The recording is available in a variety of formats: Audio with Slides MP3 Audio Only PowerPoint Show File PowerPoint Original File iPod format I recently gave a presentation at the STC Summit in Sacramento titled “Organizing Help Content: Breaking Out of Topic-based Hierarchies.” I would have recorded my presentation, but recording is not allowed. I Continue Reading »
Tag Archives: Screencasts
From DITA to VITA: Tracing Origins and Projecting the Future
With my recent reflections on long versus short text, a comment by Michael O’neil made me wonder whether the “reading to do” mode equated with DITA’s task type, and whether the “reading to learn” mode equated to DITA’s concept type. In researching this, I stumbled across a goldmine of an article on the History of Continue Reading »
Making Help Content Enjoyable to Read — Impossible Quest?
In my previous post (“Less Text, Please”), I argued that users want shorter texts. I also explained how social media and Internet sites have possibly rewired our brains to incline us toward shorter content — according to some, our gnat-like attention spans can only consume a few short paragraphs before tapping out. The Onion has Continue Reading »
WordPress Tip: Integrating a WordPress Blog into your Website
Integrating a WordPress blog into your website is one of the most common requests I receive as a WordPress consultant. Whenever someone asks me to do this, I usually recommend moving the entire website into WordPress. That way you can manage all the content in one place. The user experience is more seamless too. If Continue Reading »
The Perfect Voice — Professional or Authentic?
One trend I think we’ll see more and more is the decrease of professional voiceover actors in screencasts when those voiceover actors are merely reading a script they don’t understand. As an example, watch some of the tutorials at lynda.com. The narrators may not be professional voiceover actors, but they are subject matter experts. You can tell Continue Reading »
“I need your help with some documentation” (Xtranormal Movies)
Last week my wife, Shannon, showed me a couple hilarious Xtranormal videos. The first is So, you want to be a lawyer? And then, So, you want to get a PhD in the humanities? After watching these two, I couldn’t help but think of a scenario for technical writers. The following is a conversation I’m Continue Reading »
Searching STC Resources for Information
One of the advantages of belonging to the Society for Technical Communication (STC) is having access to the rich information sources on technical communication. These sources include Intercom, the Technical Communication Journal, past proceedings from conferences, the Notebook blog, and more. Unfortunately, there isn’t a single search that allows you to comprehensively search all of Continue Reading »
The Importance of Visual Communication, or How to Build a Dirt Sifter
Recently due to flooding in my window wells, I had to dig the wells deeper. I piled up the dirt and rocks around the outside, and then realized I needed to sift the dirt from the rocks because I wanted to put the rocks back in, but move the dirt elsewhere in my yard to Continue Reading »
Introduction to WordPress — Recording of WordPress Webinar
Last month I gave a webinar on WordPress to the STC CIC SIG, which is the Independent Contracting and Consulting Special Interest Group of the Society for Technical Communication. I recorded the webinar and am allowed now to make it available for free on my site. The recording plays my voice only, and the whole Continue Reading »
24 Hours of Screencasts with Camtasia Studio
On Tuesday, July 13, TechSmith is create 24 Screencasts About Camtasia in 24 Hours. It must be fun to do screencasts at 3 a.m. If you’re into screencasts (and use Camtasia), these sessions should provide a lot of good information. They’re streaming the screencasts live here and are also recording them to publish later.