Adjust Your Documentation Plan for .NET  

Developing in the .NET environment requires internal documentation changes. Learn how to adjust your documentation plan so that it encompasses additional elements, such as the needs of mobile users.

Kelly, William T. TechRepublic (2003). Articles>Documentation>Server Side Includes

Dealing With an IT Scourge: Process Documentation  

In this article, we outline how IT analysts can effectively make determinations about the value of process documentation, and in the process, transform a potential scourge into a possible blessing.

Schiesser, Rich. TechRepublic (2005). Articles>Documentation>Programming>Project Management

Does Having a Blog Make You a Writer?  

For the techno-savvy TechRepublic member, writing in some form or fashion is an almost daily occurrence. But how effective is your communication? In this interview, author Barry Rosenberg shares his thoughts about the current state of technical writing skills.

Kaelin, Mark. TechRepublic (2005). Articles>Interviews>Technical Writing>Blogging

Download our Site Template and Make the Leap to XHTML and CSS2  

If you face a Web site redesign or need a head start on your development efforts, our free Dreamweaver MX XHTML and CSS2 template may come in handy. Download the template and see how XHTML and CSS2 can reduce coding time and increase site accessibility.

Morton, Shawn. TechRepublic (2003). Design>Web Design>Standards>XHTML

An Effective PowerPoint Presentation Requires More Skill than Clipart  

PowerPoint is the jacks-or-better of the corporate world--you've got to have it in order to stay in the game. Just try giving a seminar without PowerPoint or showing up at a meeting with, gasp, paper handouts. I live in mortal fear that my eulogy will be delivered as a broken PowerPoint stack.

TechRepublic (2007). Articles>Presentations>Software>Microsoft PowerPoint

Five Tips for Developing the Soft Skills IT Pros Need  

As an IT support pro, you not only need to be able to diagnose computer problems, you also must be able to effectively communicate the problem to the user. Use these tips to develop your soft skills, become a star player, and move up the IT ladder.

Firey, Carla. TechRepublic (2003). Careers>Business Communication>Technology

The Hidden Relationship Between Project Managers and Technical Writers  

Want to know the secret to better quality documentation and improved software design? Will Kelly outlines how the key is an effective relationship between project managers and technical writers.

Kelly, William T. TechRepublic (2003). Articles>Collaboration>Project Management>Technical Writing

How Do You Deal With a CEO Who Wants to Run the IT Department?  

A CEO is enamored with technology but doesn't understand the issues involved in implementing his time- and money-hungry IT ideas. What would you do to solve this problem?

Roberts, Becky. TechRepublic (2003). Careers>Management>Technology>Collaboration

How To Use the Six Laws of Persuasion during a Negotiation  

In order to be successful, you must master the persuasion process, which will enable you to deliberately create the attitude change and subsequent actions necessary for persuading others to your way of thinking. In other words, you have to be able to 'sell' your ideas in order to make changes in your favor and, in a win-win situation, provide the other side with a fair deal.

Greer, Edrie. TechRepublic (2006). Articles>Business Communication>Rhetoric

Keep Pesky Business Types at Bay by Focusing on the Strategic Goal  

If you have ever been forced to deal with business types who have no technical know-how, then you know how these types can work against IT's progress. Here's how to improve your business/IT communication by concentrating on the strategic goals.

Hardin, Ken. TechRepublic (2003). Careers>Business Communication>Project Management>Collaboration

A Lack of Coordination is Why Technical Support Isn't Working  

Technical support relies heavily on users' abilities to perform tasks, and we're all more than familiar with the difficulty involved with assisting inexperienced computer users. Most widespread worms and viruses take hold and spread due to poorly maintained systems, commonly home systems found on broadband networks.

Yarden, Jonathan. TechRepublic (2003). Articles>Business Communication>Collaboration>Help

Learn to Write a Resume that Will Get You Noticed  

Your resume could be hurting your chances of landing a new job. Columnist Jeff Davis shares some advice for making sure your resume is one that hiring managers will read.

Davis, Jeff. TechRepublic (2003). Careers>Resumes

Lessons Learned the Hard Way in an Architectural Document Disaster  

Delivering project reports in radically different formats gave the client a bad impression of this consulting firm. Here's how the staff remedied the situation and learned from their mistake.

