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While the Internet has always been a place where you can learn about anything, open courseware seems to be more readily available than ever. Whether you’re interested in learning more about technical writing or you want to just find out how to use technical writing in your business, the more you know, the more you can fully utilize this type of writing.
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While the technical document is necessary, that doesn’t mean it can’t be interesting. Of course, writing for a certain audience, you already have a reader who is interested in using the document – or who HAS to use the document in their work. As a technical writer, you can be interesting, even if you’re tasked with presenting facts.
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Editor’s Note: This was the feature article in this month’s TechCom Manager newsletter, reprinted here with permission. Click the previous link to subscribe to the newsletter.
by Steve Capri
Whether you work on a technical-writing team responsible for your company’s e-marketing activities or not, chances are this ever-changing channel will eventually cross your path—if it hasn’t already. And although you might not be someone who designs marketing strategies, you may already be designing and developing marketing content, including email campaigns.
It’s not uncommon for technical writing and marketing teams to co-develop printed or web-based marketing collateral. Likewise, e-marketing deliverables deployed through email blasts bring even more dimension to the mix. Like all other marketing materials, email blasts require excellent writing and design skills. But more importantly, they require a thorough knowledge of how to collect and manage recipients, track statistics, and plan for ongoing campaigns. So as this channel continues to mature, it’s incumbent of technical writers and marketing folks alike to at least gain a basic knowledge about the DOs and DON’Ts of e-marketing practices and procedures.
So whether you’re new to or experienced with e-marketing, following are some guidelines to consider.
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Being an expert is a good thing. Being a technical writer is a good thing. But do the two have to go hand in hand?
While it’s certainly a good idea for medical writers to be experts in their field, especially when it comes to preparing documents for medical professional use, what about the everyday technical writer? And if you’re trying to hire a technical writer, do you need someone who’s an expert or do you just need a high quality writer? (more…)
It’s a new year and the prospects for the economy look like their may be better days ahead. Along with the new year comes a new budget, and many companies are looking to beef up their staff by hiring technical writers, instructional designers, copywriters and other professionals to help meet this year’s goals.
But finding just the right employee (or contractor, for that matter) isn’t always so easy. So what are the risks if you don’t get it right?
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Technical writers and those who use technical writing need to continue to develop their skills to keep up with the demands of technology. With courses like Intelligent Content 2012, you can begin to learn how technical writing can be used to engage customers and help them understand what you have to offer.
During February 2012 at the Hotel Zoso in Palm Springs, CA, Intelligent Content 2012 will be held with the specific function of allowing participants to learn more about how to create content that is rich not only in information, but also in structure.
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Knowing the expectations of good medical writing is essential for the success of the document. The sourcebook for medical writing today is the AMA Manual of Style, which follows in the footsteps of many other style manuals available today – APA, MLA, Chicago, etc. Within this book are the basics to creating a document that is not only effective, but also well-designed, helping readers of the document understand its purpose and long-term impact.
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When you want to do something technical, you might look for instructions online. For example, if you wanted to build your own ‘Clapper,’ why not try to create this piece of convenient technology at home with a few pieces of seemingly basic tools?
In first stumbling upon this documentation, you might have thought you were onto something, but then you looked closely to see the limitations of technical writing for the masses.
The Clapper Instructions from Hell
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We all make mistakes when we write, but when writing technical documentation, small mistakes can add up to a large consequence – and they could even harm the user or the person on the receiving end. Since it’s about that time to make New Year’s resolutions, it’s a good time to remember common mistakes made in technical writing – and then promise not to make them next year. Here are seven mistakes to be watch for and avoid in the new year.
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When Stanford has something to say about technical writing, many of us eagerly listen. This academic institution is continuously questioning how things are done and how they can be done better – offering us an opportunity to grow. Even advice given back in 2006 as a discussion online can yield a wealth of tips for those interested in pursuing a career in technical writing, as well as for those interested in hiring a technical writer.
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