Tool knowledge versus Task knowledge

Subject: Tool knowledge versus Task knowledge
From: "Eric J. Ray" <ejray -at- RAYCOMM -dot- COM>
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 1998 13:54:16 -0600

Taking a quick break from real work for a stint on the
soapbox... (I'll freely admit that what I have to say seems
to be internally inconsistent, but I'll stand behind the whole
thing.)

The people who pointed out the folly in teaching a specific
tool based on what is in use (today or tomorrow) in industry are
completely right--the essence of a good technical communicator
isn't the ability to use Frame, build Web sites, or design Winhelp.
The essence of a good technical communicator is to identify
what information the audience needs, to get that information,
to put that information into a form that the audience can and
will use, and to deliver that information. Getting bogged down
in the tools used to perform misses the point of technical
communication and cannot be good for anyone in the tech
comm food chain. (It also probably leads directly to the
job ad I saw today looking for someone who
is proficient in FrameMaker, Photoshop, and RoboHelp
to develop documentation for Company ABC. Oh, and
the position pays $10/hour for a non-entry-level job.)

The task of a technical communicator is to deliver
information, and the ability to deliver should be
independent of the tool of the hour. A tech writer
who is proficient with DocumentDevelopment 99
should also be able to produce in short order using
FastTreeKiller '01.

That said, I'm often struck by just how much effort we
could save by really understanding the technologies and
tools that we use. Based on postings to this list and
others, it seems that many of the confusing aspects of
being a technical writer stem from not fully understanding
the tools and technologies we use. (Yes, I realize that there
are other confusing issues and interpersonal ones rank up
there as well, but bear with me for a minute.)

Taking HTML as a reasonably universal scapegoat,
we often see postings or hear discussions about
making HTML print consistently in all situations
from all browsers, about aspects of including
.bmp (sic) images in HTML documents,
about ensuring that documents look the same
to everyone, and so forth. A little research into HTML
would show that HTML (not CSS, but HTML) cannot
control page breaks, that .bmp images aren't standard
for Web browsers and aren't recommended for many
reasons, that HTML<>WYSIWYG, and similar information.
Not that everyone should instinctively know this, but
an hour or two of research could save a lot of people
a lot of work and frustration.

Similarly, people using graphics and manipulating graphics
would benefit from knowing a little about the differences
between vector and raster images, which image formats
are which, when each is appropriate, and which originate
on and work well with different operating systems.

Or, people troubleshooting output difficulties for
hardcopy or PDF could often save a lot of time by
learning a little about WYSIWYG programs and that
printer drivers are simultaneously the linchpin
and weak link in printing, and starting the trouble-shooting
process with printer drivers.

These aren't the best examples, but they illustrate, I
think, the confusion that often results from not knowing
the details of the technologies we use to deliver
information.

I'm not necessarily advocating that everyone turn into
a techie geek--one per office usually suffices ;-) --but
I'd be interested in other people's comments and input
on these issues. Many of us have better things to
do than to bone up on arcane techno-trivia, and if you're
using the Web to do so, you're handicapped in the first
place by questionable sources and information that
proports to be authoritive but isn't. However, I've
found that the techno-trivia I've acquired over the years
has been infinitely more valuable to me as a technical
writer than I'd ever have imagined.

Eric


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Eric J. Ray RayComm, Inc.
http://www.raycomm.com/ ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com

* Syndicated columnist: Rays on Computing
* Technology Department Editor, _Technical Communication_
* Award-winning co-author of several popular computer books, including
_Unix Visual Quickstart Guide_, _Mastering HTML 4_, _Dummies 101:
HTML 4_, _HTML 4 for Dummies Quick Reference_, others.


From ??? -at- ??? Sun Jan 00 00:00:00 0000=



Previous by Author: Re: Value of tech. comm. departments
Next by Author: FWD: Help! New Job, No Docs, Big Company
Previous by Thread: Re: Help me name my department
Next by Thread: Re: Tool knowledge versus Task knowledge


What this post helpful? Share it with friends and colleagues:


Sponsored Ads