Kalvar, Shannon T. TechRepublic (2003). Careers>Consulting>Project Management>Reports

Look Outside Conventional Techniques to Manage 'Geeks'  

Traditional approaches to management won't work with knowledge workers, who are brilliant yet notoriously resistant to being managed.

Bowers, Toni. TechRepublic (2003). Careers>Management>Collaboration

Manage the Document Life Cycle for the Important Documents on Your Project  

Not all documents require a full lifecycle, but if you understand the nature of building documents, you will be better able to plan for the time required to complete them successfully.

Mochal, Tom. TechRepublic (2005). Articles>Project Management>Documentation

The Management Track Requires Special Skills and Experience  

Moving into management is tempting to many IT pros. But before jumping into a position you're not ready for, there are a few issues you need to examine. Review these five steps and decide if you're prepared to move successfully into management nirvana.

Sisco, Michael. TechRepublic (2003). Careers>Management

Managers Should Adopt a Technical Mentor  

You may not have the time to read or the money to burn on analysts' reports, but adopting a technical mentor can help you keep your skills fresh. Here are the pros and cons of making the move.

Osborn, Matthew. TechRepublic (2003). Careers>Management>Technology>Collaboration

Members' Tips for Writing a Compelling White Paper  

It takes time and a strong focus to create a solid white paper, according to TechRepublic members who shared tips and insight about white paper creation. Find out what should be your first step and your last for a successful effort.

Mottl, Judith N. TechRepublic (2003). Articles>Business Communication>Writing>White Papers

New Managers Must Find Balance Between Tech and Management Duties  

It's tempting to fill your early days as an IT manager by focusing on problems in your comfort zone: the technical side. But to be effective, you'll have to learn to balance managing your team and attending to technical problems.

Watson, Steven A. TechRepublic (2003). Careers>Management>Technology

Put XHTML 1.0 Strict and Transitional to Work  

As its name suggests, XHTML--which is considered the successor to HTML 4--is a combination of HTML and XML. By combining the power of XML and HTML, XHTML makes Web content more accessible to devices such as phones, handhelds, and televisions. XHTML 1.0 is broken up into what the W3C refers to as three flavors: Strict, Transitional, and Frameset. In this article, I focus on the two most useful, Strict and Transitional.

Morton, Shawn. TechRepublic (2003). Articles>Web Design>Standards>XHTML

Shift Focus from Project Details to Work Processes  

Avoid looking too closely at the details when taking on a project.

Watson, Steven A. TechRepublic (2003). Careers>Project Management>Methods

Strategies When Hiring a Technical Writer  

This article offers tips for project and development managers hiring a technical writer to document a software development project.

Kelly, William T. TechRepublic (2003). Careers>Management>Writing>Technical Writing

Technical Support According to Dilbert

Help desks often follow written scripts based on how an application should work, but what if the user is faced with something out of the ordinary, and it’s something not written in the script? Software might not always behave as it’s supposed to; did a technical writer somewhere have to form a logical conclusion that might not have been correct?

Rosberg, Joe. TechRepublic (2008). Articles>Documentation>Writing>Technical Writing

Ten Grammar Mistakes That Make You Look Stupid    

These days, we tend to communicate via the keyboard as much as we do verbally. In general, we can slip up in a verbal conversation and get away with it. A colleague may be thinking, Did she just say 'irregardless'?, but the words flow on, and our worst transgressions are carried away and, with luck, forgotten. That's not the case with written communications. When we commit a grammatical crime in e-mails, discussion posts, reports, memos, and other professional documents, there's no going back. Catching typos is easy (although not everyone does it). It's the other stuff -- correctly spelled but incorrectly wielded -- that sneaks through and makes us look stupid. Here's a quick review of some of the big ones.

TechRepublic (2005). Articles>Business Communication>Grammar

Ten Obscure Word Tricks to Expedite Common Chores  

Buried within Word are lots of cool tricks that not too many people have discovered. These are small things--shortcuts that, in some cases, may not look much more efficient than pulling down a menu and heading for the dialog box you need. But if you perform a certain task a thousand times a week, being able to bypass some steps or automatically slap a change into a document without having to stop and think about it can be a welcome convenience. The techniques included here include things like making vertical text selections, creating a shortcut to launch Word using a specified template, placing the Calculate command on a toolbar for quickly adding numbers, and duplicating text and objects with the mouse.

Gilbert, Jody. TechRepublic (2006). Articles>Word Processing>Software>Microsoft Word