February 2012
9 posts
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Kraft Canada Apparently Doesn't Know Who Won on...
Hello! I talk a lot about why the public service is preposterous, but today we get something different! We’re gonna take a look at Kraft peanut butter.
So, I bought some of their “all-natural” peanut butter, because it was on sale, and I wanted to try it out. It clearly has sugar in it. Possibly they grow some kind of peanut-sugarcane hybrid. Or maybe they just added fucking sugar.
Anyway, that...
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Who's Your Daddy?
I haven’t really delved into researching this guy yet:
…but apparently, Joseph Chapline is considered to be the first Technical Writer. He worked for Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation from 1947-54. The first tech doc was about the BINAC computer and written in 1949.
He was also one of the founders of the freakin’ IEEE.
I’m trying to hunt around for examples of his...
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If you email me this, you are basically a...
Technical writing is one of those jobs that people:
don’t know is a thing and
don’t understand
Which is fine. I don’t know what astronauts do. Like, from 9-5. No idea.
Now, I totally get that people want to understand the world around them. There are very reasonable ways of doing this. For example, you could sit down with me, and within 15 minutes, you’ll know...
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The Difference between Technical Writing and the...
Sometimes tech writers compose marketing docs. These can be blog posts, or brochures, product names, slogans, whatever. And sometimes these things are created by marketing departments.
Your technical communication team wants to sell your product. They do. There’s no ethical problem in writing in a way that highlights the advantages of a product. But people often want marketing to deal with...
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“We would like you to manage our website. We’ve previously had a dream weaver to...”
– (via clientsfromhell)
I normally wouldn’t reblog Clients from Hell, because they are all beautiful, but this…this struck a chord with me.
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1993 Was Magic, Says Government of Canada
Hello everyone! I apologize for being away for so long.
Let’s go over this text/graphic example of how computers will change Government of Canada service standards, circa 1993. Now, I obviously understand how much technology has changed since 1993. The example here is talking about dial-up internet, etc. That is not a problem.
It’s everything else. Onward!
(The following is taken verbatim from:...
Spiegro: The Truth About Tech Writing →
notatechwriter:
First day at the nontechnical writing job. Guess what, I already miss technical writing. I debunked some myths today.
#1 Proofreading is more fun than tech writing. Wrong. Maybe grammar Nazis will disagree. I know a bunch of people who relish nonstop debates about comma…
January 2012
1 post
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December 2011
20 posts
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In Which Math is Used to Prove the Truth of...
Calendars are important. They ensure I do the things I’m supposed to do.
Everyone has a different calendar system. I use my Outlook at work, but push my Outlook to a Google Cal that has my personal stuff, which then just shows up on my iPhone. I check my iCal like religion.
I have a friend who uses a hard-copy agenda. And pens. It’s nuts. But he never misses an appointment. Since his system...
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2003: The Year Tech Writing Went to the Movies
Let’s go on an adventure, shall we?
The Technical Writer (2003)
Jessup (Michael Harris) is a 40-ish technical writer/hermit who leaves his basement hovel in a Manhattan high-rise only to accept takeout deliveries. But newly arrived, glitzy married tenants Slim (Tatum O’Neal) and Joe (William Forsythe) decide, for no obvious reason, to get him into their social circle —...
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No Means No, Bitch, Even in Japan. Also, sticky...
Tom Johnson wrote a great article on kanban on his blog, I’d Rather Be Writing. Kanban means “signboard” and is basically a way to physically keep track of the amount of work everyone is doing. It’s based on the Japanese “philosophy is that you should only take on as much work as you have the capacity to perform.”
I don’t think you can really say...
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“If the automobile had followed the same development as the computer, a...”
– Robert Cringely, InfoWorld
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Greyhound Just Killed All the Robots
I didn’t want to post today. I should be working. But…as a bard and a scholar, I am duty bound to explain something to the people at Greyhound.
Alright, so first off, no one shows up an hour before their bus comes, unless they are old, or don’t understand human time.
Okay. So this paragraph clearly says “Please print only one ticket per page.” That’s fine. A...
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In Which My Cough Medecine Makes Demands
Living in Ottawa, you get sick a lot. This means you go through lots and lots of medecine. Well, some people eschew such Western, bougie, magi-science. These people exist in a constant state of diseased perplexity and loneliness.
I have bought this particular sickness reliever many times. However, I had not noticed the following message on the side flaps:
TRY OUR OTHER COLD AND COUGH PRODUCTS.
...
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In Which Open Government Continues to Fail
I was flipping through the Open Data section, Open Government website a few days ago. The purpose of Open Gov is, apparently:
The expansion of open government will give Canadians the opportunity to access public information in more useful and readable formats, enable greater insight into the inner workings of the Government and empower citizens to participate more directly in the decision-making...
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“Writers write. Then edit. Then write. Then edit. Then drink. Then write. Then...”
– Yup. What Chuck said.
via Twitter, by @ChuckWendig.
(via highmoon)
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The Thing about Flowcharts (Part One)
Is that you shouldn’t make them.
Flowcharts are a trick. Much like the Devil, they have somehow convinced people that they are the perfect combination of explanatory text and graphic. Everyone has seen one good flowchart that totally explained how to make their instant hot chocolate. And then, somehow, this is taken to mean that the medium is appropriate for explaining a shuttle launch.
If you...
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The Thing about Flowcharts (Part Two)
I was flipping through this old binder on web publishing procedures, when I came across this child of Lilith (the red is me):
What. The hell.
