Micro outsourcing has the potential to transform how SMBs operate. But what is micro outsourcing and how can SMBs gain from it?
What is micro outsourcing?
Unlike traditional outsourcing, which involves mega deals and mega players, micro outsourcing (or micro sourcing) allows small and medium businesses (SMBs) to outsource their work to highly skilled freelance workers or independent businesses (service providers) based locally, nationally or anywhere across the globe.
What are the benefits for your business?
Micro outsourcing potentially allows SMBs to gain process efficiencies, and cost savings of 50 to 70%, which is far higher than the 20 to 30% typically demonstrated by national and global outsourcers.
Other benefits include:
Ensures the deployment of competitively priced resources
Allows "on demand" access to skilled resources
Allows greater focus on core operations
Thus micro outsourcing shares some of the key benefits of outsourcing.
What can be outsourced?
Activities include technical writing, copy writing, logo design, virtual assistance, document translation, product design, SEO, scientific research, data entry, web site design, bookkeeping, tax preparation, report writing, market research, event management and mobile app development. As can be seen, micro outsourced jobs can cover a wide range of business activities.
Moreover, it allows jobs of relatively small duration or cost to be outsourced, which is of enormous value to SMBs, as such jobs do not meet the consideration criteria normally set out by the national and global outsourcers.
How to get started?
Popular job boards include monster, hotjobs, careerbuilder, craigslist and indeed. And jobs can also be placed on social networking sites like twitter and Facebook. However, these sites are not optimised for micro outsourced job ads or those of freelancers.
There are, however, specialised sites for micro outsourced jobs and freelanced services. On these sites, you'll specify your requirements but you'll receive real-time bids unlike with job boards. And with some sites, you'll also be able to invite service providers to bid on your jobs, and submit jobs so that only invited ones can bid. And with these sites, freelancers present their services not their CVs, which may contain job experiences and skills irrelevant to your particular needs.
Summary
Unlike outsourcing, which can involve mega deals and mega players, micro outsourcing allows small and medium businesses to gain process efficiencies by outsourcing to highly skilled service providers based locally, nationally or across the globe. This transformative effect ensures that it delivers cost savings at least as high as outsourcing and potentially as high as 50 to 70%.
Peter is the author of this and several other articles about freelance jobs and micro outsourcing. If you're looking to freelance your services or outsource your jobs then www.p2people.co.uk is a free to join service that makes it easy to do just that!
10 Benefits Why Companies should Outsource Documentation.mp4
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I Want To Hire A Freelance Writer To Produce Technical
Wondering how to write a contract for deed? I am going to explain to you the importance of various clause, and important areas of the application process for selling a house on contract for deed. Contract writer are difficult to use, but I know some secrets!
Writing a contract for deed does not need to be done by the hands of a highly paid lawyer. This can just as easily be done by you sitting at your computer. I have written as many contracts as properties I have looked at, and each contract that I have written was custom created for that specific property in a matter of minutes. I am not bragging, in fact you can be doing this just as easily as I do this, and I am going to show you how! Weather you are a simple owner that is looking for a cheap alternative to selling your home, or a complex Real-estate Investor that needs to develop a better system for documentation. I can help you, and am very happy to do so!
So first things first!
You will need a very long list of clauses to chose from, how will you know which clause goes where? Well, now that you put it that way, a long list of clauses doesn't seem like it is going to answer our question of how to write a contract for deed? Well, maybe a form, I have heard people say they found a form that they just duplicate, and fill in the pertinent information right!? Well, in fact that doesn't help us either does it? Well, how about this, we look up a contract for deed that someone else has used in the past? Nope, that's not going to give you the contract for deed that you are looking for either! You want a custom made contract for deed contract that you know will be sufficient, am I correct? Well, I can show you how to make a contract for deed contract in minutes ever time you make one. Check it out here: <a target="_new" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.squidoo.com/Rent_To_Own_Contract_Real_Estate">http://www.squidoo.com/Rent_To_Own_Contract_Real_Estate">http://www.squidoo.com/Rent_To_Own_Contract_Real_Estate</a>
About the Author
Let me Show you how to write a contract for deed in person! Check out my videos here: http://www.squidoo.com/Rent_To_Own_Contract_Real_Estate
part time technical writer"part time technical writer" What is the average AFOQT score?
What is the average AFOQT score? I took the AFOQT in Sep 2009. I really want to get into OTS and get into Intel or OSI. I'm a 31 year old civilian and got my B.A. in English. I've worked as a Technical Writer for Boeing, Northrop, Honeywell, and L-3. I'm also a part time aerobics instructor. There's nothing in the world I want more right now than to get into OTS. Think I might get in??? My scores were as follows:
Understanding the Generality of Variation Clauses and the Variety of Broad Interpretation that Exists under FIDIC Based Contract Modalities in Gulf
Majority of construction contracts in the Gulf region maintain the principle features of the FIDIC forms of contract, yet there are many subtle changes from the FIDIC forms of contract. These changes will eventually imbalance the even risk allocation between the parties. Many contracts drafted in one sided language biased towards the clients are a result of cut and paste exercise, for instance, sometimes; there is no provision for price escalation and variations exceeding 10 or 15 per cent. The message to contractors entering into contracts on the basis of these forms is to review them very carefully without being fooled into thinking they are simply the FIDIC versions.
Although it is advised by FIDIC not to alter the General Conditions, but use the particular conditions, clients articulate their own requirements using the General Conditions. It is therefore important to understand the salient features of such changes made in the contracts. This paper is an attempt to understand the ‘four corners’ of the variation clauses and their application.
It is fundamental that the parties are only bound to perform what is stipulated in the contract document they sign. Unless there is an express provision allowing alterations to be made during the course of the contract, the Contractor cannot be compelled, for example, to perform additional works and the Employer cannot, without being in breach of the contract, omit any works that have been agreed. Variation clauses introduce much needed flexibility into somewhat rigid rules that otherwise govern the parties’ obligations arising under building contracts.
Usually, the clause 51 defines a variation as any change in form, character, kind, quality, quantity, line, level, position, alignment, or dimension of existing work or any additional work that the Engineer finds necessary, appropriate or desirable to complete works.
The intent of the clause 51 is to enable the Engineer to vary the works ‘under’ the contract and not ‘in’ the contract. A variation instruction does not automatically entitle the Contractor to additional payment, but once it is validly given, the Contractor is under an obligation to perform it.
A valid Engineer’s variation instruction must therefore meet the basic requirements; it must be in writing or orally and subsequently confirmed in writing; be in respect of the form, quality or quantity of the works or any part of the works; and in the Engineer’s opinion, be necessary or be otherwise appropriate.
A change in the final quantities of work for an item may upset the balance of resources and method of working resulting in the unit price inaccurate. The actual quantity of work for an item may differ from the estimate at tender for a number of reasons. In the case of excavation for instance the removal of unsuitable material or the extent of rock or the extent of tunneling in particular classifications of ground, may only be estimated from ground investigation information and not known until work is carried out. Similarly the length of piles driven to a specified depth may not be known precisely at each pile location.
