]
Office: 617-354-7084



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[Chuck Martin]

Bonnie Granat wrote:
| David Neeley wrote:
|
|>It seems a few of you folks are considerably behind the times. "User
|>Experience" is an increasingly common field of endeavor in our
|>Web-based information world. I have reviewed job openings in and
|>around this area many times over the last several years.
|>
|
|
| My point (and it was no joke) was that not all companies that need
| technical writing produce computer hardware or computer software. If
| Chuck wants to work only in that field, then his job title is grand,
| because the CEOs in noncomputer-based organizations probably won't
| understand it.
|

Neither developing user assistance (which is far, far more than just
writing) nor designing the user experience (which is designing
communication) is limited to computer hardware and software. And CEOs
rarely create the job requisitions, review the resumes, and make the
hiring decisions for non-management positions.
--
--
Chuck Martin
User Assistance & Experience Engineer
twriter "at" sonic "dot" net www.writeforyou.com

"I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me.
The day may come when the courage of Men fail, when we forsake our
friends and break all bonds of fellowship. But it is not this day!
This day, we fight!"
- Aragorn

"All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given you."
- Gandalf

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[Chuck Martin]

Bonnie Granat wrote:
| Chuck Martin wrote:
|
|>My own business card says the same thing as under my name in my sig.
|>"User Assistance & Experience Engineer"
|
|
| I find that so vague as to be meaningless. You could be talking about
| nuclear reactors or refrigerators.
|

Well, yeah.

I certainly hope that any nuclear reactors that might be near you have
had their user experience designed so that the interface clearly
communicates its use quickly and easy. I'd hate to have the people who
work there not be able to figure out which button to push in an
emergency. (Simplified, I know.)

There is a refrigerator in the kitchen where I work. There are no
obvious hinges, and no handles on the front. How do you open in, and
from which side? Turns out, there is a recess in the *side* of the door
where you can slide in your fingers and pull. You might find it as
you're feeling around the edges of the door. Hopefully, the next time
you use the refrigerator, you'll remember which side of the door this
recess is on. This is an utter failure in user experience; the door
design fails to communicate clearly how it is used.

"User" defines the target audience

"Assistance" makes it clear that what's being produced is far more than
writing. In fact, user assistance may contain no words at all.

"Experience" because the best user interfaces inherently communicate
clearly their proper use.

"Engineer" because this is an engineering discipline.

Far from vague, the terminology is not only accurate, but it encompasses
the entirety of the discipline much better than "technical writer."
--
--
Chuck Martin
User Assistance & Experience Engineer
twriter "at" sonic "dot" net www.writeforyou.com

"I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me.
The day may come when the courage of Men fail, when we forsake our
friends and break all bonds of fellowship. But it is not this day!
This day, we fight!"
- Aragorn

"All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given you."
- Gandalf

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[Chuck Martin]

diotima wrote:

|
| i'm designing some business cards for myself as a technical editor
| and technical writer, and i find myself pondering the job titles we
| are given or give ourselves and the impressions these titles make on
| clients, employers, and recruiters. specifically, for those of us who
| function both as writers and editors, i'm curious if anyone has any
| thoughts on how this is best presented on a business card. for
| example:
|

My own business card says the same thing as under my name in my sig.
--
--
Chuck Martin
User Assistance & Experience Engineer
twriter "at" sonic "dot" net www.writeforyou.com

"I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me.
The day may come when the courage of Men fail, when we forsake our
friends and break all bonds of fellowship. But it is not this day!
This day, we fight!"
- Aragorn

"All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given you."
- Gandalf

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[diotima]

Chuck Martin wrote:



| ... Experience Engineer



Bonnie Granat:



|I find that so vague as to be meaningless. You could be talking about

|nuclear reactors or refrigerators.



...or maybe someone who's very helpful in the bedroom. :b





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[Bonnie Granat]

diotima wrote:
| Chuck Martin wrote:
|
|
|
|> ... Experience Engineer
|
|
|
| Bonnie Granat:
|
|
|
|> I find that so vague as to be meaningless. You could be talking about
|
|> nuclear reactors or refrigerators.
|
|
|
| ...or maybe someone who's very helpful in the bedroom. :b
|

Did I err when I referred to you as female? ; )

--
Bonnie Granat
www.GranatEdit.com
Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Mobile: [phone]
Office: 617-354-7084



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[Ned Bedinger]

----- Original Message -----
From: "diotima" <***@myway.com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-***@lists.raycomm.com>
Sent: Thursday, August 19, 2004 4:11 PM
Subject: Re: job title nomenclature on biz cards


| Chuck Martin wrote:
|
| > ... Experience Engineer
|
| Bonnie Granat:

| >I find that so vague as to be meaningless. You could be talking about
|
| >nuclear reactors or refrigerators.

| ...or maybe someone who's very helpful in the bedroom. :b
|

I think I'd better buy up all the BEDWORDSMITH domains, pre-emptively. But I
hope it doesn't cast a shadow on my home office deduction.

Ned Bedinger
Edwordsmith Technical Communications


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[w***@juno.com]

| One of my former companies produced systems that
| processed the glass substrates
| for LCD displays. Our system preheated the glass to 400 degrees C.
| On one occaision, a writer accidentally typoed a functional description
to say >"4000 C." Our technical editor returned the draft with the
comment, >"Wouldn't 4000 C melt the glass?"

It seems to me that the writer should have proofread the document before
the editor got a hold of it. Or am I wrong?

