http://tc.eserver.org/publisher/Indus A listing of works published by Indus in the field of technical communication. en-us Copyright (c) 2005-08 by the EServer. All rights reserved. tclib-editorial@eserver.org (TC Library Editorial Board) webmaster@eserver.org (Geoffrey Sauer) http://tc.eserver.org/images/newlogo.gif http://tc.eserver.org/dir/Indus http://tc.eserver.org/35220.html http://tc.eserver.org/35220.html For companies that are struggling in the current times because of the economic slowdown, an option that might not compromise on product quality is to switch to open-source software. In this article, I will talk about open-source publishing tools for the writing community. http://tc.eserver.org/35221.html http://tc.eserver.org/35221.html I learnt that a verb is the most essential part of speech. So, I thought investing a little time to learn to use it better (if not master it) might not be a bad idea. But then, there are so many aspects of a verb. Can I ever say I learnt it? I can try one proven (presumably by the British) method: divide and conquer. I will start with the voice of a verb, the much-talked-about aspect of a verb. http://tc.eserver.org/35222.html http://tc.eserver.org/35222.html One of the difficult concepts to understand in the English language is perhaps the manner in which articles are used in a sentence. Over the course of one's life history, every student of English has had to face this nightmare at one point of time or another. The verbs are all in place and you know the nouns, the pronouns are fairly obvious, and the prepositions can eventually be worked out, but what comes before the word year and what comes before SMS is tricky. http://tc.eserver.org/35223.html http://tc.eserver.org/35223.html Like most people who entered the technical communication profession in India in the mid to late 1990s, I too became a technical writer more by accident than by design. I enjoyed my technical writing career thoroughly, but slowly moved away, and a decade later, I now find myself heading the Quality Management function at a multi-national clinical research and technology company in India. The career paths of no two individuals are similar. And yet, there are always some common themes in successful transitions from one career path to another. http://tc.eserver.org/35224.html http://tc.eserver.org/35224.html If you are reading this article in INDUS, I assume that the majority of you must be technical writers. The peer-review checklist might be firmly etched in your mind. Please make sure this checklist in disabled. If doing so is not possible, just click the X sign at the top-right corner of the screen. Also, if you have no sense of humor, it is mandatory to click the X sign. I make no apologies for the grammatical errors or syntax errors or sentence structure or comma splices or… whew..pant..pant… this ‘or’ is making me breathless. In fact, I am thriving on these errors because my creative skills are running riot. I have expressed my thoughts in an unconventional manner and, believe me, the feeling is exhilarating and invigorating. http://tc.eserver.org/35207.html http://tc.eserver.org/35207.html Are the days of print documentation over? How ‘usable’ is your print documentation? http://tc.eserver.org/35208.html http://tc.eserver.org/35208.html In such a scenario, this article presents some of the practices that have helped me track and address inputs effectively – regardless of their volume and importance. http://tc.eserver.org/35209.html http://tc.eserver.org/35209.html This article examines the need for continuous learning and the challenges that working professionals must overcome to invest in learning. It also explores how experience makes us better learners, and analyzes the relative effectiveness of various learning techniques. http://tc.eserver.org/35210.html http://tc.eserver.org/35210.html As help systems continue to evolve, whatever name they are called, we will increasingly have to face responsibility for their content, and bring their expertise to what we write. The new systems provide us with all the required tools that tell us the problems with their content. It is up to us to leverage that information to provide better content, and act as ambassadors for products that we write. If writers can go a step ahead, and use their help information to sell products, and reduce the burden on customer support, we would have truly arrived. http://tc.eserver.org/35211.html http://tc.eserver.org/35211.html Style guides recommend certain styles. In the domain of technical communication, we refer to guides for writing style, presentation of content in user documentation and technical documents, and graphical user interface of software and web sites. http://tc.eserver.org/35212.html http://tc.eserver.org/35212.html Why do product manuals sound formal and stiff-upper-lipped? Why don’t users read manuals? These questions have haunted the precincts of Technical Writing for quite some time now. From what I have seen in Indian writers, I am forced to conclude that English Composition, as we were taught in school, is the culprit. Our merit was based on how verbose we were. They judged our style based on how ‘formal’ we were. Take for example, the leave letter. I am sure you have written a few in school or college. Rewind and replay one of those leave letters. Right from the salutation (Respected Sir/Madam) to the signature (Faithfully/Obediently yours) it reeks of colonialism. And, we have yet to learn our lessons. In this age of globalization (or