Archive for June 2009
Can Technical Writers Write Business Plans?
The other day, a colleague asked if I write business plans. My first thought was, “No, except for my own.” Then, she said, “After all, it is rather technical.” Well, of course, technical writers are perfectly skilled for writing business plans. Let’s see, what does it entail? Research Presenting information in a nontechnical manner Designing…
Read MorePersonal Productivity Tips and Tools
Here are some personal productivity tools and tips for you: *** Track Your Documents *** You have sent a PDF or Word document by email. But do you know if it has been read at all? Now there is a software that can tell you not only if your attachment is read but also * …
Read MoreWhat type of training you like best?
Would you help me understand what type of training you like best? Right now I’m preparing a set of new courses to offer in various technical communication topics. It would help me a lot to know what type of training you prefer the best so that I can offer you a training platform that you…
Read MoreWikipedia Punishes "Writing for Cash"
Here is an interesting development that should be of interest to all freelance copy and technical writers around the world: Wikipedia caught one of its editors writing for cash. How do you feel about this? [poll id=”3″] (Excerpt:) A longtime Wikipedia admin has been caught editing the online encyclopedia in exchange for cash. But the…
Read MoreREADER QUESTION: What qualifies as "doctoring" an image?
© 2009 Ugur Akinci ANSWER: When you change (modify) an image, the new work is sometimes referred to as the “derivative” work or image. An example: let’s say you buy a stock image of a kid eating a cone of ice cream on a background of a “school.” If you change the background in Photoshop…
Read MoreMedical Writing – A Great Specialty for Technical Communicators
© Ugur Akinci Medical writing is a lucrative field for technical and copy writers alike. It’s one of those niches where these two genres overlap considerably since medical writing requires both technical knowledge and the skills of a good copy writer. Legendary copy writer Bob Bly says this is how much he charges for some…
Read MoreHow to Use Twitter to Share Software Release Notes
© 2009 Ugur Akinci Here is a rather cutting-edge use of Twitter, posted by fellow tech writer Sarah Maddox. It remains to be seen whether this method will be adopted as yet another channel of release note distribution but it definitely deserves some consideration (confidentiality considerations aside). Excerpt: What we did Here’s the plan of…
Read MoreHow to Subscribe to Craigslist Job Alerts via RSS Feed
Craigslist.com is a wonderful resource for those looking for copy or technical writing job assignments. But most people check out the ads by eyeballing them daily. That’s a lot of work. Here is a much easier and automatic way of finding out about new jobs: create your own Craigslist RSS feed. Follow these steps: 1)…
Read MoreA Great Time to Retrain for Technical Communicators and Writers
The U.S. and the world economy is going through some dire straits as these lines are written. But have you considered that the economic recession might also be an excellent time for retraining? That way, when the economy bounces back, you’ll be in an excellent position to take advantage of the new opportunities out there.…
Read MoreFive Things Technical Writers need to do at least Once
by Will Kelly I’ve had a chance to meet with some technical writers, hiring managers, and potential clients over the past few weeks and the picture of the technical writing profession remains as troubled as ever. While many senior technical writers are driven into contracting there is still an insular technical writing community that has…
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