Bob

________________________________________________________________
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[Bonnie Granat]

***@juno.com wrote:
|> One of my former companies produced systems that
|> processed the glass substrates
|> for LCD displays. Our system preheated the glass to 400 degrees C.
|> On one occaision, a writer accidentally typoed a functional
|> description
| to say >"4000 C." Our technical editor returned the draft with the
| comment, >"Wouldn't 4000 C melt the glass?"
|
| It seems to me that the writer should have proofread the document
| before
| the editor got a hold of it. Or am I wrong?
|


You're right, but when you go over your own work a number of times, it's
just impossible to spot errors like that. That's the underlying argument
for every documentation group to have a technical editor.

--
Bonnie Granat
www.GranatEdit.com
Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Mobile: [phone]
Office: 617-354-7084



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[Gene Kim-Eng]

You're absolutely right, of course, but even the best writer (and the
writer in this case was, in fact, one of the best I've ever worked with)
will occaisionally miss something. A second set of eyes is good
insurance, and the more knowledge there is behind those eyes, the
better.

Gene Kim-Eng


----- Original Message -----
From: <***@juno.com>
| It seems to me that the writer should have proofread the document before
| the editor got a hold of it. Or am I wrong?



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[M]

I think you could just say on your card that you provide technical
communication services (or some more jazzy way of saying that):

Jane Doe, Inc.
Technical Communication Services

Calling yourself "president" or "director" (as someone suggested) is
pompous. Whenever I get a resume like that I toss it--the person
probably has an exagerated sense of self worth.

Matt

Post by diotima
all,
i'm designing some business cards for myself as a technical editor

and technical writer, and i find myself pondering the job titles we
are given or give ourselves and the impressions these titles make on
clients, employers, and recruiters. specifically, for those of us who
function both as writers and editors, i'm curious if anyone has any
thoughts on how this is best presented on a business card. for

Post by diotima
technical writer/editor
technical editor/writer
technical editor, technical writer
technical editor (writer being presumed?)
do you think clients and employers have strong preconceptions associated with "editor" and "writer"? for instance, that editors just mark up documents while writers actually do the work? is it commonly assumed that editors are also writers, or do editors find they need to state this? any thoughts? does it matter?
diotima

[M]

I think you could just say on your card that you provide technical
communication services (or some more jazzy way of saying that):

Jane Doe, Inc.
Technical Communication Services

Calling yourself "president" or "director" (as someone suggested) is
pompous. Whenever I get a resume like that I toss it--the person
probably has an exagerated sense of self worth.

Matt

Post by diotima
all,
i'm designing some business cards for myself as a technical editor

and technical writer, and i find myself pondering the job titles we
are given or give ourselves and the impressions these titles make on
clients, employers, and recruiters. specifically, for those of us who
function both as writers and editors, i'm curious if anyone has any
thoughts on how this is best presented on a business card. for

Post by diotima
technical writer/editor
technical editor/writer
technical editor, technical writer
technical editor (writer being presumed?)
do you think clients and employers have strong preconceptions associated with "editor" and "writer"? for instance, that editors just mark up documents while writers actually do the work? is it commonly assumed that editors are also writers, or do editors find they need to state this? any thoughts? does it matter?
diotima

[diotima]

David Neeley replied:



| It seems a few of you folks are considerably behind the times. "User

|Experience" is <snip>



Lee wrote:



|Actually it was a lame joke.



|See my sig.





likewise, my response was a joke too. only mine wasn't lame. i'm *still* chuckling over it. :)



bending it a la beckham,

diotima

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[w***@juno.com]

|It seems to me that the writer should have proofread the document
| before
| the editor got a hold of it. Or am I wrong?
|
| >>You're right, but when you go over your own work a number of times,
| >>it's
| >>just impossible to spot errors like that. That's the underlying
| >>argument
| >>for every documentation group to have a technical editor.

I always worried about that problem when I wrote assembly manuals. My
solution was to take the docs to the production floor and "work the
document." Granted, most here probably can't actually build products on a
production line using the docs they write, but it sure helped me
eliminate problems.

I would also highlight component values, equipment settings, specs, etc.,
and double confirm that they are correct.

Bob

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[Chuck Martin]

Andrew Plato wrote:
<snip>
|
| The only people who have pigeonholed and degraded tech writers is tech writers
| themselves. Over the years, more and more tech writers flooded into the
| marketplace refusing to learn the products/technologies they were documenting.
| They kept calling themselves technical writers, but in fact they were neither
| technical nor could they actually write anything. They were just wordsmiths.
| Cleaning up other people's work.
|
| That is what is degrading tech writing. People who claim they are something
| they are not. Everytime a person claims to be a tech writer, but is unable to
| actually author anything technical, the tech writing profession sinks another
| notch lower on the respect-o-meter.
|

So what about those of us who *are* technical and who *can* write? Those
of us who were honing our writing skills ling before we actually decided
that we wanted to make this vocation our career (and who chose this
vocation as a degree). Those of us who practically eat, drink, and sleep
techie stuff to keep our technical skills and knowledge as up-to-date as
possible?

I make no claim to be a *shining" example, but I can say that last
semester I took an evening course (my own time, my own money) to learn
more about web programming (JavaScript, Perl, PHP, mySQL, etc.) in part
because a lot of my then-contracts (the few that I managed to find then)
were web applications. (I remember one bug I found where I determined
that the cause was a problem with a SQL script.) This semester, I was
going to take a Java Programming class, in part because where I'm
working now, the back end is Java and I'm going to have to write an API
doc, so I thought it would be a good idea to brush up. (Unfortunately,
the instructor on the first night last night was horrible, just
horrible. I'm going to go with my 2nd choice, a VB.Net w/ database class.)

TO be fair, it's not just technical writers. During the dot-com boom,
warm bodies flooded into all disciplines, often with little more than a
claim of competency, sometimes backed up with a 20-hour certificate.
But, for example, sham programmers were weeded out because management
could eventually see that their code didn't work. But hey, the tech
writer we hired produced a 200-page manual with no spelling errors. Must
be good, right? How many companies determined if their documentation worked?

