Udacity, a website committed to free and open higher education has partnered with Amara to subtitle and translate more than 5,000 educational videos using its award-winning open source toolkit. Continue reading ...
Book Review: Conversation and Community — The Social Web for Documentation
Anne Gentle has been involved in creating documentation in wikis for awhile now. In the 2009 first edition of Conversation and Community: The Social Web for Documentation, she offered her experiments as a practical guide to persuading management to bring users into your documentation projects. In the expanded second edition, Gentle adds the experiences of other technical communicators to make the case for taking advantage of passionate users to create the best possible docs for your software. Continue reading ...
Scribus Open Source Desktop Publishing Releases Version 1.4
The stable release of version 1.4 of Scribus Open Source Desktop Publishing application has been under development for four years, and includes a wide range of enhancements to its professional layout and publishing functionality. Continue reading ...
Wish List from a Very, Very Good Tech Writer
Dear Santa, I have been very very good. Please ask my boss for a copy of my job performance review for fiscal 2011 if you don't believe me. Per the terms of the Santa-Petitioner_In_Good_Standing contract, please send me the following items/services... Continue reading ...
LavaCon Session Summary: Robert Rhyne Armstrong on the Perfect CMS
A Content Management System (CMS) provides an environment for users to collaborate, share and organize information and documents. His straightforward approach guides technical communicators to choose the right CMS, and he suggests asking serious questions before choosing between open source or proprietary solutions before committing to a system. Continue reading ...
Technical Writing on a Shoestring: Open Source Tools That Can Save Your Technical Writing Department Money
The current economic decline has decimated many technical writing department budgets. But, the demand for quality documentation and training material has not abated. As more companies compete for a smaller customer base, the ability to create software that is easy to use and that also provides the customer with a wide variety of options for help is critical. How can you, as a technical writer offer top-notch documentation and help materials on a tight budget? While there are several facets to this question, selection of tools is paramount. One of the most obvious ways to save money is to use open source, low cost, or free software. Continue reading ...
Mid-year Checkpoint: Top Five Trends in Technical Writing
Trend spotting is a challenging adventure, engaged in by all sorts of very respectable professions, including our own. Some of the top blogs and thought leaders in technical communications have done an excellent job in spotting the next big things in this fast changing profession, and I look forward to seeing how it all plays [...] Continue reading ...