Typography is the study and process of typefaces; how to select, size, arrange, and use them in general. Traditionally, typography was the use of metal types with raised letterforms that were inked and then pressed onto paper. In modern terms, typography today also includes computer display and output.
#19482
The Big Cocktail: Cognitive and Humanistic Traits of an Information Designer 
This paper describes how our experience in striving to hire Information Designers led us to identify the very basic cognitive and humanistic traits that make up a successful technical communicator. It also shows how, once identified, such traits can be used to unveil hidden potentialities which can help turn a non expert candidate into a successful and gratified Information Designer and communicator. This paper focuses mainly on psychological traits, not on technical skills, that have been extensively discussed in a series of other papers.
Zace, Sokol. STC Proceedings (2001). Articles>Information Design>User Experience>Cognitive Psychology
#25440
Big List of Blog Search Engines
My new theory on blogging is that whenever I can't find a particular piece of information on Google I should just create it myself. What's the point of all this easy-to-use publishing technology if you don't publish stuff, right?
Aripaparo.com (2002). Articles>Web Design>Search>Blogging
#22700
The analog format of the CRT is challenged by the digital capabilities of the LCD monitor.
Hawver, Mark. Digital Output (2003). Articles>Graphic Design>Prepress>Color
#19451
This study synthesizes Y. Engeström's version of cultural historical activity theory and North American genre systems theory to explore the problem of specialized discourses in activities that involve non-specialists, in this case students in a university 'general education' course in Irish history struggling to write the genres of professional academic history. We trace the textual pathways (genre systems) that mediate between the activity systems (and motives) of specialist teachers and the activity systems (and motives) of non-specialist students. Specifically, we argue that the specialist/lay contradiction in U.S. general education is embedded in historical practices in the modern university, and manifested in alienation that students often experience through the writing requirements in general education courses. This historical contradiction also makes it difficult for instructors to make writing meaningful for non-specialists and go beyond fact-based, rote instruction to mediate higher-order learning through writing. However, our analysis of the Irish History course suggests this alienation may be overcome when students, with the help of their instructors, see the textual pathways (genre systems) of specialist discourse leading to useful knowledge/skill in their activity systems beyond the course as specialists in other fields or as citizens.
Russell, David R. and Arturo Yanez. WAC Clearinghouse (2002). Articles>Writing>Rhetoric
#21575
A company decides to release its software and documentation simultaneously in markets with different languages. For the documentation team, the traditional model of 'write and translate' does not work any longer. A bilingual writing team collaborates to produce a handbook in two languages at the same time.
Duffy, Gerald J. STC Proceedings (1994). Articles>Documentation>Localization>Collaboration
#21577
Bilingual Team Writing: Planning a Project
A two-person bilingual writing team enabled a software application development group to produce on-line documentation and a user guide simultaneously in two languages. Team writing in an international environment requires detailed planning, constant monitoring, and continuous communication in order to succeed.
MacKay, Brenda. STC Proceedings (1994). Articles>Project Management>Localization>Collaboration
#31310
Bird Flu: Communicating the Risk
Most people have already heard a little about bird flu. But people face a host of other problems, and except for public health officials and poultry farmers, few are gearing up for action about H5N1 [the virus that causes the flu]. Yet.
Sandman, Peter M. and Jody Lanard. Communication World Bulletin (2006). Articles>Risk Communication>Biomedical
#31600
Regardless of the cause for your company’s resource crunch, focus on getting small wins as often as possible throughout your involvement in a project. This is a fairly common piece of advice that crops up time and time again, but it’s very much worth repeating. And it applies just as readily to both situations where time is short and those when there’s just not enough of you to go around.
Baty, Steve. UXmatters (2008). Articles>User Experience>Research>Methods
#30201
A large collection of articles, tips and useful information on writing policies and procedures and improving business processes.
#29941
Blah-Blah Text: Keep, Cut, or Kill?
Introductory text on Web pages is usually too long, so users skip it. But short intros can increase usability by explaining the remaining content's purpose.
Nielsen, Jakob. Alertbox (2007). Articles>Web Design>Writing>Usability
#23465
The Blind Leading the Enlightened
Having read, with interest, the recent articles about the virtues (or otherwise) of Microsoft Word as a tool for producing technical documents we feel the real issue is not how to create technical documents using Microsoft Word, but rather what tool best suits the task. We suggest that the selection of the most appropriate tool be instigated by those enlightened people -- the Technical Publications people -- and not the business managers with little knowledge of the specialist needs of Technical Publications.
Munro, Christine. TC-FORUM (1998). Articles>Word Processing>Software
#27486
Making the web accessible by disabled people doesn't necessarily make it usable. Does simplicity always make for ideal usability - or are there instances where an innovative website might be difficult to use, but also hold usability dividends for users prepared to meet the technology halfway?
Starr, Sandy. Spiked Online (2002). Articles>Web Design>Accessibility
#29742
Blog 101: An Overview of Weblog Technologies
A weblog or 'blog' is a Web site with content consisting of a series of discrete postings added sequentially and presented in reverse chronological order. Historically used for personal Web sites, blogs in fact represent a form of lightweight content management that can be adapted to virtually any topic, including technical communication. The recent explosion of blogs is in part a result of the availability of publishing tools that simplify their creation. These tools vary significantly in capability, setup, and ease of use, and each offers advantages and disadvantages.
