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Your Obligation To Us by Donald Turner
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Your Obligation To Us |
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Education
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When you read an article in a newspaper you instantly believe it. You don't question the level of research involved because you think, "If it's in print it must be true." This same belief holds true when you read magazines, brochures, product descriptions, catalogs, and advertisements. Our innate belief is that if someone has taken the trouble and spent the dollars to print it, publish it, or put it up on a trusted website, the information is factual. You assume that the writer is being truthful and sincere. These two qualities of truthfulness and sincerity have taken an even greater significance in our information overloaded world. Because of the ease, speed and cost benefits of setting up websites, writers are being asked to produce more content at an increasingly faster rate. Unfortunately, this stress on speed has resulted in writers taking short cuts. They may not spend time enough researching the product or digging up the facts. The end result is a piece of copy that lacks credibility. The writer thinks that he can get away with writing anything because the reader will believe him. But we as readers and consumers have become smarter. We can instantly spot a fake website or sniff out a false claim made by someone. When you land on a website that shouts "Click this button and instantly become a millionaire!" you are not going to buy it. Or when you a read a product description that says "This vacuum cleaner is the fastest in the market," you are going to look for proof that supports that claim. If you don't find it, you are going to click away and probably never return to that site again. As a technical writer you have to take the extra step and find the proof and facts to support what you write. When your client tells you that his vacuum cleaner is the fastest in the market, you need to ask him for evidence to support his claim. This evidence could be anything - a study, survey, customer testimonial or a scientific fact. If your client says, "Why do you need evidence, I'm telling you that it is," you'll have to explain to him your motive. Tell him that consumers will believe something when it's backed by solid proof. Truthfulness and sincerity are two very simple but powerful words. It's easy to say that you're being sincere and truthful, but what if a client asks you to write a webpage full of false claims without giving you any proof? Would you do it? What if he agrees to pay you twice your rate to turn it around in 24 hours? The easy answer to that is, "I don't care. He's the client. If he does not want to support his claims, that's his problem, not mine." But you should care. You should care because when we read what you've written, we hope that you will be sincere. We hope that you will present the facts to us, and let us make an informed decision. We hope that you have been diligent in your research. That's your obligation as a writer. Not to your client or employer. But to the person who will read what you've written. Truthfulness and sincerity are the basis of all good communication. Keep that in mind the next time you pick up your pen. If you can write a simple sentence and organize your thoughts then technical writing may be a rewarding field. Become a tech writer and quickly start an extra income stream. writing job onlne
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