Re: Tech Pubs vs MarCom

Subject: Re: Tech Pubs vs MarCom
From: Marguerite Krupp <mkrupp128 -at- yahoo -dot- com>
To: Robert Lauriston <robert -at- lauriston -dot- com>, techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com, Connie Giordano <connie -at- therightwordz -dot- com>
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:55:20 -0700 (PDT)

There is a school of thought that holds that all tech writing is marketing writing, because it creates an image of the product in the users' minds.
 
GOOD marketing writing can be very helpful. It's bad marketing writing that gives us all a bad name (and the same holds true for bad technical writing of any sort).
 
Marketeers usually define the product, based on their research into user needs and the feasibility of building a product for a specific cost that can be sold at a specific price. Their product requirements documents kick off the development (and tech writing) process. We need good marketeers. Then they write pre-sales documents that help potential customers see why they really need that product, what good it does them, how it helps them be more productive and profitable. Sometimes, they also write post-sales pieces.
 
In short, marketing is not the enemy. They're an important part of the team that puts bread on the table and roofs over the heads of all of us. And while their product may be different from that of "hard-core" tech writers, it's no less a demanding job...just one with a different focus.
 
Not all tech writers can or want to to marketing docs, and not all marketing people can or want to do the hard-core stuff. Some, Like Connie and I, have done both and lived to tell about it! <G>
 
Marguerite

--- On Wed, 9/30/09, Connie Giordano <connie -at- therightwordz -dot- com> wrote:


From: Connie Giordano <connie -at- therightwordz -dot- com>
Subject: Re: Tech Pubs vs MarCom
To: "Robert Lauriston" <robert -at- lauriston -dot- com>, techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Date: Wednesday, September 30, 2009, 1:32 PM


I've been making a living doing both for nearly 30 years.... I think they're extremely compatible, particularly when you lose the stereotype of marketing as always lying.  I've also documented my fairshare of vaporware over the years, which is at least as fictional as any marketing claim I've ever seen.


Connie P. Giordano
The Right Words
Communications & Information Design
(704) 957-8450 (cell)

www.therightwords.com
"It's kind of fun to do the impossible."   - Walt Disney


>  -------Original Message-------
>  From: Robert Lauriston <robert -at- lauriston -dot- com>
>  Subject: Re: Tech Pubs vs MarCom
>  Sent: 30 Sep '09 12:04
> 
>  To me the skill sets seem incompatible. Fact vs. fiction.
> 
>  On Wed, Sep 30, 2009 at 9:38 AM, Marguerite Krupp <mkrupp128 -at- yahoo -dot- com> wrote:
>  > Really, tech writers and editors often wind up in Marketing just by the roll of the organizational dice. It's no big deal, as long as the check clears.
>  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> 
>  Free Software Documentation Project Web Cast: Covers developing Table of
>  Contents, Context IDs, and Index, as well as Doc-To-Help  
>  2009 tips, tricks, and best practices.
>  http://www.doctohelp.com/SuperPages/Webcasts/
> 
>  Help & Manual 5: The complete help authoring tool for individual
>  authors and teams. Professional power, intuitive interface. Write
>  once, publish to 8 formats. Multi-user authoring and version control! http://www.helpandmanual.com/
> 
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> 
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Free Software Documentation Project Web Cast: Covers developing Table of
Contents, Context IDs, and Index, as well as Doc-To-Help 
2009 tips, tricks, and best practices.
http://www.doctohelp.com/SuperPages/Webcasts/

Help & Manual 5: The complete help authoring tool for individual
authors and teams. Professional power, intuitive interface. Write
once, publish to 8 formats. Multi-user authoring and version control! http://www.helpandmanual.com/

---
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Free Software Documentation Project Web Cast: Covers developing Table of
Contents, Context IDs, and Index, as well as Doc-To-Help
2009 tips, tricks, and best practices.
http://www.doctohelp.com/SuperPages/Webcasts/

Help & Manual 5: The complete help authoring tool for individual
authors and teams. Professional power, intuitive interface. Write
once, publish to 8 formats. Multi-user authoring and version control! http://www.helpandmanual.com/

---
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Re: Tech Pubs vs MarCom: From: Connie Giordano

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