Technical Writing – How to Use the Pending Marker in FrameMaker
Introduction FrameMaker (FM) is such a wonderful software to write long and complicated books and documents. In my 20-plus years of experience as a writer and information designer, nothing came close. FM has a very powerful built-in marker functionality with which you can mark not only your index words and cross-references, but your “pending stuff”…
Read MoreTechnical Writing – Who Needs Technical Writers and Communicators?
Here is a short and random list of companies that regularly look for technical writers: Software, hardware, networking companies, security access equipment manufacturers, medical manufacturers, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, all government agencies, publishers and advertisement agencies, military installations and agencies, all Fortune 500 corporations, all non-profits, Internet and web companies, all international organizations like the United…
Read MoreThe Difference Between Acrobat Reader and Acrobat "Writer"
© Ugur Akinci NOTE: Acrobat “Writer” is the informal term with which many technical users refer to “Adobe Acrobat Pro” PDF editor. This is perhaps elementary but still I get emails and phone calls now and then from readers who are frustrated because their Acrobat won’t “behave properly.” What they specifically complain about is that…
Read MoreTwo Different Types of Software User Manuals in Technical Writing
© Ugur Akinci In technical writing, there are two different but related types of software user manuals and I call them “Button Guides” and “Procedural Tutorials”. A FUNCTION or GUI INTERFACE MANUAL explains what each “button”, or the graphic user interface (GUI) element that one sees on a screen, is all about and how does…
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