I have to write a technical document for school. (Go to bottom for example of a technical document) Does anyone have any ideas on what to write it about? Thanks so much! ♥
Here's an example of a technical document: How to prepare cereal: 1. Choose cereal 2. Get bowl 3. Pour cereal in bowl 4. Get milk 5. Pour milk into bowl 6. Get spoon 7. Put spoon in cereal 8. Put cereal box away 9. Put milk away 10. Enjoy cereal
OMG! I remember wrighting this! Its so wierd I really do! anyway I wrote mine on packing a lunch, it was pretty easy but apparently according to Jennifer I did it all wrong! But according to dad I did it right!! sooo yeah... whens it due? next time you come over I will show you mine! I still have it on my computer! I will show you :)
technical writing agency"technical writing agency" I am currently working for the federal gov. I am not very interested or enthusiastic about my job. ?
I have a BS Biology. I have experience in technical writing(in a biotech environment), customer service, environmental science, education, and clerical. I also completed 12 credits of graduate environmental science courses as an admitted graduate student. Any ideas as to what federal jobs I should apply for? What agencies could they be located in? I am mostly interested in technical writing and scientific positions.
You want to work in a different area for the federal government? No problem. No better place to study the environment than Iraq or Afghanistan. You could study the sand, the rocks and the dry, hot climate. Maybe a general will need some papers filed. Yes, I believe the Army or Marines would be a perfect fit for you. You could sit on top of the armoured personnel carrier and tell all the other soldiers about your BS Biology and graduate courses. You will really boost moral. Maybe you shouldn't sit around whining about the job you have and realize you could have it much worse than you do.
how to write a comprehensive report"how to write a comprehensive report"
Book Reports Projects
In book reports projects each student is required to write a book report on a book with a relevant subject matter. To begin with, book reports should not be summaries of the used books but instead an overview of the book based on significant themes or concepts which one has to talk about based on how the author brings them out. Next, each student must discuss their own point of view using valid points that are not one's own opinion. One can also add their own examples, or arguments to spice up their book reports. Book reports projects can be in the form of book report essays, book reports papers, book reports bibliographies and so on.
In order to write a book report, one should choose a book preferably the one they have a great passion about to help easily understand its principle ideas. When one chooses books that don't interest them, the results are difficulties in gaining joy from the book and a book report without certain ideas like is expected. Once the book reports' topics have been established, each one can now read their book while underlining or noting down the important points accompanied by own comments to facilitate comprehensive and quick way of obtaining the main points. Reading for book reports should be done in bits to avoid over reading. Again, the breaks should not be too long that one loses focus on what and/or where they had covered earlier on. After effectively reading the book, one can now outline the main points for their book reports.
Here, one must gather the key points that will be useful in arranging the outline. One must therefore identify issues like the setting that is, where the story takes place or how it is described, the main characters in the book, that is, identify who the story mainly talks about and how they are described, the plot, as in, one must single out the main events that make up the flow of the story, time period, that is, tell whether the story is in the present or in the past, as well as one's view by stating how the story affected them by the authors' explanations of characters, their writing style, the novel mood etc. With all these said and done, one can now write the final report by first drafting the rough draft to help gather the principle ideas and the outline for the final paper.
One important point on the draft is that it should contain all the points in the outline. After writing the final paper, one is called upon to cross check their book reports for error detection and correction. The essential building block for book reports is the plot. This provides the flow of events in the report making it easily comprehensible. One must also include conflict and other significant things that happen to the main character as they try to achieve their story goals. If a book report requires acting, one must keep it 5 to 10 minutes long, create an alternative ending for the story, and turn the report into an exemplified story and retell it using new characters. Lastly, in writing book reports, many projects may appeal but one must ensure they work well with the books one chooses.
About the Author
Author is associated with MeldaResearch.com which is a global Book Reports & Custom research Papers provider. If you would like help in Book Report and Buy essays you can visit MeldaResearch.com
160 Foot Bronze African Monument in Senegal GWETV report from West Africa
how to write a comprehensive report how to write a comprehensive report how to write a comprehensive report
bcit technical writing"bcit technical writing" Is a technical certificate worthwhile?
I'm a high school student considering work options while I get my PhD in psychology. One of the options I'm looking at is getting a technical writing certificate from BCIT. I'm a strong writer, until recently I thought I would be majoring in English. (Then I took psych 11 and completely fell in love with the subject :)
Because of the high cost of school I'm looking to get some kind of training that would take less than a year, so I can support myself a little easier during university. Would a tech writing cert be a good option? I've heard Vancouver is a huge hub for tech writing, and I'll be going to school at Kwantlen/UBC. Is there a lot of part-time work available? What about freelancing? How much could I expect to be paid from the start, and how much could I expect over time?
