Technical Writing
How to Become a "User Experience Designer"
(Excerpts) About once a week, I get an email from someone who is interested in becoming a user experience professional. They ask me a series of questions about how one would do this. The questions and areas of focus for these emails vary dramatically, depending on the interests of the individual asking. I thought it…
Read MoreHow to Overcome the Resistance to Change in Policy and Procedure Writing
(Excerpt) Let’s name our elephant “Status Quo.” People seem to be adverse to change—after all—who wants their cheese moved? Perhaps that’s why when you write new policies and procedures, you may encounter resistance from your readers. When people learn that a new policy or procedure is about to be unveiled, the following comments may be…
Read MoreTechnical Communicators Association of New Zealand (TCANZ)
Background The Association was formally established in Auckland in 1997 as the New Zealand Technical Writers Association (NZTWA) by a group of technical writers who had been meeting informally for some time. The NZTWA was renamed TCANZ in August 2002 to reflect the broader role performed by technical communicators. Objectives The objectives of the Association…
Read MoreHow to Write Web Content with SEO in Mind
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a “necessary evil” for most writers and I agree with them. It’s not easy to write with SEO in mind because that brings in yet another level of discipline and complexity to a craft that is already complex and hard in many ways. But, on the other hand, if you…
Read MoreTechnical Writing in Japan
Keys to producing user-friendly manuals for the Japanese market In today’s Japanese market, winning the customer’s trust in one’s company and products requires placing ever more attention to after-sales service. For instance, the corporate image is often determined by the quality and reliability of the after-sales service when problems occur after buying a product. With…
Read MoreShould You Use Twitter for Release Notes and Bug Fixes?
© 2010 Ugur Akinci The rumor is that the Twitter is now used by some companies to share Release Notes and distribute Bug Fixes, two important components of the software development cycle. The advantages of using the Twitter are obvious: Twitter is fast, and through retwitting, your message can potentially reach millions quickly, and for…
Read MoreBOOK: 101 Tips and Tutorials to Write Like a Pro!
Improve Your English Right Away Boost up your writing instantly by taking advantage of these 101 power tips provided by a Fortune 100 writer (yours truly). 126 page PDF file. Over 35,500 words. Includes hundreds of examples. —————————– This is what Bob Bly, the legendary Copy Writer, said about this book: ““Frankly, I was expecting…
Read MoreJust-in-Time Manufacturing Technology Terms
A very interesting compilation of terms related to the just-in-time manufacturing technology used by all major auto manufacturers: MSRP EIA’s are probably connected with the retail automotive industry, but eachCompany has a manufacturer’s suggested retail price for its products. That is the price quoted when you know how much you save with a discount. When…
Read MoreCommunication is Critical For Engineering Students
(Excerpts) After 25 years of teaching UC Berkeley engineering students the writing and speaking skills they will need for their profession, the Technical Communication Program in the UC Berkeley College of Engineering faces potential elimination. The loss of this program will do irreparable damage to the future careers of engineering students and to the strength…
Read MoreTechnical Writing Salaries in the USA
Enter your U.S. city and state in this web site and it tells you the average salary that a technical writer (or any other occupation for that matter) makes. For example, in New York, NY, an average tech writer seems to make $89,000. In Los Angeles, it drops to $70,000. Check your own city and…
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