globalisation, to my stiff-upper-lip comrades), it is important to pay attention to the three Cs: Consistency, Context, and Culture. http://tc.eserver.org/34440.html http://tc.eserver.org/34440.html This article examines the need for continuous learning and the challenges that working professionals must overcome to invest in learning. It also explores how experience makes us better learners, and analyzes the relative effectiveness of various learning techniques. http://tc.eserver.org/34441.html http://tc.eserver.org/34441.html How has Web 2.0 affected me as a writer? The ability for users to comment and rate content. Improved help systems. Blogging. http://tc.eserver.org/34442.html http://tc.eserver.org/34442.html Web Application Design Patterns by Pawan Vora provides practical user interface design guidance for developing web applications by offering a "working" starting point that designers can adapt and refine to develop creative solutions. He condenses best practice methods, along with research and solid experience to create a useful reference about designing web applications. http://tc.eserver.org/34443.html http://tc.eserver.org/34443.html So, after all, I must follow those infernal style guides. I am straight-jacketed. Am I not? http://tc.eserver.org/34444.html http://tc.eserver.org/34444.html Why do product manuals sound formal and stiff-upper-lipped? Why don’t users read manuals? These questions have haunted the precincts of Technical Writing for quite some time now. From what I have seen in Indian writers, I am forced to conclude that English Composition, as we were taught in school, is the culprit. http://tc.eserver.org/34445.html http://tc.eserver.org/34445.html The Systematic Design of Instruction is a book on Instructional Design written by Walter Dick, Lou Carey, and James O. Carey. The book introduces the fundamentals of instructional design and explains the concepts and procedures for designing, developing, and evaluating instruction. http://tc.eserver.org/34073.html http://tc.eserver.org/34073.html New York Times gadget guy David Pogue, a former Broadway orchestra conductor and MacWorld back-page columnist, is probably the world's most widely read and watched tech product reviewer. As a fellow contributor to the Times, I can confirm that anything Pogue writes pulls down several times as many page views as my most popular work. How does he do it? http://tc.eserver.org/33887.html http://tc.eserver.org/33887.html Embedded user assistance is a cutting-edge approach towards delivering online help that provides dynamic, context-sensitive, task-based information. Such a help system is very different from other types of online help in the sense that it requires very short and focused topics. This article examines embedded help system as an emerging help presentation that offers the potential for users to access information when and where they need it while using a software program. It also evaluates the ability of embedded help systems to overcome usability issues that are inherent in traditional online help systems. http://tc.eserver.org/33888.html http://tc.eserver.org/33888.html It is important to identify, understand, and evaluate key business processes to determine how effective they are in accomplishing the business goals of an organization. As a result, end-to-end business process documentation is increasingly becoming a significant initiative for many organizations. Essentially, process documentation should communicate the guidelines to support specific processes, and can be used by a wide range of business units, partners, process leaders, and anyone who is involved in these processes. Interviewing people who follow a business process is an effective method toward understanding how the business process is executed. While interviewing the right people to understand how they execute processes, it is essential that the writers look beyond just recording what they are told about the process. Handling situations like these also provide opportunities for the writers to evolve to business domain analysts or subject matter experts http://tc.eserver.org/32828.html http://tc.eserver.org/32828.html Over the last several months, a small group of web developers and designers have been hard at work perfecting a method to insert rich typography into web pages without sacrificing accessibility, search engine friendliness, or markup semantics. The method, dubbed sIFR (or Scalable Inman Flash Replacement), is the result of many hundreds of hours of designing, scripting, testing, and debugging. http://tc.eserver.org/32489.html http://tc.eserver.org/32489.html Sometimes, we come across articles on technical subjects that are hard to put down. They even make us ruminate over their content, and talk about them. Though these articles are just for our information, they end up staying in our heart by chance or by design. It is not possible to get so far a reach through the technical coverage alone. The authors have presented them so nicely that we even resist any demand to stop in the middle while reading them. We find such articles mostly in news papers and magazines. As an editor, I have my own reasons for that 'Coup de grâce'! We, the technical writers, can surely pick up some of the clues from our brethren - the journalists. http://tc.eserver.org/32490.html http://tc.eserver.org/32490.html Mentoring is an effective strategy that can contribute significantly to the career development of employees. It provides a cost-effective work-based learning strategy to achieve