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Monthly Archives: March 2009
A Collaborative Writing Model for the Social Web
This post explores the activities and social media tools that technical communicators can use at each stage of the product development life cycle to collaborate with members of the user community, while developing audience-centered content for the social web. The stages used as a writing framework are “awareness, attention, engagement, execution, and extension” (as described in Chris Brogan’s post: Pirate Moves-From Awareness to Extended Action.) The five stages that apply to almost all software usage are also referred to as a model: unaware, interested, first-time use, regular use, and passionate use” (see Joshua Porter’s Designing for the Social Web: The Usage Lifecycle). Continue reading
Posted in Social Media (ROI, Tips, Tools, Trends), TechCom: Collaboration, TechCom: Process, Technical Communication
Tagged analyzing audience, audience-centered content, Chris Brogan, collaborate, collaborative writing, Community, groundswell, Pirate Moves, relationship-building, social web, the groundswell, usage life-cycle, user-generated content, Wiki, writing process
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Social Media Technical Communication: Developing Audience-Centered Content
Based on Rich Maggiani’s article in the Society for Technical Communication’s Intercom issue (May 2009), this post describes how social media is transforming technical communication, by providing “content for collaboration, not just consumption.” Maggiano encourages technical communicators to start using social media tools to moderate these types of customer interactions: blogs, forums, wikis, and mini social networks. Continue reading
Posted in Social Media (ROI, Tips, Tools, Trends), TechCom: Trends, Technical Communication
Tagged audience-centered content, blogs, forums, Rich Maggiani, social media technical communication, social networks, Society of Technical Communication, technical communication in a social media world, technical communication trends 2009, technical writing trends 2009, user forums, user-generated content, Wiki
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Analyzing Audience Without Direct Access to Customers
Provides tips on how to analyze audience for user assistance, without direct access to customers. Asks how the advent of Web 2.0, related social media tools, and user-generated content, can help technical communicators have more direct contact, and beyond that, collaboration, with our primary and secondary audiences. Continue reading
Understanding Audience and Purpose
This post describes primary and secondary audiences for technical documentation. It also provides criteria from the Society for Technical Communication and points to other resources to help you begin analyzing your audience and their respective purposes for using the documentation. Continue reading
Asking the Right Questions Adds Value
The technical information for a product that is still in development does not often “live” in any one person’s head. It’s my job as a technical writer (or technical communicator, the title many of us prefer) to scout out … Continue reading
How Do You Build Successful Relationships with Your SMEs?
Getting a steady stream of good information from your SMEs (Subject Matter Experts) is not a given. It’s something that occurs over a period of time and is based on a work relationship, built on the same ingredients as any other successful … Continue reading
Posted in TechCom: Collaboration, Technical Communication
Tagged interviewing subject matter experts in technical communication, relationship-building in technical communication, relationship-building in the workplace, subject matter experts in technical communication, Technical Communication
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How Do You Get Information? Part Two: New Releases
Gathering information for a new product’s documentation requires even greater resourcefulness, research, and communication skills, than gathering information for a maintenance release. The challenge with a first release, is not only is there no existing UI to help you understand the functionality, but there … Continue reading
How Do You Get Information? Part One: Maintenance Releases
As long as I have been writing technical documentation, the most common question interviewers ask me is how do I go about getting information for my documentation deliverables. For me, there really isn’t one answer or method for obtaining information. … Continue reading
About This Blog
“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” Confucius This blog covers a variety of topics related to my interests as a Content Developer, who has worked in high technology settings … Continue reading