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Facttactic

Corporate and technical writers

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Technical writing

benefits of online user guides

June 29, 2020

If you’re writing a user guide or policy manual, or similar, and its target readership (staff or customers) is spread over different locations, I often recommend moving away from a printed document (such as Word/PDF).

Instead, I steer clients towards creating online (HTML or XML) documents.

That sounds like it’s introducing new complexities but, really, the learning curve is not steep, and the benefits strongly outweigh what is largely, and simply, concern of the unknown.

[Read more…] about benefits of online user guides

Filed Under: Technical writing, Web Content Tagged With: AuthorIt, Component authoring, Component content management, Help authoring, Helpndoc, MadCap Flare, Robohelp

the Auckland and all-over technical writer

August 31, 2019

The great thing with the growth in web-based communications and tools is that a technical writer can very successfully work remotely with customers.

I do plenty of technical writing for customers in Auckland, for example, while based in the lower North Island.

In fact, between 2017 and 2019, I helped clients with technical writing or web writing in Wellington, Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Zurich (yes, the time difference is a killer!), Singapore, and outside the main centres: in Paremata, Otaki and Levin.

[Read more…] about the Auckland and all-over technical writer

Filed Under: Technical writing

technical-writer.co.nz

December 5, 2018

Our  technical-writer.co.nz site has had a long overdue refresh. Same interesting content but brand new look and feel. We like it!

Check it out here technical-writer.co.nz

Filed Under: Communication, Technical writing, Web Content

microsoft’s writing style guide is now free and online

April 29, 2018

Great to see Microsoft’s style guide for the tech community is now a free online resource. Way to go, Microsoft!

And here’s a useful list of other style guides you can find online.

Filed Under: Technical writing, Writing

style guides galore revisited

April 13, 2014

Here’s a useful list I made in 2011 of all sorts of style guides accessible online to help make your writing consistent and more easily understood.

I thought I would revisit it as a United States reader of this blog recently found a broken link to the NASA grammar and punctuation guide I had listed, and very kindly sent me a working link. Thanks, Liz!

That pushed me to check all the links and update them where needed. So … a very useful page and fresh links: Fill your boots!

Filed Under: Technical writing, Writing

the brand of technical communications

October 28, 2012

Just back from the TCANZ 2012 conference in Auckland where it was good to have two overseas speakers pushing us to consider ‘technical communications’ as a brand, even if most of us are so deep in the trenches doing the work that we don’t get often a chance to consider how to market our ‘profession’.

But that was their main argument — that we can’t really call technical communications a profession just yet, as it lacks the infrastructure that professions require, especially the standards, independent certifications and professional development that established ‘professions’ (law, accounting, architecture, for example) have. And that having that type of infrastructure is the best base from which to build the brand.

TCANZ this year has started a process to see what steps could be taken to introduce such measures in NZ and Australia. And, with training fairly ad hoc for most practitioners in New Zealand, I am very supportive of this work. I think with measurable standards we will be more clearly able to articulate our value to employers and clients.

The working party has though decided that the sector may be too small to support a full-blown certification programme but it is continuing its work to see what would work in a market our size.

A mentoring programme is one initial suggestion — so senior practitioners would help newcomers to the sector; and that sounds a good start.

Filed Under: Technical writing, Training and education Tagged With: TCANZ

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