The most glaring anomaly in lump sum contracts is related to quantities. The risk of errors may be either fallen into the Contractor or the Employer. The chances to alter quantities are remote even in a substantial variance. A clause is that requires the Contractor to consider b/q quantities as actual and correct and any error or omission from the b/q provides no grounds to adjust the contract price (penalizing for someone else’s mistakes). In contrary, another clause is that vests powers to the Engineer allowing room for re-measurement where the Engineer can order increase, decrease or even omit works, thereby determining the amount to be adjusted in the contract price.
Mistakes in the bill descriptions or quantities are unlikely to be remedied as a legal rectification of the terms of the contract to reflect the true intention of the parties. The more likely practice is that the tender price prevails rather than a price revised to account of the error. Generally, the Contractor is entitled to assume that the B/Q has been prepared in accordance with SMM and that the items and quantities found in the Bill of Quantities are reasonably accurate descriptions and estimates of the work shown on the Drawings and described in the Specification. The B/Q may not have been prepared in accordance with the Standard Method of Measurement (SMM). The risk of inaccuracies in bills has fallen on the parties on the level of estimation done by a third party. Any error or omission provides no grounds for adjusting the contract price under lump sum contracts.
Although quantities are ‘actual and correct’, Contractors claim new rates when quantities substantially vary when the B/Q quantities are wrong. Contracts based on firm quantities are in essence lump sum contracts, where the quantity risk is transferred from the Employer to the Contractor. Although the burden of quantity risk lies entirely with the Contractor in typical lump sum contracts, a question is why the Contractor is held liable for missing items and errors in quantities prepared by an outsider.
The Consultant shall be held liable for quantity errors in case the Employer becomes vicariously liable. A specific remedy would be to cover up this scenario in the insurance policy. There should be a B/Q provision for the tenderer to adjust the quantities when he finds any missing, under measured or over measured item so that he takes the burden before the contract is entered into.
As a matter of business efficacy, a term will be implied (in the absence of express terms) that the cost of the work for a Bill item which has not been priced by the Contractor is included in the prices entered elsewhere in the Bill.
We often find a clause vesting some powers on the Engineer to form an opinion as to suitability and applicability of a new rate and as to the limit of enhancement of an existing bill rate. The Engineer shall determine the suitability of the new rates based on the nature and amount of the subject omission or addition against the nature and amount of whole of works. Broadly speaking, the varied work shall be priced in accordance with the rates and prices in the contract, but if those are not applicable, the Engineer has the power to agree rates and prices with the Contractor. If no agreement is reached, the Engineer shall fix what he considers suitable. Because the valuation of varied work can be fertile ground for argument, if a Contractor disagrees with the Engineer’s determination on rates or prices, he can still refer the issue to the Engineer once again prior to invoke the dispute resolution procedure. This can be considered as an extra contractual opportunity available for the parties to avoid disputes.
Following the UK case of Henry Boot v Alstom Combined Cycles (2000) considers the issue of when 'fair valuation' can be applied and when it cannot. Bills of quantities describe the work that is to be carried out and establish a rate or price for the item of work. The bill therefore allows the final measure of work to be valued by simply multiplying the rate by the quantity of measured work. But in practice matters are not so simple. The original bill of quantities may be inaccurate either in the description of the work or in the estimate of quantities. The question then is how far can the rates be applied in valuing the corrected measure? To what extent do the original rates apply and can they be used to value all variations or does another approach need to be adopted? So how are variations to be valued and when can fair valuation be used?
The rates will apply unaltered if the work is similar in character and executed under similar conditions as work priced in the bill. If either the work is dissimilar in character or executed in dissimilar conditions, then the engineer fixes a ‘star’ rate, by breaking down the quoted rates into the elements of plant, materials, labour and overheads and adjusting each element that is affected by the variation. This kind of adjustment seems sensible.
The engineer must fix the rate even if he does not have the contractor's build-up. Instead he has to use a notional build-up using any contemporary records submitted by the contractor. It is still not clear when the star rate approach will not be appropriate, but it appears that only in exceptional situations will a fair valuation be made. As to what amounts to a fair valuation, it was held in the Henry Boot case that this meant one that does not give a contractor more than his actual costs, reasonably and necessarily incurred, plus similar allowances for overheads and profit. It was held further that fairness is an objective test which takes into account the position of both parties.
However, it is not clear from the decision how the profit and overheads are to be assessed; whether these are to be based on the contractor's tender allowances, or whether the contractor has to show some loss of profit or loss of contribution to his overheads. This approach applies not only to the varied work itself, but also to work affected by the variation. It is necessary first to show that the variation caused bill rates for other items of work to be rendered unreasonable or inapplicable. If so, then new rates can be fixed or fair valuation used where appropriate. Importantly, the decision in Henry Boot teach apart the effect of additional varied work on original measured work from the effect on other work. The re-rating appears to apply only to rates and prices in the original bill and not those fixed by the engineer, for varied work for instance. This interpretation leads to the odd situation that star-rated work, which is subsequently affected by further variations, cannot be the subject of a further re-rating. It is legitimate to load rates, and the burden is on the employer to scrutinize the tender with care to see that no advantage is taken by such means. In summary, the Court was keen to provide commercial certainty to construction contracts, whilst acknowledging their approach may lead to rates being applied that resulted in substantial profit or loss for a contractor. The moral of the story for employers is that they should give as much attention to the rates set out in tenders as to prices.
Which of the rules, ie, existing rates, or fair rates, depends largely upon the timing of the variation order, the location of the work, the quantity involved and the circumstances in which the work is executed. If it can be established that these factors preclude the valuation on the basis of bill rates then the valuation will usually be based on fair rates. If the varied work is of a similar character and executed under similar conditions to work priced in the B/Q, such rates and prices shall be used to value the varied work. The factor of profit or otherwise of the rate is immaterial.
The words do not enable the Engineer to open up or disregard the rates on the ground that they were inserted by mistake. It was the use of the rates in the changed circumstances brought about by the variation order that must be reasonable, not the rates themselves.
Absence of contemporary records amounts to a situation where the Engineer shall make his own assessment based on information available to him and as he feels reasonable. Items covered by pricing preamble notes or descriptions in the bill item provide no entitlement. Considerations arising out of specifications, pre-contract addendums, manufacturing instructions and any minor details necessary for completion of work though not specified in specification or not shown in drawings are deemed to be included within the price. Any item duplicated in re-measure and superseded or rescinded by a subsequent instruction shall be ignored. Any work, which exceeded the scope required by the variation order, is considered as overwork. Unless otherwise stated, any discount or correction factor will be applied for the original works as set out in the bill of quantities. Variations valued as per bill rates will also be subject to discount. This factor is proportionately applicable for the measured items under appropriate bills unless any specific mention as to contrary has been made at the tender.
As mentioned earlier, the clause 51 requires variations to be priced as per bill rates presumably for works of similar nature executed under similar conditions. The key question is whether it is reasonable to use bill rates to value changed quantities when the rate contains an admitted error.
The court of appeal in ‘Henry Boot vs Alstom (2000) found in favour of the Contractor and emphasised the fact that bill rates, which contained an error, should not prevent them from being applied to the additional work as well. (In this case, it was an over pricing 7).