But there are plenty of people in this discipline who are competent in
both the "technical" and the "writing" aspects. I've had the good
fortune to have worked with a few over the years, and to have
corresponded with some (often through this list), and to have found
solutions from some when I've needed help with work problems. So just be
careful not to paint with too wide a brush.

Eh, it's Friday, and someone tried to run me off a crowded freeway this
morning, so I'm feeling a bit cynical. Enjoy your weekend folks.
--
--
Chuck Martin
User Assistance & Experience Engineer
twriter "at" sonic "dot" net www.writeforyou.com

"I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me.
The day may come when the courage of Men fail, when we forsake our
friends and break all bonds of fellowship. But it is not this day!
This day, we fight!"
- Aragorn

"All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given you."
- Gandalf

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[John Posada]

| So what about those of us who *are* technical and who *can* write?
| Those
| of us who were honing our writing skills ling before we actually
| decided
| that we wanted to make this vocation our career (and who chose this

Then I see no argument and you and Andrew are in violent agreement.

=====
John Posada
Senior Technical Writer



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[b***@granatedit.com]

Quoting Chuck Martin <***@writeforyou.com>:

|
| Bonnie Granat wrote:
| > David Neeley wrote:
| >
| >>It seems a few of you folks are considerably behind the times. "User
| >>Experience" is an increasingly common field of endeavor in our
| >>Web-based information world. I have reviewed job openings in and
| >>around this area many times over the last several years.
| >>
| >
| >
| > My point (and it was no joke) was that not all companies that need
| > technical writing produce computer hardware or computer software. If
| > Chuck wants to work only in that field, then his job title is grand,
| > because the CEOs in noncomputer-based organizations probably won't
| > understand it.
| >
|
| Neither developing user assistance (which is far, far more than just
| writing) nor designing the user experience (which is designing
| communication) is limited to computer hardware and software. And CEOs
| rarely create the job requisitions, review the resumes, and make the
| hiring decisions for non-management positions.
|

Yes, but to many, it's just jargon. The CEO reference was made because of a
previous poster's comment that CEOs aren't impressed by "writer" or "editor"
(unless I'm misremembering).

In fact, I'd like to add a description of the work I've been doing on my current
project to my resume, but I don't know what to say. I'm making recommendations
about the GUI to my client, and he's making the changes (nearly all of them).
Is that "user experience design"? Will I be snickered at if I put that on my
resume?

Bonnie Granat
www.GranatEdit.com
Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Mobile: [phone]
Office: 617-354-7084

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[John Posada]

| In fact, I'd like to add a description of the work I've been doing
| on my current
| project to my resume, but I don't know what to say. I'm making
| recommendations
| about the GUI to my client, and he's making the changes (nearly all
| of them).
| Is that "user experience design"? Will I be snickered at if I put
| that on my resume?

Yes, by those who know what it really means. To do it right, you must
observe the targeted audience doing what they do irrespective of an
application, devise a model targered user, then design the GUI (and
the rest of the program) to function within how that user does what
they do. Doing it after it is designed is not much more than the
equivalent of copy editing.

The problem with doing it your way is that your changes can only be
superficial. I doubt if he would be willing to change the application
at its most fundamental level.

=====
John Posada
Senior Technical Writer



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[Dick Margulis]

***@granatedit.com wrote:

|
| Yes, but to many, it's just jargon. The CEO reference was made because of a
| previous poster's comment that CEOs aren't impressed by "writer" or "editor"
| (unless I'm misremembering).
|


If you're referring to my comment, you're misremembering. What I said
was that, in corporate America (read: big companies and the small
companies that sell exclusively to them), titles that describe what you
do rather than titles that identify your rank (manager and above) do not
register with people. This phenomenon is not limited to CEOs by any
means. Go into a conference room and watch people's eyes glaze over when
you hand them a card that identifies a technical function: clearly you
are not a person who can negotiate for your company; so why should I
bother listening to you. Now do the same exercise with a card that says
you're the president of GranatEdit.com, and you'll see that the body
language changes completely.

Again, this may not be relevant in your target market. I don't think
small business owners react this way, typically. The observation was
directed at list members who might be trying to pitch to large
companies, a group that may or may not include you.

It all comes down to knowing your audience ;-)


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[John Posada]

At my company, everyone knows me as a technical writer. However, my
card says "Manager of Documentation"...

...when I came here under the title of Manager of Documentation, I
sat down with my boss and said the last thing they needed was another
manager...what they needed was someone who actually did some work.
:-)

Anyway...I've been working with another Manager in the Product
Engineering group for the last 6 months and we've had a decent
relationship. However, last week, I needed to give him my cellphone
number and since I didn't have any paper, I wrote it on my business
card.

It's been night and day the difference in how he responds to me.

| register with people. This phenomenon is not limited to CEOs by any
| means. Go into a conference room and watch people's eyes glaze over
| when
| you hand them a card that identifies a technical function: clearly
| you
| are not a person who can negotiate for your company; so why should
| I
| bother listening to you. Now do the same exercise with a card that
| says
| you're the president of GranatEdit.com, and you'll see that the
| body language changes completely.


=====
John Posada
Senior Technical Writer



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[Gene Kim-Eng]

However, in the current business climate, it is not unusual for CEOs to
have to personally sign off on every requisition or, most especially,
consulting contract (the fact that the original question was about
business cards rather than job descriptions means the discussion is
about getting contracts, doesn't it?). With the current emphasis on
"bang for the buck," anything that sounds remotely like a "new age
job description" or an individual contributor is likely to be of less
value on a business card. This was why my own thoughts on a
card were to stay away from "title" or "job description" and
concentrate on listing "services provided."

