To quote Van Halen, ‘everybody wants some.’ And what you want is traffic. Why write a blog if no-one visits, right? I have 17 technical writers’ blogs in my Google Reader & RSS feeds. Most are fine but… if they used some of the following tactics, they’d get more traffic, comments, money and Nobel prizes. Well, three out of four, anyway.

How To Get More Traffic To Your Technical Writing Blog

Apply five of these tactics and your traffic will double. No kidding, it will!

How To Get More Traffic #1: Add Your Photos

Look at your favorite technical writing blogs. How many faces do you see? Why are they all hiding? I dunno. Stick your mugshot on the page so we can see what you look like! Go on! None of us are Brad Pitt or Paris Hilton, so add a picture. Don’t be shy. People like to read about people they know. If they can’t see you…

How To Get More Traffic #2: Video

I’m no spring chicken, so if I can do it, you can. All of these video were taken on a Canon powershot.

Videos let people hear you, see your expression, feel what you’re trying to say in ways that words cannot. Making videos is easier that you think. I use Camtasia 6 for all its sins. (read my frustrated Camtasia 6 review here.)

How To Get More Traffic #3: Social Media Outposts

Use Social Media for maximum impact. With web content publishing tools like Posterous you can get the message out to all these channels with almost no effort. Posterous lets you post once, publish everywhere. Try it.

• Ivan: http://www.ivanwalsh.com
• Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ivanwalsh
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ivanwalsh
• Business Week http://bx.businessweek.com/profile/ivan-walsh/iwalsh905/
• And also on Disqus, Flickr, LinkedIn, Delicious and Google Reader

How To Get More Traffic #4: Quizzes

We all get tired of checking for split infinitives and looking for typos, so lighten things up. Add quizzes to get people involved… and try to be a little different.

• Did you ever download software illegally?
• What’s your manager’s most annoying habit?
• Would you let your boss friend you on Facebook?
• Do you know any technical writing who can reverse park? (I was going to say Women but then turned on my brain! That was so close!)
• Do you know any men who ask for directions when lost? One for the girls, no doubt.

How To Get More Traffic #5: Comics

May not work for all sites but comics are a nice break from technical documents and other heavy reading. Why do you think they are so popular? Every serious newspaper has them, why not you?

How To Get More Traffic #6: Reviews

If they come to your site, it’s your opinion they are after. So, why don’t you give it?

#1 cardinal sin of most blogs is that they have no opinion!

Don’t be scared! I’m with you! Give your honest opinion (try not to rant or swear) and you’ll see people will respond very quickly.

#2 cardinal sin of most blogs… bland!

If your blog echoes the rest of the crowd, well, why should I come back? Stick your neck out, even a little. Some people were upset that I dissed Camtasia but y’know I’d be lying if I said it worked!

How To Get More Traffic #7: Trends

Pssst! Did you know that… everyone wants to be in the know. Keep your readers up to date. Use graphs, charts and diagrams. See Brain Solis and Information in Beautiful for inspiration.

How To Get More Traffic #8: Lists

It doesn’t have to stop at 10. Here are a few list of get started:

• 21 Left Handed Technical Writers
• 7 Reasons Why Adobe FrameMaker Sucks But You Still Need to Buy It
• 12 Honest Ways to Get a Pay Rise
• 5 Ways To Give An Honest Appraisal
• 28 Ways to Proofred a Technical Documant
• 1 Good Reason to Join the STC
• 18 Mistakes Technical Writers Make Before Breakfast
• 9 Ways to Evaluate a Help Authoring Tool

How To Get More Traffic #9: How-to guides

Ok, the technical stuff comes last. If you’re going to offer technical advice (and you should!) identify the problem, explain how to fix it, and then ask for questions or comments.

#3 cardinal sin of blogging is… blogger doesn’t interact with readers. Ask for comments. If you have a Facebook page, give them the link and connect there. Use Twitter? Create lists for technical writers and add them. Like these lists I created for technical writers and creativity.

• Adobe FrameMaker list http://twitter.com/ihearttechdocs/adobeframemaker
• Creativity list http://twitter.com/ihearttechdocs/creativity
• Technical writing software http://twitter.com/ihearttechdocs/technicalwritingsoftware

Share, share, share!

What ya think! Fire away below.

