---
title: "2013 archives"
description: "{% for post in site.posts %} {% capture year %}{{post.date | date:"
canonical_url: https://idratherbewriting.com/archives-2013/index.html
---

> For AI agents: a documentation index is available at https://idratherbewriting.com/llms.txt. Markdown versions of all pages are available by appending .md to any page URL.

# 2013 archives

1. [How to lose weight without starving yourself](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/12/31/how-to-lose-weight-without-starving/) | Dec 31, 2013
2. [WordPress tip: Create a series of posts](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/12/29/wordpress-tip-create-a-series-of-posts/) | Dec 29, 2013
3. [Researching the right keywords (search engine optimization)](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/12/23/researching-the-right-keywords-search-engine-optimization/) | Dec 23, 2013
4. [Get a technical writing internship or on-the-job experience without having much time for it](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/12/18/get-a-technical-writing-internship-or-degree-without-having-much-time-for-it/) | Dec 18, 2013
5. [My Christmas wishlist on Techwhirl](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/12/18/my-christmas-wishlist-on-techwhirl/) | Dec 18, 2013
6. [Single sourcing and duplicate content (search engine optimization)](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/12/16/seo-duplicate-content-and-single-sourcing/) | Dec 16, 2013
7. [Introduction, frames, iframes, and tech comm tools (search engine optimization)](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/12/13/seo-for-help-documentation-introduction-frames-and-iframes/) | Dec 13, 2013
8. [Collapsible header sections -- more problematic than helpful](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/12/11/collapsible-header-sections-more-problematic-than-helpful/) | Dec 11, 2013
9. [TC Camp Unconference in San Jose, Calif. on January 25, 2014](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/12/10/upcoming-event-tc-camp-unconference-in-san-jose-calif-on-january-25-2014/) | Dec 10, 2013
10. [Making website banner ads more visible](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/12/05/making-website-banner-ads-more-visible/) | Dec 5, 2013
11. [Is Atlassian Marginalizing Confluence Power Users? Guest Post by Steve Goldberg](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/12/03/is-atlassian-marginalizing-confluence-power-users-guest-post-by-steve-goldberg/) | Dec 3, 2013
12. [A bucket list for a career in tech comm?](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/11/26/a-bucket-list-for-a-career-in-tech-comm/) | Nov 26, 2013
13. [Questions from readers: How to organize reviews, and whether a dedicated editor is worthwhile](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/11/21/questions-from-readers-how-to-organize-reviews-and-whether-a-dedicated-editor-is-worthwhile/) | Nov 21, 2013
14. [A few things tech writers frequently say: Videos tedious, topics best when short, people just use Google, and more](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/11/19/a-few-things-technical-writers-frequently-say/) | Nov 19, 2013
15. [The Bug Badge](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/11/17/the-bug-badge/) | Nov 17, 2013
16. [Balancing new and familiar: Avoiding the Groundhog day syndrome](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/11/07/balancing-new-and-familiar-avoiding-the-groundhog-day-syndrome/) | Nov 7, 2013
17. [Imperfect content and the difficulty of writing video scripts](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/11/04/imperfect-content-and-the-difficulty-of-writing-video-scripts/) | Nov 4, 2013
18. [Everything I needed to know about technical writing I learned in preschool...](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/10/30/everything-i-needed-to-know-about-technical-writing-i-learned-in-preschool/) | Oct 30, 2013
19. [Recording and slides for "Why users can't find answers in help" presentation to STC Silicon Valley](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/10/23/recording-and-slides-for-why-users-cant-find-answers-in-help-presentation-to-stc-silicon-valley/) | Oct 23, 2013
20. [What to do with old manuals from products you own](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/10/08/what-to-do-with-old-manuals-from-products-you-own/) | Oct 8, 2013
21. [My Upcoming Presentation at the STC Silicon Valley Chapter -- "Why Users Can't Find Answers to Their Questions in Help Content"](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/10/05/my-upcoming-presentation-at-the-stc-silicon-valley-chapter-why-users-cant-find-answers-to-their-questions-in-help-content/) | Oct 5, 2013
22. [Learning How to Communicate Visually in Documentation](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/10/03/learning-how-to-communicate-visually-in-documentation/) | Oct 3, 2013
23. [How to Search Engine Optimize (SEO) Your Help Documentation](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/09/22/how-to-search-engine-optimize-your-help-content-or-documentation/) | Sep 22, 2013
24. [Narrative Workflow Topics: Helping Users Connect the Dots Among Topics](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/09/12/narrative-workflow-topics-helping-users-connect-the-dots-among-topics/) | Sep 12, 2013
25. [Reader Question: How do I create online help, how to guides, quick start tutorials, or video tutorials?](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/09/11/reader-question-how-do-i-create-online-help-how-to-guides-quick-start-tutorials-or-video-tutorials/) | Sep 11, 2013
26. [Recommended Article: APIs are delivering on their promise (SD Times: Software Development News)](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/09/10/recommended-article-apis-are-delivering-on-their-promise-sd-times-software-development-news/) | Sep 10, 2013