Gene Kim-Eng


"Chuck Martin" <***@writeforyou.com> wrote in message news:***@techwr-l...

| Neither developing user assistance (which is far, far more than just
| writing) nor designing the user experience (which is designing
| communication) is limited to computer hardware and software. And CEOs
| rarely create the job requisitions, review the resumes, and make the
| hiring decisions for non-management positions.



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[John Posada]

In 12 years of contracting, I never saw a client give a consultant or
contractor company business cards.

--- Gene Kim-Eng <***@genek.com> wrote:

| especially,
| consulting contract (the fact that the original question was about
| business cards rather than job descriptions means the discussion is
| about getting contracts, doesn't it?). With the current emphasis


=====
John Posada
Senior Technical Writer



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[Gene Kim-Eng]

I think you have the flow of the business cards backwards.
The original question about what to put on a business
card was posted by someone who is a consultant/contractor.

Gene Kim-Eng


----- Original Message -----
From: "John Posada" <***@yahoo.com>
To: "Gene Kim-Eng" <***@genek.com>; "TECHWR-L"
<techwr-***@lists.raycomm.com>
Sent: Friday, August 20, 2004 12:00 PM
Subject: Re: job title nomenclature on biz cards


| In 12 years of contracting, I never saw a client give a consultant or
| contractor company business cards.



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[w***@juno.com]

| It's almost as bad as people calling themselves "information
| architects"
| (whatever the heck that is).

I wonder about the title "information architects" as well. We should feel
thankful that there are no Technical Information Architects on the list.
I suppose being a writer is just not enough these days.

I also dislike the title "User Assistance & Experience Engineer" What
does that mean? I will suggest the title to a friend who is in AOL
"Technical Support." Same job :>)

-- Bob

________________________________________________________________
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[David Neeley]

Some years ago now, it was realized that the body of knowledge an organization possesses is its most significant asset. How that knowledge is created, stored, and reused can represent a significant advantage.

Thus, content management systems have been created, for example, as well as other tools like XML-based databases.

The process of systematically studying the present, usually de facto, information lifecycle processes; planning what sort of eventual process might make good competitive sense; and dealing with issues of how and when to move between the two was originally the job of someone who was labeled an "information architect." As things have developed, Web content has become an increasingly important part of this pursuit.

While there are some tech writers who are very good at this work, there are many who are totally at sea on the topic.

That does not mean that there is not a definite need for true information architects, only that the specialty is still fairly new. I believe it is largely because "information technology" has largely left this part of the organization's needs unfulfilled...although quite often they both may come under the province of the office known as a "Chief Information Officer" of a corporation.

Unfortunately, we still have quite a few who don't understand that to an ever-increasing extent, for any organization to survive it must not only possess needed information, but it must be able to find and employ that information easily and quickly. Otherwise, it will lose out to more agile organizations who are more advanced in a truly knowledge-based economy.

As in most such new developments, this one too has not been accompanied by untrammelled success. In many cases, the tools are only now beginning to emerge that will increasingly empower organizations. In the technical documentation sphere, the movement to XML-based information represents one part of this change. As legacy documentation is increasingly being retired, organizations are adjusting to new demands and capabilities that structured information offers by implementing it in new work.

David

-----Original Message from ***@juno.com-----

| It's almost as bad as people calling themselves "information
| architects"
| (whatever the heck that is).

I wonder about the title "information architects" as well. We should feel
thankful that there are no Technical Information Architects on the list.
I suppose being a writer is just not enough these days.
.

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[Gene Kim-Eng]

I have had some experience in this area, and I have to say that the last
sentence in this quote
is by and large a pipe dream that up until now has been the downfall of most
attempts to
implement content management systems. Most organizations don't "retire legacy
documentation, it just occupies space in networks forever until some future
upgrade in
infrastructure or tools suddenly renders it inaccessible, and outside of
narrowly focused
efforts such as technical manuals and web page design are *not* adopting new
tools and
processes to meet the demands of content or knowledge management. To truly
capture and
manage your organization's total knowledge, you need to pull in content that
often doesn't
get into technical documents, such as design specs,. marketing collateral,
manufacturing
and test instructions, service and support records, etc. The moment you tell
your engineers,
manufacturing, marketing, field service, etc. people) that they're going to be
expected to
"adjust" to the CMS/KMS by learning to use new tools and formats, you have
doomed it
to ultimate failure. The CMS/KMS systems that will ultimately make content and
knowledge
management concepts work will be the ones that adjust to the way people work
*now.*. This
*might* be possible with XML, *if* tools like word processors, spreadsheets,
databases,
etc., etc., migrate to configurations in which XML works under the hood of
familiar tools,
but unless the CMS/KMS can also handle the native file formats already out
there, it can never
really achieve its promise.

OTOH, I think Chuck's original mention of "information architects" was meant as
a comment
on technical writers attempting to inflate their titles to sound more impressive
by calling
themselves things like "information architects," "information developers,"
"information
engineers," etc., etc., ad nauseum, when they're still not doing anything more
than writing.

Gene Kim-Eng




----- Original Message -----
From: "David Neeley" <***@oddpost.com>
| As in most such new developments, this one too has not been accompanied by
untrammelled
success. In many cases, the tools are only now beginning to emerge that will
increasingly empower
organizations.Inthetechnicaldocumentationsphere,themovementtoXML based
information represents
one part of this change. As legacy documentation is increasingly being retired,
organizations are
adjusting to new demands and capabilities that structured information offers by
implementing it in
new work.



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[e***@ca.transport.bombardier.com]

I generally agree with Gene's observations on the possible paths to
failure in implementing any type of CMS/KMS

"Gene Kim-Eng" <***@genek.com> wrote on 08/21/2004 02:03:35 PM:
| To truly capture and manage your organization's total
| knowledge, you need to pull in content that often doesn't
| get into technical documents, such as design specs, marketing
| collateral, manufacturing and test instructions, service and
| support records, etc.