Hi. As you may know, the future of work is freelancing and there are plenty of demands for writers of various niche. There are many freelancing sites you can join for free and most of them are legit. All you have to do is put up a noteworthy portfolio showcasing samples of your writing. The competition can be tough. You may earn as little as US$5 per hourly work to US$70 - depending on your skills and experience. Some pay fixed rate per project or word count. Always make sure you bid for a rate your skills truly deserve. Good Luck!
design and technical writing"design and technical writing"
Know Technical Writing Tools
There are various technical writing tools available in the market that are being used in creating high-quality end-user documents, online software help guides, and image capturing and editing. The tools help a technical writer in representing the available information in a well structured and understandable format. Technical writing tools can be divided in the following categories:
Publishing Tools These are the very basic tools of technical writing. A technical writer must have hand on experience of using at least one of the publishing tools. These tools help a technical writer to perform tasks, such as creating a technical document, formatting text for easy readability, and inserting tables and graphics in the documents. The most commonly used publishing tools are MS-Word and Adobe FrameMaker.
Image Capturing and Graphics Tools A technical document may contain graphics and illustrations to diagrammatically represent the information. A technical writer does not need to be an expert in using the image capturing and graphics tools but should have basic knowledge about capturing, editing, and creating illustrations. Some of the most commonly used image capturing and graphics tools are: SnagIT, FullShot, Adobe Photoshop, and Corel Draw.
Help Tools These tools are used to create desktop or Web-based software help files in various formats, such as.htm,.rtf, and.chm. Some of the help tools are: RoboHelp, ForeHelp, HTMLHelp Workshop, and Doc to Help. But, RoboHelp is widely used in technical writing because it provides various templates to create element specific help, such as JavaHelp and OracleHelp.
Web Tools These tools are used to design Web pages; therefore, to use a Web tool, a technical writer must have good knowledge about Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML). It is the basis of designing WebPages. The most commonly used Web tools are: DreamWeaver and MS-FrontPage.
About the Author
I have been working as a Technical Content Writer for last three years. I love to write and share knowledge. I also work as a freelancer. If you like me to write for you, contact me at guptadeepak2353@gmail.com
Topics of my interest are -
How to do type of technical topics pertaining MS Office, Windows Operating system, and Internet, Health and fitness, Environment, Technical Writing, Online Writing, Make money online tips, Data Recovery, Software Reviews
You can also ask me for a topic to write on if the topic is not included in the above list.
writing a technical manual"writing a technical manual" I've been writing professionally for years...?
I write technical training manuals that are used in industrial training courses. I can take the most technical topic, break it down into simple explanations, and provide step by step instructions. I’ve received many awards for my writing.
I would like to get into fiction writing. Unfortunately years of technical writing have left me devoid of imagination. If it’s not a fact, it doesn’t get in the manual. I get so lost in the fine details and technical accuracy that I lose the storyline. How can I get into a fiction writing state of mind?
Boy, do I relate to what you're saying. I've written non-fiction all of my adult life and now I'm writing fiction. There's a real challenge in inventing true characters and good dialog and in keeping a story line moving.
Even though I have years of experience as a writer, I'm a novice at fiction and I've made all the mistakes you'd expect of a new writer and I've fallen into all the expected traps.
Those here who've advised you to read are giving you the best advice for getting your creative juices flowing.
Also, I would suggest reading books on the craft of writing fiction, such as Stephen King's On Writing.
I also gained a lot from reading these two by Lawrence Block. (He cuts through much of the crap and leaves me encouraged.) 1. Writing the Novel, from Plot to Print 2. Telling Lies for Fun and Profit
Another important one is Stein On Writing by Sol Stein.
There are more. Read them!
Also, there's an abundance of golden info right here on Y!A in the Books and Authors category. It shouldn't take you long to figure out the contributors who are worth paying attention to. Once you do, add them to your contacts so you can follow their answers and also read their profiles and their starred questions. I'm getting a valuable education on this site and you will, too.
Tech Writing Manual - CNC Machine Part 1
writing a technical manual writing a technical manual
Companies planning to set up operations or develop new markets abroad often need to provide a variety of technical documentation in one or more foreign languages. Just what should a company look out for when seeking a suitable vendor to handle the translation of its product literature, user manuals, corporate guidelines, and the like? We present a few pointers for you – after all, you don't want to have to delay a market launch because of a poor or late translation, especially in the current economic climate.
