Introduction to Technical Communication

This chapter starts off with explaining exactly what technical communication is, and what it has to do with the outside world, especially the business world where technical writing thrives and flourishes.  I liked the first paragraph on page 2 because it pointed something out that has never changed since the second technical writing came into being:  It is used to communicate with people.  Whether it be emails, reports, web sites, so on and so forth, they're all used to help people learn and communicate.

  I also realized while i was scanning over what I had already read, that technical writing is a must in the business world.  I didn't realize that the possibility for a job, and to take it a step further, to get a promotion, you would need technical writing as a threshold skill.  Basically what they're trying to get at is if you write a crappy job application type of material, it is more than likely that you won't get the job.  Which makes sense to me, because if you can't understand what the heck a possible employee is saying about their past work history, how are you suppose to be able to make an educated decision about whether or not to hire them?

Every technical piece of writing has a purpose in this world, and they all appeal to the need of a particular audience.  This is true, and if it isn't, that means that it is not technical writing, but rather something else entirely. 

Another aspect to consider, is the possibility and likelihood of writing to people in different cultures.  Upon reading this section (page 7)  i realized that readers from different cultures would respond differently to the "design, organization, and writing style" of the documents that a person writes.  So most importantly, it is vital that a person needs to consider the "cultural" differences as they write their technical documents.

Technical writing exists to either A) help readers learn something, or B) help them carry out a task.  This is true, and an example combining the two would be a strategy guide for a video game.  A strategy guide explains how to beat the game, but also fun tidbits such as hidden items or something of that nature. 

Another interesting fact to know would be that technical writing has a great deal to do with furthering any organization's goals, as well as reflect its own culture.  This is fascinating to me, because i am so used to working on my own, and generally don't accept help from people unless i need someone to peer edit my work. 

There are quite a few rules and traditions of technical communications that i have been reading about.  The more i know, the more i want to learn.