Re: Professional respect

Subject: Re: Professional respect
From: Bruce Byfield <bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Thu, 23 Aug 2001 12:00:26 -0700

Maggie Secara wrote:

It seemed to me that this time, the complaint was not about getting respect
for the poor pitiful tech writer, but for documentation's place in the
cosmic scheme of things. That's not *personal* respect. You can't earn it,
because it isn't about you. Some people just don't see docs, good ones or
bad, as having anything to do with the product, their work, or anything
else.



I think that everybody on the list has just shown that, in the work place, the distinction between a person and what they do blurs. That's not surprising, since everyone is there to perform a function (ok, maybe not the middle manager who's been shuffled sideways so far that even he doesn't know what he does for a living, but you know what I mean).

That lack of distinction means that, to a large extent, if writers get respect, so will their work.

It's probably asking too much for developers to respect documentation. Only a relatively small handful of them respect marketing, finance, business development, or anything else the company does that isn't concerned with programming. So, the issue is probably best approached by winning respect for yourself.


But as someone said, the developers' opinion is probably not the one you
need to care about, as long as they come through with reviews and
information as necessary. I'll bet Sales, and your boss, knows what a
difference it makes to provide proper documentation with the package.


I don't know; have you seen some of the dot-com refugees in management? :-)

Anyway, the developers are the ones you need to get along with on a daily basis.

--
Bruce Byfield 604.421.7177 bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com

"Jerusalem on the jukebox, they talk in tongues on Coronation Street,
Heaven help the Pharisee whose halo has fallen to his feet,
A thousand satellite comedians have died for your sins,
Jerusalem on the jukebox, little angels beat their wings."
-Richard Thompson, "Jerusalem on the Jukebox"


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References:
RE: Professional respect: From: Maggie Secara

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