If the Contractor put an unrealistically high rate, he is entitled to have the rate used for valuation of subsequent variation. “When the Employer accepted the tender with the unrealistically high rate, it can be said that the Employer accepted also the risk of that being used in valuing additional quantities”. The application of the contract rates can not be avoided simply because one party is dissatisfied with them. The contract rates are immutable, and not subject to correction. There shall be no rectification of any error, omission or wrong estimate in the descriptions, rates and prices inserted by the Contractor. The effect of this principle is that a mistake in a rate is bound by the parties equally. The only situation where a contract rate may be departed from which it is not executed under similar conditions or when there is a substantial increase or decrease in quantities which render the existing rate unsuitable.
The matters to be taken into account when deciding whether conditions are similar are the physical site conditions such as wet compared with dry, confined space compared to ample working space, winter working compared to summer. The matters should be taken up when deciding whether work is of a similar character are the functions of materials, size and shape, vertical, horizontal and sloping, location, to name a few.
However in either of these operations the fact that a rate or price may be too high or too low is completely immaterial. A very high rate or a very low rate is not rendered unreasonable by a variation or a substantial change in quantities but is already unreasonable when the contract is entered into.
Alternatively, the Contractor has included an unrealistically low rate in the bill of quantities; such rate could be applied to the extent of bill quantities. Any excess in quantity over and above bill quantity shall be paid at a fair rate. However the conditions provide no room for the Contractor to demand an enhanced rate even where the actual quantity is of a substantial increase.
The parties are the masters of their own contractual fate. Indeed, the courts are normally slow to interfere in agreements reached between two parties, but they will interfere in agreements procured by the exertion of economic duress by one party on the other. Variations for instance issued from time to time in connection with variations to the contract are the subject matter that the Engineer should take a middle position in interpreting them.
The ingredients of actionable economic duress are that there must be pressure whose practical effect is that there is compulsion on, or a lack of practical choice for, the “victim”; and the pressure must be illegitimate and a significant cause which induces the “victim” to agree to enter into the agreement. As such, the contractor may contest under duress when the Engineer unilaterally fixed a rate for a new work without giving the Contractor a chance to negotiate.
The tender price break-up to be submitted before or after the contract has been let is not, per se, a contract document. It is to be used, wholly or partly, as a guide in pricing variations, and remains subservient to the requirements of the contract. Errors, omissions oversights within the tender price break-up do not prove particular inclusion or exclusion within the contract sum. The nature of the inclusions within individual tender rates and prices are determined by the conditions of contract, not by Contractor’s subsequent break-up. No Contractor can be permitted touse his lack of compliance with tender requirements to maneuver to his own advantage.
Whenever variations are ordered that omit work under clause 51, and particularly if such omitted work is substantial in quantity, Contractors often argue that they should be entitled to claim loss of profit that they would have been earned on such works if carried out. If the variation omitting works is invalid then such is a breach of contract entitling the Contractor to damages, and loss of profit can form part of such a claim for damages. Where the works have been omitted and given to others to carry out, it is clearly established that it is a breach of contract and not a valid variation order.
It could be claimable if the Employer himself or another Contractor carries out any omitted work whilst a contract exists without consent of the Contractor or unless it can be proved that the Contractor is technically or financially incapable of carrying out such omitted work. However in contracts, we find the Employer has the right to omit a part of the scope and get it done by another Contractor under a separate contract. However the Employer is entitled to entertain the benefit a valid omission, despite of the appointment of another Contractor. If the nature and scope of omission renders the existing rates no longer appropriate, the Engineer has the power to adjust it to an appropriate extent in such a way that the Contractor obtains a reasonable compensation. The Employer generally has the absolute immunity against any claim for loss and profit due to omitted work
The existence of a variation clause does not entitle the Engineer to make large scale or significant changes to the nature and scope of work. A variation order that deviates from the fundamental scope, nature, type or complexity of work contemplated by the parties at the tender affects the validity of the contract. The Engineer should not introduce work outside the domain of the original job, which would cause hardship to the Contractor in terms of finance and technical capacity. The criteria to evaluate whether a change is a variation could be the cost of work, scope of work, technical input required, etc. Hence, the Engineer shall make any variation under the contract and not in the contract. All variations shall be considered in ascertaining the contract price. As a principle, no variation to the contract can be made by the Contractor. This does not however restrict the Contractor to submit at any time to the Engineer value Engineering proposals which in the Contractor’s opinion will if adopted accelerate completion, reduce cost to the Employer in executing, maintaining and operating works, improve efficiency, enhance the value of completed work, otherwise be of benefit to the Employer.
It is also seen that the Contractor delays the start of work in connection with variation till he gets the rates agreed and considers the date of formal instruction in writing as the date of issue of instruction when calculating time extensions. This belief is wrong. As per clause 51, the Engineer can give oral instructions and the Contractor should not await till he gets it formally in writing in order to start work, rather he should confirm the recognition of such instruction in writing to the Engineer, and immediately proceed to carry out such instructions. If such confirmation is not contradicted by the Engineer, such instruction is deemed to be a formal instruction of the Engineer, albeit a deadline is not specified. Hence, the conditions are clear enough establishing the validity of the Engineer’s order to commence work.
The Contractors however feel hesitant to start work without getting prior approval on the cost because of the fear of not getting the full entitlement under payment procedures, which are usually prolonged.
Any instruction that the consultant thinks will take additional cost and/or time should accompany with a tentative budget estimate before issuing the same to the Contractor. The date ever first the Contractor received orally any instruction is the effective date of instruction unless otherwise stated. For planning purposes, it is the date the Contractor is actually supposed to commence the varied work.
There may be circumstances which could lead to changes introduced by the Engineer falling outside the variations clause. Contractors who find themselves with unattractive contract prices would find it arguable that a change introduced by the Engineer fell outside the variation clause thus the payment for the change should be on a quantum meruit basis. In Blue Circle Industries v Holland Dredging Co (1987), the works involved dredging in Larne Lough in Ireland to enable larger vessels to dock. The tender referred to the dredged material being deposited in areas approved by the public authorities, the intention being to discharge the material excavated in suitable areas in the Lough. Larne Harbour Board rejected this proposal later and as a result an alternative plan was agreed to use the excavated material to form an artificial bird island. It was argued by the Contractor that this was not a variation to the works within the confines of the contract but a separate contract in its own right. It was held that if the additional or varied work were so peculiar, so unexpected and so different from what any person reckoned to such an extent that it is not contemplated by the contract then it would constitute a separate contract. Hence, the construction of the bird island was wholly outside the scope of the original dredging contract and therefore constituted a separated contract.
When a large number of changes are instructed though they individually fall within the ambit of the variation clause, they can collectively have the effect of completely changing the scope of the works. This is referred to as either abandonment or cardinal change and deals with the situation where the Employer makes excessive changes to a project beyond what the parties reasonably could have anticipated at the time the contract is entered into. Courts will look at a number of factors in helping to decide whether the changes have been excessive such as the size, nature, complexity, expected duration the number of changes, how many changes were anticipated when the project started, the magnitude of the work involved in the changes and the length of time in which such changes were made etc.
