Tech Writer This Week – January 3, 2013 – TechWhirl
TechWhirl’s Weekly Roundup of the best technical communication and technical writing posts on the web.
Storified by · Wed, Jan 02 2013 18:27:06
Gstatic
We begin our first post of 2013 in Technical Communication, with TechRiteSolutions’ five rules for going minimalist with technical writing. Next, Scott Abel, the Content Wrangler, interviews Marcia Riefer Johnston about her soon-to-be Released book, “Word Up!” The interview is published in the November/December 2012 issue of the Society for Technical Communication magazine, Intercom. Tom Johnson (idratherbewriting.com) discusses a wish list for technical writing tools, sent in by one of his readers, which bemoans the lack of good documentation tools. We finish up with two posts on less well-known disciplines that tech writers might want to know about: Michael Poulin (ebizq.net) discusses business process documentation and potential for reuse; and the folks at Rima Design (rimadesign.com) muse on the future of user-generated content in internal communications.
Wandering down the hall into Content Strategy, we find Greg Bardwell (b2bcontentengine.com) explaining why everyone is taking about content curation. Courtney Livingston (courtneylivingston.com) shares tips on how to keep a steady flow of content without going crazy.
In the realm of User Experience, Rhonda Bracey (cybertext.wordpress.com) discusses the difference between “Delete” and “Immediately Delete” and why it matters to tech writers. Then, Jamal Jackson (uxmag.com) suggests we treat our users like children. And Nathan Barry (http://www.uxbooth.com) explains how gradual engagement encourages first-time visitors to become immediate users.
We close out this week’s roundup in Career and Life, where we find Professor Holly Johnson explaining to her English 112 students what technical writing is. Interesting to find out what the “kids” are learning these days. We offer a list of the top five all-time free support utilities, courtesy of TechSupportAlert.com. And Douglas Chan (dougleschan.com) shares his ideas on using LinkedIn for your job search.
Technical Communication
Rules for going minimalistOkay, so it isn’t just writing minimally. Minimalism has rules. Well, they are more guidelines than rules but you should heed them noneth…
Interview with The Content Wrangler, Scott AbelScott Abel, the Content Wrangler, interviews Marcia Riefer Johnston about her upcoming book Word Up! How to Write Powerful Sentences and …
Reader Question: "My Wish List for Technical Writing Tools"I recently received a comment from a reader who sent me a wish list for technical writing tools. Sam from Canada writes, Hi Tom, I’ve bee…
How Much We Save On Minimising Business Process Documentation – Business Ecology Initiative & Service-Oriented Solution"We did not know what our process was until IT implemented it wrongly" Business slogan "When you get to ‘business process"’documentation …
Is user generated content the future of internal comms? | Rima DesignInternal communications have changed a fair bit over the years. It wasn’t that long ago when they were seen as a one-way stand alone form…
Content Strategy
Why is Content Curation Such a Hot Topic?Rather than relying on a search or their own sifting powers, visitors to a content-curated site borrow the time and expertise of a human …
Content Curation Hacks: How To Keep a Steady Flow of Content Without Going CrazyIf it’s your job to curate and share content with your business or community, you know how quickly that can turn to a jumbled mess (or ge…
User Experience
Parallel bankingMore user frustration, this time with the website of one of Australia’s big banks. I needed to clean up my saved list of payees, deleting…
Treat Your Users Like Children | UX MagazineDo you have kids of your own? How about young nieces, nephews, or nephews? Do you spend time around your friends’ children? Is there that…
A Lesson in Gradual Engagement – UX Booth | UX BoothBy Nathan Barry Category Social Tags onboarding When a visitor lands on your marketing page, what should they see? For nearly all web app…
Career and Life
What is Technical Writing?This presentation is intended for students in Prof. Holly Johnson’s ENG 112 – Basic Composition II With Speech at Mercer County Community…
How to Use Linkedin For Your Job Search | Changing Lifes, Living Your Dreams. Go For It!How to Use Linkedin For Your Job Search An article by The Recruitment Guru – Dougles Chan In today’s world, the trend of online recruitin…
Five All-Time Favorite Free UtilitiesIt’s that time of year when everybody is making lists so here’s one from me. Here are my five all-time favorite free utilities. They have…
