#19617
Introduction to Writing Software Documentation
Documentation is a vital but often unappreciated part of almost every software product. Most software documentation is written by technical writers, employees who specialize in the field. People not in the field often fail to appreciate just how complex the process of writing documentation really is and how dependent it is on developers and other software professionals. There's also a lot of confusion out there about just what technical writing encompasses.
Karin, Janice. Suite101. Articles>Documentation>Writing>Technical Writing
#31847
Is Lone Writing Becoming a Team Sport? 
Larbi discusses the transition—including advantages—that many lone writers face as globalization becomes more prevalent and individual consultants transform into lone writer teams.
Larbi, Nancy E. Intercom (2008). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing>Collaboration
#28766
Is Technical Writing Boring? Tech Writers as Information Architects
Is technical writing boring? We discuss a post that spawned a lot of comments and exchanges. We also talk about an article on information architecture in the Tech Comm journal.
Johnson, Tom H. and Heidi Hansen. Tech Writer Voices (2007). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing>Podcasts
#28958
Pith and Vinegar: Is Technical Writing Your Calling?
An essay exploring whether technical writing is a 'calling.'
Harvey, Michael. Carolina Communique (2007). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing>Community
#30766
Is Your Website Poised to Deal With Its Growth? 
Every webmaster nourishes the dream that his or her website will make it the big way. This is very much human because people carry out any task in ardent hope. What is more human out here is that earthy fellows like us base our aspirations more on speculation rather than specific set of steps undertaken to bring the dream a bit closer to reality. And this is not all, particularly in case of growth of a site which brings newer problems in the wake of its growth. It cannot be disputed that you can probably get some good web hosting on economy price. But if you expect top of the line service on this price, acknowedge gracefully that your are just asking for the moon. Probably you are not catching up with wisdom that business needs decisive investments.
Azam, Rahbre. Amateur Writerz (2008). Articles>Documentation>Web Design>Technical Writing
#13920
The Issue of Quality in Professional Documentation: How Can Academia Make More of a Difference?
This article recommends strategies academics can use to contribute to an issue of great interest in industry: how best to define, measure, and achieve quality documentation. These strategies include contextualizing quality definitions, advocating the use of multiple quality measures, conducting research to identify specific heuristics for defining and measuring quality in particular workplace contexts, and partnering with industry to educate upper management about those heuristics and the benefits of promoting technical communicators to the strategic role of organizational “gatekeepers of quality.”
Spilka, Rachel. Technical Communication Quarterly (2000). Articles>Documentation>Collaboration>Technical Writing
#26474
Now it is very important to recognize the vital role of a technical writer and services expected to provide to justify the requirements of this profession. Since technical writer is a sub category of technical communication, that involves other categories involved in documentation, like content writer, software configuration manager, technical editor, information designer and many more.
Albing, Bill. KeyContent.org (2005). Articles>TC>Communication>Technical Writing
#31794
It's Not the Tool, It's the Writer
This blog post ponders whether or not technical communicators are sometimes too enamoured with the tools, and because of that lose sight of what's best for the reader.
DMN Communications (2008). Articles>TC>Technical Writing>Technology
#22792
Offers advice on creating effective FAQ documents.
Hart, Geoffrey J.S. Intercom (2004). Articles>Documentation>Technical Writing>FAQ
#19739
The Keys to Clarity, Consistency, and Correctness
How can you make documentation more clear, consistent, and correct for your users? Following are some guidelines I find effective when documenting concepts and organizing documents.