Certainly. But you do have to start somewhere. Big, never ending,
cross-department, politically hobbled efforts to produce a 'complete'
system from the get-go are virtually doomed to failure from the start.
It's unlikely you'll progress to the stage of trying to get the unwashed
hordes in the company using it.

Start small. Classify, store, and ease the retrieval of one department's
or even one small group's deliverables. Then, expand the system to store
and classify the required support documentation. But, in these stages, do
not require others to populate the system. Allow the company and other
departments to continue 'business as usual'. However, create a document
retrieval interface that is easy to use and direct all people making
document inquiries to the system.

The big hurdle to overcome is the unavoidable declaration of management
that organising engineering docs is engineering's problem. The sales pitch
is to show that techpubs has to do the job anyway and that you need the
system internally. If you have to get documents from various
departments/groups and already need to track revisions and integration, it
should be easy to show the savings in time and effort and how the system
will standardise the process and lead to increased quality/accuracy or the
documents.

There are probably a million different ways to start such a system. But,
one approach that I'm toying with is MyDMS (
http://dms.markuswestphal.de/about.html) linked to a comments/bugtracking
database. With such a system, revisions, communication between the
departments, questions and comments, as well a approval of documents could
be tracked.

| The moment you tell your engineers, manufacturing, marketing,
| field service, etc. people) that they're going to be
| expected to "adjust" to the CMS/KMS by learning to use
| new tools and formats, you have doomed it to ultimate failure.

Exactly. I couldn't agree more. That's why you begin by making a system
that meets your departments needs first and which your department is
totally responsible for. Then you start to get sneaky...

As documentation requests are directed to the CMS/KMS system, people will
start going there naturally. Eventually, some may even start using it as
there primary source of information (as it will be easier for an engineer
to find a design doc than leaf through binders, search servers, or hunt
for the person who has them squirrelled away).

At this stage, others may begin alerting you to changes instead of you
having to continuously hunt and monitor for revisions.

To then up the ante, you need to look at how other departments work. How
do they store and classify their documents? What reports do they need to
generate? What lists do they need to maintain? Figure that out and you'll
probably find that you're already 80-90% of the way there already. Add the
10-20% more information required to the system and send 'your' reports to
the people responsible and ask for them to compare theirs with yours to
identify where your information is lacking.

After a couple of rounds of updates, you get REALLY sneaky. You give them
access to enter their information and generate their reports from your
system. Once you've got them that far, and even though your department is
now saving substantial budget from the streamlined and standardised
process (and so are all the other departments now using the system), you
approach the bean counters for budget from the various departments for
upkeep of the system. ;)

| The CMS/KMS systems that will ultimately make content and
| knowledge management concepts work will be the ones that
| adjust to the way people work *now.*.

Can't emphasise that enough. That's the reason ISO, quality efforts,
XML/SGML projects, and all other manner of corporate/business efforts
ultimately fail. You can't force chaos to fit into little ordered boxes.

You need to first understand the chaos as it exists and box the whole
monster. Then, you can break the chaos down and compartmentalise it. The
duplicate and extraneous activities are removed from the box as the
organisation evolves.

| This *might* be possible with XML, *if* tools like word
| processors, spreadsheets, databases, etc., etc., migrate
| to configurations in which XML works under the hood of
| familiar tools,

That's the big red flag I went chasing after. :) XML has nothing to do
with this. XML may eventually be the common denominator, but it may be a
long way off in the future. In the mean time, standardise on the easiest
common denominators first; Storage, metadata, and retrieval. Then, expand
the metadata and work your way to standardising databases and spreadsheets
and lists.

| but unless the CMS/KMS can also handle
| the native file formats already out there, it can never
| really achieve its promise.

That's the key to where to start. Don't change the process or the file
formats to begin with. Design for the process and formats that exist now.
Once the trap is set, THEN standardise everyone else out of a job. ;)

Eric L. Dunn
Senior Technical Writer

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[Gene Kim-Eng]

I don't think there's much of a "standardise everybody else out of a job"
factor in KMS. If you talk to all the people in your org about the concept
of a system that could search everything in the network for keywords,
concepts, metadata, etc., everybody will most likely agree that it'd be
grand to be able to find out if somebody else has already produced info
they're about to create so that they can just reuse it, but almost nobody
will want to have to take on the task of making it happen. So *if* you
can offer a system that will scan all the different file formats there
already are and enable their cataloging and reuse, you probably won't
be putting anybody out of a job, because in most orgs there's nobody
doing it now.

Gene Kim-Eng


----- Original Message -----
From: <***@ca.transport.bombardier.com>

| That's the key to where to start. Don't change the process or the file
| formats to begin with. Desi gnfortheprocessandformatsthatexistnow.
| Once the trap is set, THEN standardise everyone else out of a job. ;)



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[e***@ca.transport.bombardier.com]

"Gene Kim-Eng" <***@genek.com> wrote on 08/24/2004 11:40:33 AM:
| I don't think there's much of a "standardise everybody
| else out of a job" factor in KMS.

While I did mean it 'tongue-in-cheek', I am partially serious. If the
system is to store the documents and classify them, with the effort to
catalogue them spread out to those that create the documents, you
certainly threaten anyone whose previous tasks involved producing the
reports and storing/classifying the documents.

For example, moving engineering drafting to a drawing management system
replaces site specific groups whose only purpose was to ensure that all
drawing were routed to the correct people and archived. Tracking document
status and delivery eliminates many tasks required by project management
to ensure milestone achievement.

