Why I Hate Your Article Headlines

I’m a publisher for numerous sites. Here’s why I hate your headline and what you can do about it.

Pires, Halstatt. Ezine Articles (2005). Articles>Writing>Editing

WikiWiki as Tech Review Vehicle

Like most technical writers, getting my feature team to review my help topics for technical accuracy is like keeping an Iditarod team from making a dash for the nearest McDonalds or garbage dump in the middle of a blinding blizzard.  Technical contributors want to participate in technical documentation reviews but they rarely have enough bandwidth to do so effectively. Consequently, I spend a lot of time trying to determine the most effective way to squeeze my teammates for feedback.  This can be a painstaking process, especially for technical writers who are unlucky enough to work with teams that are halfway around the world or spread across the country. Some contributors only produce if I corner them in their office with a paper copy.  Others are overly motivated, but I love them all the same.  Most technical reviewers, at least at Microsoft, require a combination of:  incentives (food, beer, ...), attention getters (a stern note from their manager) and tech review tools that fit their working style and team culture.

Parnell, Korby. Microsoft (2004). Articles>Editing>Engineering>Assessment

Working Electronically

Editors need to know some basic techniques for dealing with files if they are going to be editing them electronically. These techniques apply to files in any format, but exactly what you do depends on which word-processor, desktop publishing program, help authoring system, or other software you are using.

Hollis Weber, Jean. Technical Editors Eyrie (2001). Articles>Editing>Technical Editing>Online

Working Memory in an Editing Task    

A number of studies have found that writers produce text in bursts of language. That is, when creating a text, writers produce a few words, pause, produce a few more words, pause, and so on. Chenoweth and Hayes (2003) hypothesized that language bursts occur when writers translate ideas in to new language. This study tested this hypothesis against the following two alternative hypotheses: (a) Language bursts are caused by proposing new ideas rather than by translating ideas in to written language and (b) language bursts depend on the form of the input to the writing process rather than on the translation process. The study employed an editing task in which participants were required to translate a written language input. The alternative hypotheses led to contradictory predictions about writers' performance in this task. The study also explored the impact of working memory restrictions on task performance.

Hayes, John R. and N. Ann Chenoweth. Written Communication (2007). Articles>Editing>Workflow>Cognitive Psychology

Writer-Editor Interactions: What Works?  

Successful writer-editor relationships require a commitment from both parties to teamwork, open communications, and shared accountability for the success of each project. The benefits from this ejj?ort include better igformation products for users and a more congenial working environmentfor you. Equally important, your clients will develop cor@ence and trust when they see a project’s writer and editor combining their skills and collaborating on shared project goals.

Collins, William L. and Susan M.J. Lester. STC Proceedings (1997). Articles>Collaboration>Editing>Writing

Writer-Editor Relationships in Revisions

Editors, professional or otherwise, can be annoying individuals. The trick is to focus on the helpful parts of that annoyance and try to ignore the less-helpful parts.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. Geoff-Hart.com (1995). Articles>Writing>Editing>Collaboration

Writers and Editors

The U.S. Department of Labor expects demand for writers and editors to increase faster than the average for all occupations through the year 2010. Most jobs require a college degree either in the liberal arts—communications, journalism, and English are preferred—or a technical subject for technical writing positions. Competition is expected to be less for lower paying, entry-level jobs at small daily and weekly newspapers, trade publications, and radio and television broadcasting stations in small markets. Persons who fail to gain better paying jobs or earn enough as independent writers usually are able to transfer readily to communications-related jobs in other occupations.

U.S. Department of Labor (2003). Careers>Writing>Editing

Writing Across the Curriculum

The phrase 'writing across the curriculum' is relatively new, as far as I am aware. I want to examine its underlying meaning, its various administrative forms, and its implications for the faculties of colleges and of high schools to look at the theory, the practice, and occasionally the history of the notion.

Kinneavy, James L. ADE Bulletin (1983). Articles>Editing>Writing>Collaboration

Writing and Editing

Resources relating to technical writing and editing.

Technical Communicators Resource Site. Resources>Directories>Editing>Writing

Writing And Editing Stem Overview  

As part of the process of developing this overview I went back to some of the Proceedings for STC conferences that were held 10 years ago. I also reviewed issues of Technical Communication that were published at the same time.

Forbes, Christopher J. STC Proceedings (1994). Articles>Writing>Editing

Writing and Editing Stem Overview  

What could embody this year’s theme of Evolution/Revolution more than the Writing and Editing Stem? On the one hand, we must continue to evolve as professionals by building our writing and editing skills, the cornerstones of our trade. On the other, we must stay on top of the information revolution our industry is experiencing. This stem will help you to do both: build upon the basics and also stay abreast of the new technology and tools that are constantly revolutionizing the ways we do our work.

Murphy, Daniel J. STC Proceedings (1996). Articles>Editing>Writing

Writing and Editing Stem Overview  

The Writing and Editing Stem of the 42nd Annual STC Conference is designed to provide sessions that speak to the questions of technical communicators today and that also remind us to 'stick to the basics' of our craft(s). In a world of to 're-imagine' the audience and gain new ever-changing technologies, we must perspectives. Find out how to motivate your accommodate both a diverse audience and a audience to learn and then keep ‘em coming back! diverse media. Our goal is to explore (proven and new) methodologies and ideas that can enhance our writing and editing skills and philosophies as we enter the 21st century.