27. [Creating Good Content Requires Cross-Department Collaboration](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/09/06/creating-good-content-requires-cross-department-collaboration/) | Sep 6, 2013
28. [Sticking with Obvious Information Versus Creating Information that Users Need](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/09/04/sticking-with-obvious-information/) | Sep 4, 2013
29. [Subheadings: Perhaps the Most Useful Technique in Technical Writing](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/08/23/subheadings-perhaps-the-most-useful-technique-in-technical-writing/) | Aug 23, 2013
30. [Examples Are a Primary Way That Complicated Concepts Become Clear](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/08/20/examples-are-a-primary-way-that-complicated-concepts-become-clear/) | Aug 20, 2013
31. [Interactive Poll: Why Can't Users Find Answers to Their Questions in Help?](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/08/15/interactive-poll-why-cant-users-find-answers-to-their-questions-in-help/) | Aug 15, 2013
32. [Why I Test Nearly Everything](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/08/08/why-i-test-nearly-everything/) | Aug 8, 2013
33. [When Organizing Big Data Content, It's Okay To Be Messy](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/08/07/big-data-when-its-okay-to-be-messy/) | Aug 7, 2013
34. [7 Ways to Learn Difficult Subjects in Order to Write Useful Content](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/08/01/7-ways-to-learn-difficult-subjects-in-order-to-write-useful-content/) | Aug 1, 2013
35. [Turning Around the Disdain for Help by Focusing on Content](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/07/18/turning-around-the-disdain-for-help-by-focusing-on-content/) | Jul 18, 2013
36. [Messages from Sponsors -- July 2013](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/07/16/messages-from-sponsors-july-2013/) | Jul 16, 2013
37. [Sample Chapter from Word Up! How to Write Powerful Sentences and Paragraphs, by Marcia Riefer Johnston](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/07/12/word-up-how-to-write-powerful-sentences-and-paragraphs-marcia-johnston/) | Jul 12, 2013
38. [Finding a Starting Point: Answering Questions or Addressing Purpose?](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/07/10/finding-a-starting-point-answering-questions-or-addressing-purpose/) | Jul 10, 2013
39. [Abandoning the Social Network and Q&A Idea](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/06/29/abandoning-the-social-network-and-qa-idea/) | Jun 29, 2013
40. [How do you answer every user's question?](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/06/28/how-do-you-answer-every-users-question/) | Jun 28, 2013
41. [What Have Been My Most Successful Experiences in Connecting Help Material with Users?](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/06/26/what-have-been-your-most-successful-experiences-in-connecting-help-material-with-users/) | Jun 26, 2013
42. [Notes from Future of Technical Communication Webinar](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/06/25/future-of-technical-communication-webinar/) | Jun 25, 2013
43. [Recording of "Video Tutorials for User Assistance" (UA Europe Presentation)](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/06/24/recording-of-video-tutorials-for-user-assistance-ua-europe-presentation/) | Jun 24, 2013
44. [Recording of "Making Content More Findable When Users Browse and Search" (UA Europe Presentation)](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/06/24/recording-of-making-content-more-findable-when-users-browse-and-search-ua-europe-presentation/) | Jun 24, 2013
45. [Do We Need a New Approach to Help? Why Are Users So Apathetic Towards Help after 50 Years of Innovation?](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/06/18/help-still-sucks/) | Jun 18, 2013
46. [How Things Will Be in Tech Comm … After the Singularity?](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/06/15/how-things-will-be-in-tech-comm-after-the-singularity/) | Jun 15, 2013
47. [Version 2.0 of I'd Rather Be Writing -- More Community Driven](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/06/10/version-2-0-of-id-rather-be-writing-now-with-more-community-features/) | Jun 10, 2013
48. [Structured Authoring By For And Or Nor With In the Web](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/06/08/structured-authoring-by-for-and-or-nor-with-in-the-web/) | Jun 8, 2013
49. [Reader Question: How Do I Restrict Content by Role in the Same Output?](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/06/06/reader-question-how-do-i-restrict-content-by-role-in-the-same-output/) | Jun 6, 2013
50. [Exploring Markdown in Collaborative Authoring to Publishing Workflows](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/06/04/exploring-markdown-in-collaborative-authoring-to-publishing-workflows/) | Jun 4, 2013
51. [Can Help Content Have Recognizable Facets?](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/05/29/can-help-content-have-recognizable-facets/) | May 29, 2013
52. [Faceted Search and Query Reformulation](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/05/28/faceted-search-and-query-reformulation/) | May 28, 2013
53. [On Metadata and Help Content](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/05/27/on-metadata-and-help-content/) | May 27, 2013
54. [Moving Beyond the TOC in Organizing Help Content -- Illustrated Edition](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/05/22/moving-beyond-the-toc-in-organizing-help-content-the-illustrated-edition/) | May 22, 2013
55. [What Does Content Re-Use Look Like in a Web CMS?](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/05/17/what-does-content-re-use-look-like-in-a-web-cms/) | May 17, 2013
