Category Archives: technical writing

Myths About Content

Posted on 24 August 2011 by David Farbey

People who aren’t directly involved in creating content often hold a set of beliefs about what content is and how it is created that can only be described as myths. That may sound a little harsh, because believing in myths … Continue reading →

Posted in content strategy, information design, technical writing | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Not quite a re-launch

Posted on 21 August 2011 by David Farbey

I have changed the title and the strap-line of my blog, and you may be wondering why. Let me explain. Conventional writing and publishing is about delivering messages from the writer to the reader: the reader’s only response is to … Continue reading →

Posted in content strategy, information design, technical writing | 4 Comments

Congility conference retrospective

Posted on 27 May 2011 by David Farbey

I spent the last two days at the Congility conference, held near London, and chaired by Noz Urbina of Mekon. This event is the successor to the X-Pubs conferences held in previous years, and was all about making your content … Continue reading →

Posted in content strategy, technical writing | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

“Getting your message across” survey results

Posted on 1 March 2011 by David Farbey

At the beginning of February I ran a quick survey under the title “Getting your message across” in association with the UK launch of Adobe Technical Communication Suite 3. I’d like to summarise some of the results here.

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What is “user focus” really about?

Posted on 26 February 2011 by David Farbey

The best instructions are always written from the user’s point of view. But what does that mean? What is that point of view, and how do you reconcile that point of view with the widespread expectation amongst people who employ … Continue reading →

Posted in information design, technical writing | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

How would you use Microsoft Word in corporate tech pubs?

Posted on 26 January 2011 by David Farbey

Here’s a serious question that deserves some thought: Could you use Microsoft Word in a large-scale corporate technical publications environment, and if so, how would you do it? I know I am on record as saying that it’s not quite … Continue reading →

Posted in technical writing | Tagged , | 16 Comments

Please release me from release notes

Posted on 19 January 2011 by David Farbey

I have an admission to make. I detest software release notes. Let me be clear: I am all in favour of keeping customers informed about the latest enhancements to a product, and understand that a new software release is a … Continue reading →

Posted in technical writing | Tagged , , | 14 Comments

How much does it cost to NOT write a user guide?

Posted on 9 January 2011 by David Farbey

Ivan Walsh recently published an article called How Much Does It Cost To Write a User Guide? Like all Ivan’s articles this was very clear and sensible piece, and it explained all the different factors involved in determining the price … Continue reading →

Posted in technical writing | Tagged , , | 5 Comments