What do you want to see in Microsoft Office 2010? Arpan Shan, who has access to the beta versions at Microsoft, shares his favorite 10 Office 2010 features.

Some of these you may already know, but he highlights some nice ideas that seem to be coming through. In Word 2010, for example, you will have an in-built screen capture tool that takes screenshots of whatever apps you have open. Interesting to see how Techsmith, the makers of Snagit, will respond to this.

Also, Scott Stiles, the head of the Program Management team for Word, describes the aims and objectives that Microsoft has for this new release.

1. Office Web Applications

He says that “the other advantage of Office Web Applications over a service like Google Docs/Spreadsheets is that not only will consumers be able to use this on Windows Live, but Enterprises can deploy Office Web Applications on their own SharePoint servers”.

Nice for corp users but doesn’t really help the little people.

2. Screen clippings

Here you can insert screenshots of applications that you open right from within Office. This saves you having to use Snagit or other screenshot applications. Not sure if you can crop or edit the screenshot. But if you just want a basic screenshot app, this will be useful.

3. Image Background Removal

He adds that previously he had to use other applications to make the background transparent but can now do this within applications like PowerPoint 2010.

4. Outlook User Experience

There are many UX enhancements in Outlook 2010. For example, when you receive meeting requests, you can see your other scheduled appointments inline.

You also have tips throughout Outlook 2010 that tell you if you’re above your quota, you’re going to send an email outside your organization, etc.

5. Video editing

In PowerPoint 2010, you can now insert and edit video. Not only can videos be inserted, but they can be modified. You can trim the video, set the image cover for the video, add borders, add other effects like reflection as well as other special effects.

PPTX files will increase in size (dramatically, I assume) when you add images and videos.

After trimming the video correctly in PowerPoint 2010, you can compress the media size to improve performance and reduce the size of the file.

6. PowerPoint Broadcasting

PowerPoint 2010 has a new broadcasting feature that lets you share PPT presentation.

You can either use a public “PowerPoint Broadcast Service” (you need a Live ID and it’s free) or an internal SharePoint server.

This lets you email a URL to a group of people and they can watch you deliver your PPTX from their browser.

7. PowerPoint Transitions

Some stylish new transitions are on the way. Let’s wait and see.

8. Copy/Paste

In current versions of Microsoft Office, you often end up using paste, look, undo, paste special, etc.

In Office 2010, there’s copy and paste live preview.

This lets you preview how different paste options will look without having to undo, paste, undo paste.

9. SharePoint Workspace

SharePoint Workspace (formerly Groove) lets you work with SharePoint content.

You can take SharePoint lists & libraries offline, provide a rich client UX and background syncing with SharePoint which helps with performance especially in low latency situations.

10. Sparklines

Excel 2010 introduces Sparklines.

This lets you show data trends in a one data cell.

It’s very useful when you’re analyzing numbers over time across a number of time periods. There are many forms sparklines can take from lines to columns to more yes/no type options for win/loss data.

Screenshots and more examples on MSDN

Of all the features here, the two that interests me the most are the screenshots and the copy/paste options.

Why?

Well, because these are two activities that I do all day. Some of the others, like video editing in PowerPoint don’t interest me – I‘ll use Camtasia instead anyway.

But, improved screenshot capabilities would make a huge difference, especially if I can work on the screenshots, maybe add arrows and explanatory text.

How about you? What do you REALLY want to see in Microsoft Office 2010!

Technical writers write technical documents that explain complex issues in simple, plain English.

Technical writers – also know as Technical Authors or Information Designers – write material that supports software and hardware systems.

They design, write and produce material that is delivered in print, soft-copy or as Online Help, such as that found in the Help section of programs like Word.

Jane R. in Texas asks for some tips on interviewing tech writers, especially when using assessment tests. Her company is about to hire their first full-time writer and they have not done this before.

I’ve worked on both sides on the fence in the past, (i.e. interviewed and been interviewed) and picked up a few tings in the process. Hopefully, these will be of some help.

How much time should be allotted to complete the assessment test?

I’d suggest one hour. Some people will race through it, while others will deliberate over the grammar questions forever. Nonetheless, one hour should be sufficient time for them to complete the test. By allocating this amount of time to the test, you are also emphasizing its relative importance. If it were a simple 10-minute quiz, it wouldn’t carry the same weight.

