Archive for 2010
How to Configure Column and Header Layout for a FrameMaker Document
You can create FrameMaker documents with complex column and header layouts. I’d like to show some of those possibilities on this sample one-column document: (Click on all images to enlarge them) As you can see, this document does not have any sidebars and a sidebar is always a nice layout feature to have in a…
Read MoreFrameMaker – How to Draw Lines by Default Above or Below any Header
Imagine every time you use a certain paragraph tag in FrameMaker, you’d like to draw automatically lines (single, double, etc.) above and/or below that header or piece of text. You can do that easily by using the ADVANCED tab in PARAGRAPH DESIGNER. Follow these steps: (1) Open your FrameMaker document: Let’s imagine you’d like to…
Read MoreThe Value of Judging Technical Documents as a Juror at STC Competition
© 2010 Ugur Akinci I love to be a judge at STC’s annual technical documentation competitions. This year is the fourth time I’m serving as a judge in my local chapter’s (Wash DC) annual technical document competition. Twice I had the honor to serve my local chapter as a Lead Judge. In other two times…
Read More7 Great Tips to Edit Your Own Document
It’s best to have a colleague or an outside reviewer to read and edit your technical or business documents. But sometimes you might now have that luxury and you may be all alone. So how should you edit your own stuff? I can only give you a few tips that worked for me in the…
Read MoreCorrelation is not Causality – Cell Phone Towers & Babies
Correlation is not causation This means that just because two things happen at the same time, it doesn’t mean that one caused the other. Correlation does not imply causation is a phrase used in statistics and social sciences to emphasize that a correlation between two variables does not necessarily mean that one causes the other.…
Read MoreSecrets of Good Communication – 5 Tips of Explaining Things More Effectively
Good communication is all about explain things well to others, isn’t it? Here is a wonderful little paper, available as a PDF download from TechRepublic, about 10 ways in which we can all improve the way we explains things to others. I really liked this list. My experience in life tells me that every item…
Read MoreRutger's University's "6-P Method" to Write Technical Case Studies
© 2010 Ugur Akinci The New York Times has published a very educational story about how Rutger University‘s technical writing program employs the “6-P Method” to create technical case studies. According to Peter Sorrell, an instructor at the business and technical writing program, the method consists of the following Ps: The Problem at stake, the…
Read More4 Reasons Why All Companies Should Have Terminology Management
What is Terminology Management? Terminology Management is a vital technical communication function for all corporations. Larger the corporation, more urgent is the need to have a standard catalog of terms and concepts used consistently across all levels of the organization. The goal of a terminology is to provide a set of terms that are well-defined,…
Read MoreHow to Manage a Technical Document Review Process
Review Process is an Unspoken Problem… One of the most problematic aspects of a technical writing project is the review process. Usually, the reviewers are less responsive than a technical writer hopes them to be. Why is that the case? Because reviewers in a typical IT project team are either managers, engineers, or SME technicians,…
Read MoreWriting Proposals for U.S. Government Purchasing Contracts — An Introduction
Did you know that you can make a good living as a technical communicator by writing proposals U.S. Government purchasing contracts? Largest Buyer in the World U.S. Government is probably the largest buyer in the world, period. The numbers change from year to year, but the last I heard is this: U.S. Government purchases more…
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