#14980
Review: Writing in the Business Professions
Writing in the Business Professions should interest teachers of advanced composition. I encourage them to peruse the volume for themselves since I can’t analyze its contents at length here. I do, however, feel that I need to warn potential readers about several things that perplexed me when I read the book especially since this book may help determine the future of business communication instruction in the 1990s.
Hagge, John. JAC (1990). Articles>Reviews>Business Communication
#22222
Review: The Writing System: A Step-by-Step Guide for Business and Technical Writers 
I would recommend this book to subject matter experts who lack writing expertise. The exercises and examples are especially beneficial to lone writers who often do not have an expert writer nearby to review their writing.
Jones, Irene. Technical Communication Online (2004). Articles>Reviews>Writing>Technical Writing
#22436
XML Pocket Consultant is the latest in Microsoft Press's Pocket Consultant series. Other books in the series include guides to server administration developed for IT professionals. Stanek explains in his introduction that XML pocket consultant is aimed at a wider audience, namely 'developers creating XML-based solutions, administrators who support XML-based solutions and technologists working with XML.'
Jungwirth, Barbara. Technical Communication Online (2003). Articles>Reviews>XML
#22061
It is easy to see why the first edition of Michael Young's book won the top award, 'Distinguished Technical Communication,' in the 2000–-2001 International Technical Publications Competition. Young has taken the complex subject of Extensible Markup Language (XML) and written about it in such a way as to make learning about XML an enjoyable experience.
Lunemann, Rhonda S. Technical Communication Online (2002). Articles>Reviews>XML
#29975
Review: XMLmind XML Editor v3.0
XMLmind is a great introductory tool for technical writers entering the world of structured authoring and DocBook. It successfully hides the esoterics of XML markup from the author, so that the focus can be on the words, rather than the code. At no cost (yes, absolutely free) for the Standard edition, and USD220 for a single user licence for the Professional Edition, XMLmind offers excellent value. The software is available for Linux, Windows and Mac. There are two main problems with XMLmind XML Editor: it does not currently support DITA schemas, and it does not incorporate a (Notepad-like) text editor in case you do need to patch up your code.
Self, Tony. HyperWrite (2007). Articles>Reviews>Software>XML
#22105
Review: You Send Me: Getting It Right When You Write Online
This book addresses the issues of online writing and particularly writing e-mail, which should concern all us who spend a good chunk of our days in front of a computer screen creating and replying to e-mail messages. The book is structured in three parts: 'The virtual mensch,' 'Alpha mail,' and 'Words of passage.'
Crawley, Charles R. Technical Communication Online (2002). Articles>Reviews>Style Guides>Email
#28923
Review: Zen and the Art of Information Architecture
New Web 2.0 interaction design can offer a lot of new suggestions for easier interactions, good use of white space and other glaring design solutions to the typically very busy space of information architecture. But, if you practice IA well, including some new Web 2.0 techniques, you can begin to create mental space as well as white space. Designing the Obvious: A Common Sense Approach to Web Application Design, a new New Riders book by Robert Hoekman, Jr., is a great place to find out how much mental space can be offered by your systems.
Evans, Clifton. Boxes and Arrows (2007). Articles>Reviews>Information Design
#32093
A very brief review of the first edition of Edmond H. Weiss’s How to Write a Usable User Manual.
West, Mike. MBWest.com (2006). Articles>Reviews>Documentation>Technical Writing
#32094
Review: What Excellence Looks Like
Comments on the magnificent Envisioning Information by Edward R. Tufte.
West, Mike. MBWest.com (2006). Articles>Reviews>Visual Rhetoric>Information Design
#32097
Review: Clear, Brief and Bold: Will Strunk’s Legacy
A masterpiece of concision so tightly written that you almost don't need to read past the table of contents.
West, Mike. MBWest.com (2004). Articles>Reviews>Writing>Minimalism
#32124
Review: Herding Chickens: Innovative Techniques for Project Management
Herding Chickens: Innovative Techniques for Project Management is a different take on managing people and projects. Although the authors do pay homage to The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), published by the Project Management Institute, you will not in any way confuse their ideas and tips with the approach you find in the PMBOK.
Lockwood, Deb. STC Phoenix (2006). Articles>Reviews>Project Management
#32580
Review: Gartner Avoids OSS Content Management Systems
I received a copy of the Gartner report on the status of the web content management system market. I am always skeptical of such reports because they are geared towards those that work in a corporate environment. The reports are also made in a manner that allows the reporting company to remove itself from any responsibility if their information on the market climate is incorrect. Gartner did not disappoint me. But they do much to disappoint those that are putting a lot of energy and effort in to the OSS Web content management market.
Hiveminds (2008). Articles>Reviews>Content Management>Software
#32759
I have recently noticed a new breed of web design books that focus on strategy and users rather than specific programming languages or applications.
