Industry Interviews

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. Continue reading ...

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. Continue reading ...

Building the Business Case for Technical Communicators by Leveraging Talent, Skills and Passion

Written by on

Corey Ganser is enthusiastic about how customer support should be and how his company, MindTouch excels at providing exceptional help service products to popular companies such as HP, PayPal, Toyota, Mozilla, Autodesk, even Microsoft. At LavaCon, Corey shared his insights on how technical communicators must demonstrate to managers that they are a strategic component and valuable asset to the company: in marketing, revenue, documentation, and technical support. Continue reading ...

Information Architecture: Goals, Empathy, Projects & Brown Dirt

Written by on

Adam Polansky, recognized as a founding pioneer in the field of information architecture (IA), is an unusual mix of eclectic tactician and IA visionary. Before he entered the IT world, Adam had variously been a member of the military, an illustrator for an advertising agency, and a retail manager, among other roles. Lois Patterson sat down with Adam Polansky at LavaCon to talk information architecture, empathy, user experience & goals for technical communications projects. Continue reading ...

Austin or Bust for LavaCon 2011

Terminology Isn’t Just for the Documentation Department

Written by on

The terminology underpinnings of your content strategy are often a much bigger undertaking and are infinitely vital to your company’s budget and brand. If you’re using the same terms in the same way throughout the user’s experience of content, then you’re maintaining a good relationship with them. If you don’t use the same terms, if you switch words and phrases, users are going to be confused first, and then simply not be able to find content. Continue reading ...