Story of an API writer

An API writer is a part of API ecosystem and creates API guides for better understanding of an API. To get into this role, you must be ready with your safety gears to play with live wires – APIs.

Audio recording through TechSmith Camtasia

In this procedure, you will able to avoid an error when selecting the audio recording option. This will also solve the frustrating issue of unexpected shutdown of Camtasia.

Is Help without TOC becoming the new trendsetter…

Whenever we get some help creation task, first we probably think about TOC. Managers mostly like a structure that helps them to create estimation and the placeholder for the Help content. TOC becomes the best framework to complete their milestone to complete the documentation task, how the information is chunked, and avoids duplication.

Technical writers wearing multiple hats

Technical writers should have the blended knowledge of writing and tools. While tools do not only mean software used for documentation, it also includes the application software about which writers need to work around. Manager need to decide whom to involve based on technology of a project. Content update related project would prefer a content enthusiasts, whereas a technical resource for technology centric project.

Deleting unused images in RoboHelp

You can view the list of unused image files in the RoboHelp project from: Tools>Reports>Unused Files. However, you cannot delete those files from the RoboHelp project. You can delete the file names from the Windows Explorer, which is a tedious work and prone to error. It becomes more challenging when the size of your project is big and files got filled up during several updates.

RoboHelp support java script to automate the task in the project. Don’t worry if you are not expert in java script. You can download the imagecleanup.jsx that is freely available at: https://www.wvanweelden.eu/product/image-cleanup

1. Open the RoboHelp project for which you want to delete unused images.
2. To open the Script Explorer pod, click View>Pods>Script Explorer.
   The Script Explorer pod opens.

Image: Add caption

Technical Writers vs Instructional Designers

The objective of a technical writer is to help the users in using the product. When a user is struck in understanding a feature or task, they consults the document as a reference. While an instructional designer make the user learn. The learner needs to go through the complete instructional design deliverable. If we talk about WBTs or CBTs, each and every activity of learner is tracked. The learner uses the instructional design deliverable as a textbook and not as a reference guide.
To conclude, technical writers write documents for potential users while instructional designers for potential learners.

Lucidchart quick start guide

Introduction

Lucidchart is an HTML5-based diagramming tool to create flowcharts, wireframes, UML diagrams, mind maps, and more. You can open this tool on a Google chrome browser and work with the team members in real time.

Installing Lucidchart

To install and configure Lucidchart with Google Drive:

1. Go to https://chrome.google.com. 
   The Chrome Web Store page appears.
2. In the Search Apps text box, type Lucidchart and press Enter. In the Apps tab, the result page displays the Lucidchart: Diagramming app. 
3. Click Install. 
   A confirmation message asks whether you want to install Lucidchart on Chrome. 
   Note: Before installing Lucidchart, sign in with your Google account.

What managers want?

Managers want to see the ability to manage the documentation project, starting from initiating the task and meeting the users’ need. It is appreciated, if a tech. writer can provide some value added services, like suggesting on the UI texts, workflow diagrams, visual aids, and features. Developers want to see that you're familiar and invested. They want to work with resourceful and proactive tech writers. Your specific questions will reflect how much you're actually working with the technology. Never the less some time follow ups are required to get confirmation of your queries and assumptions.

Bloom’s Taxonomy in Technical Writing

The application of Bloom’s Taxonomy consistis of presentation, design, and assessment strategy. It can be used in e-learning, web-based training, or user manual. An application level objective requires simulations and step-by-step description. While, higher level learning requires case studies and role plays.

Six Levels of Cognitive Domain:

• Knowledge: The information should be well-defined and explained to the user satisfaction. Describe the product background and features.
  Keywords: defines, describes, identifies, knows, labels, lists, matches, names, outlines, recalls, recognizes, reproduces, selects, and states.
• Comprehension: Understanding of the application should be summarized. Describe the interface and behavior of the product.
  Keywords: comprehends, converts, defends, distinguishes, estimates, explains, extends, generalizes, gives, infers, interprets, paraphrases, predicts, rewrites, summarizes, and translates.
• Application: Put the statement into action and relate the application with the document. Describe the product in step-by-step process.
  Keywords: applies, changes, computes, constructs, demonstrates, discovers, manipulates, modifies, operates, predicts, prepares, produces, relates, shows, solves, and uses.
• Analyze: Scrutinize the information and verify with latest data. Provide relevant screenshots and references.
  Keywords: analyzes, breaks down, compares, contrasts, diagrams, deconstructs, differentiates, discriminates, distinguishes, identifies, illustrates, infers, outlines, relates, selects, and separates.
• Synthesis: Create and predict the data. Describe how one action affects the product usage.
  Keywords: categorizes, combines, compiles, composes, creates, devises, designs, explains, generates, modifies, organizes, plans, rearranges, reconstructs, relates, reorganizes, revises, rewrites, summarizes, tells, and writes.
• Evaluation: Interpret and justify the information. Proofread and verify it by SME.
  Keywords: appraises, compares, concludes, contrasts, criticizes, critiques, defends, describes, discriminates, evaluates, explains, interprets, justifies, relates, summarizes, and supports.

