10 Tips for Tech-Writers
Tech-writing is a tricky business. It's not a very high profile industry, so there's not much support around. Follow these 10 quick tips, and you'll be well on your way to a satisfying tech-writing career.
1) Follow a sensible career path?
- STEP 1: Start in a team
- STEP 2: Stay only just long enough
- STEP 3: Manage yourself
- STEP 4: Manage a team
- STEP 5: Go contracting (depends on the market)
2) Knowledge is your lifeblood ? learn the politics of your company. Know who knows what. Find someone who consistently gives you timely, reliable, technically accurate answers, and get their name tattooed on your shoulder! Every company has at least one. And they may not be in the project manager/product manager/customer/programmer roles. They are generally the people who've used the product in the real world, and dealt with real world customers.
3) Communicate WITH, not AT. Tech-writers don't have enough power to get away with communicating at.
4) Track stuff (take spreadsheet printout and write it up on the board).
5) Develop good product and domain knowledge ? The more you can figure out for yourself, the better off you'll be (and the more respect you'll get from the techies).
6) Find out who your users are, what they are trying to do, what they are having trouble doing, and how they want to be helped. Then provide this assistance. Help the user do what they are trying to do. Don't just tell them what the product can do? a help system is only helpful if it addresses the users' needs.
7) Treat everyone as a customer. Then manage their expectations and your commitments. Always ensure they know what you're doing. Tell them when you'll be finished. And pull out all stops to meet your deadline.
8) Provide a surrogate user testing mechanism for the development team ? providing usability feedback.
9) Work as hard as required to get good quality doco finished on time and to budget ? this is how you'll get the satisfaction out of work that you need.
10) Have fun with it.
Don't become jaded and cynical by the high-tech, harsh, uncaring IT world. Use your smarts, and make the most of the resources provided. Most importantly of all, make work satisfaction your number 1 goal. It's the best way to stay happy and get ahead.
About The Author
* Glenn Murray is an SEO copywriter and Article Submission Specialist. He is a director of PublishHub and also of copywriting studio Divine Write. He can be contacted on Sydney +612 4334 6222 or at glenn@divinewrite.com. Visit http://www.divinewrite.com or http://www.publishhub.com for further details, more FREE articles, or to purchase his e-book, 'SEO Secrets'.
 Google News Updated : Sun, 12 Oct 2008 23:51:23 GMT Falcons' Ryan is not your typical rookie QB - FOXSports.com
FOXSports.com - by Alex Marvez Alex Marvez is a Senior NFL Writer for FOXSports.com. He's covered the NFL for 14 seasons as a beat writer and is the president of the Pro Football Writers of America. Falcons missed chances in red zone Bears rally late, fall to Falcons on last-second FG Publ.Date : Sun, 12 Oct 2008 23:14:27 GMT Mighty Chihuahuas Eclipse DiCaprio and Crowe in Test of Star Power - New York Times New York Times - By BROOKS BARNES LOS ANGELES - This is how far movie stars have fallen in their ability to pull audiences into theaters, at least when the story revolves around Iraq and the messiness of the Middle East: A picture about talking dogs, “Beverly Hills ... Dogs rule: 'Beverly Hills Chihuahua' No. 1 again 'Chihuahua' fetches $17.5M, remains top movie dog Publ.Date : Sun, 12 Oct 2008 21:18:44 GMT First Second-Generation Astronaut, Richard Garriott, Launched Into ... - AHN
AHN - Vienna, VA (AHN)-Space Adventures, Ltd, a company that provides space missions to the global community, announced that client Richard Garriott and his crew successfully launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to the International Space ... Video: Raw Video: US space tourist begins journey US game designer blasts into space with DNA cargo Publ.Date : Sun, 12 Oct 2008 21:28:36 GMT Palin talks economic worries in Appalachian Ohio - The Associated Press
The Associated Press - ST. CLAIRSVILLE, Ohio (AP) - Sarah Palin told voters in southeastern Ohio on Sunday that she and running mate John McCain would bring jobs back to this economically depressed piece of Appalachia. John McCain and Sarah Palin try new tactics US-POLITICS Summary Publ.Date : Sun, 12 Oct 2008 23:11:58 GMT Tigers still seeking QB to turn season around - SportingNews.com
SportingNews.com - AP Sports Wri AUBURN, Ala. (AP) -- The Auburn Tigers didn't figure they'd be in this position: Unranked, desperately trying to salvage a once-promising season and still seeking a quarterback solution seven games into the season. Tuberville And Tigers Trying To Regroup A Pig Sooie Shocker in Auburn Publ.Date : Sun, 12 Oct 2008 23:13:08 GMT UPDATE 1-Tropical Storm Nana forms in Atlantic - Reuters Reuters - MIAMI, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Tropical Storm Nana, the 14th of the Atlantic hurricane season, formed on Sunday in the Atlantic Ocean east of the Caribbean islands, the US National Hurricane Center said. Forecasters: Tropical Storm Nana forms in Atlantic Tropical Storm Nana Forms Publ.Date : Sun, 12 Oct 2008 21:29:57 GMT Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Cancer survivor shares her story - Naples Daily News
Naples Daily News - By LIANE SMITH (Contact) She felt pain in her breasts. One of her aunt’s died in February from breast cancer. Another aunt, in her 60s now, has battled it on and off for more than a dozen years. Pink And Purple Join To Help Women Breast Cancer Awareness Month Should Be Prevention Month! Publ.Date : Sun, 12 Oct 2008 22:31:44 GMT Amazon Associate Store |
PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts,
Websites, and more... Ask any copywriter what the first commandment of copywriting is... Read More Assume you were faced with the task of hiring a... Read More One of the most important aspects of a website today... Read More Anyone who's ever tried marketing IT products or... Read More Once a upon a recent time in a galaxy not... Read More Freelance writers are a strange group of people when it... Read More Putting out a high quality product is a given these... Read More Personalizing your headlines to your target audience can significantly improve... Read More Web marketers: have you figured out that article marketing is... Read More An interesting debate is currently raging among copywriters, web designers... Read More As with any of the performing arts, an effective voiceover... Read More Want to know the secret of creating MEMORABLE promotional copy?... Read More Do you have the training and skills needed for copywriting?Are... Read More This is a question that can be answered in a... Read More When it comes to search engine optimization, copywriting plays a... Read More About 50 years ago, movie serials kept theater crowds coming... Read More Did you know that jobs writing about food are available?... Read More This week we're going to reinforce the training that Recruits... Read More When making a purchasing decision, people have their "rip off... Read More You know what it's like, you're reading the sales material... Read More In order to get ahead in your copy writing business,... Read More My name is Ann and I'm a grammar geek. There,... Read More When you are going to write a press release probably... Read More One of the most important priorities of evey online business... Read More Have you heard of Brian Keith Voiles? Probably not, but... Read More
Adsense
websites
Segmenting Your Target Audience Through Your Copywriting
Is Freelance Hiring Right For You?
