Is 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…

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Using 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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Technical Documentation through Twitter?

Here is a brave and exciting experimentation of compiling technical tips through Twitter’s vast global network… (Excerpts) Twitter is ubiquitous. People will read tweets because they’re short and punchy and because they go where we go. Rumour has it that, in contrast, people don’t read manuals. We’ve been trying a few different ways of using…

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Is Humor too Humiliating for Technical Writing?

(Excerpts) Humor as a part of tone is relevant to how technical writers project their information to their intended audiences. Many technical writers and editors of technical writing believe humor to be an inappropriate expression in most forms of technical documents. Other writers and scientists have linked humor to human health and believe humor to…

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Drexel University Offers Master of Science Program in (Technical) Communication

Drexel University’s Master of Science in Communication prepares students for careers in a wide range of professional activities. The program specializes in three areas: technical communication, science communication, and public communication. Technical communication is for those seeking employment as technical writers, computer documentation specialists, and training specialists. Science communication has much to offer those who…

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Technical Writing — End Your Sentences with What Matters the Most

© 2010 Ugur Akinci Readers remember what they read the last much better than what they read first. Thus try to end your sentences with things that really matter. Don’t end your sentences with matters of secondary importance. For example, here is a sentence from U.S. OSHA Technical Manual: “Workplace investigations of ventilation systems may…

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FrameMaker and TCS offer "Shared Review" of Technical Documents

Technical communicators now have a new workflow option to get their documents reviewed: “Shared Review” offered by Technical Communication Suite 2 (TCS2). Why “Shared Review”? To synchronize all review comments and use a single document for updating the reviews. Eliminating errors due to different reviewers not being aware of each other’s comments and/or the technical…

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