56. [Is Structured Authoring (like DITA) a Good Fit for Publishing on a Website?](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/05/14/structured-authoring-versus-the-web/) | May 14, 2013
57. [Why Long Topics Are Better for the User](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/05/06/why-long-topics-are-better-for-the-user/) | May 6, 2013
58. [Do Short Topics Make Information More Findable?](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/05/05/do-short-topics-make-information-more-findable/) | May 5, 2013
59. [Does Merging Support Content with Documentation Increase Findability?](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/05/01/does-merging-support-content-with-documentation-increase-findability/) | May 1, 2013
60. [What makes Basketball Fun? Gamifying Exercise](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/05/01/what-makes-basketball-fun-gamifying-exercise/) | May 1, 2013
61. [Does DITA Encourage Authors to Fragment Information into a Million Little Pieces?](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/04/22/does-dita-encourage-authors-to-fragment-information-into-a-million-little-pieces/) | Apr 22, 2013
62. [How Do You Teach New Users Programming?](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/04/19/how-do-you-teach-new-users-programming/) | Apr 19, 2013
63. [How Can a Technical Writer Develop a Love of Programming Code?](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/04/18/how-can-a-technical-writer-develop-a-love-a-programming-code/) | Apr 18, 2013
64. [How Do You Gamify Writing?](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/04/17/how-do-you-gamify-writing/) | Apr 17, 2013
65. [Why Do People Rank High on the MindTouch #Techcomm Influencer Report?](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/04/11/why-do-people-rank-high-on-the-mindtouch-techcomm-influencer-report/) | Apr 11, 2013
66. [Why Does Content Become Disorganized?](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/04/09/why-does-content-become-disorganized/) | Apr 9, 2013
67. [Adding Syntax Highlighting to Code Examples Online and in Microsoft Word](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/04/04/adding-syntax-highlighting-to-code-examples-online-and-in-microsoft-word/) | Apr 4, 2013
68. [Sample Expand and Collapse Code with Twisting Buttons](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/03/31/sample-expand-and-collapse-code-with-twisting-buttons/) | Mar 31, 2013
69. [Evaluating the Usability of Collapsible Sections (or jQuery's Content Toggle)](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/03/25/evaluating-the-usability-of-collapsible-sections-or-jquerys-content-toggle/) | Mar 25, 2013
70. [Avoiding Quadrant Four](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/03/24/avoiding-quadrant-four/) | Mar 24, 2013
71. [How to Organize Page-Level Content](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/03/16/how-to-organize-page-level-content/) | Mar 16, 2013
72. [Gamifying Chores](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/03/11/gamifying-chores-2/) | Mar 11, 2013
73. [What I Learned in Searching for a Job](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/03/03/what-i-learned-in-searching-for-a-technical-writing-job/) | Mar 3, 2013
74. [Moving to California and Starting a New Job](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/02/15/moving-to-california-and-starting-a-new-job/) | Feb 15, 2013
75. [Two Competing Help Models: One-Stop Shopping or Specialized Stores?](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/02/13/two-competing-help-models-one-stop-shopping-or-specialized-stores/) | Feb 13, 2013
76. [Single Sourcing and Redundancy](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/02/02/single-sourcing-and-redundancy/) | Feb 2, 2013
77. [How to Get Programmers to Change User Interfaces](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/01/26/how-to-get-programmers-to-change-user-interfaces/) | Jan 26, 2013
78. [Four Less Common Types of Technical Writers Companies Are Looking For](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/01/24/four-less-common-types-of-technical-writers-companies-are-looking-for/) | Jan 24, 2013
79. [Import DITA Webhelp Output into WordPress](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/01/21/how-to-import-webhelp-from-a-help-authoring-tool-into-wordpress/) | Jan 21, 2013
80. [Single Sourcing Screen Captures to Print, Online, and Mobile Using Flare and Capture](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/01/20/single-sourcing-screen-captures-to-print-online-and-mobile-using-flare-and-capture/) | Jan 20, 2013
81. [Looking at Search Analytics to Improve Help Content](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/01/19/looking-at-search-analytics-to-improve-help-content/) | Jan 19, 2013
82. [Top 10 Most Frequently Asked Questions about Technical Writing](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/01/17/top-10-most-frequently-asked-questions-about-technical-writing/) | Jan 17, 2013
83. [Connection Points with the Tech Comm Role](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/01/14/connection-points/) | Jan 14, 2013
84. [Girl Scouts Painting and Comic Art Badges](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/01/13/girl-scouts-painting-and-comic-art-badges/) | Jan 13, 2013
85. [Discovering Girl Scouts](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/01/13/discovering-girl-scouts/) | Jan 13, 2013
86. [Create a Child Theme to Customize a WordPress Theme](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/01/10/create-a-child-theme-to-customize-a-wordpress-theme/) | Jan 10, 2013
87. [Message from Sponsors — January 2013](https://idratherbewriting.com/2013/01/07/message-from-sponsors-january-2013/) | Jan 7, 2013