[FM Discuss] Floss Manuals - any links or referrals to paid work?

[Mark Hancock]

"Isn't it funny to think that some of the information inside your brains is
privately owned by somebody else? How can it be? "

I'd never thought of  it like that! Now I'm a bit creeped out. Visions of
managers getting the drill out when a job is done, lurk in the back of my
mind now!



On 13 March 2010 07:55, Tomi Toivio <tomi at flossmanuals.net> wrote:

> Yeah,
>
> Professional technical writers, should we discuss the style guide of *NDA*
> or the culture of *NDA*.
>
> Once I took a bus every morning to work at location *NDA*, working on
> project *NDA* for customer *NDA*.
>
> It really seems like the commercial technical writing world is very
> totalitarian in the sense of "information wants to be free". Of course the
> open source movement proves that this is a horrible waste.
>
> On the other hand it really shows that technical writers *DO* have lots and
> lots of important information and should be paid rather well for the same
> reasons as engineers. ;)
>
> Isn't it funny to think that some of the information inside your brains is
> privately owned by somebody else? How can it be? Seems very Orwellian.
>
> Regards
> Tomi
>
> 2010/3/13 Janet Swisher <jmswisher at gmail.com>
>
> Hi Jay,
>>
>> As you probably know, I've been banging the drum about getting
>> professional tech writers involved in open source for several years
>> now. For new graduates and career-changers, it can be a way out of the
>> "can't get a job without experience" conundrum. For experienced
>> writers, it can be a way to fill out your portfolio if everything you
>> do for hire requires a non-disclosure agreement to even show. And for
>> folks in the same boat as you, it can be a way to keep your chops
>> sharp between tech writing gigs, and have something to fill in a gap
>> on your resume.
>>
>> If I were a hiring manager, I would be tremendously impressed by any
>> tech writer involved in open source, because doing that requires a
>> great deal of initiative and self-direction. However, I'm not a hiring
>> manager, and most that I've come across are not well informed about
>> open source. So, you would probably need to make that case yourself,
>> for example in a cover letter.
>>
>> I personally have had one employer approach me about a position as a
>> result of work I did in connection with FLOSS Manuals, but I certainly
>> can't promise that to anyone.
>>
>> --Janet
>>
>> On Thu, Mar 11, 2010 at 3:55 PM, Jay Maechtlen <techwriter at covad.net>
>> wrote:
>> > As an underemployed Technical Writer, I'm wondering what connections
>> there
>> > might be between paid work and efforts like FlossManuals?
>> > Obviously, anything we do can be use in our portfolio.
>> > Also, for those open-source projects that are used commercially, it
>> would be
>> > a way to show expertise.
>> > Thoughts?
>> >
>> _______________________________________________
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>> Discuss at lists.flossmanuals.net
>> http://lists.flossmanuals.net/listinfo.cgi/discuss-flossmanuals.net
>>
>
>
>
> --
> Best Regards
> Tomi Toivio
> Open Source Coordinator
> http://fi.flossmanuals.net/
> tomi at flossmanuals.net
> +358445488856
>
>
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>
>
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