career development outcomes for individual employees. It is an effective method for the transference of professional, technical and management skills. http://tc.eserver.org/32491.html http://tc.eserver.org/32491.html 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. http://tc.eserver.org/32492.html http://tc.eserver.org/32492.html Here’s a complaint I’ve heard from most of the technical writers I’ve met: “I never get to meet my users.” User input helps us decide what content to include and in what form, and can confirm whether our books are effective. But getting user input can be difficult—at least I thought so, until I discovered a fun way to meet hundreds of users each year. http://tc.eserver.org/32493.html http://tc.eserver.org/32493.html Surprisingly, my first experience as an interviewer was as uneasy as my first job interview. I then realized that being on the other side of the table is not as easy as it is made out to be, especially if conducting an interview is unfamiliar territory. Later on, as I matured into this role, I created a style of my own and soon found it to be an interesting and inspiring proposition, though challenging. http://tc.eserver.org/32494.html http://tc.eserver.org/32494.html Sometimes users find it difficult to perform tasks based on the information provided. Take a minute to understand why this could happen. http://tc.eserver.org/29361.html http://tc.eserver.org/29361.html The biggest impact of globalization is our vast exposure to diversity. Compared to earlier generations, we regularly come across a variety of different people. As professional communicators, it is extremely important for us to recognize this diversity and represent it sensitively in content that we develop. http://tc.eserver.org/28813.html http://tc.eserver.org/28813.html Editing is an art that needs to be cultivated and fine-tuned just like any other. When one is novice, the editing goals are to proofread, to clean up the text, and to correct 'grammatical' errors. The entire focus is on words and phrases. So, when they edit, they read the text as it comes and edit the words to make the text read better. What is it that they really miss? They often miss the big picture, the whole idea, and the context. http://tc.eserver.org/28814.html http://tc.eserver.org/28814.html At last, a book on what ails English in India! Why do we speak the way we do? Why do we switch to the passive voice in English, though we keep to the active in our mother tongues? Why are our letters long and wordy and yet can't get the point across? Why are our textbooks so wordy, and yet so vacuous? http://tc.eserver.org/28815.html http://tc.eserver.org/28815.html Usability testing brings with it images of sterile usability testing labs...users grappling with tasks set out for them, unsure if the test measured their merits or those of the help system...and experts talking in hushed tones of 'cognitivism, constructivism, behaviourism and what-have-you-ism'. A close observation and accurate record of user interaction with the artifact to be tested, in a real-life environment, can often ascertain if the document was worth its screen captures and fonts by establishing the only fact that counts - Did it help or not? As a writer, who began my career in communication at an advertising agency, I have often used a few 'tricks-of-the-trade' routinely used by copywriters, (like emphasis on the word FREE in advertisements), with predictably happy results, from the 'user-perspective'. http://tc.eserver.org/28812.html http://tc.eserver.org/28812.html Instead of becoming computer users, like the cheery protagonists of Star Trek, we've become the computer used, like the gloomy inhabitants of Dilbert. http://tc.eserver.org/27086.html http://tc.eserver.org/27086.html During the last few years in projects, I interacted with a lot of clients. All these projects were based offshore, where client interaction was mainly through emails or teleconferences. When you do not work face-to-face with clients, communication is key to win your clients' confidence. http://tc.eserver.org/27084.html http://tc.eserver.org/27084.html This article looks at a methodology for developing a software user assistance (UA) system in a structured manner. The software UA system could have both paper-based user manuals and online help systems. http://tc.eserver.org/27085.html http://tc.eserver.org/27085.html While it takes special forensic tools to access most of the hidden information in computers, some of it is in plain view and can be seen without forensic tools. This article is about one of the 'plain view' instances: information Microsoft Word saves about you, your company, and the topic you are writing about, all of which can be seen by anyone who has access to your document. http://tc.eserver.org/26066.html http://tc.eserver.org/26066.html Illustrations and technical graphics are essential to any technical documentation. They assist users' understanding by simplifying complex content through clear, understandable and effective information. A primary objective of technical documentation is to ensure that users use products effectively and safely. Graphics and illustrations assist in accomplishing this objective. Striking the right balance between text and graphics enables documentation to be effective support to product use. This article recommends a few guidelines and best practices to adopt when working with illustrations and graphics in technical documents. http://tc.eserver.org/26068.html http://tc.eserver.org/26068.html Microsoft