Baxley, Deborah Lewis. STC Proceedings (1995). Articles>Writing>Editing

Writing Consistently Across Media: Ten Proofreading Tips

Last time I wrote about consistency in online writing. Soon after, I received an email from Leslie Drechsler, a reader in Tustin, CA: 'As a Marketing Communications Specialist, I'd love to hear your ideas on how to successfully implement consistency in an established business,' she wrote. 'I thought developing a company style guide would solve the problem. But perhaps there are other ways to approach it. 'Perhaps this could be the subject of another article.' Here's that article, Leslie.

Henning, Kathy. ClickZ (2001). Articles>Editing>Style Guides>Writing

Writing Drafts

One of the keys to effective technical writing is to write, edit and re-write. Once you have completed the first draft, you will need to review it several times to identify errors and inconsistencies in the text.

Klariti. Articles>Writing>Editing

Writing Programs and the English Department

A couple of years ago John Gerber, in an article in the ADE Bulletin, urged a broadened definition of 'literacy,' one that would encompass all study relating to linguistic artifacts, from the most elementary reading and writing to the most differentiated scholarship and composing. Nearly all college English departments do include much of this broad range, but the inclusion is rarely an integration. Instead, there's the English major and the freshman composition program and the creative-writing courses and, sometimes, the courses for nonmajors: film, popular culture, folklore; business and technical writing; and so forth. In large departments different faculty members may specialize in one or another of these units, and the chairman, who is supposed to be running the whole six-ring circus, can scarcely get the different sorts to talk to one another. What integration occurs begins and ends with the yearly departmental cocktail party.

Johnson, Paula. ADE Bulletin (1979). Articles>Editing>Writing>Collaboration

Writing Shorter Manuals  

Large manuals are expensive to write, produce, and ship, and may make a product seem mare diflcult or complex than it really is. Shorter manuals can decrease telephone support calls, provide a challenge to the writer, and save time and money. With careful planning and preparation, diJjCerent writing and design techniques, and participation in product design, writers can shorten manuals and make users more willing to read them.

Sommerville, Heather M. STC Proceedings (1997). Articles>Documentation>Editing>Writing

Writing, Editing and Designing: a Unified Process

What's in it for me? That's what magazine readers must see at first glance, or they will flip on by. Winning their attention requires thoughtful blending of words and design from the beginning of the publication process.

Writing that Works (2003). Articles>Writing>Editing>Visual Rhetoric

You Lost Me in the Third Paragraph: A Guide to Gracious Criticism

When a colleague comes to you for criticism, for help, for feedback, you are not helping that colleague if you say, 'Looks okay to me.' An important skill in college and in the work force is that of giving solid, instructive criticism. This handout is designed to teach you this skill.

George Mason University. Articles>Editing>Collaboration

Письма в Редакцию в Английской Газете: Анализ Аргументации

Предметом данного исследования является анализ построения аргументации в функциональном газетном стиле речи (в рубрике Letters to the Editor). Целью исследования является изучение функционирования аргументации в функциональном газетном стиле и выявление взаимовлияния логического и языкового аспекта аргументации.

Golubev, V.U. and K.V. Gudkova. Argumentation (2002). (Russian) Articles>Rhetoric>Editing

Jabberwock

Technical editors are constantly required to edit and revise pieces that they don’t fully understand - or even have much information about. That’s part of the game.

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

Inspiring Reviewers to Review Your Documents

To obtain good reviews, you must make the process as painless as possible for reviewers.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. TECHWR-L (2008). Articles>Editing>Collaboration>SMEs

Lost in Translation: Contributions of Editors to the Meanings of Text    

Authors of scientific articles in one language are often required to provide abstracts of their papers in a second language, and they use a variety of ways to achieve this.

Hartley, James, Alan Branthwaite, Frank Ganier and Laurent Heurley. Journal of Information Science (2007). Articles>Language>Editing>Translation

Attaining Review Nirvana with Acrobat 8 Professional

Getting documents reviewed has always been a tricky proposition for writers. From pleading to coercion to bribery just stopping short of third-degree torture, writers have documented many methods for getting reviews done effectively and in time. For those writers who gave up altogether and for those who just did not care too much for reviews, there is bad news coming – companies are asking for user feedback on the content that you wrote. Users, as we know them, can shame the most cynical movie critic when it comes to commenting. In my quest many a tool tried to lure me, but when Acrobat 8 strut its shared review stuff in front of me, I finally succumbed.

Kurnool, Preran. Indus (2008). Articles>Editing>Collaboration>Adobe Acrobat

How to Manage Out of Date Content

Organizations are in urgent need of professional review processes for their intranets and public websites. Out of date content is growing year by year, and there are many horror stories about out-of-date content waiting to happen. It’s time for management to get serious and professionally manage their websites.

McGovern, Gerry. CMSwire (2008). Articles>Content Management>Editing>Assessment

Implementing Onscreen Editing: A Four-Step Process

Four technological or organizational barriers interfere with change, each leading to an implementation step. To overcome resistance to change, harness the energy of existing processes rather than trying to fight them.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. STC Proceedings (2008). Presentations>Editing>Online>Workflow