Comments for Technical Writer

Comment on The technical writer’s resume - a view from the other side of the desk by Anonymous

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 04:36:51 +0000

[…] The technical writer�s resume – a view from the other side of the desk From Technical Writer, September 30, 2006 […]

Comment on Single sourcing back in the dark ages of computing by CabSav

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 02:53:20 +0000

So true. Sometimes I think I am drowning in content. I can’t even find things now so I rewrite things I don’t have to. Sometimes, too, the overhead in managing a system like this does not seem worth the effort.

Comment on Single sourcing back in the dark ages of computing by Marc Achtelig

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 15:26:32 +0000

You are absolutely right. Single sourcing was quite a challenge these days… Today there are some wonderful tools which do the technical part very well. What remains a challenge is to create modular content that can be re-used in different documents and media. Another thing is that you must know that there actually exists some content that you can re-use, and you must be able to find that content. The more content we gather within a single source publishing environment or content management system, the more difficult this will get. I think this will be one of the major challenges in the future.

Comment on The biggest barriers to implementing SharePoint are not implementing the product, but getting users behind it by Andrew

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 08:32:14 +0000

hi,

Any suggestion if I wan the sharepoint server to be high availability mode?

thks

Comment on Qualifications for technical writers by CabSav

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 07:36:28 +0000

Virgilo

I'm sorry I didn't get back to answer you in time. (This is where the project management skills come in. Deadlines, work deadlines, always take priority.)

But it's a good question so I would like to answer it anyway. I actually put it into another blog, so please Do you need a degree in technical writing to become a technical writer for the full answer.

Comment on Tech writers: it’s your job to sell your product, and that product is you by CabSav

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 06:13:39 +0000

The Rookie
Things do look pretty grim right now and prices are definitely dropping. The globablisation of everything IT doesn’t help at all.
I do the occasional job on sites like oDesk - which encompasses workers from all around the world — and sometimes, no matter how I might like a job there I don’t even bother applying because I simply cannot compete with the people who can do it for a much lesser price because their cost of living is so much lower. (Even the jobs I do are more for interest, because they never come anywhere near the salary I make.)
One suggestion I would make to anyone that may give you an advantage for future jobs is to see what’s leading edge now (e.g. XML and schemas (although they’ve been around a few years now), writing for mobiles and so on and make sure that you know about it. These jobs are less likely to go overseas (in my experience) and they usally pay better.

Comment on Qualifications for technical writers by virgilio

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 07:33:59 +0000

can you answer my question now? i need an answer. we have recitation about it tommorow. im waiting for your immediately answer. thaks alot..

Comment on Qualifications for technical writers by virgilio v. bolos

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 07:23:24 +0000

why do we need to accomplish qualification in technical writing?

Comment on Tech writers: it’s your job to sell your product, and that product is you by the rookie

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 20:37:42 +0000

I have to agree with CABSAV’s dire/bitter assessment. In fact, I fall right into it. I got a tech writing job at a microchip company in Silicon Valley because of my engineering background (did not have tech writing background, per se).

But actually, I don’t really use it. I’m just editing/formatting documentation written by engineers, who are really the only ones capable of understanding such complex technology. The English majors in the group who’ve been here for years can and do do it as well or better. And even here, I feel like an endangered species. Our main competitor (who’s killing us right now), outsources their whole tech pubs to Bangalore India, where the going rate is $10-15/hr. And from what I hear from other tech writers out there, the going rate for what we do is dropping like a stone (experienced people getting like $25-30 /hr offers in the Bay Area).

Not sure where to go, but maybe somewhere that actually uses my engineering background…

Comment on SharePoint: What works for our site, what doesn’t by Nick Kharchenko

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 10:41:24 +0000

MAPILab provides a very good SharePoint usage reporting solution: MAPILab Statistics for SharePoint. Detailed reports on visitors, documents, lists, search, etc. You can try its free trial version, or look through the online demo: http://www.mapilab.com/sharepoint/statistics/.