Technical Writing - How Wikis Will Transform Technical Writers Into Information Coordinators?

Here is a typical situation that is repeated on a daily basis in many hi-tech companies around the world:
You are a technical writer who authored all kinds of user documentation for this product or service. Let's call it "ABC" for short.

The ABC is such a product that it is installed and configured in a number of different ways by the end users. Let's say your company sells security gadgets, just to give an example. The end users constantly find out new features, and perhaps even bugs, let's say, while regularly demanding new features be made available in the next model.

So this is a situation in which there is a regular flow of information from the customer base. But it is first filtered through the marketing and sales department. Then some of the information is passed along to the project management back at the company headquarters. Then, again some of that information is passed along to the product management. And at the very end, you as technical writer learn about what works and what doesn't about the product, and what needs to be updated in your documentation.

There is an inevitable time delay and content loss in this step-by-step process as the information is passed from one level up to another, depending on priorities, time and resources.
This classic hierarchical model of information flow might be necessary in some industries. If, for example, you're manufacturing baby food, you might want to make sure that as many decision-making levels as possible are involved in the information flow and in a sequential manner before you make any changes to your documentation.

But in some other industries time is of the essence. The faster you get customer feedback, and faster you get it cleared through the management, the quicker you can update your documents and thus serve the customer base better.

In such cases a wiki could be what the doctor ordered for. In such a hypothetical situation the customers can directly enter their suggestions, comments, issues etc. into a wiki site. The information can be channeled instantly to all those authorized to receive it. If you are on that list, you can immediately start working on the updates and generate your new drafts much faster.
That's why I believe in the near future, as wikis become more prevalent, the technical writers of today will emerge as the indispensable information coordinators of tomorrow. Get ready for your future. Learn as much as possible about wikis.

If you are interested to read more about what technical writing is all about and how it can help you earn a steady living, visit http://www.learntechnicalwriting.com. You might be pleasantly surprised with what you'll find out. Join the thousands who are already helped and inspired by this information provided by a Fortune 500 Senior Technical Writer. Visit today and claim your free report "How Much Do Technical Writers Make?"

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