Screen Captures 102  

An introduction to generating screen captures from Microsoft Windows computers. Consider your deliverables; where is the screen capture going to be used and seen by the customer? This helps you determine how you need to create your screen capture.

Brierley, Sean. TECHWR-L (2002). Books>Documentation>Technical Illustration>Screen Captures

Screen Captures 102  

This document is about making screen captures for technical writers working primarily in a Microsoft Windows environment. The tools targeted include Adobe FrameMaker, Microsoft Word, Adobe Acrobat, along with Techsmith’s SnagIt, Adobe Photoshop, and Ulead’s PhotoImpact 4.2. Certainly, the thoughts and techniques mentioned herein can be applied to other professions, other operating systems, and other tools.

Brierley, Sean. TECHWR-L. Books>Documentation>Image Editing>Screen Captures

So You Want to Get Paid on Time? Here's How to Make It Happen

'I love everything about being self-employed--except for waiting to get paid! My paychecks never seem to arrive on time. Sometimes my clients forget to send my invoices to Accounts Payable or the invoices get misplaced; other times the process just bogs down and takes forever. Whatever the reason, I'm stuck waiting for checks that don't come.' This article addresses the question: How can I get my clients to pay on time?

Fugate, Alice E. TECHWR-L (2003). Careers>Freelance>Consulting

Social Rules for Creating a Style Guide

Creating a style guide may initially seem like a terminology affair ('option button' or 'radio button' - pick one), but the real challenge lies in persuading the department to adopt new style principles. Some writers will feel threatened by change, and respond in bizarre and unpredictable ways. Whisper campaigns and ambushes may lie in wait for you. Beware, innovative editor! Before you even think about the literary details of style, prepare to do battle with the true Goliaths and Grendyls: the department itself. By following these five rules below, you can avoid an unexpected apocalypse when you reveal the new guide.

Johnson, Tom H. TECHWR-L (2006). Articles>Writing>Style Guides

Structure Paves the Way Online

What I've called structure in this series actually has various other names, the most familiar of which are probably 'hierarchy' or 'information architecture.' Whichever word you use, structure encapsulates the relationships between the components of a site that visitors will use to navigate to the information they seek. Structure is simple enough to define, but can be devilishly tricky to create. A successful site structure must create what psychologists refer to as a schema: A mental model that visitors can use to understand where you've hidden the content.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. TECHWR-L (2001). Design>Web Design>Information Design

The Style Guide is 'Dead': Long Live the Dynamic Style Guide!

Nobody, least of all an editor like me, would argue that printed style guides are really dead--at least not in the sense that they're no longer with us and no longer useful. Yet there's no doubt that printed style guides are looking a little antequated these days. Despite how useful the guides are to writers and editors, they're simply too static for most writers, and don't take advantage of computer technology to make the writer's working life easier. But if you're thinking that online style guides are inherently better solutions, think again; using the computer to find static information certainly helps, but simply moving a paper guide online only exchanges one form of 'static' for another.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. TECHWR-L (2003). Articles>Style Guides>Writing

Successful Online Presence: Relevance

'Relevance' means the ability of a site to present information that satisfies the visitor's immediate needs; if it doesn't meet those needs, then it's (by definition) irrelevant to that visitor. Obviously, our goal in designing a site is to make its content as relevant as possible to visitors. The key to understanding what makes something relevant lies in recognizing that relevance is never a static, unchanging aspect of the content you provide: Some things must change regularly and some must stay the same, but some may fall into both categories at different times. Knowing which information falls into each category, and when, can be tricky, because it relies on sound knowledge of the people who will be using your information and whose needs you'll be satisfying. Unfortunately, those needs change.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. TECHWR-L (2002). Design>Web Design>Writing

Take Control: What To Do When Your Job Interviewers Are Tongue-Tied

When interviewing with a technical writing manager or with others who are familiar with the role of technical writers, the interview process can be a natural and productive information exchange. In such cases, interviewers can often readily define needs, assess a candidate's experience and qualifications, peruse a portfolio with their needs in mind, and initiate questions in the interview that are relevant to the position and candidate. But, what happens when interviewers are less familiar--or unfamiliar--with the role of technical writers or the technical writing position they seek to fill?

Russell, Liz. TECHWR-L (2008). Careers>Interviewing

Taking Your Show on the Road: Constructing and Using an Online Portfolio

I had considered putting my makeshift portfolio on floppy disk. Lack of disk space and a widely-used viewing format made the idea impractical, but technology had moved on in six years, and neither problem existed now. Why not put my portfolio on CD?

Byfield, Bruce. TECHWR-L (2008). Careers>Portfolios>CD ROM

Tech Writers, Grammar, and the Prescriptive Attitude

Prescriptive grammar is useful for teaching English as a second language, but it has little value for the practicing writer. Clinging to it may provide emotional security, but only at the expense of making writing harder than it needs to be. The culture-wide devotion to it will not be changed in a moment. But conscientious writers can at least change their own habits, and make life easier for themselves.

Byfield, Bruce. TECHWR-L (2008). Articles>Writing>Editing>Technical Writing

Tech Writing Folk Songs  

The long-awaited summary of Tech Writing Folklore and Minstrelsy!

TECHWR-L (1998). Humor>Writing>Multimedia>Audio

Technical Writing: Look Before You Leap

To many aspiring novelists, poets and journalists, working as a technical writer seems like the perfect stepping stone to their dreams. After all, you'll be paid to put pen to paper--something every wannabe writer dreams of. So what if it isn't the Great American Novel? You'll still have time for your own writing in your off hours. Or will you? If you are thinking about transitioning from your current non-writing position to technical writing because it's a hot market, you like technology, and/or you want to round out your freelance portfolio, you're on the right track. But if your main reason for considering the technical arena is that you enjoy writing, then re-evaluate your decision.

Chroust Ehmann, Lain. TECHWR-L (2008). Careers>Writing>Technical Writing

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