Hassell-Corbiell, Rives. Indus (2002). Articles>Documentation>Writing>Technical Writing
#28827
Review: Law and Internet Cultures
Kathy Bowrey's Law and Internet Cultures critically deconstructs the law in the context of legal culture, and especially looks at how U.S. law, practice, and culture has influenced technology law. Bowrey, a lecturer in the Faculty of Law at the University of New South Wales, writes as an "Australian author" but her analysis clearly contains a global perspective as she looks to global structures and laws in other countries such as the United States. The book's analysis draws upon an incredibly broad range of literature including but not limited to traditional "literature" (e.g., Orwell's 1984), economic analysis, communications theory, and cultural studies. She stretches her analysis, connecting the heretofore disconnected (like Foucault, Coombe, Mandeville's travels, Napster, Grokster, etc.) and makes these horizontal connections in the context of discussions of verticality--like globalization, international standards, international patent norms, and global governance. The reading will be difficult for folks without a solid background in information technologies and law (and is just plain difficult for reasons mentioned below), but Bowrey does provide at least brief definitions and description of acronyms where need be. She tends to begin chapters with details and then brings things together at chapter's end--but this strategy seems to work for the complex subject matter. This is a great book for reading out of order or skipping to particularly relevant sections. Each section of each chapter can hold together on its own. Numerous diagrams and illustrations add to the flavor of this unique and much-needed book.
Rife, Martine Courant. H-Net (2006). Articles>Reviews>Legal>Technical Writing
#22598
Learn to Read Technical Writing!
Why is my daughter not being taught to read technical literature? Practical things like reading a VCR manual or a pamphlet on health.
Kamath, Gurudutt R. IT People (2003). Articles>TC>Writing>Technical Writing
#22690
Learning the Fine Art of Reviewing
If you asked me what the most painful part of being a technical writer is, my answer would be: 'Getting reviews on time. Getting good feedback and inputs on your work.' For me technical writing has been very pleasurable because I hardly got any review comments. My morale has therefore been very high. Project managers, developers and others are so busy trying to come up with good software (read trying to fix all the goof-ups and bugs!) that they usually tend to give documentation lesser importance. User manuals, who reads them anyway? We do not have time for it!
Kamath, Gurudutt R. IT People (2003). Articles>Editing>Collaboration>Technical Writing
#21549
Legal Communication in Technical Communication Programs: Worth Thinking About?
What, if anything, should technical communication programs teach their students about the nature of law and the production of legal discourse? When is technical writing also legal writing, and vice versa; when is legal writing (really) technical? Are there distinctions worth maintaining and dissolving here? Do lawyers' relationships to, and problems with, legal writing contexts and processes parallel in important ways technical writers' relationships to, and problems with, technical writing contexts and processes? If they do, is a conversation between the disciplines worth institutionalizing, at least experimentally, in each other's programs?
Stratman, James F. CPTSC Proceedings (2001). Articles>Business Communication>Legal>Technical Writing
#22157
Leveraging Complex Content for the Support Chain
The support chain is becoming increasingly important as we begin to understand the deep underlying economic trends of the last half-century.
Osnat, Rani. ComTech Services (2001). Articles>Content Management>Technical Writing
#23391
With his back towards the reader, a bucket over his head, hands and feet tied up by SGML, CALS and company standards, and half choked by all the possibilities of the latest computer system the writer tries to produce manuals and instruction books for unsuspecting readers!
Forsslund, Lars. TC-FORUM (1998). Articles>Documentation>Writing>Technical Writing
#26316
An overview of Linux tools for technical writers.
Nesbitt, Scott. ComputorEdge (2005). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing>Software
#27705
The Lone Ranger as Technical Writing Program Administrator
The popularity of technical writing and communication has caused many colleges and universities to scramble to hire qualified tenure-track faculty members. So-called lone ranger candidates are often lured to workplaces in which they are the sole technical writing faculty members by promises of autonomy and the ability to develop programs in ways, and at a pace, that would not necessarily be possible at other institutions. This article explores challenges faced by several such lone ranger faculty members and outlines survival strategies that may help lone rangers sustain and build their technical writing programs.
Sapp, David Alan. Journal of Business and Technical Communication (2006). Articles>Education>Writing>Technical Writing
#26955
Look Out Hollywood? Here Come the Technical Writers 
Have you heard it said that technical writing quashes your ability to be a creative writer? Do you ever think that you've trained yourself to do your day job so well that you can no longer produce something in an artistic vein in your spare time? If so, you might want to consider trying your hand at screenwriting! There are many reasons why someone who excels at technical writing might find screenwriting to be a good creative outlet.