Let's start with the content. After all, this represents your core business, and you'll most likely want to make sure the translation reflects the high quality of your own products or services. So, if your company is active in the energy industry, the potential vendor should be able to provide evidence of expertise in your field, such as customer references, staff translators with a professional qualification in this area and projects implemented. Why should staff translators be preferred over "virtual teams" of freelancers? Well, having the translators and proofreaders in-house means the team knows each other and the customers and guarantees a consistently high level of quality. Most importantly it ensures that work can be done consistently and immediately and that you have access to a team which is always in place.
Let's move on to another area, that of the formats of your documents. Maybe your company creates everything using standard office software, but technical departments sometimes also use specialist applications such as Microsoft® Visio® for flow charts or Adobe® InDesign® and even XML-based content management systems (CMS) or document management systems (DMS) to cope with more complex or more extensive documentation volumes. Your vendor should be able to handle these formats, and ideally have copies of the respective software so that the formatting of the translated version matches the source version. To resolve any language-related formatting issues, your vendor should preferably also have an IT department.
On the subject of tools, there are now quite a few translation programs on the market that can cut down the throughput time and costs and at the same time ensure consistency of terminology and reuse of previously translated material. Any translation company worth its salt should be able to support one or more of these programs and offer appropriate pricing models.
We talked earlier about the advantages of using competent staff translators, but what soft skills are important? Team work, for example. Good team work from sales through project management to the translation department itself means end-to-end quality: sales and project management combine to make sure your wishes are understood, project management and translation combine to make sure your wishes are fulfilled. You, the customer, can sit back and relax, confident that your work will be delivered on time, in the quality you need, at the price you were quoted.
Summary:
Established team of specialist and experienced in-house translators
Competent and experienced in-house proofreaders for peer review
Competent and experienced in-house IT department for software support and formatting
Project manager as single point of contact
Key account manager for all issues not directly relating to operations
The Growth of Freelance Writing as a Viable Home-based Business
The growth of the internet, especially over the last ten years, has lead to a huge increase in the number of people turning to writing as a means of earning their living. The ability to write a document electronically and deliver it online within minutes to the customer, has lead to an explosion in the number of methods available to writers to get work. The flexibility that a writing career can offer when combined with working at home is attractive, and so the competition is fierce with more writers entering the marketplace every day from all over the world.
It’s imperative that you ensure your writing is of the highest possible standard to ensure you continue to attract customers with high quality output.
As well as good quality writing, you’ll need to get a flavour of the market that you’re aiming for. Your forte may be fiction and so you may target magazines that publish short stories. Alternatively, you may have a more practical and informative approach to writing and be more suited to technical writing or web copy writing.
Whatever your specialist area, it’s essential to understand what is saleable writing and what is not.
If you are taking on a technical writing contract, the subject, content, style and depth of treatment of your work should be entirely in accordance with your customer’s requirement and the commission you have been given. For this reason, you would generally not be able to produce a piece of technical writing and then decide who to sell it to. Take a look at www.freewritingadvice.com for some practical tips on how to manage your freelance technical writing project.
Article writing, on the other hand, will require a different approach. If you are trying to sell an article without a prior commission, you will need to research your target publication or market. It’s important to ensure that the article you write would ‘fit’ with the style, type and subject matter of the publication’s other pieces. The article will need to be something that the editor would want to publish, possibly related to some current hot topic or significant anniversary coming up.
If you have received a commission for work, this should specify the subject matter, the length and some indication of the required style for the publication that has commissioned the work.
An excellent resource, well worth perusing regularly, is online-writing-jobs.com which has a comprehensive list of job postings that you can look through.
Freelance Contract Sites
A booming type of site is the direct contact/contract site. These sites started out as a means of sourcing cost-effective software coding but now carry all types of work including content writing for websites and editing or proofreading contracts. Some of the most popular ones just now are: Getafreelancer.com, Rentacoder.com, Guru.com and Elance.com.
You will notice that there is stiff competition on these sites especially from Asia and the Indian subcontinent where the prices quoted can be much lower than those of equivalent specialists in North America or Western Europe. They are well worth watching though, as new projects are posted every day and the demand for native English speaking writers is very high.