I actually found this about a month ago, but it made me so angry, I couldn’t write about it. I…am going to try now.
First off, I’m going to remind you that I work for the public service, in a division of writers, communicators, web guys and...
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Finding a Writer - You Should Have Written This...
Oh no. Oh no no nono nono.
You know us writers all think that the people that need us to write their marketing docs are stupid? And that they think we are magic wizard robots that need to be lured with gin and theasaurii?
We weren’t wrong…
articlemarketingatoz:
Making Money with Articles: Finding a Writer Finding the right freelance writer to produce your...
The Thing is, Love it or Get off the Doc
Below, I reblogged two tumblr posts I found which showcase the tech comm dichotomy: the people who are MAD in love and the people that want to escape mainteNOW. I look forward to following both these blogs.
-Julia Out
Tech Writer Ry: Greetings! →
techwriterry:
I am an inspiring Technical Writer (Communicator) and I wanted to create a blog that tells the story of my journey. I plan on posting about the schooling I’m going to start soon, along with my attempts at practicing my communications skills.
I am not a good “creative” or journalistic writer, at…
Life Beat Me: My Job. →
lifebeatme:
Well, now that I’ve told you that I have no idea what I want to be when I grow up, I should probably tell you about my current job. I am a (holds breath and winces…) technical writer. Take a moment to let that sink in…
So, technical writing. Well, traditionally technical writers are the…
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Shit My Students Write →
Excerpts from student essays varying from tragic to libelous.
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Apostrophe Catastrophes →
November 2011
20 posts
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“The French translation of the English concept of ‘portmanteau’ is...”
– Julia
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30 ESSENTIAL PDF DOCUMENTS EVERY DESIGNER SHOULD... →
This post is from 2009, but having trolled through the articles, they still apply. Especially to those of us working in places that are super, super excited about this new Web 2.0 thing.
The articles tend to focus on web design, but the thing about design principles is that they apply to EVERYTHING.
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“Updating a manual is like changing tires on a moving car.”
– Edmond Weiss
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Tech Writing Could Save You a Lawsuit
Tech Comm people are a fastidious (re: OCD) bunch. We have to be: if I mistype some safety information for crib, I could be indirectly responsible for exploding your baby. And I don’t want to pay for no baby cleanup. Or have to explain to my granny that I “make angels happen.” Yikes.
Websites are a pain. You not only have to go over the content, you have to go over the markup, check the links,...
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What Does My Mother Have to Do with Nasal...
Alright. So, the thing about instructions is, they are supposed to be for someone who has never used the product, or a similar one. Let’s deconstruct:
“Insert nozzle into one nostril, tilt head slightly in the opposite direction”: What? The opposite of WHICH direction? North? Left? Port-side? And opposite implies a pairing: what object/component is Point A? The cannister? The...
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“An alarming new study shows that 14 percent of Americans do not speak
English,...”
– Dave Barry
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“Writing is like prostitution: First you do it for the love of it, then you
do...”
– F. Molnar
“He was a multi-millionaire. Wanna know how he made all of his money? He...”
– Steven Wright
“Documentation is like sex. When it’s good, it’s very, very good. And...”
– Unknown
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Government of Canada, Do You Do This on Purpose?
I’m reading the new Standard on Web Usability, which is fun, in a meta way. Basically, it’s a document meant to enforce usability practices on all GC websites. It is in no way is specific, and is itself, not usable. For example, the term “utilize” is present repeatedly. Just say “use”, guys. It’s totally kosher.
Anyway, in one of many appendices, I came...
“If you want to get rich from writing, write the sort of thing that’s read...”
– Don Marquis
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In Which Anglo-Franco Conflict Continues
First off, apologies to Matthew for not putting this up sooner.
Secondly, nice try, Authentiquement Italienne!; but your plan to poison people is not going to work. As you can see above, whoever translated the cooking instructions is either a sloven, or a cad. If you prepare what I’m sure is some quality gnocchi using the french instructions, you cook for 8-10 minutes. Using the english,...
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This is SO Tech Writing, Yeezy and Hova.
So, I’m toodling around trying to plan a party, and went to look up some Watch the Throne lyrics, for inpiration. Our Google Overlord takes me to Rap Genius.
Rap Genius is possibly one of the greatest pieces of tech comm I’ve ever seen. Regard:
You click a lyric, and then a little text box pops up which explains what it means. This is fantastic, because though I heart me some...
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I'd Rather Be Writing: A Blog on Technical... →
A blog on technical communication, intended for technical communicators and technical writers.
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“web content: a collection of Government of Canada information resources that...”
– from the public service
NO. THAT’S NOT THE THING THAT IT IS.
“This report, by its very length, defends itself against the risk of being read.”
– Winston Churchill
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The Trouble with Definitions
(Conversation had while looking at Halloween pictures)
Julia: Wait. I don’t understand what this guy is supposed to be…
Mike: He’s the internet.
Julia:….
Mike: Because he’s a series of tubes.
Julia: HWHAT! THAT’S THE GREATEST COSTUME OF ALL TIME!
If you work in Technical Communication, you know that quickly, yet accurately, defining a complex idea is always a battle. The “internet” is rather...
“Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write...”
– Mark Twain
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Techincal Wrtier
I would like to thank:
1) Transport Canada: for being honest enough to admit they need help.
2) The Honourable Hollis Bowman: for submitting this. Without people like you, the struggle could not go on.
- Julia and Hollis Out