A misunderstanding is that the Engineer can issue any number of variations for any purpose. Even where a contract includes the usual variation clause there may be circumstances which could lead to additions or changes introduced by the Employer which falls outside the variations clause where the payment for the change should be on a quantum meruit or fair valuation basis. It can be argued by the Contractor that this is not a variation to the works within the confines of the contract but a separate contract in its own right, because the additional work were so peculiar, so unexpected and so different from what was contemplated by the contract.
Also, the Engineer is under liability in the issue of variation orders, particularly the concessions granted for the Contractor. Even if the Engineer’s permission for a change is fully authorized, the Engineer is not freed from his general duty to the Employer to exercise reasonable care and skill. If the change does later cause the Employer loss, the Engineer may face reciprocal claim from the Employer.
We also find instructions in some contracts that the Employer has the right to increase or decrease work, upto 20% of the contract sum, but not beyond. It also does not address what will happen when this limit exceeds.
The employer’s right to issue variations upto the limit of 20% original contract sum is totally different from the variations exceeding 20% for the compensation of unabsorbed overhead due to adjustment of quantities and varied work. The first limit could be during the progress of work while the second only at the practical completion. The first explains the employer’s right while the second deals with the contractor’s entitlement. There is no express provision in the contract for the second purpose, as mentioned at the outset.
The whole idea of ‘Variations exceeding 10% clause’ typically in other contract modalities is to compensate the contractor for any unabsorbed overhead component due to overwhelming decrease or increase of such work where his overhead would have been expended more and his profit would have been exhausted more in proportion to what he had planned and contracted with, and vice versa for the employer. It should not be confused when the quantity of an individual pay item has been found to be exceeded by a certain limit, not necessarily 20%. An individual treatment is allowed in the contract depending on the nature and amount of such varied work so that this is not the subject coverage under variations exceeding 20%.
Under circumstances, it is not reasonably inferable that the contractor has the right to refuse any variations beyond this limit, except of course in two circumstances; where the instructed new work fall out of the contract domain because the additional work were so peculiar, so unexpected and so different from what was contemplated by the contract, and in any additional work found to be unnecessary for completion.
A glaring anomaly of this ruling is the ignorance when some works omitted at the last lap of the project so that the net resultant impact is not necessarily exceeding 20% but still the contractor may have a case validly submitted under the grounds of such instruction. he power to control variations gone into the hands of the contractor is not at all practicable when the employer badly needs some varied work inevitable for the completion of the works. The clause 51 on the other hand does not specify a limit in the contract for the contractor to stop work or object compliance with the instructions to variations.
A rate revision can be made only on the circumstances that rendered the existing rates unreasonable or inapplicable (due to nature and amount of any omission and addition compared with the nature and amount of whole of the contract work or to any part thereof). A rate would even be reduced perhaps in a typical civil engineering work where the rates could be much more profitable owing to economies of scale whenever the quantities are overwhelmingly increased. A rate revision is possible only when the net resultant impact of variations is in excess of +/- 20% of the effective contract sum which is not the subject of instruction, where the instructed new work found to be unnecessary for completion that does not fall under variation clause and the contract domain because they were so peculiar, so unexpected and so different from what was contemplated by the contract in terms of location, nature, type or technical complexity. This is an exceeding the intended limits or purpose of the original contract, resulting in a separate contract situation, in which the contractor may well be having a legitimate claim for a total rate revision.
Let us consider two recent cases under lump sum contracts. The ducts for underground electrical cables at 600mm level shown in tender drawing No E-00 were not mistakenly measured in the b/q. The revised construction drawing No SD-E00 superseded the scope of work envisaged in the tender drawing No E-00. This paved the way for adjusting the contract sum as a valid variation under the contract as per clause 55, which involved omission and addition of the scope shown the drawing No E-00 and SD-E00 respectively. The Contractor argued that omission from the bill of quantities is not possible in absence of a B/Q item. However, the logic is that the tender shall be comprehensive enough to cover up all the obligations under the contract as prescribed in the contract documents including drawings, irrespective of whether a particular item of work has been included or excluded in the bill of quantities unlike in a typical measure and pay contract. The Contractor shall also be deemed to have satisfied himself before tendering as to correctness and sufficiency of the tender for the works as per clause 12(1). Accordingly, the cost on PVC ducts shown in tender drawing is deemed to be priced within the tender.
Having subsequently altered the subject scope by the above revised drawing constituting a variation to the contract as per clause 51(1), the Engineer ascertained by ad-measurement the net resultant value of the respective work as per clause 51(3). All such works were valued at the rates set out in the contract in order to maintain the tender pricing level. As such, the deduction made for omission for which the price is already catered for was contractual.
Dewatering is an existing b/q item, quoted as a lump sum, but not prevailed at site. Hence, the Contractor was invited to sign the original copy of the site instruction as a formality to omit dewatering from the scope of work. The Contractor regretting signing the site instruction argued that dewatering is an integral part of excavation that cannot be separated from excavation item and hence, the contract sum can not be adjusted. He further added that he did not receive soil report at the time it was priced.
Notwithstanding the extent of availability of information related to tidal movements, type of soil, water table etc or the pricing strategy adopted in the tender, the entire obligation falls on the Contractor to make his own interpretation as to the nature and extent of work involved in both temporary and permanent works. Such a technical judgment is a sole prerogative of the Contractor for which the Employer is not liable under whatsoever circumstances except in cases where the Contractor is able to justify that the Employer is at default, such as failure to provide accurate information timely whenever expressly provided for in the contract.
The Engineer found no such record of request or qualification during the tender. The Contractor has neither made any provision in his clause 14 program nor in the methods statement as to how he intends to deal with the issue of dewatering. The section B for preliminaries in which the tenderer has an opportunity to identify the items not priced elsewhere in the b/q also had a zero value. Nothing has been executed physically later at site with regard to control of ground water such as installation of standpipes and other devices as specified, altogether revealing lack of compliance/emphasis on the subject issue at the time of tender.
Nonetheless, the Contractor shall be deemed to have satisfied himself before tendering as to correctness and adequacy of the tender for the works as per clause 12(1), bearing in mind that pricing risks are inherent in any typical lump sum fixed price contract. As such, the tender sum shall be comprehensive enough to cover up all obligations under the contract as specified in drawings, b/q and specifications etc. Without prejudice to the primary intention of the contract, the Engineer reserves the right to vary the works within the meaning of clause 51 (1). The distinction is made in clause 55, where any error or omission from the bill of quantities shall provide no grounds for adjusting the contract price. In contrary, omission of an existing b/q item is defined as a variation as per clause 51(1) and thereby provides grounds for adjusting the contract price. This deletion is thus contractually valid and the power to do so has been vested in the Engineer as per said clause.
Further, the Contractor’s price against each bill item shall truly reflect the value of the item described as noted in pricing preamble. Any individual b/q item that is itemized and separately measurable or payable, apart from other pay items operationally or otherwise integral, incidental or associated with it can be assessed in full at the existing contract rate/s according to its occurrence. The dewatering in this particular instance is an independent bill item of that category that did not prevail at site at all, so is apparently a subsequent variation under the contract by a complete omission, the benefit of which shall be retained by the Employer. Under circumstances, the Engineer found no strong valid technical or contractual basis to justify why the Employer is liable for payment for dewatering.
