• What is a Technical Writer? Intro to Technical Communications?

• What are Technical Documents? and Technical Writing?

• What is a User Guide?

• What is Desktop Publishing or DTP?

• Understand the difference between Adobe PageMaker Adobe FrameMaker Adobe InDesign Microsoft Publisher and Quark xPress?

• What is a (CMS) Content Management System?

How to interview Technical Writers?
I've worked on both sides on the fence in the past, (i.e. interviewed and been interviewed) and picked up a few things in the process. Hopefully, these will be of some help. [Read More]

• Business Process Template

• How to Reduce Microsoft Word File Size - Secrets #1, 2, 3, 4

• Word corrupted my document!

• Word Cannot Open

• Stop graphics from increasing the size of your Word documents

• Quick Formatting Tricks

• How to recover lost Word files

• Using Watermarks to personalize your Word documents

• Extending Existing Microsoft Word Templates

• 5 Steps To Update Microsoft Word Templates 

• Creating an Index in Microsoft Word

• Get the most from Margins and Page Orientation

• What is Word's Document Map really for?

• Create Macros and Use Word's free sample macros

• Assign keyboard shortcuts to a Word styles

• A-Z of Keyboard shortcuts in Microsoft Word 2002

• Different page numbering formats

• Get Word to automatically Summarize your Documents

• Get Smart Tags into Microsoft Word

• Post-Mortem Documentation

5 Steps tp Documentation Plan Success
Let's look at how a documentation plan, also known as an information development plan, can help you manage writing projects, especially those that span several months and require input from different writers, editors, and reviewers. [5 Steps to Documentation Plan Success]

Get the latest Standard Operating Procedure templates and the Documentation Plan template.

Value of Adding Images to Technical Documentation
A document that makes judicious use of images and diagrams will be much easier to understand than one that is composed entirely of text descriptions. [Read More]

10 Things Your Documentation Plan Should Know
Requirements gathering is a key part of every documentation plan. As well as covering the schedules, costs, deliverables and roles, you need to list each and every requirement that your project will encounter. Here are our top 10 requirements for successful documentation plans [Read More]

Documentation Plan Template
The Documentation Plan sets the guidelines for writers to follow when documenting their respective parts of a project. It describes how content will be prepared, delivered and distributed, captures format, page count, tools; identifies human, software, hardware and writer's requirements; clarifies roles and responsibilities; prepares schedules and resource allocation. [Read More]

5 Ways to Make Your Writing Project Succeed
Inexperienced writers make the mistake of starting their writing without any planning. Very soon they loose their bearings and miss deadlines. Let's look at how a documentation plan, also known as an information development plan, can help you manage writing projects, especially those that span several months and require input from different writers, editors, reviewers and so forth. [Read More]

Choosing the Right Style Guide?
Im setting up a Publications Dept. for a Financial Services company. What is the best style guide to encourage the staff to use? [Read More]

Software User Assistance Project Management
Tamara Ferris takes a look at a methodology for developing and managing a Software User Assistance (UA) System, a way of doing things in a structured manner. It provides a complete walkthrough for managers responsible for designing, developing, and managing a software products user assistance system. [Read More]

Beginner's Guide to Freelance Writing
Okay. So you've figured out that you would like to write for magazines, newspapers, and e-zines. Unfortunately, so have about eight gazillion other people on this planet. Therefore, you have to stand out from the crowd. You have to sparkle. How do you do this? [Read More]

Successful Documentation Projects Part 1, 2 and 3
The creation of user documentation is a big component of any software project. Unfortunately, its often undervalued and left to the last minute. But that doesn't mean it should be without a good management plan. This is the first in a series of three articles outlining the key elements of a good user documentation process.   [Read More]

Technical Writing for the Terrified
Sometimes it may be beyond a companies or individuals budget to hire a professional writer to address their technical documentation. Although in an ideal world all technical documentation should be produced by a highly trained expert, unfortunately we do not live in an ideal. [Read More]

UML Training - Avoid Analysis Paralysis!
I've been in several situations in which students would stop me in a UML training class and ask with stern faces: "How do you avoid analysis paralysis?" First time I heard that I sincerely replied: "How do you get to be paralyzed?" Indeed, there are many ways to avoid analysis paralysis-at least 5. [Read More]