is one of the largest software companies in the world. Thus, with their rich experience in documentation it is only natural that they share it with the rest of the IT industry. The Microsoft Manual of Style for Technical Publications, Third Edition (MSTP) is the latest step in this direction and takes care of latest technologies and technical terms. http://tc.eserver.org/26067.html http://tc.eserver.org/26067.html Before we discuss sentence types and structures, let us regard writing as a donut. When talking of sentence types, we will consider four building blocks of the donut. http://tc.eserver.org/26069.html http://tc.eserver.org/26069.html Want to know more abou words? Or want some more brilliant snippets? Log on to The Word Spy. It is a site maintained by Paul McFedries, the well-known author and word-follower. http://tc.eserver.org/26062.html http://tc.eserver.org/26062.html A few of aspects that are easy to miss in the excitement of trying to implement an XML-based information architecture in an organization. http://tc.eserver.org/26063.html http://tc.eserver.org/26063.html Information Architecture (IA) as a discipline practiced by professionals in the information processing and development industry has many definitions and levels of understanding. http://tc.eserver.org/26064.html http://tc.eserver.org/26064.html A discussion of th Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level formula, as implemented in Microsoft Word. http://tc.eserver.org/26065.html http://tc.eserver.org/26065.html Tasks need to be managed to be completed on time, with available resources to achieve the required result. http://tc.eserver.org/26061.html http://tc.eserver.org/26061.html In working with information-development groups who want to move into content management and a structured writing environment, I often find that the potential for role of information architect is not well understood. http://tc.eserver.org/26053.html http://tc.eserver.org/26053.html Are Pune technical writers the highest paid of the breed in India? The word on the street doesn't say so. As a hiring manager, I don't believe so. But, the salary survey suggests so. http://tc.eserver.org/26054.html http://tc.eserver.org/26054.html Thanks to Makarand, Paresh, Mira, and other contributors, some of our questions are answered after a gap of two years and we have some takeaways from the salary survey. http://tc.eserver.org/26052.html http://tc.eserver.org/26052.html Comparing trends in India and the U.S. gives a sense that the Indian technical communication community is on a strong footing and can gain a competitive edge by focusing on some key areas. http://tc.eserver.org/26055.html http://tc.eserver.org/26055.html When I tried to look at the salary survey from the point of view of a Technical Communication Service Provider (TCSP), I noticed quite a few interesting points. http://tc.eserver.org/26056.html http://tc.eserver.org/26056.html Among the constant chattering noise that these numbers are making, they also sing some common tunes. http://tc.eserver.org/26057.html http://tc.eserver.org/26057.html Once our profession is known outside IT, the scope for technical writers will grow in geometric proportions. Clearly, there are good times ahead. http://tc.eserver.org/26058.html http://tc.eserver.org/26058.html The movement of jobs from the U.S. and other countries to India has really fueled salary growth. http://tc.eserver.org/26059.html http://tc.eserver.org/26059.html While there are a few obvious anomalies in the numbers, the average salary of people with less than a year's experience being more than that of 1-2 years range, mostly the numbers appear to be credible. http://tc.eserver.org/26060.html http://tc.eserver.org/26060.html Employers are not looking for certification or relevant technical writing educational qualifications while hiring or while designing the compensation package. http://tc.eserver.org/25984.html http://tc.eserver.org/25984.html This article explores the work habits of technical writers in different regions of the world. The article is based on a a survey and publishes the results based on the responses of 900+ technical writers worldwide. http://tc.eserver.org/19743.html http://tc.eserver.org/19743.html We often hear that users do not read documents. To lure readers into reading our documents, we must make documents user-friendly. http://tc.eserver.org/19745.html http://tc.eserver.org/19745.html Any large audience for a Web site will include users who have physical challenges to accessing your content. Designing for accessibility means that you should be developing Web pages that will remain accessible despite any physical, sensory, and cognitive disabilities, work constraints, or technological barriers. Most mainstream Web sites are so heavily image- and media-intensive that they are not suitable for adaptive devices such as screen readers, voice browsers, and braille translators. Many of the guidelines necessary for developing accessible content naturally lend themselves to creating good design. http://tc.eserver.org/19744.html http://tc.eserver.org/19744.html Many professionals in the field of technical writing involved in the design of instruction guides, will at some point in their career have experienced some doubt whether their efforts to produce high quality documentation really make sense. Do consumers attach some value to the instruction guides for the products they have purchased? Do they use these documents at all, or are most instruction guides thrown away, together