Can we teach others?

"Education's purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one" - Malcolm Forbes
We can’t teach anything to anybody, but one can only facilitate. A concept is an approach in methodology that would simplify things in a rotten learn-by-root system. It’s a fresh diversion from memorizing to understanding. Children (below 12 years) have good grasping power, which comes out of their own interest to know more the subject.
It’s common that after an age (around 30 years) our mind become rigid and declines to accept new concepts, with age our mind gets filled up with many things.
Increase of technology usage has led to the investment in learning process. Industry feel online training not just adds value to the workplace, it’s crucial for their success. Globalization has increased the competition and size of the market, e-learning has become a more practical and meaningful training option as it has a wider reach. Online training is not only convenient, flexible and time-saving; it’s more cost-effective in the long run. Now, companies feel online training not just adds value to the workplace, its crucial for their success

As a Tehnical Writer I will

“The two most engaging powers of an author are to make new things familiar and familiar things new.” ~Samuel Johnson

As a technical writer, I am responsible for communicating technical and business information to the reader that helps to understand and use the application. It is a craft through which information is delivered to those who need it. The word “Technical Writer” sounds new, but this profession was present long time back, where there was a need of interaction between human and application. Help or knowledge is required to get full advantage of the application, even the manuscripts from the medieval period could be looked upon as early technical writing. Over the years it has matured, and is still growing at an admirable manner. We understand reference and task-based information well enough that when we produce help files. Talking about a product development process, technical writing has not only been a part of the end user documentation, it has also assisted the organizations in the design and development process.

My inclination towards technology and software tools led me to love this technical writing job. This profession allows me to keep going with my passion of creativity. I would like to call myself as “Technical Communicator,” my work is an action oriented, expressing tasks precisely and clearly. Style guides and check lists help me to write correctly and concisely. I feel challenging and excited to find new dimension in defining my work. I interact with the team members to gather information about the usage, policies, and concept of the project and product. No doubt, I prepare documentation, but it is different from content writing, journalism, copy writing and others. I feel that technical writers must understand the product, project, technology, and business issues.

In the early days of my profession, I mostly used to write ‘User Guide,’ task involves screen-shots of application, drawing flowcharts, and step-by-step task completion procedure. Analyzing and running the application repeatedly some time led me to find bugs, which helped me to understand the application better. Afterward I also put my hand in web development, flowchart design, and image processing. I realized that lot of things has to be taken care in documentation, my technical background and my zeal to learn more helped me to venture into programming, often I get involved in application (software) form design, that’s what technical writers are different from other writers, we wears many hats in IT profession, one has to be versatile and their interpersonal skill is important for a team work.
I love critics, even document need testing. In editing process, I ensure consistency across each of the help files and controlling versions of the help as edits are made.

A software or hardware company had documents both for internal and external purpose. We all know how to use a mobile phone; still a manual comes with it. Study shows that 80% lifetime cost of the software is due to support and maintenance, which could be reduced through good documents. Companies are realizing the importance of documentation, however there are few formal education to to know or learn about technical writing, few communities are coming up to discuss and popularize it. As per Rahul Prabhakar it is right to say “Technical writing - the new black gold of India.” Let’s hope in the upcoming era of help we will revolutionize user-machine interaction through our active participation.

Product Usability

Computer usage has increased, and users are added in thousand folds. Products are becoming more compatible and user-friendly. Whatever the logic or procedure the developers use is none of the user’s business; they want the work to be done easily. For example, a mobile phone is very convenient to any people, they can operate the handset easily, but most of the user either hesitate or get difficulty during their initial usage. Even though a person using his/her own handset for long time might not know some extra features available in it. That’s why GUI, content, and help-file facilitate the product more acceptable to the user.
Here comes the usability and help into picture; no matter how robust the product is! If it can’t come-up with user’s expectations then it fails. But, there are exceptions where functionality and robustness of an application has to compromise with GUI, for example, mainframe application.

Who is reading Help?

Do we ever think that user guide of 200-300 pages are ever read by the user?
This question might come into our mind.
Marketing team will sell the products to the customers, and there will be more in the selling list. So, where these document into picture?

