I Heart Tech Docs, Ivan Walsh, Technical Writer

One way to speed up the time it takes to create process diagrams is to attach shapes to each other. This is another way of grouping shapes so that they move as a unit and not individually.

BusinessWeek report how outsourcing has become less attractive to companies in light on the recession. It also highlights the type of jobs that will NOT be out-sourced, such as technical writing and business analysis.

You learn from your mistakes. When I started to use Microsoft Visio I didn’t know how to position shapes correctly which left some of my process flows looking misaligned. Since then I’ve got the hang of Visio and know how to position shapes more precisely, so that they line up nice and tidy.

David McMurrey runs the Technical Communications program at Austin Community College (ACC) in Austin, Texas USA.

He suggests that technical writing is “an excellent career path for people with liberal-arts degrees, especially those who have had difficulties getting employment that draws upon the capabilities they developed in college. But it is also a popular choice for technical people who have good communications skills but need a change of scenery.”

I’m looking at a process design right now that has five swimlanes and lots of interaction between the actors. What I need to do next is tidy up this diagram by moving the shapes, even so slightly, around the page. Visio lets you do this by using the Nudge option. In other words, you can push a shape pixel/point/pica around the page.

Visio is the tool I use for creating technical illustrations. One of the limitations of the tool is that I need to zoom in and out quite a bit. Just to double-check if the lines are matched up or, when doing very detailed process flow diagram, to see if I can nudge a shape a [...]

India Today reports that there may be strong signs of a recovery in the Indian IT sector, giving hope to technical writers and software developers who may have been effected by the slowdown in BPO contracts.

Trend Micro is looking for a technical writer with a passion for technology and willingness to commit to team goals. The role is based in Taiwan, so get your passport ready!

Like so many things in life, perception is everything. You might be the smartest technical writer on the planet but if your diagrams look like a Jackson Pollock, it’s going to shape others opinion of you.

Most of the readers on this site are IT professionals, software developers, and technical writers. Some of us are also involved in information architecture and visual design. One of the tools that I get the most pleasure from is Microsoft Visio. I’ve used it for flowcharts, business processes designs, mind mapping maps, technical diagrams, and more. What I’m going to do over the next few weeks is walk you through some of the tips I’ve picked up and how you can get the most from Visio.

Top 10 Websites for Technical Writing. We like to keep an eye of the top websites for technical writing and see if any new sites have broken into the top ten. Here is the list of top technical writing sites for the week ending Sept 11th.

Techsmith’s Camtasia is one of the most popular tools for capturing onscreen activities, making interactive demos, quizzes and tutorials. As a technical writer I find that once I get used to using an application, it’s hard to switch, or even consider, moving to another product. Why move when you’re happy with what you’ve got! Well, over the coming weeks I’m going to look at some alternatives to the ‘industry standard’ products, especially for those involved in technical writing, information architecture and content development. Let’s start with TurboDemo.

This month’s new releases include MadCap Blaze version 2, which is used for creating technical documents, especially longer documents that re-use content.

Here’s a run-down of the key features:

I hold a degree in Electrical Engineering and would like to make a switch to Technical Writing. Can you please suggest what type of training should I be looking for? Is there any dedicated program for this?

If you want to sharpen your technical documents, take a recent sample, for example, a reference guide, and apply the following tips. If you follow these, your material will become more forceful, confident and accurate.

Technical Writing – Speed Reading Test