I'd Rather Be Writing

With regard to a recent post by David Farbey that you linked to on your blog, what are your thoughts on calling yourself a “technical writer” versus a “technical communicator” Does one better describe the job over another –- and do you believe that the industry is shifting one way or another? If you had to pick -– either from one of these two, or from something else — which title would you choose?

I’ve always hated the term “technical communicator.” It’s an attempt to encompass all the various tasks we do, from illustration to videos to training — everything. But really, it fails. Communicate is a verb you use when you’re trying to talk to an animal or something. You “communicate” with an ape. Or you would use the verb “communicate” if you’ve finally managed to communicate an idea to a mute. Or if you’re hurt and stuck on an island and see a plane flying by, you light a fire or shoot a flare gun to communicate that you need help. It just doesn’t seem like the right verb for our profession, in my opinion. I think that “technical writer” is fine.

And that’s how all the jobs are listed. People don’t search for “technical communicator.” If you search for “technical writer,” you find tons of jobs. But if you search for “technical communicator,” you hardly find anything. Some people are rabid about this and they hate the word “technical writer” — but “technical communicator” is really no better. And the bulk of what I do involves written words, so I’m fine with the word writer. I’ve addressed this topic in a previous post, by the way, so I can refer to you to more if you want.

What role does STC membership play in your career – and what do you feel are the biggest benefits of joining?

This is another controversial point, but part of the reason I’m involved in the STC is because my colleagues are, so I think it helps build relationships at work. Plus, it’s fun to network and interact with other professionals in your area. I feel that’s the major benefit. You could join STC for whatever you want — whether you just want the magazines and the journals and so forth — but, honestly, there’s great information on blogs and online. For example, try the TC eServer Library for starters. There’s tons of great articles that Geoffrey Sauer organized and archived. So you don’t really need the Intercom and the Tech Comm journal.

But the ability to find out who’s in your area, who the other professionals are, and develop relationships with them is valuable, and it gives you more of a community. I mean, what’s the value in a community? That would be the question to answer if you’re trying to ask what the value of the STC is. Inasmuch as a community of tech writers is valuable to you, the STC would be valuable. And most employers will pay for your membership as well.

Do you belong to any other organizations or participate any additional social networking – other than the work you do with your blog and the STC?

Not really. I’m on the Content Wrangler Community and LinkedIn groups, tech writer listservs, but I don’t really participate much. I’m pretty much overwhelmed with the information already coming in. If I’m looking for something specific, I may go into those groups. But not really.

Personally, I think these other forms — Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn — have their place, but the blog is where the heart of everything that is interesting happens. Twitter is a 140-character little message that could just some little quirky thought you have. In contrast, a blog post is something you think out, something you write out, revise, and polish. Good writing can actually change the way you think. After you write an essay you may see the world differently. After I Twitter something, that rarely happens.

And Facebook? I actually don’t really use it, I just syndicate my Tweets and blog posts through Facebook. I’m sure Facebook can be a great way of keeping up with friends if that’s what works for you. And LinkedIn? I’ve never seen the appeal. I get tons of invitations to join people’s LinkedIn networks, but I’ve never seen anything come out of that other than people looking cool because they have 600 connections.

I really recommend the blog route — but then again, it’s not for everybody. Some people don’t have time, which really means you just want to dedicate your time to other things, which is understandable. I’m kind of in that mindset right now. I have a lot of things to do and the blog cannot be the very top one. Just providing for your family is right up there. And people who have multiple jobs may not have a lot of time to keep a constantly updated blog in a way that is going to fulfill them.

What are your thoughts on available tools such as Facebook and Twitter for professional marketing and/or networking?

Like I said, sure Facebook and Twitter are great for just keeping up with others and, yes, it should be part of your professional marketing and branding strategy. But if you really want to brand yourself as an expert, start a blog and let your posts focus on what you want to brand yourself as. Writing 100 posts on something will get you a lot more mileage than posting 100 Tweets or trying to interact with people on Facebook.

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I’ve droned on for quite a while and I’ve answered all of your questions. I hope that was helpful to you and to anybody else thinking about a career in technical communication.

Just as a closing thought. I really do think that technical writing is a hot field because technology itself is such a hot field. As long as there is a strong technical drive with new applications and IT companies, new websites and interactive applications with web services, and so much forward-technology motion, then you’re going to have a strong need for technical writers to explain how this works to people. It’s sad reality that tech comm. is one of the more neglected aspects of the technical revolution, that people tend to leave behind those who aren’t so tech savvy. That’s lamentable, because the more people you have on board, the more powerful your application becomes.

And so the technical writer’s role is actually hugely important. Knowing and feeling that does give more validity to my job, it gives more purpose. I do love what I do and I would never change it. I knew that the first few months after I went into technical writing, I knew that was where I wanted to be. There’s a lot of room for improvement in the field. There’s a lot of room for creativity — not so much in the way you write, but in what you do with your technical delivery, how you design and lay out your help, how you arrange and organize your content. These tasks rely on a lot of creativity. How you problem solve is probably the biggest aspect of my job — problem-solving, all day long. That in itself is really rewarding.

I really encourage you, especially if you’re an English major, to check out technical writing. It’s not boring. It’s not a last resort, it’s not a sell-out. It can be something that: financially sustains you, engages you intellectually, and is just a fun environment to work in.

Check out the other posts on my blog, idratherbewriting.com. I have a lot of other podcasts there. If you have feedback, I would love to hear it.

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Tags: Breaking into Technical Writing, careers, questions, social media, Technical Writing, tools, typical day

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