Here’s a suggested approach for administering the test:

When advertising the vacancy, mention that an evaluation test is part of the assessment process. By saying this upfront, you will ‘weed out’ under-qualified writers who know that they would not pass the test.

When scheduling interviews, remind the applicants that there will be a 1 hour test. Explain to them what this entails, for example, that there is X number of questions on grammar, procurement, technology etc. Among other things, this illustrates your company’s professionalism as you are helping the applicants to prepare for the interview.

In turn, it would be unprofessional to spring the test on applicants when they turn up and catch them by surprise. Completing the test take about 90 minutes and some of your applicants may have other arrangements to consider, such as day-care, commuting etc.

When they arrive, I’d interview them first and then do the test. If they are unsuitable for the position, you can cancel the test and say that it’s not necessary at this point. For those who are suitable, I’d do the following:

• Give them a pen and paper (always helps).
• Glass of water/coffee.
• Find a quiet room with a PC or laptop.
• Give them a printout of the test (most writers like hardcopys).
• Walk through the test so that they understand what’s required. They can ask any questions at this point.
• Once they are ready, leave the room and let them do the test in Word.
• After 20 minutes, drop in to see how they are doing. This is not to police them, but to see if they genuinely need any assistance.
• After 60 minutes return and print out their test.
• At this point, I’d suggest that they have a break so that you can score the test.

Once you’ve completed this, sit down and go over the scores. As everyone likes to know how they performed in a test, I’d walk through the results and discuss them with the applicant.
For example, if they scored poorly in one section, ask them how this area could be improved.

And finally, I’d thank them for taking the time to do the tests and hope that they’ve gained from it.

How many points for a passing score?

You could use 40 for a pass and disqualify anyone who comes in below this. Most experienced writers should get between 60-80 depending on their skills.

What I’d look for here is an imbalance in the scores. For example, if someone failed most of the grammar questions, but did very quite well in other sections, discuss this with the writer.

You may discover that many writers have no formal writing training and will suffer in the sticky grammar questions but compensate in other areas.

I’d use the scores/results to assist the overall interview process, i.e. you have material in front of you that you can discuss with the applicant and explore their abilities as a proposal writer.

You could also ask for their thoughts on this evaluation process and if they had suggestions to improve it. This might give you some insight into writers with potential management or creative thinking skills.

James in North Carolina asks, “In Word, the Table of Contents is not displayed. Instead, I get an error message: { TOC\O “2-4″\H \Z \T “HEADING 1,1″}. How do I fix this? Is it a bug? “

I think the problem is to do with Field Codes.

Here are three suggestions:

1. In Word, go to Tools > Options > View tab and click off Field Codes (if this is selected)

2. Close Word.
Open Windows Explorer and search for Normal.dot.
Delete all copies of Normal.dot!
Re-open Word.
It will automatically re-create a new Normal.dot, which may be the correct default settings

3. In Word, on the Tools menu, click Options.
Click the Print tab, and then clear the Field codes check box.

Let me know if you know other ways to fix this problem in Word.

Ivan

The main issues with creating long docs in Word tend to involve formatting, styles, graphics, tables, and bullets.

• Formatting — cutting/pasting material directly from one file into another is best avoided as this will bring unwanted styles in the target Word file. Instead convert it to raw text and then import it.

• Styles — create specific styles and avoid over-riding settings. Avoid using the default settings in the Normal.com template file.

• Graphics – avoid using cut/paste graphics into Word. Instead, reference them with Insert Picture etc.

• Tip: insert graphics only after all other content has been built! Tables — avoid the default Word auto-format settings. Bullets — use styles to create bullets. Avoid using the toolbar and menu options to create bullets. Avoid over-rides.

WARNING: Bullet lists cause more damage than any other feature in Word!

• Always turn off Allow Fast Save and Save Auto Recover. See Tools > Options > Save > Allow Fast Save.

Developing Microsoft Word files with these pointers in mind will help reduce the file size and avoid corrupting the document template.

A key danger in website design is over-ambition. We need to design a website we can professionally manage.

I travel a lot. And when you travel a lot you discover a lot of important things. You learn the answers to crucial questions such as: Why is a dog a man’s best friend? Because a dog always welcomes you home and a dog thinks everything is a great idea.

