Get it in writing, keep it in writing. When you have a face-to-face meeting with a client or project group, take notes. After the meeting, summarize your notes as brief...
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A bug is an undocumented feature There’s an old joke in the software industry: A bug is an undocumented feature. Some software is so beautifully designed with screens that are...
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What makes an expert an expert. I have a friend who defines an expert as “someone who’s made all possible mistakes.” While this is an entertaining definition, I have expanded it: An...
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Words and phrases that just don't work , and then The Microsoft Manual of Style for Technical Publications states that this is acceptable because then is not a coordinate conjunction. However, a...
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Setting up for translations Localization means adaptation of the language in a document or software to a new culture or region. This could be as simple as changing the spelling from...
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Engineer vs. end user and the eighty/twenty rule Engineers are often the worst writers—particularly those engineers who have worked on the product you’ve been hired to document. There’s a great...
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Template talk A template is a set of predefined format instructions that can be quickly applied to a document. An authoring tool is any software that supports authoring (writing) a...
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On readability The bottom line on any technical document is whether the user can read, understand and successfully apply the instructions. So how important is readability? Think of it this...
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What I look for in a tech writer Anybody can write a manual, right? I don’t think so. I’ve known a lot of tech writers over the decades I’ve been...
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Pain-free technical manuals Last year, engadget.com published an article with a headline that included “promises ‘service manuals that don’t suck’.” It surprised me that this would be newsworthy–the “promise” from the manufacturer...
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