You are here: Home » Business of Technical Communications
NeilPerlin

The More Things Change…Technical Communications Insight from Neil Perlin

Written by on

Ever want to know what being a seasoned technical communicator is like? Spend an hour with Neil Perlin, and you will be amazed and inspired! My interview with Neil on the field of technical communications was quite refreshing. I felt that I learned more from interviewing him than I could have in a classroom for an entire semester. Neil provides training and development for online content, help documentation, and mobile technology. More importantly, he can provide a lifetime of experience in technical communications to those who ask. We spent more than an hour, and throughout the interview he shared his insight, experience, knowledge, and thoughts on the future of the technical communications. Read more of this technical writing article »

globe-atlas

Technical Communications Poll: Biggest Translation Challenges

Written by on

Translation and localization are among the hottest topics in technical communications at the moment, right? So how well does a phrase like “hottest topics” translate to other languages?  Can you translate for languages using non-Latin alphabets?  Will it fit the display if it reads right-to-left? For technical communicators facing their first translation project, and for [...] Read more of this technical writing article »

Pinterest_Logo

Pinterest: What My Mother Can Teach You About Content Strategy and Technical Communications

Written by on

I was talking with my mother last week, and she mentioned that she’s enjoying gathering and sharing pictures of boxer puppies on Pinterest. I said “On what?” I had no idea what she was talking about. It’s not often that my mother gets the jump on me in the internet realm, but she certainly did this time. So I looked into it. Being a content strategist with more than a passing interest in technical communications, I’m afraid I looked at it from a somewhat unique point of view. The result? This article. (Thanks, Mom!) Read more of this technical writing article »

mardi gras

Technical Communications Poll: What Would You Give Up?

Written by on

Not so much technical communications related, but worth noting: In many western cultures today is Mardi Gras (“Fat Tuesday”), a final day of celebration before the Lenten season begins.  Like New Year’s resolutions, Valentine’s Day and other “modernized” traditions, it has morphed somewhat, and many, technical writers included, vow to give up some vice, or [...] Read more of this technical writing article »

heartstrand

Technical Writer Poll: Profess Your Love for All Things Tech Comm

Written by on

So when February 14th rolls around, what's a geeky, diabetic technical communicator with pollen allergies to do? Survey the technical writing community of course. So I'm sending the chocolates over to the nearest SME who owes me a favor, putting the flowers in vase where the cats can't get them and compiling a slightly different kind of poll this week. Read more of this technical writing article »

k-rations2

Technical Writer Poll: What Qualities are Important in Technical Communications Content?

Written by on

As the technical communications profession grapples with fast changing tools, emerging channels by which to distribute our content, and the perennial questions of roles and responsibilities, participants on the TechWhirl email discussion list have been having an interesting and timely discussion on how these factors impact the actual creation of content. Is technical writing, or technical communications, relegated to the role of K-rations or MREs--nutritious and complete but utterly lacking in visual or taste appeal? Read more of this technical writing article »

AuthorIT_4col_logo_sm

Moving Technical Communications to the Author-it Cloud®

Written by on

The technical communications industry has been anticipating and asking for authoring and publishing tools that follow the Software as a Service (SaaS) model. In December, Author-it Software launched Author-it Cloud as a “breakthrough for enterprise content authoring.” I caught up with Author-it President Steve Davis in the midst of a flurry of launch activities to chat about the company’s remarkably successful year, the new cloud solution, and future directions for Author-it. Read more of this technical writing article »

LavaCon_Leader_Interview-sm

Integrated Technical Communications & the Content Revolution

Written by on

A highly regarded content development consultant, Joe Gollner, the Content Philosopher, uses his wide-ranging experience and interests to inform his insight into the current challenges and future opportunities presented to technical communications by the content revolution. TechWhirl met with Joe during LavaCon 2011 to discuss the role of technical communications in enterprise content strategy. Read more of this technical writing article »

artist-graphics-poll

Technical Writer Poll: What Kinds of Visuals Do You Include in Technical Writing?

Written by on

We invite you to take the poll, and start a conversation on the intersection between technical writing and visual communications. It's going to be a lively, and perhaps even picturesque, month as we cover "More than 1,000 words, techniques for visual communications" on TechWhirl and Tech Writer Today. Read more of this technical writing article »