How will technical communication look in 10 years?

The movement toward social media and networking, empowering users to contribute their own content, and the democratization of communication through the Internet will dramatically change how technical communicators provide information to users.

For example, it's currently common practice to funnel information into a Technical Publications department where documentation is exclusively written and published based on a writer's or team of writers' knowledge and interpretation of the subject matter.

It's then (hopefully) reviewed by subject matter experts (SMEs), who authenticate the accuracy and make corrections if applicable. I'm going to go out a limb and say THIS RARELY HAPPENS. Getting good documentation feedback is rare.

However, what if other departments in the company could contribute to a "documentation project" through media such as blogs, videos, podcasts that are entered directly into a website or intranet site?

Tech Pubs could then provide the architecture for multimedia documentation and then monitor, edit, and administer the content based on an audience analysis and company requirements.

Then a company could create a "media manual" based on collaborated expertise within the company. Is this a valid option in the future for technical communication? We think so. What do you think?