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Last year, US News and World Report noted that technical writing was going to be one of the best careers for 2011, but what about 2012? Since we haven’t seen the new findings of news outlets (though the common lists for the year are certain to be released soon), let’s look back over the year at what technical writing has been able to provide in the changing economy.
According, again, to US News and World Report, the overall job market is going to grow in 2012, and this news offers a sigh of relief to those who haven’t been able to secure a new job, or who haven’t been able to get a job that works for their income needs.
But what about technical writing? (more…)
Poll Results as of 12/9/2011
The Help Authoring Tools poll, featured in the left column of our blog, has been running for 3 weeks now. And though there have only been 94 voters so far, I thought it was a good time to look at the results and see if any trends can be spotted.
Madcap Flare Makes a Big Impression
Of the readers who have participated in the poll so far, just about 2/3rds (66%) are using MadCap Flare and another quarter or so (25%) are using RoboHelp, making knowledge of those two tools the apparent standard for help development – at least within the small sample of readers who’ve participated to date. Even with a small sample size, those numbers are impressive, especially for Flare, the relatively new kid on the block.
Dinosaurs to the Back of the Bus
FrameMaker and MS Word are tied with a usage rate of 10% each. That seems like a paltry number for those two tools, don’t you think? My understanding is that Framemaker remains the default tool for Department of Defense (DOD) projects, and traditionally has been more localization friendly.
Are Wikis the Future of Technical Communications?
Do you think wikis and wiki-enabling tools like Confluence are the wave of the future? Using a wiki for documentation seems like a good idea – at least on the surface. Wikis have the potential to allow users to help each other by filling in gaps in the documentation and providing shortcuts that the technical writer may not have considered. By tracking user updates to a wiki, you can get some valuable information on both the product/procedure and its documentation for future improvements. However, migrating content from a legacy system to a wiki would seem like a daunting project at best.
Help Wanted
Browsing through WAI’s current list of job openings for technical writers, I noticed three jobs specifically mentioned strong knowledge of MS Word and one mentioned Frame. None of the other postings mention any of the tools that are included in the poll. Yes, technical writers use a variety of tools for various tasks, including Visio and AutoCAD software, and those are mentioned occasionally.
I would still love to hear from those of you who already participated in the poll (and those of you who haven’t done so yet). I strongly suspect many of you use multiple tools – that’s why the poll was configured to allow you to vote for more than one. But I’m also interested in the difference between independent contractors, who may have to use a variety of tools throughout the course of a year for different clients/projects, and technical writers who are employed as full-time staff. Finally, we’d like to know the types of projects/deliverables for which you’re using the specific tools that received your vote. Please leave a comment (and get your friends to vote so we get a larger sample size) and let’s get a discussion going!
When it comes to technical documentation, most people would rather ignore the fine print and hope for the best. But when residents are faced with new regulations in their town, it seems that a different approach is needed. The students at Texas Tech in Texas decided to take their technical writing skills and create a user-friendly document for local residents. And isn’t that what technical writing is all about?
Helping Residents Understand
According to locals, the Lubbock Water Report has been a difficult subject with residents for years. While citizens want to learn more about their water supply and how it’s being handled, the dense materials in the report made that nearly impossible for anyone not already involved with creating this report. Students at Texas Tech’s 2011 Document Design course took the 2011 report and made it more readable. As a result, 70,000 residents were able to receive a new water report that was simple to read and easy to understand.
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Interestingly enough, technical writing has not always been a proper profession. While it certainly was used in creating product manuals and in developing user handbooks, it wasn’t until 1980 that technical writing became a recognized profession – according to the legal system. Though perhaps this wasn’t necessary to do, a court case solidified the idea of a technical writer – and paved the way for the profession today.
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Editor’s Note: This was the feature article in this month’s TechCom Manager newsletter, reprinted here with permission. Click the previous link to subscribe to the newsletter.
Luanne Oleas
The projects, they are increasing. The number of writers is decreasing. Jobs are floating across oceans. Agile, thy name is fickle. What’s a good writer going to do? You have to change. Adapt. Be ready for anything, because chances are, that’s exactly what’s coming your way.