‘Variations’ has long been recognized as a major source of conflict in construction projects. A one of reasons is the decisions heavily influenced by subjectivity that differs from one person to another. The author’s view is that even under the label of strict lump sum firm price contracts, the Engineer ultimately sits in a strong position to convert the whole scenario into a traditional form of measure and pay. Variations and measurement clauses are evident enough. Indeed, computing a realistic value for variations is often not an easy task. The parties need a considerable knowledge, skill and exposure in the art of judgment in order to have a sound appreciation of the methods of construction, estimating practice, contractual implications, construction programming techniques and most importantly the records intact.
technical writing consultant_2"technical writing consultant" Can you help me with a name for my new business?
I'm currently thinking of some possible names for a business I'm about to register, but I'm struggling to come up with something that people will remember yet conveys clearly what I can do. Here's a quick summary of my services:
- Technical Documentation Projects for Software/Hardware - Logo / Identity Package Design - Graphic and Web Design - CMS Consultant (Basically, installation, setup and customization of websites using either Joomla, WordPress or Drupal)
Tools used: MS Office, Adobe CS, FrameMaker and RoboHelp (for technical documents)
So far, I've kinda stuck on several names: WordRight Communications, WordCraft Communications, and The Write Stuff...yet I'd like to hear your suggestions.
Many thanks in advance!
Tech-write Designs :) i would totally remember that!!!!
technical writing canada_2"technical writing canada" I live in India, can i travel worldwide as: 1)technical writer 2)business english/EFL trainer 3)translator?
Hi evone
I live in Bangalore, India, I have a degree in Business administration (BBA), I am 29 yrs old and currently pursuing a freelance career in writing (copy/article/essay) entirely for and through an online environment.
1> I want to know if i can travel worldwide as a technical writer with a base in Bangalore, India? like, can i travel on contract to countries like New Zealand, USA, Canada, UK, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, etc?
2> What are the worldwide travel opportunities for a professional pursuing a career in Business English/EFL/ESOL/TEFL while keeping a base in Bangalore, India?
3> Can i travel worldwide as a translator from Bangalore, India?
Thanks for all answers Best Regards
Your biggest problem is getting visas for all the countries that you mentioned. All 1st world countries require visas and they are very difficult to obtain. You need to prove economic solvency and somehow convince them that you are only going to visit and that you will not stay there and work.
ENG 352 Technical Writing - 21 - Wonderful Pt. 3 Find Answers, Understand, Learn
Online Article writing services with a purpose of business promotion demands so many considerations. It is completely different from any other article or essay. Website Content writers master the art of the writing required for making the purpose be fruitful. If you want to excel in the field of SEO content writing then you must maintain certain things. In a travel article you just have to narrate your experiences and at the end, have to give some suggestions. In a fashion write -up you write on the basis of a research and news. However, if you are writing for a business or product promotion, then you must write in this manner so that a reader gets convinced and want to avail it. Some other things should also be remembered. Have a look.
Promotional writing: Some steps
Think an attractive headline for your article. It must bear the name of your business or product and should be small and simple. You can add an interrogative or exclamatory sign. Remember you have to attract your reader in the very first chance.
Do a little bit of study and research. Find out the popular keywords for these types of business or products and write accordingly. Think of a main keyword for your article. Use it in your headline and the text part. You must use the word or phrase at least 2% of the whole article. It would help the article get the higher rank in the search engines.
There is no hard and fast rule in formatting the page. You must write in the way you think would be better. However, go for an elaborate description of your product or service. Don't use so many business or technical terms and use only for requirements. Divide the whole article into several paragraphs. The very first paragraph must include the description. In the second and third paragraphs you must write about the needs it can fulfill and to whom it may concern.
Your main intention is to convince the customers to avail your service or products. So use peppy and crisp style in your writing. Article writing services for a promotional purpose demands interactive writing style. Write as if you are telling to your friend. Don't use tough or unusual words. Remember here you are not writing to exhibit your writing talent but to influence you customer.
Make simple and short sentences and try to avoid complex sentences. Moreover, your write up should be consistent and focus on a particular subject.
Don't write anything which your company or product does not provide. You should be honest to your clients.
You must include a resource box at the end. Write your name and contact details. Don't forget to write your e-mail address. If you have a website, then add the link of your website. This will enhance your web presence to a great extent.
Point to be remembered –
For any type of article writing, you must not do any mistakes, whether it is grammatical or just typing errors. So check the whole matter after finishing it.
So, if you go on following the essentials then it is sure that in course of time you will surly be counted among one of the most popular web content writers. Then, who knows that your endeavor won't reach the heights of a well-known professional content writing company?
Keep a watch on content writers India and you will constantly be introduced with simple yet valuable concept on the content writing domain.
What is a freelance writer you ask? A freelance writer is someone who wants to pursue a career in writing by selling out his services to various employers without having to commit to any one of them. The "free" in freelance is there for a reason. It means that as a freelance writer you will have the liberty of choosing who you work for at the comfort of your home. That's right. Getting paid to write while playing Dragon Quest at your pad is not just a fleeting dream anymore! The freedom to write whenever you want or for whomever you want is what attracts people to freelance writing tin the first place. The best thing about it is that anyone can become a freelance writer whether you are a stay at home mom with nothing to do or a college student trying to pay his tuition. As a freelance writer you can also have your pick of many different publication businesses. You can offer to write articles for newspapers, blogs or websites. If you are a regular techy you can also offer to write for employers that are looking for writers to provide product descriptions for their promotional websites. If you think that dabbling in non fictitious endeavors like these might out your creativity at stake you can put up your short stories, or other fiction of the like, for sale online. Be warned! Even if many publishers do accept fiction it can still be a hard market to break through. As a budding freelance writer it would be best for you, and your piggy bank, if you start off as a non fiction writer by offering to write online web content. Think of the World Wide Web as a virtual employment market. The sky is the limit where a budding freelance writer like yourself can have your pick from both online and offline content like marketing plans, advertisements, eBooks, and magazine articles and many such of the like. Depending on the style that you or your employer chooses, the articles assigned might be entertaining, educative or instructive. The bottom line is a freelance writer who includes non fiction in his list of credentials will have a better chance of bagging the big bucks than one who can't get his head out of fantasy land. With great power, and freedom comes great responsibility. Take this tip from old Spidey seriously and write responsibly. Remember, writing is only a part of what a freelance writer has to deliver on. Good employers are sticklers for policies, the most important being keeping up with deadlines. Do not keep your employers waiting on projects! Just because they are not there to yell at you does not mean that you ditch a pending project to up your level at Dragon Quest!
Four Steps, Four Days To Marketing Yourself As A Consultant
Today's economy has turned a lot of valuable employees into consultants. You have oodles of specific knowledge, you know there are companies that can use it, and you want to launch your own consulting business. Trouble is, you are an engineer, an operations manager, an financial analyst, a technical writer … not a marketer.
By now you've figured out that marketing yourself as a consultant requires specific action – it's definitely not a case of, "If you build it, they will come." Never fear, I have some ideas to help you establish your reputation as an expert, get your name out there, and begin building your consulting business by the end of the week!
