The Secrets of Effective Technical Authors

In early 2007, Cherryleaf carried out a survey to find out the challenges technical authors face. We looked at satisfaction levels, the status of authors and what was holding them back, if anything.

Cherryleaf (2007). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing

Should Technical Authors Embrace User-Generated Content?

It may seem counter-intuitive, but we believe technical authors shouldn't fear the trend towards user generated content.

Cherryleaf. Articles>Writing>Technical Writing>Wikis

Technical Documentation: How It Really Gets Written

The technical writing process: 1. Ask engineer how the damn thing works. 2. Deafening silence.

Cherryleaf (2008). Humor>Documentation>Writing>Technical Writing

Nine Trends in Online User Assistance

Whilst applications are becoming more complex, many people believe that online user assistance hasn't changed much since WinHelp was introduced with Windows 3. This is a misconception. There have been many developments in this field aimed at increasing end-user productivity and satisfaction.

Pratt, Ellis. Cherryleaf (2003). Articles>Documentation>Online>Help

In a Downturn, Is It Better to Use Contractors, Permanent Staff or an Outsourcing Company?

In a downturn, priorities in a business often change, and these changes can affect technical authors as much as others. At the London Connections event earlier this week, where I was promoting Cherryleaf's technical writing services, I was chatting to Mike Southon about business strategies in a downturn. Mike is Visiting Fellow in Innovation and Entrepreneurship at London South Bank University, amongst other things, so I value his judgement. He said, in a downturn, businesses should focus on its Return on Investment, minimising risk and watching its cashflow. So, does this mean you should favour contract technical authors over permanent staff, or vice versa? Should you outsource technical writing work instead? Actually, each option has its merits.

Ellis Pratt. Cherryleaf (2008). Careers>Management>Outsourcing>United Kingdom

There's the Tribe, Where's the Technical Author?

Connecting people and giving them a place in the world IS (what makes you a living). I immediately thought, this affects technical authors. They connect people to information, rather than people. They help people find their place. They play a role in building and maintaining an organisation's tribe. They show there's more to the supplier-customer relationship than the moment of the sale.

Cherryleaf (2008). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing>Rhetoric

I'm a Technical Writer: Dispelling the Myths

Technical Writers (aka Technical Authors, Content Wranglers and Documentation Managers) have an unfair image. This project aims to challenge this image, by showing technical writers in a different light. The photos below are of technical communications professionals, doing a variety of activities.

Cherryleaf (2008). Careers>Writing>Technical Writing

A Question of Trust

Last month, Forrester Research released results from a survey on how much consumers trust different sources for information. They didn't include online Help or knowledge bases in the survey, so we don't know how well or badly they would have come out in the survey.

Cherryleaf (2009). Articles>Documentation>Online>Help

Why Bother With User Documentation in Recessionary Times?

In recessionary times, organisations should focus on getting sales from existing customers - so customer retention becomes ever more important.

Cherryleaf (2009). Articles>Documentation>Business Case>User Centered Design

What Should You Include in Your User Documentation?

Technical authors are faced with limited time and resources, so they often are faced with the dilemma as to what to include and what to leave out of their user documentation. You may ask, if 80% read only 20% of the content, is there any value in documenting the rest?

Cherryleaf (2009). Articles>Documentation>Technical Writing

Lessons for Technical Communicators from the Telecommunications Sector

It’s often useful to look at the economic and technological pressures in other industries, to see if the trends emerging there are relevant to the technical communications/publications sector. In recent Blogs, we’ve covered the issues emerging in education, but the telecommunications industry might also provide some useful insights.

Pratt, Ellis. Cherryleaf (2009). Careers>TC>Technical Writing

What’s the Point of User Documentation, from a Marketing Perspective?

In order to understand the way marketing people see the world, it’s worth reading Blogs on marketing (by people such as Seth Godin), the Cluetrain Manifesto, and reading a few books on marketing.

Pratt, Ellis. Cherryleaf (2009). Articles>Documentation>Technical Writing>Marketing

Can You Design Your Way to a “No User Documentation” Approach?

For simple, commonly known actions in a closed environment, you probably can design your way to a “no user documentation” approach. Good design can also lead to less documentation. However, customers may expect to do more than that with a product and, in those situations, documentation can play a key role in meeting those expectations.

Pratt, Ellis. Cherryleaf (2009). Articles>Documentation>Usability>Minimalism

Did Technical Documentation Play a Role in the White House's Decision to Move to Drupal?

The reasons for the White House's decision to run its Web site, whitehouse.gov, on the open source content management system Drupal are being discussed on various Web sites. Alongside Drupal's functionality, flexibility and openness, some are suggesting that Drupal's documentation was also a key factor for deciding to use this system.

Pratt, Ellis. Cherryleaf (2009). Articles>Documentation>Content Management>Government

Managing a Documentation Project: A Guide

This a short video overview of managing a documentation project. It's something we put together as a test of some of the functionality of Techsmith's Camtasia software.

Pratt, Ellis. Cherryleaf (2009). Presentations>Documentation>Project Management

Managing a Documentation Project Successfully: More Jelly and Ice Cream

This video on simplifying business, using the metaphor of organising a children’s party, made me smile and consider how successful documentation projects are managed. The presenter is suggesting managers need to, in complex systems, give up rigid control from above. Instead, they should watch for organisational patterns, encouraging the good and discouraging the bad.

Pratt, Ellis. Cherryleaf (2009). Articles>Management>Documentation>Project Management

Six Reasons Why Your Wiki Isn’t Working 

Wikis are a great way to create and publish documentation online, but there are many wikis that haven’t worked. They comprise just a few pages of incomplete, out of date information. Why is that? Why do some wikis work and others just fail? Here are six key reasons.

Pratt, Ellis. Cherryleaf (2009). Articles>Content Management>Wikis>Social Networking