SCORM and DITA for Reusable Content
Unstructured content in the repository can be used in conjunction with structured content also available in the repository. New topics that are created can be incorporated back into the database, so that they are available for reuse and for transformation with XSLT and/or transformation scripts. SCORM and DITA are not mutually exclusive. Used together, they can significantly improve opportunities for reusability and repurposing of e-learning and other content deliverables. [Read More]

Use DITA XML to develop reusable learning content
In a nutshell, DITA provides an extensible structure for organizing content into reusable blocks.  At the lowest level, a "DITA topic forms the most basic information unit -- short enough to be easily readable, but long enough to make sense on its own."  At the top level, a map applies context to topics and organizes them into a deliverable information product.  DITA is totally generic with respect to the content it can organize, but what John's information architecture team did is to extend DITA to represent an academic learning curriculum. [Read More]

Freely available structures: XML Document Type Definitions you can use today
Organizations of all sizes are beginning to realize how content and its reuse across the enterprise can improve productivity ¨C and the bottom line. The need for change is driven by the desire to better manage information assets (documents, creative ideas, illustrations, charts, graphics, multimedia, etc.) and eliminate costly processes that fail to facilitate the effective and consistent re-use of content. At the heart of managing content for re-use however lies the job of exposing the underlying structure of that information. [Read More]

Software Development Project
Most materials discussing the phases of a software development project are intended for the developers community. I decided to take a different look at the issue and help those novices who are going to outsource a software development project to an outsource service provider (OSP). [Read More]

A Review of Error Messages
Error messages, if they're posted at all, should convey helpful information and advice--not only for the user, but also for tech support and maintenance programmers. Here are a few things to think about when coding your error-handling routines and designing your error messages."  [Read More]

Guidelines for Writing for the Web?
Writing for the Web requires new a different approach to the writing process. Before you start writing web content, try to understand the basics of information architecture and how navigation systems work. [Read More]

Create Writing Flow With Four Uncommon Connectors
Connectors -- conjunctions, punctuation, and transitional phrases -- allow readers to process information promptly by creating balance and relationships between sentence parts. The connectors are performing the same work as verbs, objects, modifiers and multiple subjects. Here are four uncommon connections that will create an easier flow for your readers [Read More]

• Organizing Visual Layouts

• Guidelines for Writing Microcontent

• Categories in Microcontent

Guidelines for Better Writing
Expressing your message clearly is easier if you follow a structure that helps to state your point of view and build your arguments. Although good writing shouldn't be restricted to a rigid format, here's a structure and some other tips that might help if you find writing to be tough. [Read More]

Guidelines on Document Formatting
In order to make sure that your document can be navigated easily, there are a few basic features that it should include. [Read More]

Free Online Writing Course
"So I decided it would be to everyone's advantage for me to collect all that writing and organize it into courses. People could deal with the common problems in their writing and then use my paid services only when they had a manuscript that needed higher level editing." http://www.writershelper.com

Introduction to Visio	Adding Attachments in Acrobat
Creating Drop Caps in Word	Creating Collections in Acrobat
Creating Autolists	Reducing Acrobat File Size 1
Creating Styles in Word	Reducing Acrobat File Size 2
Creating Columns in Word	Adding Notes in Acrobat
Creating Even Rows in Word	Add Header Rows to Tables 1
Using Find and Replace in Word	Add Header Rows to Tables 2

11. Release Notes

What are Release Notes?
Release notes are documents which are distributed along with software products, often when the product is still in the development or test state (e.g., a beta release). [Read More]

Release Notes Template
This Release Notes package includes 2 pre-formatted templates in MS Word™ format, which can be easily modified to meet your next release. Each template includes 17 pages of material including sections on Changes to release notes, Scope, System Requirements, New Features, Dropped Features, Fixed Issues, Hotfixes, Known Issues, Limitations & Restrictions, Caveats, and Deployment Instructions. [Read More]

How to Write Release Notes
Release Notes cover what's new, download and installation instructions, known issues and frequently asked questions. Creating Release Notes is fairly straightforward. Create a Release Notes template and re-use it on each release. [Read More]

What are Preview Release Notes
Preview Release is a Technology Preview. While this software works well enough to be functional, the company may highlight that it makes no guarantees of its performance or stability. It is a pre-release product and should not be relied upon for mission-critical tasks. [Read More]

Your Thoughts?

What are your thoughts on this? Drop me a line at ivan at klariti dot com