WHATS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A TECHNICAL WRITER AND A TECHNICAL COMMUNICATOR?
The Society for Technical Communications is trying to get the Department of Labor to update its definition, which so far is here for what a technical communicator does: “Develop and design instructional and informational tools needed to assure safe, appropriate, and effective use of science and technology, intellectual property, and manufactured products and services. Combine multimedia knowledge and strong communication skills with technical expertise to educate across the entire spectrum of users abilities, technical experience, and visual and auditory capabilities.” According to Maurice Martin and Richard O’Sullivan, who wrote “The Case for ‘Technical Communicator,’ “Technical writing is static and one-way. Technical communication is dynamic and interactive.” Check out their article, a PDF file: http:/ / www.stc.org/ PDF_Files/ caseTC.pdf Technical writers produce content for users,” says STC’s Larry Kunz. “Technical communicators manage content and relationships with users. Why doe
