what do you do?

I'd like to post something and see what kind of agreement there is (that is if anyone is reading this).

In my mind, when you actually care, there are 3 discrete technical communication jobs:

• Technical Writer
• Technical Editor
• Documentation [Expert, Specialist, whathaveyou]

Here's my definition of the tasks that fall under the purview of each title:

TW: Culling from design and planning documents, interviewing engineers / developers / marketers, and first hand use of the product, this person creates the documentation that accompanies the product as it goes to market. The technical writer’s main task is similar to the age-old assignment of writing a book report or essay; a topic is researched, learned, and then presented in the best possible format to communicate the issues to the reader. To me, the core value and skill a great technical writer brings to the table is knowing how to tailor a report/paper/procedures for the right audience.

TE: There's so much overlap between a technical writer and editor that the lines are very blurry. Ideally the TE assumes the standard editing functions such as ensuring clear and consistent style, visually, grammatically, mechanically, and substantively. Ideally (again), one can only become a TE after they have spent years as a TW. Only by gaining enough writing experience, would one be at the point where he or she can edit with authority.

On the other hand, it's feasible to understand the topics less than an expert, but still maintain the knowledge required to determine if the needs and style of the documentation is correct.

In a newsroom, you probably don't get to be an editor before you're the reporter. It's the same thing here.

It's my belief that a lot of TWs tend toward the editing side of things.

Documentation Specialist: Technically speaking, a documentation person is mostly concerned with managing documentation. These days, the job encompasses documentation organization, content reusability, and content delivery. This person rarely creates their own documentation; the documentation specialist is somewhat of a content broker.

Someone who is one with Frame maker for instance is a documentation specialist. This person probably spends the majority of their time writing frame scripts, tweaking styles, and setting up EDDs and other XMLy items. He or she has a keen eye for output to .pdf, HTML, or application-based help systems. I had a job once with the title of Documentation Specialist, but really I was a technical writer. In fact, that was a US government DOT contract, and to my knowledge, Uncle Sam knows what a documentation specialist is, but does not know what a technical writer is.

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There's a very clear delineation between TW/TE and a DS because a documentation person rarely gets his or her hands dirty with content.

In reality one person has to perform all of the above tasks. If we cared, we could title ourselves as technical communicators to indicate we perform all three tasks.

I'm sure that each of us has certain tasks that we really enjoy most and excel at. Certainly though, when technical writers get together and discuss problems, innovations, and other general shop talk, they focus on TE and DS tasks.