02Dec
Software products have found ways to share content and reuse content to deliver more value with limited resources. For example, fantasy football web sites share player news, injury reports, and game statistics. Security products often reuse security announcements and warnings from trusted sources, and present them as rebranded content. We are also seeing software vendors using Twitter and RSS feeds to distribute information and announcements. The next step is when these information feeds are integrated into the product user interface itself, making it the one stop resource for all the information needs of its users. No more need to use google when your product itself delivers the answers to all your questions from the sources you trust.
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29Nov
I’m not a huge reader, but some books have stuck in my mind and changed how I do things, approach projects, or think about topics. The following books had a direct impact on how I have coached and managed myself and others through the years:
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24Nov
Technical Communication focuses on developing and delivering clear, concise messages. These skills become second nature for many of us, but sometimes these skills lead to actions that cause us to be pigeon-holed and hinder our ability to expand our role and future.
A common complaint I hear from technical communicators is the lack of respect they receive from other teams and professions. As technical communicators, we need to work to improve our image and reputation. We have many valuable skills to contribute that can improve the bottom line for our products and services. Unfortunately, some of us get stuck on the words during a discussion rather than focusing on the overall message and goal.
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18Nov
For those of us who communicate technical content for a living, we share many job titles, such as technical writer, information developer, technical communicator, multimedia engineer, content developer, and many others. Without one focused set of titles, how did we know this is what we wanted to do?
The truth is…like many other technical communicators…I didn’t. I graduated with a Computer Science degree and a Mathematics degree. I took a few Tech Comm courses at Penn State, but I had never heard of Technical Communication as a profession. I was going to be a programmer, like all good Computer Science graduates. But then, something happened… After developing my first database-driven security system, I had to document the system and train others how to use it. This process introduced me to my future career. I had always enjoyed teaching and coaching…and this was teaching through a different medium.
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