RE: Remember secretaries? (was RE: Proof that content is more important than style)

[JB Foster <jb -dot- foster -at- shaw -dot- ca>]

Some of us are well over 30! ... and when I was just embarking on my working
career, the sun finally settled -behind the horizon- for Selectric
typewriters, secretary pools, drafting tables, India-ink, and 'the all
important' carbon-paper (no joke - that's why you c.c.'d someone). Besides,
I'm not that old! ... and definitely not old enough to remember trapping the
family dinner. ;-)

(Please note: the above should be read, while humming the bars to "working
on the chain gang.")

I can also remember when larger companies would keep someone on-staff, to
cut-and-paste everything into a story-board; this, in order to reduce the
additional expense of the Printer/Publisher being involved. Also, if you
didn't have a good command of English, the typewriter-processor couldn't
help you with grammar (which is why secretaries were often located near
technical staff). There was the additional stigma towards any professional
who liked typing, as this was once considered 'pink-collar' orientated (hope
no offence is taken with that). Today, attitudes have loosened, to the
point, that if you don't like to type - you're considered spoiled, lazy,
useless, or all three.

My Tech-writing job is (of course) a bit of: typing-secretary, illustrator,
designer, and SME. Had I ended up in this work, earlier in my career, it
would only have been 'SME with a Dictaphone.' Back then, there would have
been others on the payroll to do, what was then, specialized work. With the
advent of MS Office in the 80's, the corporate staffing structure was slowly
dissolved, to the present document-creation level of  'McWork' status;
which, if I wasn't partially an SME, would be my ability level.
Unfortunately, this type of knowledge (English and publishing) was (is?)
never considered important enough to teach professionals such as architects,
or engineers. Which is fortunate for anyone who likes making a living as an
outside tech-writer/consultant.

Bruce ;-)


Anita Legsdin wrote to the over-30 crowd:

> Obviously, no one on this list is over 30... :-)
>
> The style-vs-content issue reminds me that technical writing as a career
> is still in its infancy. Way back in the old days, engineers wrote all
> the documentation, which was then handed off to an English major to
> remove all the spelling and grammar errors. It's kind of like the legal
> secretary becoming, over the years, a Legal Assistant, then eventually a
> Paralegal.  Our primary, original, purpose was style, but we earn
> respect through our knowledge and skill at accurately conveying content.
> The profession is still young enough that we still carry the stigma of
> being "just the secretary."
>
> If content were king, then we all might as well go apply to MacDonald's
> or Wendy's, and let the programmers rite there owne book's.



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