Day #1 – Your Marketing Plan
You don't have to spend weeks putting together your business or marketing plan, and you don't have to pay someone to do it for you. The real value of putting together a solid plan is the way it makes you think through different scenarios, the competition, and the product you will be offering. A really great plan will also keep you on track as you build your business and it should be considered a working document – edit and change it as frequently as necessary.
Answer each of the following questions in writing and please don't take more than 15 minutes per.
Who is your ideal client? Consider size of company, industry, for profit or not. This is your absolute ideal, not a listing of any type of company that might be able to use your services. Describe who you want to work for. Focused marketing will pay off far greater than a shotgun approach.
What work do you want to do? Similar to the first question, describe your ideal work. If you would like, you can create a separate description for secondary work.
How do you want to work? Telecommute, onsite, or a combination? Do you want to travel?
Why does your ideal client want you? Describe your core competencies and how you are different from the average consultant.
Now you need to flip it over – What type of client business do you not want to work for? What work do you not want to do? How do you not want to work?
Day #2 – Your Resume
You do need to put some time in to presenting your experience and core competencies in a couple of different ways. First, start with your standard resume. There is much material available on creating a great resume so I'll not spend time on that topic. Once your resume is complete, create the following three complimentary items:
One Sheet
Online Bio
Elevator Speech
A One Sheet is marketing collateral about your consulting business, designed to pique the interest of the reader. Where your resume is a professional, legal document that describes in detail where you have been, your One Sheet summarizes where you are going. Use present tense, bullets, lots of white space. Your One Sheet should be able to be read or scanned in a very short amount of time and provide a brief overview of your talents.
Next, continue to distill your marketing message down to a 30-second statement that speaks to your value proposition. Your elevator speech is not your job title. When someone asks you what you do and you answer, "I am a consultant," you've just missed an opportunity to market yourself to an interested party. Your elevator speech should tell a story about who you are and what drives you.
I am on a mission to assist microbusiness owners in using the Internet to grow their business, interact with customers and clients, and level the playing field against much larger competition. The term "small business" is a misnomer -- there is a vast difference in resources between a small-business with as many as 500 employees, and the entrepreneur who is going it alone. I have first-hand knowledge of the challenges that face these solopreneurs and I help them use Web 2.0 technologies to reach huge audiences with nothing but a great product, a laptop, and a pile of creativity.
Finally, create an awesome online bio to be used primarily on LinkedIn and your blog.
Judi Young is a writer and entrepreneur on a mission to assist small and micro businesses worldwide in joining the online conversation. Follow her blog at ..., where you can also link to her on Facebook and Twitter.
Day # 3 – Social Networking
Social etiquette
How successful would you be at a live business networking event if you came in like a politician 10 minutes late to a campaign stop -- in a mad hurry to shake every hand and pass out brochures and free pens, spieling off your top three campaign promises, not interested in chatting with and getting to know people, only in talking about yourself, your services, your consulting business. Believe it or not, there are people right now treating social networking as a campaign stop. It's the biggest mistake you can make.
Instead, treat your online socializing and networking connections as you treat real live people at networking events:
Listen 80%, Talk 20%
Always be polite and respectful
Offer and provide assistance, advice, information
Provide your online business card (web or blog address) for more information
If you connect with someone who likes and respects you, and has a need for your services, they will seek you out.
Facebook
You may already have a personal Facebook page. It is acceptable, even encouraged, to provide your professional contacts a glimpse into your personal life—to a degree. If you use Facebook regularly to keep up with friends and family, post pictures, and make political statements, you may want to consider whether your Facebook activity puts you in the best possible light with your clients. Maintaining a Facebook page is not critical to your success as a consultant, so you may wish to continue using Facebook as your personal site and rely on LinkedIn to socialize professionally. Tip: Farmville, MafiaWars, and other Facebook applications are generally considered to be in bad form in a professional environment.
LinkedIn
LinkedIn is the most important site for a consultant to be active on. How did we connect with past colleagues, current business contacts, and other professionals prior to LinkedIn? Once you have your resume and marketing plan completed, sign up for a LinkedIn personal account (free) and start connecting. The initial LinkedIn process will walk you through connecting to colleagues already in their database. You cannot have too many connections on LinkedIn, so reach out to everyone you have worked with no matter how long ago. Next, connect to everyone you currently do business with—your real estate agent, your insurance agent, your lawyer, baker, and your children's teacher.
Now comes the tough part: You must get recommendations in order to build Social Proof. Ask for 20 recommendations via LinkedIn today. Right now. LinkedIn makes it very easy. Just locate the Recommendations selection under Profile and select as many as 200 of your contacts. You can use the standard LinkedIn text in your request or customize it with your own words. LinkedIn sends out an individual message to each of the contacts you specified with your request for a recommendation. Now return the favor. Without being prompted, write recommendations for people you've worked with. View a few recommendations first and simply follow the format.
LinkedIn groups are an excellent way to begin to establish yourself as an expert in your field and to provide assistance to your new connections worldwide. Search out and join all groups that are interesting. You can find groups based on your industry, hobbies, geographic location, alma mater (don't forget high school), and so on. For the purposes of networking for your consulting business, select groups with more than 1,000 members. LinkedIn limits the number of groups to which you can belong to 50, and some groups require approval by a group manager so there may be a bit of a wait before you can join.
Once you join groups that are interesting to you, spend a bit of time perusing active discussions for the group before you dive in and begin answering questions.
Finally, status updates—it is important for you to begin posting your status at least three times per day. You can reference a good article you read online (use bit.ly/ to shorten URLs), tell everyone what you are working on, or talk about what you had for breakfast. The important thing is that you provide some insight to your day, show that you are being productive, and stay connected.
Twitter
Unless you want to consult in social media, it is not necessary that you become a twitterer. Tweeting regularly could help you up your social cred and increase contacts, however it is something you can undertake on day five and beyond.
Day #4 – Article Marketing and Your Blog
LinkedIn and Article Marketing are the one-two punch of your marketing strategy. You will begin writing industry-specific articles that establish you as a thought-leader and a subject-matter expert and you will publish them to your blog. You will also blast them out to Article Marketing sites and to Digg.
Article Marketing simply means publishing your original article to the Internet via sites that are dedicated to distributing such articles. Effective Article Marketing increases your overall exposure and establishes you as an expert in your field.
Your blog primarily exists as a landing place to hold your articles and allow your community to connect with you. Yahoo, Google, and Posterous are very quick and easy blogs to set up. I use and love Wordpress.com, but will admit that there was a learning curve in understanding the interface, setting up widgets and so on. I recommend you set up a very easy blog to begin and roll that in to a more advanced platform down the road.
Writing and publishing articles for mass consumption is a bit daunting, so I've come up with this quick exercise to help. Find a kitchen timer and set it for 2 hours.
Create a free account on EzineArticles.com.
Create a free account on Digg.com
Write an industry-specific article, in under 90-minutes. Unless you regularly write for your industry, you might have a problem getting started. I personally stared off in to space for two days trying to think of a topic. Just pick something, anything, to get you started. Your second article will be much better, and the third better than that. How about the top 5 things I need to know about your industry? Or top 5 things to consider when hiring a consultant?
