Tech Writer This Week – January 24, 2013 – TechWhirl
TechWhirl’s Weekly Roundup of the best technical communication, content, user experience, and technical writing posts on the web.
Storified by · Wed, Jan 23 2013 17:19:39
Psdgraphics
Excessively wintry weather in the northeastern US won’t keep us from scouring the internet for commentary that appeals to the discerning readers of Tech Writer This Week. We start with Sarah O’Keefe (scriptorium.com), who shares a forecast of her own in her 2013 predictions for Technical Communication, including demands for faster authoring and publishing. Colum McAndrew (cmcandrew.com) talks about using images in tech comm. And Tom Johnson shares the top 10 most frequently asked questions about technical writing that he has received through his blog.
In User Experience, Catalina Butnaru (uxmag.com) talks about what functional beauty is and why designers need to incorporate it as a key element in UX design. Bjorn Bergslien (uxbooth.com) discusses the content-centered approach to user experience that paid off for a Norwegian bank. And Scott Gilbertson (webmonkey.com) goes down a new path for UX with his look at opting out of responsive design.
Content Strategy & Curation features an oddly familiar post from Kevin Cain (Open View Partners) on defining what he does for people who respond with blank stares. Bob Johnson (IDG Connect) discusses the challenges in getting the company to take digital content strategy seriously. Megan Conley (Social-Tribe) explains why Google Reader is your friend for curating content. If you’re not thrilled with Google, she lists other resources, including Alltop and Scoop.it. And curationsoft.com posts nine best practices for creating great content.
We close out Tech Writer This Week in Career and Life, where Keith Soltys tells us about a bunch of vintage DIY manuals he found online that have been posted by Wired.com. Maybe you could repair that old radiophone you bought at a flea market. Martin Brinkmann (ghacks.net) shares a handful of easy tips for keeping your PC updated. And Viveka von Rosen (socialmediaexaminer.com) submits six ways to reel in more business using the new features offered by LinkedIn (including their new “Common Interests” function).
Technical Communication
2013 predictions in technical communication | Scriptorium PublishingJanuary 17th, 2013 by Sarah O’Keefe Here we go again! My traditional blog topic to kick off a new year: predictions.
Using images in Technical CommunicationsLate last year I won a TechSmith Snagit 11 license in a competition organized by the ISTC. All you had to do to win was to submit a good …
Top 10 Most Frequently Asked Questions about Technical WritingThrough my blog, I receive a lot of questions from users. I’ve seen the same questions numerous times, so I’ve decided to compile a list …
User Experience
Functional Beauty and User Experience | UX MagazineBeauty is one of the oldest and most powerful concepts in human history-inspiring artists and lighting up cultural movements, philosophic…
Banking on Success: A Content-centered Redesign – UX Booth | UX BoothBy Bjørn Bergslien Category Social Tags case study, collaboration, redesign, user centered design Way back in 2011, Norwegian bank Spareb…
Turning Off Responsive Design | Webmonkey | Wired.comIn the bad old days of just four years ago it was pretty common for mobile users to get shunted off to some half-baked, feature-deprived …
Content Strategy & Curation
What’s a Director of Content Strategy?I was at a party recently and got asked what I do for work. When I replied that I am the director of content strategy at a venture capita…
Is Your Content Strategy Stuck in Neutral? " Marketing Research Analysis Opinion – IDG Connect MarketersIs Your Content Strategy Stuck in Neutral? Are Companies Taking Digital Content Strategy Seriously? Your biggest challenge to change how …
Google Reader: Your Content Curation FriendJanuary 15th, 2013 by Megan Conley I don’t know about you, but I live in a constant state of information overload. The speed and volume w…
9 Content Curation Best Practices For Creating Great ContentContent curation is now fast catching on as a method for creating authoritative and useful content. Creating quality curated content is a…
Career and Life
A gallery of old manuals " Core Dump 2.0Back in the day, when you bought a piece of hardware, be it a car or a radio, you got a real, printed manual with it. As well as operatin…
A dead-easy guide to keeping your PC up to date -Keeping your PC up to date with the latest security patches is a necessity and a burden at the same time. While you need to patch it up t…
6 Ways to Use the New LinkedIn Features to Get More BusinessAre you looking to get more business using LinkedIn? Have you had a look at the new features LinkedIn has to offer? LinkedIn recently rel…