Berry, Robert R. STC Proceedings (2004). Articles>Content Management>Information Design>Blogging
#25441
The Blog Realm: RSS, Aggregators, and Reading the Blog Fantastic
The content management capabilities of blog software and the search options from Daypop provide incentives for information professionals to be aware, at least, of blogging. But for every blogger out there, there are probably a dozen or more others who prefer reading to writing.
Notess, Greg R. Online Magazine (2002). Articles>Web Design>Writing>Blogging
#25447
Blog Survey: Expectations of Privacy and Accountability
Reports the findings from an online survey conducted between January 14th and January 21st, 2004. During that time, 486 respondents answered questions about their blogging practices and their expectations of privacy and accountability for the entries they publish online.
Fernanda, Viégas. MIT (2004). Articles>Web Design>Writing>Blogging
#24579
Blog Voice: How to Command Attention
With over 4 million distinct blog voices in the blogosphere, how can you differentiate yourself? By being an interesting voice. Interesting voices are made, not born, and now you can learn some ways to become more interesting and influential in blogdom. CAUTION: not for boring blah blah blah bloggers who are smug and self-satisfied.
Streight, Steven. Blogger.com (2004). Articles>Web Design>Writing>Blogging
#31427
Bloggers' Alert: Confidentiality and Disclosure in the Workplace
First it was e-mail messages, next it was PDA messaging, and now it is blogs. These networking tools are all widely used by employees. They also sometimes become a source of contentious litigation when employers become concerned over the risk of corporate liability and public disclosure of confidential information that these new technologies pose.
Siegel, Ariane. Communication World Bulletin (2005). Articles>Business Communication>Privacy>Blogging
#26688
In a broad sense that the weblog can be beneficial to the business world as a whole. More specifically, however, it provides technical communicators with unprecedented opportunites at innovation and leadership.
Danielson, Joe. Orange Journal, The (2005). Articles>Business Communication>Online>Blogging
#24397
Blogging as Social Action: A Genre Analysis of the Weblog
The weblog phenomenon raises a number of rhetorical issues, including the peculiar intersection of the public and private that weblogs seem to invite.
Miller, Carolyn R. Into the Blogosphere (2004). Articles>Rhetoric>Online>Blogging
#25484
Blogging as Social Activity, or, Would You Let 900 Million People Read Your Diary?
'Blogging' is a Web-based form of communication that is rapidly becoming mainstream. In this paper, we report the results of an ethnographic study of blogging, focusing on blogs written by individuals or small groups, with limited audiences. We discuss motivations for blogging, the quality of social interactivity that characterized the blogs we studied, and relationships to the blogger¡¯s audience. We consider the way bloggers related to the known audience of their personal social networks as well as the wider 'blogosphere' of unknown readers. We then make design recommendations for blogging software based on these findings.
Nardi, Bonnie A., Diane J. Schiano and Michelle Gumbrecht. Comcast (2003). Articles>Web Design>Blogging>Social Networking
#29283
Over the past 14 years blogging has evolved from crude and blunt internet ramblings, technical or inspired dialogues to a diverse and creative web phenomenon capable of calling the world's media to scrutiny, and no longer the province of late-night diarists but increasingly a platform and media release opportunity for industry and commerce.
Search and Go (2006). Articles>Education>Writing>Blogging
#25491
Despite the timeliness of the issues, many bloggers are wondering whether their craft can be taught in journalism school.
Shachtman, Noah. Wired (2002). Articles>Web Design>Writing>Blogging
#25245
Behind the scenes, in the limelight, ahead of the curve...'blogphets' have plenty to say to us mere mortals on what makes a blog 'tick.'
Streight, Steven. Blogger.com (2005). Articles>Web Design>Writing>Blogging
#25496
W znaczeniu społecznym blog jest czymś więcej niż tylko narzędziem: jest wirtualnym miejscem skupiającym ludzi, gdzie można przebywać i realizować się społecznie, nawiązując relacje z innymi ludźmi. Blog jest tzw. Trzecim Miejscem zgodnie z teorią Oldenburga, który uznaje, że dopiero w trzecim najważniejszym miejscu (po Domu i Pracy/Szkole), człowiek może tworzyć "prawdziwe" relacje społeczne, które nie są zbudowane na hierarchii emocjonalnej lub strukturalnej (jak w przypadku rodziny i firmy) lecz powstają dzięki posiadanym cechom charakteru, zainteresowaniom czy stylowi życia w grupie.
Cywinska-Milonas, Maria. Onet (2004). (Polish) Articles>Web Design>Writing>Blogging
#27131
Blogs and One-Step CMSes are the Future of Web 2.0 
Last year before I discovered Drupal and a host of other Content management systems I was building websites from scratch. I spent hours in PHP and Active Server Pages coding and designing. I was quite happy doing so. But then I came upon a flaw in the business plan of the company where I worked. It seemed we were doing the same thing over and over again only with slight differences in the end result. These differences were the reason I was busy all the time but could never catch up to the work load. What we needed was a finished product that allowed us to produce addons to satisfy the individual needs of each client.
Hiveminds (2006). Articles>Content Management>Software