Right now, as I write this, our dog, Bran, is lying behind me.
When I throw a glance at her, she responds immediately, gazing admiringly. "You work too hard," she seems to be saying. "Have a break."

Outside my window, Frodo, our cat, sits preening himself. When I catch his attention, he stares back at me. "Open the window," he seems to be saying. "Like, now."

Websites are generally designed by dogs. There’s a lot of optimism. The dogs look at the website and think of it as an endless attic. No matter how much stuff you into it, there’s always room for more. The dogs approach each design step with a ‘have gigabytes, must fill’ enthusiasm.

Dogs think it’s great fun thinking of all the cool new things you can do. They love picking colors and moving things around.
They love choosing small font sizes and grey text; coming up with new ways to navigate.

Dogs are very egalitarian, particularly when it comes to navigation. They never want anyone to be lost anywhere on the site. So they create all sorts of navigation, ensuring that no matter who you are, no matter what your interest is, not matter what page on the site you are on, there will always be a link just for you.

If dogs had their way, then every single link on the website would also be on the homepage. In that way, everybody would be one-click away from finding everything they ever wanted to find.
That would just be so cool.

Dogs love content. As far as dogs are concerned there’s no such thing as bad content. Dogs will always give you 100% effort. And if just one person out of 7 billion is interested in this piece of content, then dogs want it published.

Dogs are fascinated by technology. All you have to do is say words like "portal" or personalization" or "new content management system", and the dogs just start yelping and jumping all over the place. Installing new software is just like going on the biggest, baddest walk and finding the juiciest, smoochiest bone along the way. It’s a dog’s dream.

And then cats have to manage the website. The dogs let everyone publish and the cats are certainly not going to review all this stuff. The dogs created an architecture where everyone can find everything and now nobody can find anything. The cats shake their heads.

The dogs thought the mystical, magical search engine in the sky would solve everything. The cats know that’s like two-month old pie in the garbage can.

Sure, we need dogs’ enthusiasm, but we also need to bring the cats into the planning and design meetings.

Gerry McGovern
mailto:gerry@gerrymcgovern.com

If you open a Word document and see what looks like large Ps at the end of every sentence, then the Show/Hide marker has been turned on.

Sometimes this gets turned on by accident or when you open a doc which as these turned on by default.

The the Show/Hide marker is used for examining the document’s formatting as it shows details of the underlying paragraphs, section breaks and page breaks.

You can turn off this by clicking the paragraph marker. This is usually located on the toolbar.

Here are some of the new features in Connect Enterprise:

Enhanced support for integrated audio conferencing

Acrobat Connect Professional now offers enhanced support for accounts with an audio conference bridge installed, to enable synchronized telephonic audio conferences as part of Acrobat Connect Professional meetings.

For meetings with international attendees, Acrobat Connect Professional can show multiple dial-in numbers, so that attendees in each country can see the dial-in number they should use. Hosts can also block incoming attendees, and can turn on or off notifications when attendees enter or exit an audio conference.

Improved audio conference recording

You can now start and stop audio recording when you are recording a meeting (if your Acrobat Connect Professional account has an audio conference bridge installed). This makes it possible to test the audio recording, then restart the recording, or to record only selected segments of the audio during a meeting.

Turn Connect Event guests into users

If you invite guests to your Adobe Connect Events, you now have any easy method for turning those guests into full users. Once guests are full users they can have custom field values in reports and they can access administration pages.

Audio quality

You can compress audio in presentations created with Adobe Presenter. Compressing the audio reduces the size of audio files. To retain settings in high-quality audio, you can choose to keep the audio uncompressed.

Custom fields in User reports In Connect Enterprise user reports, you can now include up to eight custom fields for individual users. This feature enables you to track information about users that is important to your organization.

Steve Clark offers the following article written by a student in the Duke University Continuing Studies Technical Communication Certificate program.

This paper was submitted as his final project to complete the program.

Examples of Steve’s letters are available at Sample Letters.

“Whatever your motivation, this article helps you to write a letter that gets published. It addresses the following elements to writing an effective letter:
Choosing a topic
Managing length
Setting the tone
Submitting to the paper”

Read more: http://stc-carolina.org/newsletter/tiki-index.php?page=Writing+an+Effective+Letter+to+the+Editor