Our cruise around the web this week finds lots of insight, worthwhile tools, and new looks at good rules for technical communication, UX, and getting what you want from life.
Tech Writer This Week for May 10, 2012
Our cruise around the web this week finds lots of insight, worthwhile tools, and new looks at good rules for technical communication, UX, and getting what you want from life.
Storified by · Thu, May 10 2012 10:04:23
Gurpreet Singh (technicalwritingtoolbox.com) discusses seven ways people use documentation and why we should care. Gurpreet also provides a method for increasing your writing productivity, and lists the five steps. Kristi Leach (whytechcomm.com) offers commentary on taking risks, changing her mind, and why consistency is overrated. Sarah O’Keefe (scriptorium.com) talks about putting the X back in XML. Caroline Jarrett (uxmatters.com) takes a look at seven best practices for including buttons in the user interface, while Erik Perotti (http://uxdesign.smashingmagazine.com) reviews the latest in cloud-based interaction design tools.
In open LinkedIn threads, tech writers discuss the troubled shift to shared, reuseable content, and whether you should refer to “pages” or “screens” when documenting web-based applications. We wrap up with a list of 30 super smart search engines, 14 hints from Ben Franklin about getting what you want in life, and 8 rules to keep the boss happy.
PS: I just heard about this so I squeezed it in. Huntsy is a brand-spanking-new tool for job hunters. Think of it as “HootSuite for your job search.”
Technical Communications
7 Useful Insights about How People Read DocumentationReading is a primary form of communication for most people and they have different habits of reading. Not surprisingly, different people …
Notes on Being Inconsistent – Why Tech CommToday I went to what I thought was a networking event. Usually I research the people and organizations when I’m going to have a meeting, …
Putting the X back in XML | Scriptorium PublishingThere’s more to XML for technical communication than just DITA. Much of the industry chatter revolves around DITA content management, DIT…
Instant, Collaborative Document CreationImagine, for example, that you’re talking to a friend or colleague on the phone, and you decide that the answer to the problem you’ve bee…
Tech Talk
Death of the Document: It’s Time for a New Way of Thinking about Document Authoring SoftwareDeath of the Document: It’s Time for a New Way of Thinking about Document Authoring Software
When documenting web-based applications, is it best to refer to ‘pages’ or ‘screens’ ?When documenting web-based applications, is it best to refer to ‘pages’ or ‘screens’ ?
User Experience (UX)
7 Basic Best Practices for Buttons :: UXmattersBy Caroline Jarrett "It’s rather easy to find buttons that don’t comply with these basic best practices…." Here are my basic best pract…
Interaction Design In The Cloud | Smashing UX DesignThis article walks you through the current selection of cloud-based tools and provides some recommendations. The number of offerings and …
Career and Life
30 specialist (and super smart) search enginesGoogle is widely (and rightly) recognised as the mother of all search engines. But, if you need to drill down your searches by more speci…
14 Lessons From Benjamin Franklin About Getting What You Want …Apr 29, 2012 … Benjamin Franklin was a man of action. Over his lifetime, his curiosity and passion fueled a diverse range of interest…
Keep the Boss Happy: 8 RulesWhen your team asks you want you want, here’s what you tell them. I love my boss mug My recent column, 8 Core Beliefs of Extraordinary Bo…
Huntsy: A Dashboard for Your Job Search7 hours ago … Applying to numerous jobs? Huntsy can help you stay on top of your search and ahead of the game.