There is an influx of high-tech users, those who want the ultimate performance of their product. One day or the other you have to use a new product and to get guidance or training from other is not feasible every time. For instance, we get a manual with every purchase of a mobile. We all know how to make use of it, still manual gives details of every feature. Here comes User Guide or Manual, giving you minute detail of the product, you might not be reading the book from top to bottom, nor the help suggest to read in that manner, it will act as a quick help or reference guide to a problem. You might be categorized among the master of mobile user, but you may face problem in downloading audio song into your mobile, which is available in your mobile. Then you can quickly go through the TOC or index of your manual to know the correct procedure.
Now it has become a norm to provide user guide with every product, to familiarize and make it handy. Advantages of help with the product are as follows:

• Decrease training cost
• Naive user can work easily with the product
• Productivity increases
• Easy assistance available
• Popularity increases

Technical Writing

“The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightening and the lightening bug.” – Mark Twain

The purpose of communication is to narrow the distance between people and places. There are many paths to reach the goal, but the right one is in demand.
In personal communication every one wants to convey their thoughts and feelings. When we speak we convey our message not only by words, but our body language plays a major factor in expression, even you have found few people giving some gesture while talking on a phone. We can rectify our self immediately if spoke anything wrong or got diverted from our topic. There is few linguistics required while we speak, a good speaker must attract the attention of the audience, how well the document preparation is doesn't matter, but he has to deliver the speech well.

Writer has to be perfect in his wordings, words wills acts as wizard to visualize to fact, simple words are enough to express, once reader get diverted from the main topic it is difficult to make a “U” turn to the main topic. We writers have to be consistent in our writings and take precautionary measures to minimize errors in document, readers will love the writing if they find it interesting. In technical document writers are not allowed to express their own feeling and exaggerate their own subject, writing has to be precise and to the point. Technical document in itself means technology related document referring to usability or popularize the product, which can be tangible or intangible.
White Paper, Patent Paper, style guide, so on are document related to the product. The term "TECHNICAL DOCUMENT" can be categorized as follows:

• Operation Manuals
• User Manuals
• Administrative Manuals
• Service Manuals
• Maintenance Manuals
• Installation Manuals
• On-line Help
• Policies & Procedures
• Technical Bulletins
• Data Sheets/Specification Sheets
• Quick Reference Guides/Cards
• Usability Testing & Validation,
• API document
• Functional Document, and may more.

Users of technical document may be internal or external people of its own company. Document was in the past, but why much of demand is there now days? Reasons for crunch of software technical writing are as follows:

• Computers and their users are rapidly increasing and they all need to familiar with upcoming computer products
• Globalization makes it inevitable to popularize the product
• Need to decrease training cost
• Maintain standardization
• Swift flow of information

Increase in awareness among the software personnel to give importance and recognize software documentation is also one of the reasons for demand of technical writers.The job of technical writer is to express technical knowledge in layman terms, technical documents format and style differs according to different user.

FAQ
1.What tools can be used to develop web-based online help?
(A) By international treaty, only RoboHelp can be used
(B) Any Windows help application, provided it can compile the help in uncompressed HTML files.
(C) Microsoft Word or a similar word processor
Ans-B
2. What is a major difference between online help and a tutorial?
(A) People use the index in help more than they would in a tutorial
(B) Tutorials always use multimedia, while that is not available in help
(C) People only use help when needed, but that is not true with tutorials
Ans-A
3. Why was the Java applet selected in compiling the WebHelp instead of DHTML?
(A) Java code cannot be compromised by hackers
(B) Concern over browser compatibility
(C) DHTML means "Don't use HTML"
Ans-C
4. How is the creative process stimulated?
(A) By taking stimulants or depressants
(B) In a very linear and logical order
(C) Randomly, by association of images and words
Ans-C
5. Do graphical outlining software superior to pencil and paper?
(A) It depends on your working style
(B) Provided it is not too expensive
(C) Pencil and paper are obsolete
Ans-A
6. Why do you need to learn to use difficult programs like FrameMaker?
(A) To get into the desktop publishing business
(B) It is only necessary for poor writers
(C) It is often a requirement for the job8Bottom of Form
7. Why should you be knowledgeable about the subject matter?
(A) In case the subject matter expert gets sick
(B) To show you are better than the engineers
(C) It is difficult to write about what you don't understand
Ans-C
8. What can you learn from attending Society for Technical Communications meetings?
(A)Techniques other writers use
(B)There is no reason to do so
(C)The latest gossip about other writers
Ans-A
9.. Why isn't "good enough" good enough?
(A) There isn't the satisfaction of doing your best
(B) If it satisfies the requirements, it is good enough
(C)You may end up with extra time on your handsBottom of Form
Ans-A
10. How can writing online help be valuable to your supervisor?
(A)Online help has no use or value
(B)She can use it on her computer
(C)He can deliver a needed product to his manager
Ans-C
11. What is a way to make yourself more valuable?
(A)Demand higher wages
(B)Delay on finishing a critical document
(C)Volunteer for important tasks
Ans-C