Tech Writer Today Magazine - TechWhirl
Technical writing and technical communications news, articles and resources for technical writers and technical communicators.
I love weeks like this on TechWhirl. With lots of varied, and heated threads on the email discussion list (cloud subscriptions, interactive documents, progressive disclosure and layered documents, among other interesting items), you should be able to find something to argue…err… talk about well into the weekend. Continue reading ...
Technical communicators are, and probably always have been, a passionate bunch willing to debate the merits of their favorite points of view with anyone who has access to a keyboard and a connection. And at least as far back as the turn of the century, one of those classic debates has turned on content versus structure. Back then it was "Structure vs. Substance." It's also been technical versus writer. You could even argue that it's about logic versus intuition. Today, we ask the question as our weekly tech comm poll: is compelling content or robust structure more important? Continue reading ...
Adobe calls it a "thought leadership and networking platform." We call it fascinating, fun and worth far more than a half day's effort in Hotlanta on May 5. Back by popular demand, Adobe Day at the STC Summit in Atlanta featured thought leadership, debate and great networking opportunities for the participants... and oh yeah... great food and hospitality provided by the TCS 4 team. Folks in the room were treated to a keynote by the "Father of Framemaker," Charles Corfield (nVoq), offering a glimpse at the past and a look at the future. Continue reading ...
TechWhirl is packing up and heading for Atlanta to attend the STC Summit. If you're planning to be there, stop by our booth and say hi. And, if you'd like to contribute to our Pinterest Board or Storify curations, we're always happy to oblige. Continue reading ...
We started a fascinating conversation on TechWhirl with last week's poll question. Respondents are almost evenly split on whether wearable computers will change tech comm. Based on the commentary, we've attempted to extend the question. Wearable computers are merely a new iteration of a concept first discussed 25 years ago—ubiquitous computing. The question is not whether it will change tech comm, but rather how is ubiquitous computing changing tech comm. Continue reading ...
Spring fashion trends rarely have a technology bent to them, but it seems as though this year will be a bit different. We’ve been reading scads of stories on the iWatch, the Pebble, and Google Glass, so wearable computers are the latest happening thing. Which is why we posted a new technical communication poll. And we followed up with a book review and Tech Writer This Week, both from Craig Cardimon. Enjoy the fashion, the news, the knowledge and the entertainment. Continue reading ...
Trekkie-loving technical communicators are a geeky lot of futurists who have made a living explaining geeky to other people, and who look forward to talking about iPhones and Nexus tablets as so passe. The early-adopting consumer aspect notwithstanding, wearable computers could change everything about how we work as well as play. Or maybe not. That's what this week's technical communication poll aims to find out. Continue reading ...
This week’s extraordinary events-especially those in Boston and in Texas--seem to cry for pause in normal activities. It’s hard to concentrate on topic-based writing or CMS trends when carnage is literally occurring before our eyes. But “normalcy” is often the thing that helps steady us and give us perspective. It’s important to get on with work, and play, and living in general, knowing that these events change us, shape us, in ways that demonstrate our common humanity. Continue reading ...
TechWhirl has a bit of a carer and jobs focus this week (well that may be true for most weeks), which is a good thing for those itching to make a move or soon-to-be grads trying to figure out what they want to be when they grow up. We take a quick look at the advantages of being bilingual, roles in content management, and the discussion around a collective term for technical writers. Continue reading ...