About the Author
Paul Docherty has over 13 years experience of technical and business related writing, as well project managing complex technical writing projects. More free writing advice can be found by visiting www.freewritingadvice.com
Standards-Based Education in Action: Ekaterina Stoops
technical writing best practices"technical writing best practices"
Best AntiVirus Practices
If you are a non-technical person and are using a product you may not care how the product works,you simply want to know that the product does work. For example, how many people can honestly say they know how cell phones work? Most of us simply know how to use the cell phone to make phone calls, send text messages and surf the web. However, it is nice to know there are people that understand technology so if there is a problem we can go to a specialist and allow them to fix the issue or explain in simple terms how a product is designed to work.
It is no mystery that we live in a world of technology. Thousands of companies are constantly developing and improving our world through technology. Antivirus software is no exception. The most recent advancement within the Antivirus and endpoint security industry is the use of best practices for Managed Antivirus products.
Did you know that most antivirus companies like Mcafee and Symantic create products with pre-defined rules on how the product is supposed to operate? Others like Kasaya and AVG require engineering knowledge to code the product to allow management.
Wouldn't it be nice to have a product that is simple to install and is simple to change configuration rules, within a heartbeat?
ResolutionsMSP has developed technology that expands policies to allow rule configuration through best practices of Basic AntiVirus technology which does not require development skills. ResolutionsMSP recommends that when purchasing an Antivirus program, you ensure that your product allows for the following features and has the ability to easily customize them for your specific needs.
Best Practices you should follow:
1. You want to have the following enabled but also have the ability to custom configure each of them:
a. On-Access Scanner
b. On-Demand Scanner
c. Web and Email Filters
d. Heuristics scanner
2. You want to use a program that uses mininum resources:
a. Has a smaller footprint
b. Use less memory
c. Scans fast
3. You want the product to provide a centlized security center like the ResolutionsMSP products with the following features:
a. If you have 3 computers or 50 computers you should be able to manage all of them from one computer and from any Internet connection.
b. It should allow you to create policies for different users from one main computer without having to physically walk over to each specfiic machine and configure separately.
c. If you need to change a configuration it should allow you to point and click the options you want without requiring you to know how to write a script.
d. It should provide you with historical virus data for all your machines via a simple bar graph, from one centralized computer and from anywhere in the world.
e. It should also allow you to see which computers are "up to date" or "out-of-date"; with a simple pie chart no matter how many computers you are managing.
4. Like the ResolutionsMSP products, it should notify you via email, voice or text message if there is an issue and let you know which machine is infected.
5. You want to be able to rely on the vendor to provide signature update definitions on a daily basis. If you missed a few updates, for whatever reason you want a notification automatically sent, letting you know that your compuer might be "at risk". This allows you to be proactive on a resolution.
6. That last item you should look for is a product that will notify you when the subscription is about to expire. Yes, most antivirus products are good for the length of 1 year. However, most of us use our computers daily and don't remember when the product was originally installed. We just want it to work all the time. Therefore choose a service that will give you advance notification through email or voice mail so I can renew and my subscription can continue being protected.
The days of traditional install and forget Antivirus have passed due to the increased threats of malware attackers. Users now want programs that will give them great antivirus protection and allow them to be informed about their computer security through easy to use management tools. You will find these tools in the ResolutionsMSP Managed Security products.
About the Author
Please see the website <a href="<a href="http://www.resolutionsmsp.com/">http://www.ResolutionsMSP.comhttp://www.ResolutionsMSP.com">http://www.ResolutionsMSP.com</a>
Follow Kyla Cottle as she takes a look at products, services and industry trends within the Internet Security arena, with a focus on helping individuals and small businesses explore opportunities for success.
Kyla Cottle has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and has worked in the computer science industry for over 10 years.
Google I/O 2011: Apps Marketplace: Best Practices and Integrations
technical writing best practices technical writing best practices
handbook of technical writing"handbook of technical writing" Any non-fiction or technical writing majors out there?
My major is technically "Professional and Technical Writing." I like to write and edit non-fiction. I am taking some technical writing courses, but mostly as a backup. Also, I've read a couple of places that technical writers get paid pretty well, compared to other entry-level writing positions.
I'm just wondering what kind of jobs a non-fiction writing major can get. I've read the Occupational Handbook but it's pretty vague - do most people writing for magazines, newspapers, publishing companies, etc?
Thanks!
My brother majored in English and got his MA at Santa Cruz University, went into the Air Force and learned engineering, and is now a head tech writer for Google. He makes a lot of money.
I work at a major networking company in San Jose and we have tons of tech writers who have backgrounds like yours. Starting salary is $100k.
Journalism is the background required for newspapers, not non-fiction writing -- because reporting is the key skill required. You could write as a freelancer for magazines. But they make not so much money.
Welcome to English 3373
handbook of technical writing handbook of technical writing
