Four Ideas to Organize Your Technical Document Images and Screen Shots

Most technical writers would include at least a few images to illustrate a point, or screen shots that accompany the description of a certain step-by-step procedure, etc. Organizing such images can really become a problem, especially when you have dozens and hundreds of them. Finding, editing, and importing them can quickly become a logistical nightmare, especially when a technical writer is working under a deadline pressure. Here are four ideas to organize and name your images for higher productivity.

Akinci, Ugur. Technical Communication Center (2009). Articles>Graphic Design>Technical Illustration>Screen Captures

White Papers: How Vista Print Signed Up 5,000 Subscribers in 60 Days

Have you considered writing White Papers for your clients, or offering them to your own prospective customers as a lead-generating device? If you operate in a technical field, I think you should definitely consider a White Paper. You can either write one ourself or have someone else write it for you.

Akinci, Ugur. Technical Communication Center (2009). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing>White Papers

The Cardinal Rule of Interviewing a Subject Matter Expert (SME) For a Document

A technical writer will periodically need to interview Subject Matter Experts (SME) to gather information about a technical document. More often that not, and especially within the context of software development, most SMEs are engineers and software developers. But they can also be mechanical, electrical and other types of engineers, hardware installers, network engineers, testers, site foremen, call center engineers, field technicians, sales or marketing people, local dealers, etc. One cardinal rule of interviewing an SME is to do your homework well, in advance.

Akinci, Ugur. Technical Communication Center (2009). Articles>Interviewing>Technical Writing>SMEs

How to Format Your Technical Documents Consistently With a Template

Consistency of a technical documentation is what creates that subliminal sense of trust and confidence in the end-users. Someone once quipped: “it ain’t technical documentation if it ain’t boring.” This of course is not true since I always found technical documents very interesting indeed. I’m the sort of geekish person who can marvel at a well-designed user’s manual for hours and appreciate its beauty and all the effort and thinking that went into its production. I imagine how happy people would be when they use that manual and solve their problems and that, believe it or not, makes me happy as well. That’s the main reason why I’m in this business.

Akinci, Ugur. Technical Communication Center (2009). Articles>Document Design>Style Sheets>Technical Writing

How to Comply With Moral and Ethical Standards in Technical Documentation

Technical writing has a number of moral and ethical standards that a professional technical writer needs to comply with. Violate them at your own peril, by risking the sudden demise of your career. Here are some of these issues.

Akinci, Ugur. Technical Communication Center (2009). Articles>Documentation>Technical Writing>Ethics

Top 3 Open Source Software You Can Use to Write and Design Technical Documents

Although I love using the proprietary software that I’ve mentioned in the first sentence, I enjoy using open source software as well since some of them are actually better than the paid software in some respects.

Akinci, Ugur. Technical Communication Center (2009). Articles>Software>Technical Writing>Open Source

Wurman’s LATCH Model of Information Organization For Technical Documentation

Technical writing has its mechanical aspects that need to be mastered. A good technical writer must know how to use English effectively as well as various software products to produce acceptable technical documents. But I wish technical writing were all about that. The hardest part comes before one even sits down in front of a computer to type the first word. The hardest part in documenting anything is organizing the information in a way that makes sense from the user’s point of view. Otherwise a technical document suddenly looks irrelevant.

Akinci, Ugur. Technical Communication Center (2009). Articles>Information Design>Documentation>Technical Writing

Why Qualified Translators Are a Must in Product Localization and Translation?

Money paid to qualified technical writers and translators in a localization project is money spent very well indeed. Why? Because the worst thing for a project is to have the customers or end users switch to another product since they either cannot understand the instructions and the way an interface works, or the localized copy contains embarrassing mistakes that damage the brand name and image.

Akinci, Ugur. Technical Communication Center (2008). Articles>Language>Localization>Technical Translation

How to Structure FrameMaker Paragraphs While Using the Unstructured Interface

Using the structured features requires advanced training and you probably won’t need them anyways unless you’re doing any “single sourcing” (which is the topic of yet another article). For example if you were doing any XML-based authoring or “database publishing” then you would definitely need to learn how to use the FrameMaker’s structured interface. However, there is an easy way to imitate structured documentation while you are still in the unstructured mode. This is one case in which you can have your cake (unstructured FM) and take a bite out of it too (by enjoying one selected feature of structured documentation).

Akinci, Ugur. Technical Communication Center (2009). Articles>Document Design>Technical Writing>Adobe FrameMaker

Seven Time-Tested Principles to Design a Cover For a Technical Document

Here are seven time-tested design recommendations culled from my 20 years of experience as a professional writer, page layout and information designer.

Akinci, Ugur. Technical Communication Center (2008). Articles>Document Design>Technical Writing

How to Create a New Paragraph Style in a FrameMaker Document

Adobe FrameMaker is the information design platform of choice for most professional technical writers and technical communicators across the globe. Like all powerful software applications, FrameMaker also has a lot of features and configuration possibilities. One of those features is the ability to create new paragraph styles. Each paragraph style in FrameMaker is represented by a “Paragraph Tag.” So to create a new formatting style you actually create a “tag.” Here is how you can create a new paragraph style/tag for your FrameMaker (FM) document.