While the people affected may be reassigned, you won't be popular with
them when their usual routine is reduced to a button click and they can no
longer baby and pamper their beloved spreadsheet and word processor files
all day long. ;)

Also, a good number of people lose a large amount or real and perceived
power. Once the information is easily browsable and manipulated, the
people involved are no longer 'indispensable' and they are no longer
required to be in the loop and do not control the purse strings to the
information they previously were in charge of. It is probably this
obstacle that presents the largest hurdle in getting company employees to
use the system. It is also the obstacle that is most important to smash
for the betterment of information flow and the good health of the
organisation.

Eric L. Dunn
Senior Technical Writer

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[Gene Kim-Eng]

I don't know about the big firms, but I've spent most of the past 10 years
in pretty small companies, and in most of them there are no such people
anymore, they've long since been replaced by do-it-yourself configuration
management schemes like VSS, CVS, Agile, etc. That's probably one
reason why KMS continues to intrigue the management of many companies.
The work currently isn't being done at all.

Gene Kim-Eng


----- Original Message -----
From: <***@ca.transport.bombardier.com>
| While I did mean it 'tongue-in-cheek', I am partially serious. If the
| system is to store the documents and classify them, with the effort to
| catalogue them spread out to those that create the documents, you
| certainly threaten anyone whose previous tasks involved producing the
| reports and storing/classifying the documents.



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[Chuck Martin]

Gene Kim-Eng wrote:
|
| OTOH, I think Chuck's original mention of "information architects" was meant as
| a comment
| on technical writers attempting to inflate their titles to sound more impressive
| by calling
| themselves things like "information architects," "information developers,"
| "information
| engineers," etc., etc., ad nauseum, when they're still not doing anything more
| than writing.
|

Just for the record (and I know it wasn't done intentionally, as this
has been a long and somewhat convoluted topic), I didn't say anything
about "information architect." I did say "engineer," as technical
communication *is* an engineering discipline.

There is a difference between those who use titles to mask the fact that
they are doing little more than writing and editing, and those who adopt
titles that more accurately reflect the work that they do (or know how
to do), work where writing might be just a small part of their
responsibilities.
--
--
Chuck Martin
User Assistance & Experience Engineer
twriter "at" sonic "dot" net www.writeforyou.com

"I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me.
The day may come when the courage of Men fail, when we forsake our
friends and break all bonds of fellowship. But it is not this day!
This day, we fight!"
- Aragorn

"All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given you."
- Gandalf

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[w***@juno.com]

|>>That does not mean that there is not a definite need for true
information architects, only that the specialty is still fairly new. I
believe it is largely because "information technology" has largely left
this part of the organization's needs unfulfilled...although quite often
they both may come under the province of the office known as a "Chief
Information Officer" of a corporation. >>>

I would suggest that the title "Information Architect" is often used by
people who think it sounds better than "writer."

Bob


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[Geoff Hart]

Bob suggests: <<I would suggest that the title "Information Architect"
is often used by people who think it sounds better than "writer.">>

While I'll agree that some people use the term pretentiously, I also
think it serves a useful purpose. Imposing order upon chaos (such as
the information provided by product developers) is certainly one of the
things we writers do while writing, but there's much more to
information architecture than that. As a discipline rather than a
pretentious title, IA combines usability skills and an understanding of
cognitive psychology with profound knowledge of access and retrieval
methods. Not all writers have these skills beyond the level necessary
to create an effective outline.

The thing to remember about labels is that like all other words,
they're tools for communication. Speaking as an editor, I'd gently
remind you that not everyone--including writers--uses these tools
particularly well. But those who use the tools precisely communicate
things that the duffers can't communicate.

--Geoff Hart ***@videotron.ca
(try ***@mac.com if you don't get a reply)


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[t***@iwon.com]

I have met some people who were once "Technical Writers" and are now "Information Architects." In one meeting (STC I might add), it was suggested that we be called Information Architects as opposed to Technical Writers. It seems to me that an Information Architect is very different from a Technical Writer. As a example, go to Monster and run a search for "Information Architect". Although some aspects of the job description (which is widely varied) may involve information gathering and logistics (like Tech Writing) I see little relation to Tech Writing. It may well be a job that is beyond the capabilities of a lowly Tech Writer (according to Goeff). If I have to have the abilities you describe Goeff such as, the "ability to combine usability skills and an understanding of cognitive psychology with profound knowledge of access and retrieval

methods," I would first have to understand what that means in plain english. So, since I have to research to understand that a "profound knowledge of access and retrieval methods" means more than just knowing what resources are out there to get the information I need, I may not be a good candidate to be an "Information Architect."

I do not intend to criticize you Goeff, in fact I agree with you. I just don't believe it necessary that the Technical Writer title be changed to Information Architect.



_______________________________________________


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[TechComm Dood]

| I do not intend to criticize you Goeff, in fact I agree with you. I just don't believe it necessary that the Technical Writer title be changed to Information Architect.

Well said. IA is not always understood as TW. I subscribe to a lot of
IT magazines and the like, and I can tell you that when these
publications mention Information Architects, they certainly do not
mean Technical Writers.

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[T***@bbc.co.uk]

|In 12 years of contracting, I never saw a client give a consultant or
|contractor company business cards.


Well, I had been contracting for the last 8 or so years (recently returned
to the land of the 'permies'!) and EACH and everyone of the clients
provided me with business cards.

That is approximately 10 organisations, one of the few similarities
between them was that they are in European locations (maybe that is a big
difference). Some were US based (registered) co.'s, some were small (>10)
enterprises, some were global multi-nationals.

The common factor?

I believe is that when I met their customers (for me an intrinsic role -
finding out who the customer / audience is) they ALL wanted me to present
myself as part of their organisation and (most importantly) they did NOT
want me to present my own business card! (Although, after building up
relationships with some the customers specifically asked for my personal
card and further work arose from that).

