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> Knowing the "why" behind what
> you're doing with the material is indeed valuable
> and should not be so quickly dismissed.
That wasn't what Andrew had expressed. I suggest you
re-read his post, as it does contain some very good
info on how to approach a PhD. His point is that a PhD
in writing will not be as helpful as a PhD in an
tech-specific field with the addition of solid writing
skills. You may be the most grammatically correct
writer in the world and are best at applying theory to
content delivery, but in the end, if you don't know
your subject matter well and your audience's need for
it, you won't be able to deliver useful documentation.
> We have numerous examples of people who knew content
> but not technique -- that's why we moved away from
> SMEs (computer
> engineers, for example) writing technical
> documentation in the first
> place. Although they had initmate in-depth knowledge
> of the subject
> matter, they did not know how to deliver that
> information in readable
> fashion. Hence the pervasisve belief that "technical
> documentation is hard to understand".
Right, but you're taking a black and white approach,
which you argued against below:
> I persist in stating that technical communication is
> not a one/zero
> black/white profession where you must be X or you
> cannot succeed. What a
> narrow, uninspiring, meager business that would be!
I agree, which is why you *always* have to look at the
big picture and assess what the needs are. The needs
are for solid and exact information being delivered in
an optimal way. Andrew's suggestion of being a SME
*and* being a good communicator is a sound one, and is
quite gray in color, not black or white.
=====
Goober Writer
(because life is too short to be inept)
"As soon as you hear the phrase "studies show",
immediately put a hand on your wallet and cover your groin."
-- Geoff Hart
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