Designing User Experience (2008). Articles>Reviews>Web Design>User Experience
#33526
Review: The Global English Style Guide: A Review
Many good style guides exist. Why do technical writers need another style guide? Unlike other style guides, this book covers grammatical structures, not only particular terms. The book has more than 200 pages of text (plus 4 appendices) that give detailed explanations of both good practice and bad practice.
Unwalla, Mike. TechScribe (2008). Articles>Reviews>Style Guides>Globalization
#33814
FrameMaker users are buzzing about FrameMaker 9. With CMYK support, CMS integration, DITA 1.1, and PDF commenting, this version is full of new functionality but is unfortunately also buggy and inconsistent. This review covers the most important new features of FrameMaker 9.
Loring, Sheila. Scriptorium (2009). Articles>Reviews>Document Design>Adobe FrameMaker
#34156
Review: How to Make a Living as a Freelance Writer
Many writers in the Triangle area dream of being their own boss, typing on a laptop by a pool on a warm day or working cozily on a couch in front of the fire when the weather is frightful. Alice Osborn, an accomplished freelance writer, wanted to dispel the myths of this perceived easy lifestyle. Alice spoke to over 50 people at February’s chapter meeting. She provided many good tips on how to get and keep jobs as a freelancer in this competitive market. For those who did not attend, her presentation is summarized below.
Eftekhar, Christina. Carolina Communique (2009). Articles>Reviews>Freelance>Writing
#34201
Review: Improving Individual and Corporate Performance
Managing a team (of writers) somehow is supposed to come naturally to those it is thrust upon. And, of course, it almost never does. Richard Hamilton has succeeded in coming up with a book that - quite effectively, and covering a wide range of topics - answers this ubiquitous question. In a very real sense, Richard’s book is the voice of experience and wisdom that should have been made available when you first got the promotion.
Hamer, Emma C. Hamer Associates (2009). Articles>Reviews>Management>Writing
#34206
Review: Fifty Years of Stupid Grammar Advice 
April 16 is the 50th anniversary of the publication of a little book that is loved and admired throughout American academe. Celebrations, readings, and toasts are being held, and a commemorative edition has been released. I won't be celebrating. The Elements of Style does not deserve the enormous esteem in which it is held by American college graduates. Its advice ranges from limp platitudes to inconsistent nonsense. Its enormous influence has not improved American students' grasp of English grammar; it has significantly degraded it.
Pullum, Geoffrey K. Chronicle of Higher Education (2009). Articles>Reviews>Style Guides>Grammar
#34442
Review: Web Application Design Patterns
Web Application Design Patterns by Pawan Vora provides practical user interface design guidance for developing web applications by offering a "working" starting point that designers can adapt and refine to develop creative solutions. He condenses best practice methods, along with research and solid experience to create a useful reference about designing web applications.
Dick, David J. Indus (2009). Articles>Reviews>Web Design>Information Design
#34445
Review: The Systematic Design of Instruction
The Systematic Design of Instruction is a book on Instructional Design written by Walter Dick, Lou Carey, and James O. Carey. The book introduces the fundamentals of instructional design and explains the concepts and procedures for designing, developing, and evaluating instruction.
Kamal, Begum Laila. Indus (2009). Articles>Reviews>Instructional Design>Education
#34630
Review: Pre-Release Review of Flare V5
Soon MadCap Software will be releasing the next major version in the Flare product line, Flare V5. I’ve been beta testing Flare 5 for a couple of months now, and there are some great new features in Flare 5 that you are going to love. In this review, I want to point out some of my favorite new features, as well as some of Flare 5’s other great enhancements.
Pehrson, Paul. Technically Speaking (2009). Articles>Reviews>Documentation>Madcap Flare
#34659
Review: TUAW Faceoff: Screencasting
Screencasting -- the not-so-ancient art of recording the computer screen for the entertainment and enrichment of others -- has evolved into quite a Hydra of options. How do the myriad gladiators in this arena stack up? I've tried everything I could find that could record a little movement on the screen, and selected 8 contenders for the matchup.
TUAW (2008). Articles>Reviews>Software>Screencasting
#34669
Review: Page Layout and Design Tips from Jean-luc Doumont’s Trees, Maps, and Theorems
Given the engineering audience, one can’t hope for too much style and flair in the prose, but it reads like a college textbook, outlining basic principles in a flat way. It is too focused on “clarity, accuracy, correctness, etc.” (p.79) to make for a fun or engaging read.
Johnson, Tom H. I'd Rather Be Writing (2009). Articles>Reviews>Document Design>Visual Rhetoric
#34701
Review: The Global English Style Guide
A review of "The Global English Style Guide: Writing Clear, Translatable Documentation for a Global Market" by John R. Kohl.
Wenger, Andrea. Carolina Communiqué (2009). Articles>Reviews>Style Guides
#34702
Review: Web Application Design Patterns
A review of "Web Application Design Patterns" by Pawan Vora.
Dick, David J. Carolina Communiqué (2009). Articles>Reviews>Web Design
