- Useful advice on educating clients about information architecture
- The folks at Cherryleaf ask why bother with user documentation in recessionary times?
- Craig Haiss discusses some unexpected characteristics of technical writing
- Here are 20 tips for better conference speaking
- The essential elements of a successful project
- A few hints for surviving tough times as a user assistance writer
- Power Tools for Technical Communication. I think the name of the site says it all
Monthly Archives: February 2009
Weekly links roundup
Going a little more mobile
Aaron and I take some pride in the fact that our company is virtual. With our laptops and a wireless connection, we can work just about anywhere. For the longest time, that was all well and good. Times change, and so do I. So, last week I took a step deeper into the realm of the mobile.
After three years of resisting Aaron’s hints and cajoling, I got a Blackberry. Imagine Aaron’s gleeful chortles after I broke the news to him … To his credit, Aaron was fairly magnanimous in victory and didn’t rub the fact that my feet turned to clay in too badly.
A thought to apply to documentation, and users
People will change their habits quickly when they have a strong reason to do so, and people have an innate urge to connect with other people. And when you give people a new way to connect with other people, they will push through any technical barrier, they will learn new languages — people are wired to want to connect with other people. And they find it objectionable not to be able to.
Stepping into the freelance world, part 4: educating yourself
If we don’t learn, we wither. New trends, new tools and technologies, new techniques. Even just new skills for the job. Continuous education is a key to longevity in the world of technical communication.
As a freelancer, though, getting educated can be a bit of a problem. While many full-time employees have access to at least some job-specific training paid for by their employers, freelancers must shoulder the costs themselves. And training isn’t always cheap.
So, how do freelancers stay current and stay sharp? Here are a few suggestions.
What makes a good presentation?
That’s one of the questions about presenting that I was recently asked. Why the person asked me, I have no idea. I’m definitely not the greatest presenter around. While I like to think I’m improving in this area, there are still holes in my game.
Still, I was somewhat flattered. And it kind of fed my then-depleted ego to be asked this question, and the others that surrounded it. What follows are the points that I tried to get across.
Weekly links roundup
- Ben Minson discusses how much you should document third-party software
- Have legacy documentation in formats that you can’t open? Maybe there’s some hope
- One for the freelancers: some advice on how to keep your dance card filled in these tough times
- A little XML humour
- Here’s how to get an accurate word count in MS Word
- Why not use speaking to enhance your career?
- Getting over the usability hurdle can be tough
- Literally thousands of English words are confusing. This site helps cut that confusion down