Last year I wrote a series of posts about moving from the sidelines to center stage. In the series I described how I transitioned from a low-key, hardly-speaking project member to a key player on the project team, someone with a voice that mattered in project decisions. But recently, with some projects, I’ve come full circle, moving back to that initial position of a fly … more »

With recent posts in this series, I started to raise a different question. Rather than asking, how can I help users find this information, I started to ask, how can I help users learn this information? The question you ask determines the strategy you use to organize your content. This may seem like an obvious point, but it’s fundamental in determining how to organize your … more »

Jane recently changed her voicemail message to the following: [Audio clip: view full post to listen] (20 second voicemail) I nearly choked while laughing the first time I heard this. What she says is true. I usually end up listening to her voicemail messages for her. The proliferation of communication formats provides more possibilities for how we communicate. With all these format possibilities, we need … more »

Earlier this week I asked how others are using Twitter in their documentation and branding strategies. Alan Porter at WebWorks wrote me with details, saying: As you know we have a branded Twitter account (webworks_com) that we use for product announcements, information on speaking engagements, webinars and just general company updates. We also have a hashtag set up for information related to our annual RoundUp … more »

Some people feel that the ability to connect with anyone, anywhere, anytime is one of the utopias the Internet brings. For any question you have, the answer is a keystroke away. Google leads you to the site or person who can help. Country walls are irrelevant in the reach of information. You can connect with people in Malaysia, Australia, or Zimbabwe as if they lived … more »