10 Tips for Writing Web Copy
10 Things You Should Expect From Your IT Copywriter
Beyond Once Upon a Time: Fairy Tales arent the Only Thing Needing Catchy Openings
Freelance Writers: Double Your Income
How You Can Proofread Your Own Work
How To Personalize Your Headlines For Increased Profits!
How Your $2-an-Article Ghostwriter is Like a Cheap Pair of Pants
Want a Sticky Site That Sells? Forget Content!
Writing Copy for Voiceovers
Memorable Sales Copy -- How to Write it
Copywriting Businesses - How You Can Get Started
Can Anyone Succeed as a Freelance Copywriter?
Copywriting Makeover: Search Engine-Friendly Can Also Mean Visitor-Friendly
How Cliffhanger Paragraphs Capture Readers
How To Find Freelance Jobs - Writing About Food
More Insider Secrets to Great Copywriting - Judging Your Target Market
Dissolving Buyer Scepticisim ... A Lesson In Copywriting
Four Simple Steps to Improve Your Sales Copy
Knowing Copywriting Basics - How To Get Ahead In Your Copy Writing Business
Copywriting 101: Exclamation Point, Friend or Foe?
How to Develop a Killer News Hook
Five Steps To Online Copywriting Success
Revealed: The $12,500 Copywriting Formula
Affordable and Reliable Web Hosting Starting at $4.49/Month
Freelance Copywriters on the Internet: How to Tell the Difference Between Heaven-sent and Hack
If you're hunting for a good freelance copywriter and have... Read More
How You Can Proofread Your Own Work
Putting out a high quality product is a given these... Read More
Top 10 Ways For Copywriters To Overcome Writers Block
We all know that words have the power to persuade,... Read More
Traffics Nice... But Whos Driving?
In the competitive marketplace of the new millennium, the demand... Read More
Subtle Emotion - The Key To Copy That Works
Say the word "emotion" to a man, and he'll immediately... Read More
Professional Writing: Six Great Reasons to Hire a Writer
Most people can write. Some can even write well. But... Read More
How To Find Editing Services Online
Quality is what you need. What you don't have is... Read More
Discover Your Creativity
You have a choice. Do you want to be constructive... Read More
Finding Your Clients Business Problem Leads to Better Copy
WHAT'S THEIR PROBLEM?How do you begin a dialogue with a... Read More
More Insider Secrets to Great Copywriting - Judging Your Target Market
This week we're going to reinforce the training that Recruits... Read More
Kick-Start Your Juices
Listen, consider this scenario.You have a deadline to honour. Time... Read More
Pulling Sales with Your Ad Copy
One of the best marketing tools available to your internet... Read More
Its Time To Start That Swipe File
Just as great fiction is an art, so is great... Read More
Writing for People and Search Engines
Writing for the search engines is much different than writing... Read More
A Little-Known Secret To Writing Sales Copy, For Serious Copywriters Only!
Have you ever wondered how your copy sounds to your... Read More
16 Golden Rules of Master Copywriting
You could spend thousands of dollars on advertisement and have... Read More
Sowing the Seeds of Opportunity: How to Multiply Your Freelance (Writing) Work
You can turn your $200 fee to write a press... Read More
5 Critical Mistakes Most Freelance Copywriters Make
Think you have what it takes to be a freelance... Read More
Designing for a Non-English Audience
Having worked as a digital publishing specialist at a large... Read More
The Write Way To Grow Your Business
Hone your writing skills to project a more professional business... Read More
Freelance Writing As A Career
Most people would love to make a living from freelance... Read More
11 Ways to Get an Editors Attention
I worked as a business magazine editor for about 20... Read More
The Formulas Freelance Copywriters Employ When Creating Web Content
What is it exactly that copywriters DO when they produce... Read More
5 Ways to Instantly Improve Your Copy
1. Isolation technique It doesn't matter how good your... Read More
How To Write An Effective Ad
A letter or postcard allows you to "talk" one-on-one to... Read More
Copywriting |