One of the hardest principles slipping from our grasp in these tense times is the quality factor. It used to be one area where the technical writer could be the master of his or her fate. Developers revised your content, project managers overruled your phraseology, but you, as an experienced writer, could still make the final product shine. Now? Not so much.
Part of the problem could be that your Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) are no longer sharing your water cooler. In fact, in this year’s budget, they nixed the water cooler, too. Your reviewers could be thousands of miles away, which can make motivating them difficult. OK, impossible. Well, almost.
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NOTE: Poll Issues
We’ve been seeing some issues with the poll. If you aren’t able to vote, try taking the poll from the blog’s home page at: http://www.writingassist.com/newsroom/ instead of attempting to take the poll while viewing this post.
Much has changed in the past 5 years or so. MadCap Flare grew in popularity while interest in FrameMaker and RoboHelp seems to have dropped off a bit. Or is that a misperception?
Here’s a chance for technical writers, information developers and others who author help content to chime in. Which tools are you using?
At the top of the left column of our blog you’ll see the Help Authoring Tools poll. We’d like to know which tools you’re using on a regular basis right now – not what you’ve used in the past.
Perhaps you’re not using any of these tools at all. Maybe you’re using an XML tool or some other way to handle help file deliverables we haven’t considered. If that’s the case, we’d love to hear what’s going on with you and find out which tools you use most, which tools you love and which you hate. So once you’ve taken the poll, chime in with a comment on this post and let’s get a conversation going.
What help authoring tools are you using? Please take the poll at the top of the left column of our blog. Then, please leave a comment on this post with anything you’d like to share about the tools you’re using and the trends you’re seeing in help development.
There are certain qualities you should look for whether you’re bringing in a technical writing contractor or hiring a technical writer for a staff position. They are the same qualities that apply whether you use a recruiter to find candidates or you do it yourself through your HR department.
Knowing which qualities are important before you start interviewing can help the process go much more smoothly and result in a better hiring decision. But what are those qualities?
This article by Philip Rascotny examines that question and provides some guidance on the skill sets and personality traits that can result in a better hiring decision. It also takes into consideration how much of a role your ‘gut feelings’ should play in making the final decision.
Read: Considerations for Hiring Technical Writers
Related topics:
The Cost of Hiring the Wrong Employee
Which Skills Sets are Important for a Technical Writer?
How to Pick the Right Recruiter
As a documentation team manager, getting visibility for your team within the organization can be a challenge. Technical writers and doc teams aren’t generally seen as profit centers, so they are often relegated to second-class status.
Whether your documentation group is a solo technical writer or a team of 12, poor internal visibility for your group can mean it gets overlooked when promotions, bonuses and other company perks are handed out. It can also mean that team members may be more susceptible to staffing cutbacks.
This article by Whitney Potsus discusses ways you can get your documentation group some visibility. It contains a number of tips along with some good resources to get you on the right track.
Read: Raising Your Documentation Team’s Visibility
More from Whitney Potsus
The Life of a Lone Writer
Are You Dealing with Professional Burnout?
Whether in medical writing or general technical writing, there is a clear understanding that a document needs to be helpful and it needs to provide a certain amount of information to the user. But is there a way, after the writing is done, to determine the effectiveness of the document?
Let’s take the example of a user manual that might be used in a hospital for a certain medical device. When a person uses the content of the manual, they can expect to have a positive result, assuming the content of the manual is accurate and well designed.
In this example, is it fair to say that hospitals that use this manual and have positive results with the documented device are able to quantify the results of the technical writing? That’s where things become unclear. Though the document’s information is being used, there’s still a case for human error and device error – beyond misunderstanding its content – that can cause the outcome to be less than desirable, even though the actual document is correct.
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In 1975, the U.S. government put into effect the idea that all product warranties were to be stated clearly and unambiguously. At least, that’s what’s on the books. But if you’ve ever had to read a product warranty when something you’ve owned suddenly stopped working, you can see how this document can become confusing. What’s the best way to clear up the confusion of product warranties?
Here are 3 easy tips for technical writers who work with warranties:
- Know the solutions – Within a product warranty are solutions for the owner of the product. Readers need to understand what they are able to get in return for certain actions they take. For example, if they need to send in the product, they need to know where to send it, the time frame they have, the documentation that’s required, etc.
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