When I started my career in tech writing, it was the age of the writer. Tech writers tended to work independently on a single book for months at a time. Better, for many, they not only got to write the book, they got to design it and shepherd it through the publication process. At the end of the process a book arrived from the printer and you got to keep a copy — I still have several. It was, from beginning to end, your work, your product, your book. Fewer of us get to work that way today. We now live in the age of the content manager.
Sourced through Scoop.it from: everypageispageone.com
Mark Baker wrote an excellent and thought-provoking article on his "Every Page is Page One" blog that intrigues me, because he’s trying to address the balance between technical communications having a foundation in technical writing, versus tech comm having a foundation in content management. He makes sound arguments for both sides, and I can say that I understand where he’s coming from. I like to think of myself as a content strategist and definitely a content manager, but there’s a side of me that longs to continue to craft the art of writing well. His assertion at the end of the article about the use of hypertext theory is an interesting one as well, as it’s something that’s crossed my mind as well.
Take a look at this. Do you agree with Mark’s assessment and how he came to his conclusions? What do you think? Include your answers below.
–techcommgeekmom
See on Scoop.it – M-learning, E-Learning, and Technical Communications
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