with the packing material of the equipment they come with? http://tc.eserver.org/19738.html http://tc.eserver.org/19738.html Good writing allows writers to be taken seriously, and being taken seriously is always important in communicating ideas effectively. If a person's writing is awkward, clumsy, or questionable, readers may get the wrong impression. And, first impressions can determine what people will read and what they will not. http://tc.eserver.org/19739.html http://tc.eserver.org/19739.html 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. http://tc.eserver.org/19740.html http://tc.eserver.org/19740.html Writing is popularly considered a spontaneous exercise, and often is. Spontaneous writing, however, does not always result in high quality results. http://tc.eserver.org/19741.html http://tc.eserver.org/19741.html Authoring tools are used to create and integrate the components of knowledge products. They include tools used by designers, writers, editors, artists, animators, photographers, videographers, and others involved in producing knowledge products. http://tc.eserver.org/19746.html http://tc.eserver.org/19746.html Usability is an abstract quality by itself. However, it can be divided into measurable attributes. http://tc.eserver.org/19737.html http://tc.eserver.org/19737.html If you are reading this you’re probably responsible for preparing print, electronic, or visual materials for a client base that is marketing, selling, informing, and/or teaching in another part of the world. If that doesn't exactly describe you at this moment, it will be part of your job description in the future. http://tc.eserver.org/19742.html http://tc.eserver.org/19742.html Usability is rapidly becoming an important skill for technical communicators and a growing interest for those seeking to expand their role as technical communicators into other areas of product development. The STC usability SIG now has over 2000 members, and the conference sessions at STC regional and annual conferences increasingly focus on usability. This year, a new 'stem' was created at the annual conference, which combined Information Design and Usability, because they just naturally belong together. It worked so well that it will be continued in future conferences. http://tc.eserver.org/19732.html http://tc.eserver.org/19732.html Freelancing is one of the most lucrative options available to Technical Writers. While being your own boss may sound pleasant, it is not as easy as it sounds. http://tc.eserver.org/19735.html http://tc.eserver.org/19735.html The cost of software failure in terms of schedule overruns and poor quality are well known. http://tc.eserver.org/19731.html http://tc.eserver.org/19731.html The needless repetition of words and the repeating of ideas is everywhere - in newspapers, books, magazines, e-mails, television, and even in conversation. They’re called redundancies and the English language is full of them. In fact, research shows that about 50 percent of English is redundant. http://tc.eserver.org/19736.html http://tc.eserver.org/19736.html The IT revolution has been a much-needed boon for India. It has not only changed the fiscal reserves ($), ushered a new economy and created numerous job opportunities but also caused worldwide recognition of Indian talent. The revolution has been slow, but never a result of chance accidents. In earlier revolutions, Indians missed the bus and became followers, but the IT revolution is different as we have taken the lead and demonstrated our capabilities in the software sector to the world. http://tc.eserver.org/19734.html http://tc.eserver.org/19734.html Technology changes the way we live. It also affects the way we speak. As the gadgets we make and use grow more complex, we’re sneaking in complexities into the words we use too. Like ‘printed book’. What was always called just a ‘book’ (hard cover or paperback) is now called a printed book, simply because now we have e-books. What was once simply a guitar is now an acoustic guitar, because of the growing popularity of electric guitars. http://tc.eserver.org/19730.html http://tc.eserver.org/19730.html It's the information age, you know... it has been for a while. You hear people say that you can find anything on the Internet. What they don't tell you though, is how. Sure, there are search engines and there are SEARCH engines, but nobody tells you how to use them properly. Well, this is about how to make the most of search engines. While this article is written with a focus on Google (www.google.com), the principles can be applied to other search engines as well. http://tc.eserver.org/19729.html http://tc.eserver.org/19729.html A technical writer in power systems must be a perfect jack-of -all trades, with flair to glean information on materials, equipments, systems, applications – and the related skills! A keen eye for detail is critical. The smallest slip can cause a serious mishap. But curiosity never killed a good technical writer! Being a good electrical engineer inherently takes care of most of these requirements - certainly not all. The scope is limitless to the self-motivated communicator. http://tc.eserver.org/19728.html http://tc.eserver.org/19728.html Ten years ago, if someone had asked me about my profession, I would have spent a good 15 minutes explaining what I did for a living. Today, ‘Technical Writing’ is answer enough. This is one notable change in my life. In the last 10 years, I have witnessed many important changes in the field of technical writing. Here are a few.