I Heart Tech Docs, Ivan Walsh, Technical Writer

One of the alternative careers I’ve considered as a Technical Writer is Information Architecture. Information Architecture is worth considering if you’re attracted to organization of data, for example, indexing, rather than writing. I get a bit tired to typing at times and enjoy other tech comms activities such as analysis, diagramming, and documentation planning. This short article gives some insight into how Information Architecture is used when developing websites. So, for those of who want to retain your writing skills and move into web-facing career, maybe Information Architecture is worth exploring.

From: http://ping.fm/BexuU

Posted via email from Small Business Strategies

YouTube Mobile can be accessed by visiting m.youtube.com on your phone.

From Alex Chitu, “Google’s services have a big advantage: a lot of mobile phones include applications for services like YouTube, Google Maps, Gmail, Google Search. Unfortunately, the native applications are rarely updated, so users miss the new features added to Google’s services.

A good example is the YouTube application for iPhone, developed by Apple, which still uses 5-star ratings, doesn’t support captions, annotations or search suggestions and offers a single sharing option: email. Google’s YouTube application for Android is not much better, even if it’s updated faster.”

From: http://ping.fm/rQZWD

Posted via email from Small Business Strategies

To prepare your case study analysis, you need to understand the four parts that hold the case study together. Once you have grasped how to structure your case study, you are then in a better position to refine this document and make the sections flow more smoothly from one topic to the next. Your case study should be built around the Situation, Problem, Solution, and Evaluation.

From: http://ping.fm/mZRiO

Posted via email from Small Business Strategies

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when I say Cult? I was offered a job with Apple many years ago and turned it down. They struck me as a bit odd. Think different campaigns were somehow a tiny bit sinister. I couldn’t put my finger on it didn’t buy into it. Later I realized that most successful companies in the Valley are cult-like to some degree. It’s an Us versus Them mentality. Not my cup of tea.

From: http://ping.fm/rfxSP

Posted via email from Small Business Strategies

The more you sell, the more complaints. Nothing personal. Oscar Wilde said, ‘the only thing worse than being talked about, is not being talked about.’ It’s the same on the web. If you plan to run a business, you better get ready to deal with the complaints.

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Google Webmaster Tools is one of the hidden secrets on Google. Use this to add your site directly to its index, verify that Google sees your site (and sub-domains), and also fix the errors it has identified. Split testing has shown me that sites indexed this way perform better than sites that rely on xml sitemaps. FYI you can also add sitemaps here.

From: http://ping.fm/osWVm

Posted via email from Small Business Strategies

Create a handover checklist. Itemize what you need to do (and dates) and what they need to do (and dates). See this as a small project that needs to be coordinated. Create a list of tasks, allocate them and assign dates. Share this with the new site owner.For example:

From: http://ping.fm/XAEyh

Posted via email from Small Business Strategies

Friday is my busiest day. Most folks power down and go into weekend mode. Not here! Ask yourself, ‘why do I go down a gear on Friday?’, ‘How does this benefit my career?’ Ok, let’s be honest. We do this because others do it. Right? This is a high-risk way to manage your career. You’re letting others determine how you behave. And it damages your career in many, many ways. Here’s an alternative approach.

From: http://ping.fm/Nz0rT

Posted via email from Small Business Strategies

Most people think it’s difficult start a career as a business consultant. I used to think the same in my early 20s when I started in IT.

In retrospect, I should have made more efforts to establish myself as a consultant earlier; the benefits certainly outweigh the downsides. As luck would have it, I was forced into a consultancy role when I lost my 9-5 job.

Time to learn to hustling and bring in business. Harvard Business Review refers to it as The Hustle Strategy.

From: http://ping.fm/mQcit

Posted via email from Small Business Strategies

In this short video I explain how to create content and to remove the barriers that stop most people from creating content on a daily basis. It’s not difficult but you do need to have a system that lets you maximize your opportunities to create content and reduces the barriers that stop you from doing this. For example, you can create more content for your blog – and generate more business – if you work in batches.

From: http://ping.fm/PNtqz

Posted via email from Small Business Strategies

This article on business writing reminds us that our sales, marketing, business, and proposal development does not stand alone. It is process of a larger process that involves planning, research, writing, editing, proofing, submission and acceptance.

This list gives 37 ways to improve your next proposal. Scroll through it and tell me what I missed.

Show that your response is logical and organized
Make the information easy to find. Cross reference against the Request For Proposal
Include a table of contents for proposals over 10 pages in length
Ensure that your Proposal is in compliance with the RFP
Arrange material in order of priority to the reader (see Audience Analysis guidelines)

From: http://ping.fm/CBNCA

Posted via email from Small Business Strategies

What do soloists who make six figures have in common? To find out, we asked this week’s guest, Mike Koenigs. Mike is best known as the guy who created the Web 2.0 syndication service, Traffic Geyser that distributes over a million videos per week and generates top ranking, web traffic and leads in minutes by sending video content to over 70 video sites, social bookmarking, social media, blog and podcasting directories.

From: http://ping.fm/iZb1W

Posted via email from Small Business Strategies

Twenty articles to get you started with your case study writing. It’s all here.

Case Study methodology, SWOT, grounded theory, interviewing SME, Media Kit, Marketing Plans, how to promote your products and services, raise its market profile, and construct, format, design and publish your document.

From: http://ping.fm/euKdr

Posted via email from Small Business Strategies

You find a blog you really like. You want to learn more. You’re thinking of buying from them. What do you do? Click About Us, right? Most people do. Now, pretend you’ve never visited your own site. Remember, you know nothing about you. Nothing. Look at your About Us page? Be honest, what’s the one thing that’s wrong with it?

From: http://ping.fm/8VuVg

Posted via email from Small Business Strategies

Should you use a role model to develop your business?

Maybe you should: the top business magazines say, ‘be yourself, be authentic, share your story’ Or maybe you shouldn’t. For entrepreneurs, using a role model creates a dilemma.

Does it mean you’ve sold out? Do you lose street cred? Can you really copy someone else and be true to yourself?

From: http://ping.fm/IwfKt

Posted via email from Small Business Strategies