Whew. You did it. Ok, so I rushed you and this first one probably won't get picked up, but the publishing process should no longer be scary. Pretty soon you will be jotting down article ideas on gum wrappers while stuck in traffic.
There are many other Article Marketing distribution sites that you can use; a quick google search will produce many hits. Try businessknowhow.com and buzzle.com, and then find more on your own.
Each time you write a new article, spend a few minutes searching discussion forums for appropriate conversations. Quote your article as an answer to a question and be sure to provide a link to your blog.
Day #5 and Ongoing– Use Your Resources
Just as you will be giving away some of your key knowledge in order to establish credibility, so are others. There is much free, valuable information on the Internet. Check out my blog for a sampling of sites aimed at small and micro business owners.
About the Author
Judi Young is a writer and entrepreneur on a mission to assist small and micro businesses worldwide in joining the online conversation. Follow her blog at www.judiyoung.com, where you can also link to her on Facebook and Twitter.
Hiring a Ghost Writer: 10 Questions you Must Ask Before Hiring a Wordsmith!
When it comes to hiring a ghost writer, you need to be incredibly strategic about who you choose to pen your piece. Writers, like everyone, see the world from their own unique perspective, and their voice is going to come through loud and clear in your work. So how do you go about selecting the perfect ghost writer to string together the words that will attract your customers, speak your mind, communicate your knowledge, tighten a relationship, or spark a romance? Here is a list of 10 questions that should be asked and answered when interviewing ghost writer candidates.
1. WHAT ARE YOUR CORE VALUES? Your core values are the guiding principles that help you make decisions on a daily basis and define what you stand for as a person or a business. For example, Walt Disneys core values are imagination and wholesomeness. The U.S. Air Forces core values are integrity, service, and excellence.
Let me start by telling you ours, and maybe they can attract some ideas for you.
" Integrity Holding ourselves accountable to the highest standards in everything we do AND creating an environment where those around us are inspired to do the same.
" Brilliance Nurturing an atmosphere where brilliance is the natural result.
" Joy Having fun and enjoying the game of building the business by delivering a unique voice on behalf of each and every client.
" Synergy Taking the best assets of the client, the writer, and the project manager and fusing them together as this team moves towards a common goal.
" Creativity Encouraging everyone who is part of our culture to use their hearts and minds to create outside the box by constantly sparking thoughts, generating ideas, and stretching our cumulative brain.
We use these core values to guide our decisions in ALL matters as often as possible. In fact, we do everything we can to live by them! Once you determine your own core values, you can start looking for a ghost writer who shares them. Why? Because a ghost writer who reflects your core values is a ghost writer who looks at the world from a similar perspective. Choosing a ghost writer with similar core values is going to make writing on your behalf SO MUCH EASIER!
2. HAVE YOU DETERMINED YOUR PREFERRED WRITING STYLE? Different ghost writers have different styles in which they excel. If you want to create really personal writing that emotionally grabs people but you hire someone who has an academic style, youre going to spend a lot of time pulling your hair out and wondering why your ghost writer isnt producing in a style that appeals to you. So when interviewing potential ghost writers, make sure you ask for samples that are written in the style youre after! Various styles include personable, dramatic, inspirational, academic, factual, scientific, fun, humorous, intellectual, romantic, and technical.
3. WHAT TYPE OF EXPERTISE DO YOU NEED? Just because youve found a ghost writer who pens excellent articles doesnt mean youve found someone who can write exceptional brochure copy, sales letters, business plans, or fiction. Besides asking a ghost writer to discuss their core values and writing styles, make sure they show you examples of previous work that reflect their expertise in exactly the type of written work that you need!
4. WHATS IT GOING TO COST YOU? When discussing price with a new ghost writer, ask if they charge by the word, by the page, or by the hour. Be wary of ghost writers who charge by the hour, as your costs can be driven up quickly. If they charge by the word or the page, tell them what your ceiling is and ask them to contact you before exceeding that limit. If you do not want to go over budget, be very clear with your new ghost writer up front, letting them know that they need to stick to the agreed upon page count/word count.
5. WHAT DELIVERABLES SHOULD YOU EXPECT? Is the ghost writer going to handle research, prepare an outline, provide multiple drafts, and hire a proofreader to verify that the document is error-free? (Forget spell-check; using an outside and objective proofreader is imperative!) Be VERY specific about your expectations when negotiating your contract. Also, in case you request additional revisions, this is the time to predetermine the cost. Know exactly what youre getting for your money!
6. ON WHAT TIMELINE IS YOUR GHOST WRITER GOING TO DELIVER MATERIAL? Its important that you establish deadlines and that your ghost writer meets them. Set specific dates for when you expect each deliverable from drafts to a final proofread version. Your contract should also outline what penalty will occur if the ghost writer is not able to meet these deadlines.
7. WILL THE GHOST WRITER PROVIDE ADDITIONAL WRITING SERVICES? If they are working on your manuscript, are they also going to help you write your marketing copy, query letters, book proposal, etc? It is imperative that your voice remain consistent throughout your materials. If you have one ghost writer putting together your manuscript and another putting together your marketing copy you risk confusing your potential customers/readers.
8. WHAT KIND OF RELATIONSHIPS DOES YOUR GHOST WRITER HAVE? Other than handling the creative side of your writing, does your ghost writer have business relationships and strategic ideas that are going to help you use your writing to generate revenue if that is what you are after? When it comes to writing a manuscript or a screenplay, it is especially advantageous to hire a ghost writer who has legitimate contacts in Los Angeles and New York that can get you where you want to go.
9. WILL YOU OWN YOUR COPYRIGHT? Make sure that your contract (even for small writing assignments) states that, upon final payment, the copyright of the work done on your behalf is transferred to you. Be VERY clear about this point! An oversight here might cause you a BIG headache later.
10. DOES YOUR GHOST WRITER HAVE STRONG REFERENCES? Speak to people who have worked with the person you are considering. Ask them to share their perspective of this ghost writers greatest assets and weaknesses so you are aware of what they do well and can plan how youll fill the gap in areas where they dont excel. Any good ghost writer has previous customers willing to talk to you for 15 minutes!
At the end of the day, so many factors need to be considered. But youve spent a long time developing your idea, and deserve the perfect writer to breathe life into it. Determining the answers to these 10 questions will help you make a solid decision about the ghost writer who will represent your voice.
Heres to better business and a better life!
About the Author
Corey Blake the co-author of EDGE! A Leadership Story (Morgan James, 2008), is President of Writers of the Round Table, Inc., a strategic literary development company that assists authors, directors, executives, and publishers to generate writing content of substantial quality and bring it to market. Visit us at http://www.writersoftheroundtable.com/ to request a consultation to discuss your writing needs. We put the words in your mouth!
Writing Lessons : How to Write a Contract for Your Nanny
technical writing engineers_2"technical writing engineers" Is analog acceptable to use in a British English technical dissertation in Electronic Engineering?
I'm currently writing my dissertation, in which there is quite a few mentions of an analog / analogue converter, and suchlike. The issue is that one of the products is called an 'Analog Front End', which has to stay in that format, but when describing it (and other component's) functions, should I refer to them as 'analogue' or 'analog'? Thanks
In British English you'd be correct always to use "analogue" except in a name, quotation or reference in which case you should repeat the spelling used in the referred text.
