Comments on: Becoming the Friendly Neighborhood Tech Writer

By: Patty Blount

Patty Blount — Thu, 06 May 2010 17:37:00 +0000

Sorry, new to this blogging stuff… Thanks for a great post. You’ve made some great suggestions. My group is planning a shift to agile this year, so these suggestions, I think, make even more sense in that environment. Thanks, Ben.

By: techquestioner

techquestioner — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 18:17:16 +0000

One way to get a step closer to keeping in sync with what is going on in development (and avoiding those last-minute surprises) is to ask to get plugged into all the communication channels the DEV group uses: The design specifications and any changes and updates, the project status and review meeting minutes, the SharePoint or other online directory shared by the project team, the bug-reporting system, and any team e-mail distribution lists. You’ll get a lot us useless info, but you’ll be able to spot any changes that will affect the Help or other doc deliverables, and be able to follow up to get the information you need before your deadlines.

By: xJAYMANx

xJAYMANx — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 23:59:53 +0000

@Ben: Yeah, real life has been stealing me away from my anime and blogging distractions, but I’m glad to say, in good ways.

Haha, regarding foosball, since each 4-person departmental “clique” has played in rotating combinations so often now, near daily for months, it’s safe to say that everyone has won and lost to everyone else in their clique. Winning and losing don’t matter as much as taking part in the bonding battles themselves. In fact, I’d guess there are as many as 7 foosball cliques now — 1 for Inside Sales, 3 for Services/Solutions, and 3 for Dev/QA — loosely grouped so that they intermingle or overlap with each other, which is a good thing.

As for me, being the sole regular player from my 12-member Support/Training/Doc group, I’m the odd drifter who plays with Inside Sales, Services/Solutions and occasionally Dev/QA. Luckily, I’m also recognized as one of the top players in the company, so some colleagues prefer the manly challenge of battling me, while others (both male and female) prefer the safety of being my teammate. If the group doesn’t rotate positions anyway, haha. So, in the end, an amusing and bonding moment for all.

P.S. No worries! Looking forward to the new design!

By: Ben

Ben — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 00:10:06 +0000

Thanks Larry, you can always add something. I think usability testing is a perfect area for the tech writer to get involved, as a subject or even as an assistant to the usability specialist—or, if you don't have one, as the organizer. I'm interested in usability probably because so much of technical communication is tied up in the usability of the product. And while you're taking an interest in what the developers are doing, maybe tell them how cool a particular feature is. Of course, according to Tom, praise for developers could be bad. You decide.

By: Ben

Ben — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 00:04:08 +0000

Hey Jayman, haven’t heard from you in a long time. I’m glad you’re still tuned in. Helping the team achieve its goal in a visible way is a big one. Now, with foosball, will you be liked more by your colleague if he beats you, or if you’re good enough to beat him?

Funny you should mention the copyright. I’m probably going to change my design this weekend, and it’s current there.

By: Ben

Ben — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 00:00:49 +0000

Unfortunately, you’re probably right that these issues can come into play. I’d like to think that team members would be above disliking each other over something as simple as difference of roles (and therefore status), but I’m sure it happens.

By: Larry Kunz

Larry Kunz — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 20:56:01 +0000

Let me add one other thing: Show an interest in what the developers are doing. They’re professionals who take pride in what they produce, just as we take pride in the documentation we produce. If they infer that you won’t take the trouble to learn about the product, or that you think the product is “stupid,” you’ve lost them.

Taking an interest might mean that you have to go beyond your literal job description. You can volunteer to take part in QA tests or usability tests. (Tech writers often make excellent usability-test subjects.) You can talk with someone in Sales or Marketing to learn how the product fits into the marketplace and what differentiates it from its competition.

And, as others have said, pizza and donuts don’t hurt either.

By: xJAYMANx

xJAYMANx — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:15:59 +0000

@Ben: Hehe, seems pretty amusing to ask the question, since every department could ask the same thing. “Why is QA bugging Dev so much?” “How can we get Marketing to understand Dev more?” “Can we get Management to smile at us?” In the end, it’s more about one’s interactive personality and the relative sizes between departments, rather than specific job titles. Of course, it’s more intimidating to be the sole tech writer in a sea of developers with their own camaraderie. But if you can find a common goal to reach, or share a common problem to solve, where you can be “just one of the guys”, that’s one step closer to becoming the “friendly neighborhood Writer-man”. Of course, laughing over a friendly game of office foosball can’t hurt either, haha. I’m the guy in the center.

By: Ivan Walsh

Ivan Walsh — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 01:19:11 +0000

There may also be status issues here.

TWs are not the highest paid in most depts and this may be reflected in how others appreciate them.

Tech Support personnel also feel under-valued, prob for the same/similar reasons.

By: Ben

Ben — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:28:38 +0000

True about the pizza. I brought home-baked cookies once (a developer joked that I owed him for borrowing his laptop mouse), and I think the team liked me more after that. I was a nerdy intern at the time and needed all the help I could get.

Regarding the three fields, I think that’s pretty standard these days, at least in the blogs I read. Patty’s blog has them. I think not only is it a bit of security, but it’s kind of a reciprocation thing I think. You know, putting some info about yourself because the blogger has info about him/herself on the blog.