So, What am I saying?

Well, the joy of being a Technical Editor/Writer/Author/Communicator /
User Experience Engineer / Information Architect or any other 'title' is
that we (Yes ALL of us) work in a field that is not limited by industry,
location, tools, or even - to a certain extent - language.

Rejoice! A 'good' writer/etc will be able to work across a multitude of
disciplines that normally limit the other worker bees!! A good 'un will be
able to work in medical, legal, IT, Media, Telecomms, Mobile Telecomms,
Engineering, Off-Shore drilling, Banking, Finance, Architecture, Road
Building, etc, etc.

We are a truely flexible profession and as such should embrace eachothers
different experiences and take them onboard - one day we may encounter the
same issue(s). Inherent in this flexibility is the problem of how we
define ourselves, this too should also be flexible to meet what we each
percieve to be our markets' requirements, whether it is 'Documentalist' or
'Fundamentalist' (obviously those working for games manufacturers!). If
it gets you the work go for it.

The only way to survive is to survive, If my title is CIO but the client
wants me to sweep up, then after explaining how ineffective and costly
this would be to them, I would ask "where is the broom?"


Sorry for the ramble.

Tom

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[r***@gmail.com]

I use CardFila.com to collect all business cards on iPhone because it is so easy to collect, find and use any contact at any time.
You can access the contacts everywhere without Internet connection by using CardFila for Mobile (iPhone or Android phones). I also can do this on Android, computer, laptop. As i know, they will award 100 free coins for accounts registered within Nov 2012! If you like, you can try it on http://cardfila.com/

[S***@pattersondental.com]

Bonnie commented, "How in the world am I to help the writer convey the
meaning of something if I don't know what the writer is actually trying to
convey?"

That, I believe, is a good indication that the intended audience won't
understand it, either, which a good technical editor like Bonnie will point
out.



-- Suzanne Cole


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[Bonnie Granat]

Chuck Martin wrote:

| Far from vague, the terminology is not only accurate, but it
| encompasses the entirety of the discipline much better than
| "technical writer."


If your audience is made of technical communicators, great. Maybe they
will speak your brand of professional jargon. Maybe not.

But if your audience is made up of people who are not in the same field,
or not in the world of software, in which technical communication jargon
is known, the term "User Assistance & Experience Engineer" is so vague
as to be meaningless. Your explanations, which used terminology from the
field of technical communication, only solidify my opinion.

This thread was about business cards and job title nomenclature. If you
never want to work outside of a company that understands the narrow
jargon represented by "User Assistance & Experience Engineer," then
you're all set. But such a title on a business card is going to
severely limit the card's usefulness in communicating with audiences
that are more general.


Bonnie Granat
www.GranatEdit.com
Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Mobile: [phone]
Office: 617-354-7084



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[Chuck Martin]

Bonnie Granat wrote:

| Chuck Martin wrote:

|>Far from vague, the terminology is not only accurate, but it
|>encompasses the entirety of the discipline much better than
|>"technical writer."

|
| If your audience is made of technical communicators, great. Maybe they
| will speak your brand of professional jargon. Maybe not.
|
| But if your audience is made up of people who are not in the same field,
| or not in the world of software, in which technical communication jargon
| is known, the term "User Assistance & Experience Engineer" is so vague
| as to be meaningless. Your explanations, which used terminology from the
| field of technical communication, only solidify my opinion.
|
| This thread was about business cards and job title nomenclature. If you
| never want to work outside of a company that understands the narrow
| jargon represented by "User Assistance & Experience Engineer," then
| you're all set. But such a title on a business card is going to
| severely limit the card's usefulness in communicating with audiences
| that are more general.
|

Many everyday terms in common use by the general public were once
jargon. This is a case where I'm among the leaders toward enlightenment.
Such terms can and do open others' eyes, and I see no benefit in
limiting the scope of what I can do in this field because a particular
audience is behind the curve. I'll make the educational effort and bring
more people up to a higher and more expansive standard.

My own experience is that "user assistance engineer" has opened more
doors than "technical writer."
--
--
Chuck Martin
User Assistance & Experience Engineer
twriter "at" sonic "dot" net www.writeforyou.com

"I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me.
The day may come when the courage of Men fail, when we forsake our
friends and break all bonds of fellowship. But it is not this day!
This day, we fight!"
- Aragorn

"All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given you."
- Gandalf

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[Mailing List]

| Geoff Hart opined:
[...]
| The thing to remember about labels is that like all other words,
| they're tools for communication. Speaking as an editor, I'd gently
| remind you that not everyone--including writers--uses these tools
| particularly well. But those who use the tools precisely communicate
| things that the duffers can't communicate.

I used to think that, but now I'm not so sure.

It's certainly true that those of us who can see certain
distinctions and have the tools to enunciate them are
able to do so, but if the general audience has lost the
knowledge and tools necessary to understand the distinctions,
then can we really be said to have communicated them?
(For that matter, can someone who can't understand the
description of a distinction be said to perceive the
distinction itself?)

I mean, it's all very well that I can write in a precise
manner, using words that convey fine shades of meaning,
and that you can pick up every last one (and vice versa,
I hope)... but neither of us is the target audience for
our usual professional scribblings.

At about this point, somebody is already frantically waving
their hands in the background, looking for an opportunity
to chime in with "blah, blah, commandment, blah, know your
audience, blah, write to your audience".
But that's my point being missed.

Many of us now realize that if we write anywhere near our
well-rounded capabilities, we'll be talking over the heads
of much of our audience (not in here, on the list, nor on
CE-L, but our workaday audience "out there"). The technical
terms and concepts might be known and understood, but certain
ways of talking about them -- certain words and phrases that
used to be perfectly good (and ARE still perfectly good
among a discerning audience) -- no longer carry distinctions
and are now considered interchangeable with other words.

