Recycling an old piece, first published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Technical Communication, Southern Communicator (Issue 7 March 2006)] Father was 70 when he signed up for a computer course a decade ago. He was not new to computers. In fact, he was the one who showed me a computer for the …
Our church has been holding our annual family camps at Christian Youth Camps in Ngaruawahia for the last six years. Every year we ask the camp staff for instructions to run the equipment in the kitchen. During the Matariki holidays in the weekend, we had our camp for this year, and this time I recorded …
A simple way to remember instructions for next time Read More »
I have been chipping away at building modules for techwritingcourse.com, and today I have released Module 4. As of now these are the available modules: Module 1—Introductory Course (FREE module) (22 minutes) This module includes the following short introductory lectures: – Introducing the series Introducing the teacher – Listening to experienced teachers – What is …
Coupon for released modules (combined) for 19.99 NZD! Read More »
Question: Tell me about yourself Evaluates:-Vocabulary and use of language-Clarity and structure in thoughts-Articulation of their own talents-Ability to understand the context-Understanding the audience-Research skills about audience/subject-Judgment of how much information to provide-Creativity, creating interest, story/examples. Question: Describe technical writing Evaluates:-Familiarity with the profession and the working environment-Familiarity with top skills in writing, grammar, user …
My top three interview questions to technical writers, and why Read More »
I enjoyed this interview ‘Life as a Technical Writer in Australia’ because I could relate to so much of what was being said. Although Swapnil lives in Melbourne, news of him travels across the ditch to us in Auckland, mostly because of his tremendous contribution to Write the Docs Australia. When I spoke to him, …
My 4 tips for writing API documentation for new writers. 1. You must understand the solution you are documenting. Play with the API until you are sure you know how it works. 2. In your documentation, explain each input parameter clearly. For example, do not just say the values for a parameter can be true …
When I talk to companies about the importance of Technical Communication and having a properly trained Technical Communicator on staff, I often hear people say: OK, interesting, but how much does it cost me? My answer in this case is: But have you thought about how much it costs you not to have one? A …
How much does it cost to have a technical communicator in the company? Read More »
Tech writers deal with deadlines all the time, and procrastination is a problem that we cannot afford to entertain. In this hilarious and insightful talk, Tim Urban takes a hard look at the problem of procrastination. Enjoy. For more from Tim Urban, visit http://www.waitbutwhy.com/
Technical writers fulfill an important role in almost every niche in the tech world. Every time companies create their products, long before marketing managers start to run their campaigns, tech writers become involved, bringing a particular set of skills to the table, to create product documentation for the end user. When companies want to communicate …