Bronson, Lisa M. TECHWR-L (2005). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing>Screenwriting
#30764
Low Bandwidth and the Highs of Web Design
The emergence of Internet was, and still is a fascinating thing to happen in technology firmament. The ease and the comforts of connecting to people, defying geographical boundaries, and getting a global audience for businesses were unparalleled -- first of its kind ever. So wonderful a thing has, unfortunately, got its share of woes -- the connection speed. The bandwidth of Internet connectivity was considerable at the time when it was entirely new to the world. The newness of the medium did not let it know to the excited lots of users and beneficiaries. Gradually, when people wished for more speed, they earnestly expected that things will turn favorable in the times ahead. Strategy is not something entirely applicable to chart out the direction of a corporation. Yeah, Your web design has to be strategized as well if you wish to serve your target audience in business friendly manner.
Azam, Rahbre. Amateur Writerz (2008). Articles>Web Design>Technical Writing>User Centered Design
#31646
Teaching writing to engineering students representing Indian, Middle Eastern, Asian, and American cultures can be daunting as their cultural perceptions of time, gender, source of authority, individualism and risk taking, affect learning styles. However, despite cultural differences, many International students have no difficulty with much of American instruction and, in some cases, perform better than American students. Their ability to adapt to American instruction appears to depend primarily on the educational goals of their cultures.
Boiarsky, Carolyn. IEEE PCS (2008). Articles>Education>Technical Writing>Engineering
#23732
Making Documentation Accessible to Users With Disabilities
Good documentation takes into account the needs of people with disabilities. Such documentation is termed 'accessible' and provides support for the assistive technologies used by people with disabilities. For example, accessible documentation provides a text equivalent for each graphic element, such as a picture, flow diagram, or icon. This provision is necessary for users who rely on screen readers to read the documentation.
Chappell, Gail B. STC Proceedings (2003). Articles>Documentation>Accessibility>Technical Writing
#24423
Making Product Information an Integral Part of the Development Process
Document inspections formalize the document review process and encourage the full participation of technical developers in the documentation development process. A document inspection consists of three parts: a briefing meeting, a desk review, and a recording meeting. At the briefing meeting, you state your requirements for the inspection process. During the desk review, the technical developers review your document. At the recording meeting, you review the comments made by the technical developers, and as a group decide on appropriate resolutions.
Hildebrand-Lund, Ruth. STC Proceedings (1996). Articles>Documentation>Workflow>Technical Writing
#22259
Making Sense of Step-by-Step Procedures
Procedural instructions that consist of only a sequence of steps will probably be executable, but nevertheless 'meaningless' to users of technical devices. This paper discusses three features that can make procedural instructions more meaningful: adding functional coordinating information, adding information about the use of the technical device in real life, and adding operational information about how the device works. The research literature supports the effectiveness of the first feature, but offers little evidence that real life elements enhance understanding of instructions. As for operational information, the research suggests that users are willing to read it, and that it contributes to better understanding and performance in the long term, but only if it is closely related to the procedure. As a conclusion, we propose a theoretical framework that assumes three levels of mental representation of instructions: syntactical, semantic, and situational.
Steehouder, Michael F., Joyce Karreman and Nicole Ummelen. ACM SIGDOC (2000). Articles>Documentation>Rhetoric>Technical Writing
#27974
Managing the TWI Mailing List: As Tough as it Gets
The success or failure of any mailing list depends entirely on its members - as in how effectively can they contribute on the list or how diligently can they enhance the quality of ongoing discussions. If you watch closely, the level of discussions combined with the maturity of posters is what characterizes these mailing lists to a large extent. For instance, take a firsthand look at Technical Writers India mailing list or TWI, as it is popularly called.
Prabhakar, Rahul. Blogspot (2006). Articles>Documentation>Technical Writing