We can mention comprise/compose (as they just did on CE-L
this morning). We can talk about little things like "e.g."
and "i.e." that I learned in gradeschool, but which I'm
now told are too esoteric for manuals and help that will
mostly be read by engineers and technical sorts.

Any of us could go on and on about various bits of dumming
down, and I'm sure the equivalent is occurring in other
languages, even as we speak... er, write.

A related point, I was going to acknowledge that there are
several PhD holders in this list, so there's no shortage
of well educated sorts, but then I've been known to help
PhD candidates with their writing, since their education
was too narrow and technical, it seems, to cover stuff that
I acquired during substantially less formal instruction.
And, before that person waving the hand pipes up again,
I'm not referring to PhD candidates with English as a
second language... well, maybe second to C++ or bio-speak,
but not second to French or Urdu. You know what I mean.

Oh, crap. Was that a rant? Sorry. :-)

Kevin

--
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[w***@juno.com]

| There is a refrigerator in the kitchen where I work. There are no
| obvious hinges, and no handles on the front. How do you open in, and
|
| from which side? Turns out, there is a recess in the *side* of the
| door
| where you can slide in your fingers and pull. You might find it as
| you're feeling around the edges of the door. Hopefully, the next
| time
| you use the refrigerator, you'll remember which side of the door
| this
| recess is on. This is an utter failure in user experience; the door
|
| design fails to communicate clearly how it is used.

I have the same type of refrigerator. I bought it at Sears. Before I
bought it, I looked at the other models on the floor. Some had handles,
some did not. All opened the same general way. Grab the door and pull. Or
grab the handle and pull.

Most people I know often grab the edge of the door and pull, so the
handle is hardly used. For all I know, most refers open on the same side.
If not, people will try the other side. This is usually done without much
thought.

Perhaps there are some things so obvious, they do not need to be
explained. I have seen dogs open refers and fetch a snack.

Bob

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[Chuck Martin]

***@juno.com wrote:
|>There is a refrigerator in the kitchen where I work. There are no
|>obvious hinges, and no handles on the front. How do you open in, and
|>
|>from which side? Turns out, there is a recess in the *side* of the
|>door
|>where you can slide in your fingers and pull. You might find it as
|>you're feeling around the edges of the door. Hopefully, the next
|>time
|>you use the refrigerator, you'll remember which side of the door
|>this
|>recess is on. This is an utter failure in user experience; the door
|>
|>design fails to communicate clearly how it is used.

..


|
|
| I have the same type of refrigerator. I bought it at Sears. Before I
| bought it, I looked at the other models on the floor. Some had handles,
| some did not. All opened the same general way. Grab the door and pull. Or
| grab the handle and pull.
|
| Most people I know often grab the edge of the door and pull, so the
| handle is hardly used. For all I know, most refers open on the same side.
| If not, people will try the other side. This is usually done without much
| thought.
|
| Perhaps there are some things so obvious, they do not need to be
| explained. I have seen dogs open refers and fetch a snack.
|

Well, here's the question: if you pull on the side of the door, how do
you decide which side to pull on if there are no obvious affordances?
How many times will you have to "try the other side" before you get annoyed?

As it turns out, this particular refrigerator has these recesses in both
sides of the door. I think I read about a similar design in one of my
books way back (probably in a Donald A. Norman book). It's done so that
the manufacturers can make one door that can have hinges on either side
with no other significant modification.

Elegant? Well, seems so. Until this refrigerator doesn't open on the
side you're used to opening refrigerators.

The design does not clearly communicate its use. Usability is sacrificed
for some aesthetic principle. Yet this does not have to be, and to
continue to inflict unusable designs in the name of aesthetics shows a
callous disregard by designers of their products' users.
--
--
Chuck Martin
User Assistance & Experience Engineer
twriter "at" sonic "dot" net www.writeforyou.com

"I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me.
The day may come when the courage of Men fail, when we forsake our
friends and break all bonds of fellowship. But it is not this day!
This day, we fight!"
- Aragorn

"All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given you."
- Gandalf

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[p***@hotmail.com]

Chuck asks:

<snip>
| How many times will you have to "try the other side" before you get annoyed?

Well, Chuck I would be quite embarrassed if it took more than one. :-)

Pam

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[Bonnie Granat]

***@hotmail.com wrote:
| Chuck asks:
|
| <snip>
|> How many times will you have to "try the other side" before you get
|> annoyed?
|
| Well, Chuck I would be quite embarrassed if it took more than one.
| :-)
|

Besides, you just look for which side has the best counter space close
to the fridge, and then you just --- choose the other side. ; )

Bonnie Granat
www.GranatEdit.com
Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Mobile: [phone]
Office: 617-354-7084



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[Michael Strickland]

-----Original Message-----
From: Chuck Martin [mailto:***@writeforyou.com]
Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2004 5:12 PM
To: TECHWR-L
Subject: Re: job title nomenclature on biz cards

Elegant? Well, seems so. Until this refrigerator doesn't open on the
side you're used to opening refrigerators.

The design does not clearly communicate its use. Usability is sacrificed
for some aesthetic principle. Yet this does not have to be, and to
continue to inflict unusable designs in the name of aesthetics shows a
callous disregard by designers of their products' users.

----------------------

I know this type of refrigerator, and it seems to be a paragon of usability.
As you noted, it has the recesses on either side, allowing the user to
change which way the door opens with very little effort. In other words,
such a refrigerator can be "configured" for any living space (to open, for
example, close to available counter space, unlike Bonnie's refrigerator).
Very versatile, very... usable.

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