1. Should I User Third-Party Software In My Website?
(Web Design/Web Design Tips and Articles)

... the same declaration. I don’t know why so many web designers feel the need to try to make everything themselves. Maybe it’s the innate creativity flowing through their veins, or the fact that web ...

2. Free Alternatives to Expensive Technical Writing Software
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

... to know when going on the job market. I've compiled a list of these alternatives and included outside reviews of the software tools and links to the tools themselves. Before moving on though, some have ...

3. How to Write Editing Comments For Authors
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

... arbitrary changes just for stylistic or personal reasons (you just think your way sounds better). This ticks authors off to no end. So, if I don’t know an author very well I’ll include comments all over ...

4. Using Comic Books for Technical Instruction
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

... makes comic books ideal to be used for a broader audience. In technical writing one of the unwritten rules is to write for the lowest common denominator--the person who is the least educated or knowledgeable ...

5. What is a Technical Writing Portfolio?
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

... extensive (meaning more than usual) research, each took knowledge of important technology to create (like programming languages or software tools), and each took a combination of skills (like writing and ...

6. How to Gain Experience in Technical Writing
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

... to tell a lot of people know. But taking advantage of all the free writing work out there will pay off with a portfolio padded with real examples of real work. For technical, professional and business ...

7. 5 Important Books in Technical Writing
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

5 Important Books in Technical Writing  There are hundreds of books on technical writing, and I know everyone has there favorite. However, I've singled out five that I think are most important to practicing ...

8. Quickly Getting into Technical Writing
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

Quickly Getting into Technical Writing  I don't know if it's the economy or what, but I've had student after student beating down my office door asking me how they can get into technical writing. Some ...

9. Usability Testing: Using Eye-Tracking Software
(Usability/Usability Tips, Lessons and Articles)

... imply--readers are attracted to certain visual stimuli, like bright colors or certain shapes and orientations. This isn't too hard to imagine, as we all know our eyes tend to naturally float towards highlighted ...

10. How to Use Color in Your Documents
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

... very least, always remember that when using color, you can quickly begin using too much without even knowing it. This applies to both how many items you use color on, and how many different colors you ...

11. How to Write Policies and Procedures
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

... probably the case for a lot of small businesses that find themselves growing. When it was solely run by my friend, he knew all he needed to know. When he hired his first employee, giving direction and ...

12. Technical Communications and Programming: The Economic Reasons for Commenting
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

... specific portions but located elsewhere (12). Studies since those published in the late 70’s and early 80’s have confirmed that imbedded comments do help people—those who have no or little knowledge about ...

13. Technical Communication and Programming: Internal and External Documentation
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

... more quickly understand a program. Researchers have found that reading cognition is aided, and quickened, by elements other than the writing itself. Knowing who wrote a document, what the document is about, ...

14. Persuasive Writing Example
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

... to continue releasing the members for the necessary amount of time. Thus I need to understand the supervisors. The supervisors will want to know first that what they are doing is needed and appreciated. ...

15. Resume Guide Part 9
(Resume Writing/Resume Writing Lessons)

... organization. Make sure to call it by its most commonly known name. For example, if you worked for IBM, call it IBM, because International Business Machines, Inc. is not as widely recognized. And following ...

16. Resume Guide Part 8
(Resume Writing/Resume Writing Lessons)

... old fashioned resumes we’re used to seeing. So, if you want to know what separates a resume for a government job from a resume for a healthcare job, simply look at employment ads for the desired position. ...

17. Resume Guide Part 6
(Resume Writing/Resume Writing Lessons)

... similar to this one. They want you to understand what it takes to be in this position, and they want to know that you can carry out the tasks required in this job. The proof you offer can come from a variety ...

18. Resume Guide Part 5
(Resume Writing/Resume Writing Lessons)

... and different duties, and these will require different skills and knowledge sets. So, each employer will be looking for different things. Some might want you to know how to use spreadsheet software as ...

19. Resume Guide Part 4
(Resume Writing/Resume Writing Lessons)

... or what you know in order to demonstrate you’re the perfect candidate for the job you’re applying for. There are certain things in the resume you can simply list: education or training, classes, volunteer ...

20. Resume Guide Part 2
(Resume Writing/Resume Writing Lessons)

... to have done in the past. Most every job ad you come across will have them, usually in the sections discussing the position’s responsibilities. These are things that the employer would like you to know ...

21. Resume Guide Part 1
(Resume Writing/Resume Writing Lessons)

... at your abilities? I mean how much can that one or two pages really tell your future employers about you anyway? If you could just talk to them instead, you know they’d be falling all over themselves ...

22. Technical Communication and Programming: Using Writing Rules
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

... also important to remember: for readers who need the information they are of supreme importance for understanding the text they relate to. Footnotes, and by analogy comments, provide a bridge between knowledge ...

23. Usabiltiy in Logos
(Usability/Usability Tips, Lessons and Articles)

... know it has low usability; I get lost on a web page and can't fid what I'm looking for, etc. But what about those things that we do not perform any actions on. Or those things that give us no feedback. ...

24. How to Use Font Types: The Sequel
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

... passage, figure 2, is a portion of a sonnet (Sonnet 65) written by a Victorian poet named Gerard Manley Hopkins, who was known for his imagery of despair, frustration, and loss. His poems are utterly depressing. ...

25. Consistency in Writing
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

... know exactly where to look, because by that time they understand what each textual element represents. Specific elements to check include: Headings and subheadings: font type and size, spacing above and ...

26. The Context of Communication
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

... delivering the presentation to your team members, there is a lot of information you can disregard. They will probably already know the ins and outs of the project. They might understand why the project ...

27. Your Audience
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

... on the audience for which we design the information. Understand that the people we write to are not often like ourselves. Each person has a different knowledge set from which they draw to understand the ...