#14780
Anything Worth Writing Is Worth Writing in XML 
Tyson supports the claim of his title with a detailed discussion of three important benefits of XML.
Tyson, Paul H. Intercom (2002). Articles>Writing>Information Design>XML
#20465
Commas, semi-colons and colons are the sentence tidiers. Used correctly, they'll give your written language the 'punctuation' that pauses, voice modulations and gestures provide when you speak.
Right Words (2006). Articles>Writing>Style Guides>Grammar
#28580
Applying Common Sense to Technical Writing 
How can budding writers achieve a middle path in their approach to documentation? This no-model approach is an attempt at busting the myth that only a model-based approach works.
Chitkara, Promila. International Journal for Technical Communication (2007). Articles>TC>Writing>Technical Writing
#19839
Applying Minimalist Principles, Strategies, and Techniques
People use documentation differently from what we might expect. They don’t like to read; instead they jump to a task with prior knowledge, and sometimes don’t realize they’ve made an error. Understanding how users learn and applying John Carroll’s minimalist principles will help provide solutions to this problem. Documentation that has been successfully planned and designed for minimalism may take longer to create than other manuals, but reaps the benefits of making users more productive and happy, while reducing support calls, maintenance, translation, and publishing costs. The key factors to a successful minimalist approach (or any good documentation design) are a keen understanding of your users, prototypes designed to match tasks relevant to users, and iterative testing to improve each draft.
Lester, Susan M.J. STC Proceedings (2000). Articles>TC>Writing>Minimalism
#28228
Applying Web 2.0 Technologies to Technical Documentation
This article is based on my presentation at the Institute of Scientific and Technical Communicators' annual conference in October, 2006. Every now and then, there is a change in the value of what technical authors deliver. These are moments when organisations pay attention to technical documentation. This is because they recognise that these changes mean they can create something that will be of real value to the business and to their customers. In recent years, there have been three "waves of interestingness". The first wave was the introduction of Windows Help (WinHelp). The second major wave was the introduction of the Internet and intranets. This was a time when organisations looked at how they could transfer large amounts of information from paper to online. They were faced with issues such as how users could access and understand all this information easily - issues that technical communicators deal with on a day-to-day basis. I believe we're just about to approach the new wave, which we have called "Tech Writing 2.0".
Pratt, Ellis. Cherryleaf (2006). Articles>Web Design>Documentation>Technical Writing
#14988
Approximately "Real World" Learning with the Hybrid Model
Most workplace professionals write documents in a fairly mature way. They typically write: Independently or with collaborators, without direct or constant supervision; With frequent interaction with team members at remote locations, and not just with those at their own division or company; With computers and other electronic equipment; and With the freedom to make important decisions about project and time management, such as determining when and how to interact with others, how to collaborate with irresponsible writing partners, how to resolve unexpected problems that arise, and how to meet deadlines despite mishaps and obstacles. How can instructors of business and professional writing prepare students for the relative freedom and independence of this kind of thinking and writing?
Spilka, Rachel. Teaching With Technology Today (2002). Articles>Education>Writing>Workplace
#20469
'Agreement' refers to elements in a sentence having the same number, gender, case or person. In English, it's probably an issue only for number (that is, singular vs plural) and case (that is, 'I' vs 'me', 'he' vs 'him' and so on).
#31780
Are We Giving Readers What They Want, in the Way They Want and Need It?
With all the talk about Web 2.0 and the attendant technologies, are readers actually being better served by documentation now than they were in the past?
DMN Communications (2008). Articles>Documentation>Technical Writing>User Centered Design
#25431
Review: Are Weblogs Changing Our Culture?
As modern as they are in their instantaneity, blogs, like e-mail, seem winningly old-fashioned to me.
Sullivan, Andrew and Kurt Andersen. Slate (2002). Articles>Reviews>Writing>Blogging
#25432
Web logs (also called 'weblogs' or 'blogs') are frequently updated website commentaries, short or long, organized chronically and sometimes include the blogger’s personal life.
Berger, Pam. Scarsdale Schools (2004). Articles>Writing>Education>Blogging
#27788
Are You Frodo, Aragorn or Legolas? Writing Wisdom from The Lord of the Rings
Are you a 'Frodo,' 'Aragorn' or 'Legolas' writer? Each has a unique style and advantages suited to specific types of writing. Much can be learned from J.R.R. Tolkien's epic The Lord of the Rings characters.
Stelzner, Michael A. WhitePaperSource (2006). Articles>Writing>Rhetoric
#29272
The Art and Science of Policy and Procedure Writing and Publishing 
This is an informational site dedicated to topics relevant to writing and publishing business process knowledge, especially policies and procedures. The objective of this site is to openly share information about writing and publishing policies and procedures and other forms of business knowledge.
