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millionchimpanzees.blogspot.com

A Million Chimpanzees: The Lone Wolf Writer in Context

http://millionchimpanzees.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-lone-wolf-writer-in-context.html

Friday, May 22, 2015. The Lone Wolf Writer in Context. At the recent Write the Docs. Conference, I had the opportunity to briefly speak with one of the keynotes, the gracious Marcia Riefer Johnston. I wanted to thank her both for her wonderful presentation and for being of a "similar age" to me. Not having any idea about what to expect, I imagined I'd be the oldest person attending, probably by decades. All that changed, at least in potential, when Marcia mentioned the Society for Technical Communication.

writethedocs.org

Thanks - Write the Docs North America 2015

http://www.writethedocs.org/conf/eu/2015

The conference is now over. Thanks to everyone who came out and made the event special once again. Don’t forget to keep in touch with us:. Join our mailing list to receive updates regarding our 2016 North America and Europe conferences. Subscription link is at the end of this page. Keep in touch with your fellow documentarians on our new Forum. Write the Docs brings. The conference takes place on August 31 - September 1 (Monday and Tuesday) from 9am to 6pm. Announcing Write the Docs Europe 2015. Announci...

docsbydesign.com

Flying | Docs by Design

http://docsbydesign.com/category/flying

Bob Watson ponders technical writing, API documentation, and the world in general. Quorans like my hangar flying. I made it to the top-10 most viewed in General Aviation, this week. While, like the most viewed writer in technical writing. Notice I got a few months ago, this wasn’t an intentional goal, but I think these notices represent what I like to talk and write about. It’s encouraging to know that they are also what people like to read. For those who aren’t familiar:. December 27, 2015. This is inte...

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Technical writing | Docs by Design

http://docsbydesign.com/category/technical-writing

Bob Watson ponders technical writing, API documentation, and the world in general. Coming back to the blog. I’ve not done so well with my “four posts/month” blogging goal, lately. I finally pushed out my post on Giving criticism. After it sat in my draft folder for the past month and a half. But, I’m back to talk about what I’ve been up to. Jan and I had our paper on the benefits (and the necessity) of testing best practices in context accepted to the PCS 2016. Department. Mercer is located in the st...

millionchimpanzees.blogspot.com

A Million Chimpanzees: May 2015

http://millionchimpanzees.blogspot.com/2015_05_01_archive.html

Wednesday, May 27, 2015. The Imposter Syndrome is Alive and Well. The last presenter for day two of the recent Write the Docs conference. Speaking on "Success is More Than Not Failing.". She wasn't the only one at the event to discuss impostor syndrome, but she's the only one who talked about it that made it into my notes. Up until the conference, not only did I think I was the only one suffering from the malady, but I didn't even know it had a name. Great, but why me? In a room full of software develope...

docsbydesign.com

API reference topic study – thoughts | Docs by Design

http://docsbydesign.com/2015/07/12/api-reference-topic-study-thoughts

Bob Watson ponders technical writing, API documentation, and the world in general. API reference topic study – thoughts. Last month, I published a summary of my dissertation study. Difference. But, no. The other finding that surprised me was the average length of time that participants spent evaluating the topics. Whether the topic was relevant or not, participants reviewed a topic for an average of about 44 seconds before they decided its relevance. This was interesting for several reasons. Finding ways...

docsbydesign.com

May | 2015 | Docs by Design

http://docsbydesign.com/2015/05

Bob Watson ponders technical writing, API documentation, and the world in general. Is it really just that simple? A tiny house. Is less more or less or does it depend? It’s in that frame of mind that I consider the antithesis of that nuance, the “sloganeering” I’ve seen so often in technical writing. So easy and simple that it can be reduced to a slogan or a list of 5 (or even 7) steps? Let’s start with Content minimalism. Or, in slogan form,. Ten Misconceptions about Minimalism. In essence, we will argu...

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Setting a goal | Docs by Design

http://docsbydesign.com/2015/07/09/setting-a-goal

Bob Watson ponders technical writing, API documentation, and the world in general. Continuing on my site/personal vision and goal setting exercise (picking up from my last post on the topic. I updated my vision document. With my first goal. Goals should be SMART. So, with that in mind, I added my first goal:. Build base of content – at least 1, ideally 2, new topic(s) per week. Elements of the SMART mnemonic in mind, while not ignoring the. It might only be one step at a time, but it’s one more step.

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Checklist for technical writing | Docs by Design

http://docsbydesign.com/2015/07/07/checklist-for-technical-writing

Bob Watson ponders technical writing, API documentation, and the world in general. Checklist for technical writing. Devin Hunt’s design hierarchy. Devin Hunt posted this figure from. Universal Principles of Design. Which is an adaptation of. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. For design. It seemed like they could also apply to technical writing. Working up from the bottom…. As with a product, technical content must. For technical content, like any product, you must know your audience’s needs to know what.

docsbydesign.com

June | 2015 | Docs by Design

http://docsbydesign.com/2015/06

Bob Watson ponders technical writing, API documentation, and the world in general. I’m still working on the blog’s vision and goals and it occurred to me why. Was such a sticky wicket–the meaning has been stretched some. To me, it’s summed up as “what you see is what you get,” and therein lies the problem: I don’t look like much, unless you know where to look, I suppose. And try not to repeat them. I think so, as long as the impression comes from the impact. In this latest update, I:. June 26, 2015.