Notwithstanding the above, the UK's technical world is very familiar with new world spelling so the issue is not too critical except perhaps with a pedantic few!!
Percell Robinson 1946-1984, Technical Writer & Editor Part III
Great Technical Writing: Beware of your Editor/love your Editor
Overview
Your editor should be an integral part of your writing team. Do not think of him/her as a judge, but rather as a resource to help you in all phases of the writing project. This article will help you overcome any fear of your editor, and how to effectively use your editor during the writing process.
Beware of Your Editor
Some of the changes that an editor might suggest could make the User Document more difficult for your Reader to understand.
Improving Your Writing
Once your editor has gotten past the basic mechanical editing tasks of:
* grammar
* punctuation
* spelling
* editing to a Style Sheet,
he/she may work on "improving your writing."
Your editor may believe that one way to make the writing more interesting is to use synonyms when you refer back to something. Thus you might call something a "chip bin" in one part of your text, and your editor might suggest using a different term, such as "waste trap," later in the document. This should make your writing "more interesting."
You do not want interesting writing in your User Documents! You want clear, simple, very easy to understand writing. If you make your writing more interesting by using the synonym ("waste trap") then you force your reader to have to think about whether or not these are the same thing. I recommend that you use the exact same wording every place in your User Document where you are referring to the same thing. No synonyms here!
If your Reader wanted to be entertained or have his/her thoughts provoked, then he/she would be reading a novel.
Don't let your editor make your writing more interesting or more clever if those efforts makes the material harder for your Reader to understand.
Erudition
Another place to beware of your editor is "erudition." That is, when an editor that tries to make your User Documentation sound more formal. Other than disclaimer, legal, and safety information, the User Document should sound friendly, with a conversational tone.
For example, an editor might suggest changing contractions (such as "don't") into their more formal form ("do not"). Don't do it! Contractions are conversational and they should not be avoided.
If you think about it, most people reading the User Documentation for any product are under some form of stress:
* they either want to get on with using the product, or
* something has gone wrong.
A formal document will put the User off. The document should not be silly or flippant; however, it should provide the information that the User needs in a conversational, easily understood style. The needed information should be easy to find.
Although most word processor grammar checkers are woefully inadequate, many of these checkers can be made to provide a readability score (you may have to set an option to enable this feature). Editing should help increase the readability (indicated by a decrease in the reading grade level) of the document. If editing increases the reading grade level, ask your editor why that score has changed.
What to Do
Provide your editor with the information that will enable him/her to do the best job. Here are some things to tell your editor:
* The intended audience for the User Document
* Tell your editor that you want an informal style of User Document
* What style manual or guide to be used in editing
* Scheduling and progress of the project
* Format for sharing and editing the text (make sure the editor can read your electronic documents -- do this when you hire the editor)
(Whenever you are dealing with someone outside your organization, you must have a signed non-disclosure agreement. This is in addition to any other contractual items between the outsider and your organization.)
Get to Know Your Editor
Your editor is NOT your school teacher. In your school days, your teacher-as-editor was a judge. Your goal was to impress your teacher with your writing. You were working for a grade. Thus you may have come to fear your editor.
Change your thinking! Now, your editor is on your side. Your editor will work with you to produce the best possible writing. You will not have to worry excessively about grammar. You goal is to get the information "on paper" as clearly and completely as you can. Your editor will suggest changes to polish the text.
So don't fear your editor. Make your editor part of your writing team.
Love Your Editor
Hire Your Editor Early in the Project
Hire your editor early in the life of the project. There are at least two benefits to hiring the editor early:
* First, your editor will be prepared for the editing task. He/she will have had time to get to know the product, target audience, and your organization's style guide.
* Second, your editor can help you with your writing, as I describe below...
Let Your Editor Help You
If you run into problems about how to write something, call on your editor. Most likely your editor can provide an effective wording to get you around your block. That's one reason why you got the editor on the project early. Here's another...
A Recommendation
I recommend that you work on small pieces of the User Document, and circulate these small pieces (rough drafts) to the development team for comments. Then use their comments to improve the writing, and re-circulate the improved material. Continue this for a few cycles. I call this "Iterative, Interactive Writing." This is an effective method for writing quickly and accurately.
If you feel uncomfortable about circulating rough drafts to the product development team for review, here's a solution. Have your editor perform a quick edit of the rough draft before you circulate it for comments. Your "drafts" will look quite good, and the development team will concentrate on the content, not the wording or grammar (and comments about content are you want from the team).
The Bottom Line
Don't think of your editor as an enemy lurking at the end of your document production path. Instead, realize that your editor can be a valuable member of your writing team, and is on your side. He/she should:
* Be brought onto the writing project early
* Be kept aware of the status of the writing project
* Be used as a writing, as well as an editing, resource
TIP: It is much more enjoyable for the writer (you) to work with "marked-up" electronic documents, rather than marked-up printed documents. Investigate your word processor's "multiple reviewers" capability. To employ this capability requires that you and your editor use the same or compatible word processing software.
NOTE: I am not an editor, nor do I represent any editors. But as a writer, I value editing.
About the Author
Barry Millman, Ph.D., has a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (1966, Carnegie Institute of Technology) and a M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Psychology (Human Information Processing, University of Calgary). He has been a consultant for over 25 years, an instructor, course developer, and award-winning speaker. For the past seven years he has been researching and creating resources to help organizations create great User Documents. Visit: http://www.greatuserdocs.com/ for resources to help you create the content and access that your Users want and need.
Writing & Education : How to Resign From a Teaching Position
In the world of internet, where the human touch is missing, content writing is the only thing that helps in communicating with the mind of the people. The fundamental aspect of great web content writing is to give top most priority to the information. A website that is a treat to the eyes may become successful in upholding the attention of the visitors for a while or so, but when we talk about long term benefits then good content is the only savior. Professionals providing services for content writing in India, very well understand the fact that one will never be able to keep the visitors hooked to the website if you do not have anything good to offer with regards to information or product. Also, website content writers should ensure that the home page is impressive enough to hold the attention of the visitors and prompt him to go through the entire website.
Certain things that content writing service provider should keep in mind to make SEO based article writing or web content writing more effective are delineated below:
Keyword density and proximity
Smooth flow of content.
Try to include keyword phrase on most every heading or subheading on that page
Well researched content
Content should generate high traffic
Content should target towards quick revenue.
Mix up the anchor text, sub headers and page content
In order to create effective SEO copies, along with keeping the language concise, crisp and straight forward, one should also ascertain subtle usage of keywords, i.e. they are used optimally and at the appropriate places. You should perform in-depth market research to understand the audience, their demographics and their expectations from your business. A web content writing professional should understand the characteristic human trait of being a bit lazy and thus, should keep the structure and language of the website simple. Also, to maintain indispensable and enduring impression on the target audience, content writing professionals should utilize their creativity to the fullest while abiding with the technical aspects of the write up.
Web content writers should also try to avoid phrases and complex sentence as far as possible and should be able to engage and intrigue the reader and entice emotional interest in your favor. So, no matter where you may be based across the globe, if you want to make impact on the internet then content writing (India) service providers can assist you!