Kopp, Gary. Policy Procedure Manual (2007). Articles>Business Communication>Policies and Procedures>Technical Writing
#24134
Site visitors crave the sense that someone is there, within and behind your Web pages, your emails and newsletters.
Usborne, Nick. ClickZ (2001). Articles>Web Design>Writing
#25438
The Art of Blogging, Part 1: Overview, Definitions, Uses, and Implications
Innovations build on existing perceptions and structures - at least until the new ideas are fully manifested. Then, the innovation discards the shackles of the old model and stands on its own merits and strengths. The development of video is often used to support this phenomenon. Video was initially used only to tape existing live stage performances - a new concept built on the perceptional structure of the existing. True innovation in this medium did not occur until someone recognized the uniqueness of video, and the limitations of live stage shows.
Siemens, George. elearnspace (2002). Articles>Web Design>Writing>Blogging
#25439
The Art of Blogging, Part 2: Getting Started, "How To", Tools, Resources
The best way to learn to blog is to blog. Fortunately, getting started is fairly simple. Three main options exist: hosted, remote server, and desktop.
Siemens, George. elearnspace (2002). Articles>Web Design>Writing>Blogging
#21572
The Art of Risk Communication: Overcoming the Public Fear Surrounding Controversial Projects
Technical writers and editors in the environmental field can make additional contributions to the document production process by becoming familiar with risk communication principles. These principles can help us communicate more effectively with the public about controversial environmental projects, which are ever increasing. Considering the public's power to delay such projects, our ability to diminish public opposition through good risk communication skills is invaluable.
Barr, Christine R. STC Proceedings (1994). Articles>Risk Communication>Environmental>Writing
#22689
The Art of Writing Technical Articles
My advice for those wish to become writers: Write! Write! Write! I have always maintained that great writers are born, and professional writers are made. In the born writers there is an unquenchable thirst for writing, a passion for writing. Writing is a mission. Writing is the soul of the person. The professional writer does it for a living. There is a deadline and the writer can churn out the required number of words.
Kamath, Gurudutt R. IT People (2003). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing
#30080
Assembly Instructions for a Correct Sentence: The Sentence Diagram
This workshop explores the whys and hows of sentence diagramming. Knowledge of the time-honored technique can aid editors, writers, and instructors in preventing and correcting pesky errors in sentence structure, including dangling modifiers, misplaced modifiers, and faulty parallelism. Diagramming offers the familiar look of technical drawings, the comforting feel of pencil on paper, and unmatched analytical potential.
Jennings, Ann S. STC Proceedings (1999). Articles>Writing>Grammar
#20159
Assessing the Value Added by In-House Technical Communication Courses
A specially designed instrument that measures the effectiveness of written communication courses taught in-house has been pilot-tested with employees of a major power utility. The instrument showed that, one month afrr attending the course, participants’ written communication skills increased by twenty percent. A second measurement, recordedfour months aJer the course, showed there had been only a marginal drop in skills compared to the level recorded three months earlier.
Blicq, Ronald S. STC Proceedings (1997). Articles>Writing>Assessment
#22738
Although blogs are generally linked with business, personal, and entertainment sites, Eugene Volokh, a professor of law at the University of California at Los Angeles, thinks that blogs are evolving into a major academic tool for universities. Members of the academic community have discovered that blogs offer the classroom a cheap, sociable, and fast way for everyone in the class to actively participate in discussion.
Lisson, Kristin. Techniques (2003). Articles>Web Design>Writing>Blogging
#26440
You can keep copy from turning zombie by starting with a clear idea of exactly what you want to say. It's tempting to just start writing, but this approach can leave your pages vulnerable to zombification, because it's easier to sound like you’re making sense than to actually make sense. Outlines can serve as an effective vaccine against living death.
Kissane, Erin. List Apart, A (2005). Articles>Web Design>Writing
#23226
This is a working draft of the code of ethics of the Association of Teachers of Technical Writing. As a work in progress, it is subject to substantial change and carries no authority from ATTW. It is meant only for inspection and comment by the ATTW Ethics Committee and general ATTW membership.
#22116
Audience and Document Analysis
Before you begin editing a document, try to find out as much as you can about the audience for the document and purpose of the document.
Hollis Weber, Jean. Technical Editors Eyrie (2001). Articles>Writing>Audience Analysis>Rhetoric
#31078
By incorporating usability techniques--more commonly used in product design--writers can better understand their audiences and the ways they use (or have problems using) the content. Read on for tips on how to incorporate usability techniques into your work.
Stott, Susan. Intercom (2008). Articles>Writing>Usability>Audience Analysis
#24650
XML authoring is the latest mode of electronic communication of content. XML is about freedom: freeing the content, freeing the author.
Albing, Bill. KeyContent.org (2004). Articles>Writing>XML