Akinci, Ugur. Technical Communication Center (2008). Articles>Document Design>Style Sheets>Adobe FrameMaker

What Doc Managers Look for in a Résumé?

Most hiring managers, and I am no exception, take a couple of passes when reviewing résumés. The first pass eliminates people who are clearly not what I am looking for. I try to answer two questions: first, are this person’s qualifications even in the ballpark for the job, and second, can he or she write at least well enough to create a competent résumé? Answering the first of these questions is not hard, but it does require that you understand the job requirements thoroughly and read the résumé closely.

Technical Communication Center (2008). Careers>Resumes>Documentation>Technical Writing

Advantages of Using Microsoft SourceSafe While Writing Your Technical Documents

Microsoft’s Visual SourceSafe was not created with technical communicators in mind. It was created for engineers writing software source code. But it is successfully used by technical writers in offices around the world to control documentation.

Technical Communication Center (2009). Articles>Content Management>Documentation>Technical Writing

Seven Top Web Writing Principles For Technical Writers

Web writing is one of those assignments that technical writers do well due to their organized approach to technical information. But web writing differs from regular user guide and procedural writing in some important respects. The Web is a fast place. People usually don’t have the time to go through long essays.

Technical Communication Center (2009). Articles>Web Design>Writing>Technical Writing

Technical Writing and Technical Communication As a Job and a Career - Is it For You?

You might perhaps be considering whether to become a technical writer or not. You might be wondering: “What kind of a job technical writing is exactly and what does the future hold?” I can tell you right away that, at its most fundamental level, technical writing is safe and comfortable office work.

Technical Communication Center (2009). Careers>TC>Technical Writing

Why the Future of Documentation Belongs to Extended Markup Language?

XML, that is, Extended Markup Language, is the future of technical writing. There are TWO important reasons why that is so: XML is at the heart of “single sourcing” movement; and XML is a documentation manager’s dream since writing once and publishing many times drops unit production costs tremendously.

Akinci, Ugur. Technical Communication Center (2009). Articles>Documentation>XML>Planning

When Should You Definitely Use Jargon in a Technical Document?

As a technical writer you’ve heard this piece of sage writing advice a thousand times: you should stay away from jargon and write as you speak. It’s basic. Strunk & White said so, didn’t they? It’s true. But is this rule true ALL the time, unconditionally? No, I’m afraid it is not. Life has its exceptions. And so does this “rule.”

Akinci, Ugur. Technical Communication Center (2009). Articles>Writing>Diction>Technical Writing

How to Use the Bulleted Lists Properly in Your Technical Document?

Bulleted lists are important in technical writing. They summarize information in a manner that is easy to read and absorb. Use them whenever you can to get your information across quickly. Bullets are ideal for things-to-do, equipment, sets, collections, cooking ingredients, and all kinds of other lists.

Akinci, Ugur. Technical Communication Center (2009). Articles>Documentation>Style Guides>Technical Writing

How to Avoid Unnecessary Granularity

The more skilled and experienced the readers are, the more they hate to be told in minute detail what to do. The more skilled and experienced the readers are, the more they like Checklists instead of detailed procedural steps.

Akinci, Ugur. Technical Communication Center (2009). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing

Technical and Copy Writing: How to Use Causality Correctly

Organize your writing so that it becomes very clear what kind of cause-and-effect relationship exists between different elements of your argument.

Technical Communication Center (2008). Articles>Writing>Diction>Technical Writing

Technical and Copy Writing: How to Write “Hamburger Emails”

You can use the “Hamburger Paradigm” of writing not only for technical articles and copy but for other types of communications as well, ranging from emails to criticism.

Technical Communication Center (2009). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing

Should I Hire a Good American Writer Or an Excellent Writer From Another Country?

When seeking freelance copywriters, many buyers specify that their only interest is in writers who speak English as a native language. Frequently buyers will request writers from a particular country such as the USA, the UK, Canada or Australia. This overlooks the fact that English is spoken as a first or second language in many countries. In fact, except for Mandarin Chinese, English is the most spoken language in the world.

Rashid, Saman. Technical Communication Center (2009). Careers>Management>Writing>Offshoring

Resume Power Tip: Think Technical Writing

The most effective and powerful resumes provide analytical, precise detail about your background and achievements. In fact, resume writing has a strong correlation to technical writing in that both styles demand extreme precision. In fact, most readers of your resume will assume that what you show on paper correlates strongly to what you can do for your next employer.

Akinci, Ugur. Technical Communication Center (2009). Careers>Resumes>Writing>Technical Writing

Writing For the Market

If you’re a generalist, as most tech writers are, you write about many things in a variety of media with a number of objectives. Each new job involves determining who your audience is, what their needs are, and how your product or service can satisfy those needs. Then you need to recognize, understand, and adjust your writing so one time it appeals to the camper and the next time to the business owner.

Moore, W. Leonard. Technical Communication Center (2009). Articles>Business Communication>Technical Writing

Why You Need to Understand Your Readers Before You Start Writing

Knowing your document’s intended reading audience before you begin writing will always help you write more effective documentation. There are three simple questions you should always ask before you start writing.

Yee, Samantha. Technical Communication Center (2009). Articles>Writing>Audience Analysis>Technical Writing