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Technical Writing Software

New technologies appear on the technical communications horizon regularly. These features dig into the technology and its potential and actual impacts on the industry. Look for reviews and introduction to a range of tools available to the tech writer including structured writing, help authoring, graphics, instructional design tools, office productivity, content management and more.

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Collaborative Work Management Tools: A MindManager Road Test

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We here at TechWhirl (read Connie, me and about 20 volunteers) are always looking for better ways to collaborate since none of us live in the same city. Sure, there are plenty of tools for sharing information like, well the telephone or email; or if we go all web 2.0, the awesomeness that is Dropbox. But in our experiences, there are few, if any, really great collaborative work management tools out there that allow teams across time and space to effectively do work together in anything close to real-time. We had the opportunity to road test MindManager 2012 and MindJet Connect for our coverage of the LavaCon Conference and here's the report on how they performed. Read more of this technical writing article »

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Minute Bytes: How to Do Amazing Things with Adobe Acrobat

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Adding bookmarks to PDF documents is key for improving the user experience with your documentation and your product. Minute Bytes' Julie Clarke demonstrates some surprisingly easy shortcuts that technical writers can use to add bookmarks to PDF documents in this 3.5 minutes how-to video. Read more of this technical writing article »

XML Press provides downloadable examples with the Secret Life of Word

Book Review: The Secret Life of Word by Robert Delwood

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While I was trying to keep Word’s new ribbons from getting tangled in my hair, Robert Delwood was unlocking and enabling the powerful automation available to all of us in Word 2003, 2007 and 2010. Written with the challenges of the technical writer in mind in an easy, accessible voice, The Secret Life of Word is a great resource ... Read more of this technical writing article »

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Technical Writing on a Shoestring: Open Source Tools That Can Save Your Technical Writing Department Money

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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. Read more of this technical writing article »

Let’s Chat About Instant Messaging

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Sometimes the reasons for and against instant messaging in the workplace are less than clear and seemingly arbitrary. Strong and sensible policies regarding electronic collaboration can alleviate the concerns and set the right tone. Take the case of Greg and Laura. Greg’s a project manager wanting to make sure his far flung team can hit [...] Read more of this technical writing article »

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Digital Asset Management (DAM) Systems and the Single Technical Writer

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For years, writers saddled with a shoestring budget and a plethora of data would resort to creating a manual filing system or use a version control system. Both of these solutions were quick and effective for text-based data with static illustrations, where collaboration among content creators is minimal. But, the sole technical writer who creates text-based documentation with no outside input is quickly becoming an endangered species. Changing consumer demands for content are impacting the documentation process. Today’s consumers expect more video content and more visual data. Read more of this technical writing article »

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Introduction to Content Management Systems (CMS)

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In this information age and with the advent of DITA’s topic-based writing practices, it’s not uncommon for companies to get completely overloaded by their own technical content: thousands or millions of files (maps, topics, and graphics, oh my!), versions, backups, resulting in terabytes of storage. And no one knows exactly what exists and where it [...] Read more of this technical writing article »

Replacing FrameMaker with OpenOffice.org Writer

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Replace Adobe FrameMaker with OpenOffice.org Writer? Most people’s first reaction is amused disbelief. “FrameMaker is a hugely capable publishing product,” my editor at Newsforge admonished me. “OOo is a marginally competent word processor.” However, a functional comparison of several important desktop publishing features in both products shows that the products are more comparable than you [...] Read more of this technical writing article »