A Technical Writer Writes 

Stepping out From Behind the Corporate Logo

It's been a busy month, which explains why my blog has been dark for so long. First, I needed to oversee my current group's contribution to the Sun Java^TM Enterprise System 5 documentation, which was released on March 1st. Then I had to finish my contribution to the Sun Java System Application Server 9.1 beta documentation in time for the start of the beta program on March 19.  And while I'm in "a word from our sponsor" mode, I would like to mention that it's gratifying to see the end result of all the hard work that we put in on the Sun Cluster 3.2 documentation.

The Sun Java System Application Server 9.1 is based on GlassFish V2 beta, which is the first open-source project on which I have worked. I must admit that when I started working in the open, it felt very strange. For most of my two-plus decades as a writer, I have been required to work pseudonymously from behind the corporate logo. On no account was I to give any clues to my identity, lest I receive irate communications from disgruntled users about errors in documentation that I had written.

As we move from the information age to the participation age, all that is changing. Through the proliferation of blogs, mailing lists, community discussion forums, and other means of participation, users of technology have grown accustomed to, and have come to expect,  open, direct, and immediate communication with the producers of that technology.

So that's why today, I don't feel quite so nervous about stepping out from behind the corporate logo. But if you do find an error in one of my documents, and feel inclined to send me an irate email, do also use the online comment form to send your feedback.

Posted at 05:14PM Mar 23, 2007 by Paul Davies in Sun  |  Comments[4]