Technical Writer?

or is it Information Developer... Information Architect... Content Provider ...?

All different?

Advancing technology, multimedia, downsizing, shifts in the workplace and other related factors bring change in the way technical writers do their jobs. More choices in communication media are available today, and, technical writers are involved in a greater portion of project tasks than ever before. Technical writers continue to develop and write, but they also analyze, design, build, test, work with graphic elements, bring a project together, are tools wizards, and... in many cases are quasi-programmers too! Specialists who perform a single function (such as an editor) still exist--particularly at large companies. But many employers now seek practitioners with expanded skillsets to handle more of the job.

Today's technical writers have evolved to technical communicators with backgrounds and skillsets more varied than ever. Practitioners from similar ranks have joined the bandwagon too, making the distinction more fuzzy each day as technology continues to advance. Technical communicator practitioners have new titles but it seems the public's understanding and their acceptance of this trend may lag behind.

Whatever the job title, two things are certain. 1: Technical communicators are indispensable in what they do. 2: All of them share at least one common goal: effective communication.

* * *