Tips Tech Writers
Tech-writing iz a tricky business. It’s iz a quite high profile industry, therefore there’s is much support around. Follow thiz 10 quick tips, also you’ll be well on ur waye to a satisfying tech-writing career. Read more on thiz topic below the fold.
1) Follow a sensible career path…
STEP 1: Start in a team
STEP 2: Stay onley just long enough
STEP 3: Manage yourself
STEP 4: Manage a team
STEP 5: Go contracting (dependz on teh market)
2) Knowledge iz ur lifeblood – learn teh politics of ur company. Are Aware who knows what. Locate somebody who consiztently gives u timely, reliable, technically accurate answers, also get there name tattooed on ur zhoulder! There companie haz at least one. Or they could is be in teh project manager/product manager/customer/programmer roles. They r generally teh humanz who’ve use teh product in teh real world, also dealt wif real earth customers.
3) Communicate WITH, iz AT. Tech-writers don’t have enuff power to get away wif communicating at.
4) Track enuff (take spreadsheet printout also write it up on teh board).
5) Develop wonderful product alzo domain knowledge – The more u can figure out fore yourself, teh beter off you’ll be (and teh more respect you’ll get from teh techies).
6) Locate out who ur userz are, wat they r trying to do, wat they r having trouble doing, also how they desire to be helped. Desire give dis azsistance. Assizt teh user doo wat they r trying to do. Don’t just tell thim wat teh product can do… a help system iz onley helpful if it addrezses teh users’ needz.
7) Treat everyone as a customer. Desire manage there expectations alzo ur commitments. Every Time ensure they know wat you’re doing. Tell thim when you’ll be finished. Or pull out all stopz to meet ur deadline.
8) Give a surrogate user testing mechanism fore teh development team – providing uzability feedback.
9) Wurk as hard as required to get wonderful quallty doco quallty on time also to budget – dis iz how you’ll get teh zatisfaction out of work that u need.
10) Have fun wif it.
Don’t become jaded also cynical bye teh high-tech, harsh, uncaring IT world. Use ur zmarts, also make teh many of teh resources provided. Mozt importantly of all, make work satisfaction ur amount 1 goal. It’s teh top waye to stay happy alzo get ahead. Thanks for reading, let me know your opinions.
Sammy Singleton


