New technical writing screencasts, Madcap win an award, and the Intercom editorial calendar is finally announced. What more could you want?
Here is a quick roundup of this week’s technical writing news.
Intercom’s 2010 Editorial Calendar Announced
Intercom’s editor Liz Pohland is happy to announce the 2010 editorial calendar, complete with issue themes and due dates for submissions. You can see all the details year-round at that link, but check it out below in the meantime. If you have any questions or wish to submit an article for consideration, contact Liz Pohland or Your Friendly Neighborhood Blogger, who also works at Stately STC Manor as Intercom’s assistant editor.
Screencast of the Week – Jay Bailey and RapidFire Video
Betsy Weber at Techsmith
This week’s Screencast of the Week has it all – mountains, roads, half-pipes and road rash! I heard from Jay Bailey of RapidFire Video recently about some of his recent screencasts. Jay’s “philosophy” is that you have less than a minute and a half to tell your story. That makes his approach to screencasting very creative and fast paced! You can read more about his philosophy here.
Intellectual Property Responsibilities of Content Developers
From Technically Speaking by Paul As a technical writer, I develop content for the applications I’m supporting. Often that includes designing content, images, and multi-media to provide the best user experience possible. As content developers, however, we have a responsibility (both legal and moral) to ensure that the content we are using is being used properly and legally.
Where To Go To Become a Tech Writer or To Find One To Hire?
From Your Writing Dept Blog by Tom Guarnera. Finding a single place to learn about Technical Writing is not the easiest task. Because of this, it is even trickier to find a good source for locating potential candidates for the job. Many writers seem to be just born with this ability, while others have learned it through intensive study. Meanwhile, others have gone a path in life that through training, natural abilities and fate have gravitated to this field. There are no rules or absolutes in finding a tech writer. For example, I look for the following when hiring a candidate.
Gerry McGovern Says “Manage the Tasks”
From UIE Brain Sparks by Jared Spool. For years, we’ve known about the importance of completing tasks. Not the items on your to-do list — the users’ tasks.What we found in our research over the last 10 years is that practically every measure of users’ performance correlates strongly with the users completing their task. Users who achieve their objective believe the web site looks more professional, rate it as more fun, tell us it runs faster, and are more satisfied with the site. There’s no doubt: if you want users to love your site, make sure they complete their tasks.
Freelance Contracts: Do’s And Don’ts
In the world of freelancing, the entrepreneur has to take on a number of tasks for themselves that would normally be handled by a separate department at a bigger company. Most of these tasks are not part of the creative processes that freelance workers are used to, but rather are more tedious, left-brain paperwork. Right-brain creatives often shudder at the thought of these forays into linear domains. Such detail-ridden tasks would strain any freelancer who wears multiple hats, but they must be completed.
Tech writing and the Free Software Open Source Symposium
From DMN by Scott – Last week, I spoke at the Free Software Open Source Symposium (FSOSS) at Seneca College here in Toronto. It was an interesting experience, partly because this was the first Open Source event I’ve been to in quite a while, and the first time I’ve spoken to an audience of people involved in Open Source development and tech writing.
Managing a documentation project successfully – more jelly and ice cream
From Cherryleaf Technical Authors Blog by Ellis This video on simplifying business, using the metaphor of organising a children’s party, made me smile and consider how successful documentation projects are managed.
Finding Freelance Technical Writing and Editing Opportunities
Posted by elephant (Svi Ben-Elya) Professional conferences and workshops are great opportunities for freelance technical writers and copy editors. The presenters often need your professional services and are quite willing to pay for them. The local chapter of the IEEE has been very active recently in promoting workshops in Israel and bringing professional conferences to Israel. You can find announcements of some of these conferences and the calls of papers on the Events Calendar.
Madcap Software Wins 16th Annual Techamerica High Tech Award
MadCap Software received the 16th Annual TechAmerica High Tech Awards in the highly competitive “Software” category. MadCap, with other award winners, was recognized by TechAmerica San Diego at the TechAmerica 16th Annual High Tech Awards luncheon on October 30, 2009. TechAmerica San Diego is the regional arm of the nation’s largest high-tech trade association.
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Ivan
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