Technical Writing
Mayfield Handbook of Technical and Scientific Writing
There are so many good free resources out there to help technical writers at all levels. Here is one such resource: Mayfield Handbook of Technical and Scientific Writing Authors: Leslie C. Perelman, Edward Barrett, and James Paradis Click here to have free and instant access to this resource
Read MoreHow Learning SQL can Help your Technical Communication Career
© 2010 Ugur Akinci SQL stands for “Structured Query Language” and is pronounced either as “S-Q-L” or “sequel”. It is the most wide-spread language used around the world today for interacting with relational databases. If you already know or planning to learn SQL you have a great advantage over those technical communicators who don’t since…
Read MoreHow to Add Sound to an OpenOffice 3.0 Impress Slide
© 2010 Ugur Akinci (1) Open the OpenOffice Impress slide to which you’d like to add a sound clip. This sound file will play each time you load the slide. (2) Click the Gallery button on the Graphics Toolbar (bottom of page). This will display the Gallery screen at the top of the selected slide:…
Read MoreTechnical Writing — NASA's list of "Weak Phrases"
When writing a technical document or specification, you should get rid of the following phrases whenever you can. They were found to be ineffective by NASA Software Assurance Technology Center: adequate as a minimum as applicable easy as appropriate be able to be capable but not limited to capability of capability to effective if practical…
Read MoreOpenOffice 3.0 Impress — an Impressive Slide Presentation Program Indeed
© 2010 Ugur Akinci I have used Microsoft Office for god knows how many years and I’ll continue to use it in the foreseeable future. But OpenOffice is a great productivity suite too, and it’s free as well. Here is a quick look at Impress, OpenOffice 3.0’s impressive slide presentation program, the full equivalent of…
Read MoreShould You Get a Technical Communication (or Writing) Certificate, or Diploma?
© 2010 Ugur Akinci Here’s a question TCC readers ask me often: “Should I get a diploma or certificate in technical writing/communication?” I’m big on education and training. But my answer to this question is always: “It depends.” Let me explain. First off, if your current or prospective employer demands that you get a certificate…
Read More22 Questions to Ask Before Writing a Technical Manual
The traditional book format (“codex”) is under serious attack both from online and ebook platforms, and structured documents that have “topic” as their most basic information unit instead of the “page.” However, I believe the book format will be with us for a long time to come while XML-based non-book formats continue to make important…
Read More10 Characteristics of High-Quality SRS (Software Requirements Specifications)
© Ugur Akinci NASA’s Software Assurance Technology Center has identified the following as the ten important criteria that any SRS (Software Requirements Specifications) should satisfy: 1. Complete A complete requirements specification must precisely define all the real world situations that will be encountered and the capability’s responses to them. It must not include situations that…
Read MoreIs your Technical Communication career dying? How to revive it
A great article that I’m sure applies to the careers of some technical communicators offers some valuable advice for sagging careers. It starts with asking the following list of signs which might mean that you career is in trouble: You are unhappy with the nature of your work You aren’t growing You feel overshadowed You…
Read MoreUsing Color in Designing Learning Modules
(Excerpts) Studies have shown that the use of color can greatly impact learning and retention. There is evidence to suggest that thoughtfully designing the color of your learning courses will be time well spent. In a study by the Poynter Institute, participants were shown two newspaper pages. The pages were identical in every way except…
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