Simplicity Trumps Complexity….Mostly!

One of the tips for creating a help project is to keeps things simple. This applies as much to the content as it does to the manner in which it is produced. The tool used to produce it has a big bearing on how simple the documentation process is of course but sometimes you just have to bend the rules.

McAndrew, Colum. RoboColum(n), The (2009). Articles>Documentation>Help>Minimalism

The RoboColum(n)

With in excess of ten years front line authoring experience and many more producing training documentation, I have a passion for language, its use and its odities. I was an Account Manager for a computer bureau providing a service to the advertising industry prior to taking the plunge into technical authoring. A large part of this was the production of technical training material for the ad-hoc customer training and classroom led courses held in the company’s training suite.

McAndrew, Colum. RoboColum(n), The (2009). Articles>Documentation>Help>Minimalism

Top 10 Technical Writer Annoyances

The life of a Technical Writer is far from boring. Days spent typing away at a keyboard are often disturbed by the rigours of the corporate world. I was reminded of this earlier today when one of my team, a relatively new recruit to the world of technical authoring, discovered that occasionally being kept in the dark can be annoying. In honour of this momentous occasion, I offer to you for your delectation my own top ten ways to annoy a Technical Author.

McAndrew, Colum. RoboColum(n), The (2009). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing>Collaboration