In this video, Yochai Benkler explains how collaborative projects like Wikipedia and Linux represent the next stage of human organization. Is he right? Could the same economic rules be applied to the technical writing projects, where there is a large user base?
Category: Technical Authors
The eee pc and the right to remix documentation dilemma
Last week we purchased and received an Asus eee pc 900. Its popularity illustrates the dilemma manufacturers will face in the future, with regard to their user documentation/user assistance. Background The eee pc is a ultra portable laptop, which costs roughly a fifth of the price of an Apple Airbook or a Sony Vaio. It… Read more »
Is Twitter a useful tool for technical authors?
A lot of people I know, it seems, are talking about Twitter. Quite a lot of these discussions seem to revolve around the question: is it actually useful? At the moment, I’m not sure myself. I’m asking myself whether it’s a useful tool for technical authors. So what is Twitter? Twitter describes itself as a… Read more »
Confessions of a technical author – What can technical communicators learn from David Ogilvy?
David Ogilvy was an advertising genius who distilled his successful concepts and techniques into a bestselling book I’ve just finished reading, called “Confessions of an Advertising Man”. I wanted to read his book, because I often find it useful to look at other professions and ask whether their ideas could be applied to the world… Read more »
Quote of the month
We’ve just received this nice testimonial from a client: “I had some basic instructions for my new online application, Opportunity Matrix™, but absolutely no idea how to turn them into a proper help system. Carol at Cherryleaf was able to take my rough notes and turn them into a professional Help file. She worked through… Read more »