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Mike Mccallister

Mike McCallister is devoted to the idea that technology need not be feared, and can be mastered by anyone. After all, he grew up in the days when computers filled entire rooms, and spent 13 years as a civil service clerk doing nothing more technical than recording WordPerfect macros. Mike is also devoted to making computing easier for the full spectrum of user levels and experience. As a technical writing consultant, freelance computer magazine writer, and book author, he understands that ordinary people can and should make the most of their tools.


Besides Linux and open source software, interests include tools for communicating via the Web (blogs, social networks, wikis, and the like) and bridging the digital divide. McCallister has been running Linux as his primary day-to-day desktop operating system since 1999, but he also documents software for a variety of platforms as a technical communication consultant.

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Technical Communications Juggler: Balancing Work, Life and Writing Books

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It's a hard slog writing technical books, especially when juggling a full-time technical communications job and the usual set of family responsibilities. Structure and discipline are the keys to success. Here are some guidelines based on hard-won experience, to balancing the technical communications work, the personal life and the book writing dream. Read more of this technical writing article »

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Book Review: Developing User Assistance for Mobile Apps

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Remember when the Windows Start button was a new thing? When printed manuals for software applications were first making way for electronic “Help” files, Joe Welinske was part of a team that produced an essential work for technical writers wrestling with new technology, Developing Online Help for Windows 95. Now at the dawn of a new age, Welinske, president of WritersUA in Seattle, offers technical communicators another help in navigating new waters with Developing User Assistance for Mobile Apps. Read more of this technical writing article »

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More Highlights from International Freelancers Day: Two Answers to the Eternal Conundrum: What Do I Charge?

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When considering going into the freelance writing business, one of the hardest questions you have to ask yourself is: “How do I make a real living doing this job?” If you've been working as a full-time employee for awhile, that question becomes “Can I maintain my existing standard of living working as a freelancer?” Read more of this technical writing article »

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Highlights from International Freelancers Day: Six Tools to Build Relationships on LinkedIn

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You may not have known it, but September 23 was International Freelancers Day, as declared by the International Freelancers Academy, a training company who sponsored a daylong set of webinars providing inspiration and practical advice to freelancers of all types. Among the webinar presenters that day was Steve Slaunwhite, author of The Wealthy Freelancer and small business marketing coach. Let's take a closer look at LinkedIn tools, with some thoughts on how to apply Slaunwhite's tips to technical communication careers. Read more of this technical writing article »

Adventures in Publishing: Finding a Gig as a Computer Book Author

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If you’ve been documenting software for any length of time, and if you still wander into bookstores, perhaps you’ve gazed wistfully at the shelf of books covering some of the tools and packages you use every day. As you page through the text, you think to yourself “There’s certainly not much here that I don’t [...] Read more of this technical writing article »