Why Technical Writers are Midwives

Technical writers are midwives who deliver the message to users. Experienced technical writers enable you to understand complex technical concepts easily. Based on personal experience, technical writers always put the reader first.

Klariti. Articles>TC>Writing>Technical Writing

Writing to the Nines  

The perils and temptations of high fashion are not unlike those of technical writing. As technical writers, we are bombarded by ever-changing trends. And beyond trends, we must contend with larger movements driven by the digital generation. In the midst of constant change, we are tasked with creating quality material and then shaping it to fresh and exciting designs.

Morris, Angie and Candace Wagner. STC Proceedings (2002). Articles>Writing>TC

Jabberwock 2: The Solution

Technical communication must ultimately serve the reader - there must be something that the writer can do to clarify the information and make reading part of the process that makes the product usable.

Schwarcz, Mati. Art of Technical Communication, The (2008). Articles>TC>Writing>Technical Writing

Professionalizing Plain Language: A Postcard on Current Developments    

With the passing of the Brayley Bill in Congress, the significance of plain language has become even more apparent to technical communicators. The author lays out a step-by-step plan to maintain the relevance of plain language as an important and necessary profession.

James, Neil. Intercom (2009). Articles>TC>Writing>Minimalism

Blogging: A New Role for Technical Communicators

The online transition to web 2.0, with its proliferation of blogs, wikis, podcasts, tweets, and other user-generated content, has posed a question for the state of help content. Should help material concern itself with web 2.0? Do users want to interact and contribute to help content in the same way they contribute and interact with web content? What is the technical writer’s role in relation to new media?

Johnson, Tom H. I'd Rather Be Writing (2009). Articles>TC>Writing>Blogging

Twitter and Tech Communication

Twitter can be a great tool, and can help people get answers quickly. However, when you have a question and need an answer, you probably ought to consider your question, and determine what channel is best suited for the type of answer you need. That may or may not be Twitter.

Pehrson, Paul. Technically Speaking (2009). Articles>TC>Technical Writing>Social Networking

The Twitter Book and Tech Comm

The Twitter Book was created as being a different approach to publishing. But it’s also a different approach to writing. And that approach has definite applications in technical communication.

Nesbitt, Scott. DMN Communications (2009). Articles>TC>Writing

This is the Future of Technical Communication

In the absence of safety concerns, I think that accuracy must win. Thus, as the information curator, you have a responsibility to correct inaccurate information. If the inaccuracy is truly dangerous, you may need to edit the post directly. Make sure that you disclosure what you've done with brackets.

O'Keefe, Sarah S. Palimpsest (2009). Articles>TC>Technical Writing>Wikis

Tech Comm Lobotomies

Although we look at the past with embarrassment about some of our practices, we often lack the foresight to see the present with the same degree of scrutiny. Years from now, we’ll look back at what we’re currently doing and not only blush, but feel remorse and wish we could get back what we lost.

Johnson, Tom H. I'd Rather Be Writing (2009). Articles>TC>Technical Writing>History

Rethinking the Articulation Between Business and Technical Communication and Writing in the Disciplines: Useful Avenues for Teaching and Research    

In a profound sense, the teaching of business and technical communication (BTC) is always already the teaching of writing in the disciplines (WID). Yet the WID dimension of BTC is often hard to see. The question this article addresses is, How might the North American tradition of BTC communication courses be more consciously—and effectively—articulated with the disciplines? The article reviews some of the research literature concerning the value of articulating BTC with WID in undergraduate education and program descriptions of such efforts to examine what BTC has done, is doing, and might do in the future to strengthen WID in BTC.

Russell, David R. Journal of Business and Technical Communication (2007). Articles>Writing>TC>Research

Contributing to Wikis: A Useful Activity for Novice Tech Writers?

In this post, technical writer Milan Davidovic that contributing to wikis can help novices build skills and a portfolio. And he offers a simple roadmap for doing that effectively.

Davidovic, Milan. DMN Communications (2009). Articles>TC>Technical Writing>Wikis

Listen to the Radio

Radio and documentation. It sounds like a strange, if not incompatible, mix. But as Scott Nesbitt explains, an ideal model for writing documentation is a good radio report.

Nesbitt, Scott. DMN Communications (2009). Articles>TC>Writing

Why Technical Communicators Should Help with Product Text

A huge problem for projects is the lack of a common language between the developers and the users. When my colleague and I were preparing a presentation for an internal conference on this subject, he said something that has stuck with me. He said, “The goal of the project is to make the user successful.” I added to that: It’s not to write code or validate code. It’s not even to ship a product or make money (of course, this last one is especially true in a non-profit organization). At least, it shouldn’t be these things.

Minson, Benjamin. Gryphon Mountain (2009). Articles>TC>Technical Writing>User Experience

Sometimes, You've Got to Break the Rules 

Sometimes, you don’t need documentation made up of perfectly-chosen words and phrases. Instead, you need something that can be easily scanned, easily understood, and easily digested. Documentation that distills the main points quickly.

Nesbitt, Scott. DMN Communications. Articles>TC>Style Guides>Writing

Basic Etiquette of Technical Communication 

Parents spend years trying to teach their children to be polite, and some of us had to learn at school how to properly address an archbishop. Yet, it seems that advice on courteousness and politeness in technical communication is in short supply; most of us learn these skills through what is euphemistically called “on the job training.” With enough bruises on my back to demonstrate the amount and variety of my experience in this area (though not my skill), here are some of the things I’ve learned.

Spinellis, Diomidis. IEEE Software (2009). Articles>TC>Technical Writing>Professionalism

Musings About What’s Really Important 

Technical communicators tend to get caught up in tools and techniques and formats. But, as Scott Abel said, It’s not about tech writing. It’s about content.

Nesbitt, Scott. DMN Communications (2009). Articles>TC>Technical Writing>Software