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3 Ways to Turn Outsourcing to Your Advantage & Travel the World

Ivan — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 03:29:46 +0000

: Image Chris Pirillo

Outsourcing is not going to go away. Our recent Technical Writers survey showed that US companies are now outsourcing technical documentation projects big-time to India, Poland and Portugal. This is not going to change. It’s just a business decision.

Feeling bad/sad/mad about it won’t change it.

But what you can do is make it work for you. Here’s how I did it.

3 Ways to Turn Outsourcing to Your Advantage & Travel the World

In 2005, my technical writing team in Ireland was told that there would be changes. Clouds on the horizon.

Over the next 6 months we trained a lovely group of writers in Bangalore to take over our technical writing duties, showed them the style guides, and held their hands while they took over the reins.

Then we were all let go.

Some found other work, a few struggled and moved into other less-paid fields — I moved to Asia.

Difficult but great.

Life-long dream to live in the Orient, learn a new language (getting there…) and escape the depression of life back home.

And yes, we have offspring. More on that later.

So here are three ways to make outsourcing work for you:

1. Learn a language.

It’s naïve (and lazy) to think that everyone has to learn English. Now it’s your turn to learn a language.

The boom areas are in the Middle East and Asia.

If you learn one of these languages, coupled with your current expertise, you stand a great chance of developing a great business — and moving away from the current dilemma you’re in.

I can’t do it!

This is just being lazy.

If millions of people can learn to speak Russian, Arabic, and Japanese — well, so can you!

2. Mentor technical writers in other counties

I work with companies in Asia that don’t have an experienced technical writer. They can’t afford me full-time, so we arrange conference calls and I guide their team through the larger projects.

I do it all from home.

No setup charges. We use Skype and Google Docs.

3. Setup a specialist online service

It has to be very precise and almost impossible to replicate.

For example:

Convert obscure file formats, e.g. PageMaker files into Microsoft Word
Translate technical documents into Arabic or another language where there is a shortage of these skill-sets
Perform technical edits on business critical documents, such as business proposals that must have perfect English

Outsourcing is not all going to India

What surprised me when I did the survey is that outsourcing is not going to India, which is what I’d expected, but Poland and other eastern-European countries, such as Latvia and Estonia.

Most of the writers there are English graduates and judging the samples that they have produced, can produce quite good documentation.

Some of the wording and phrasing is a little awkward— but on price they can’t be beat.

The trend towards outsourcing technical documentation is now a fact of life.

I’d be interested to hear from anyone in the field —that means you!—who is either working with offshore companies or has identified ways to protect their career.

What I’d like to know is how it’s affected your career prospects and how you can take ADVANTAGE of this situation.

Another thing

I think Programmers have more to fear that Tech Writers when it comes to outsourcing.

STC Increase Fees: Is the STC still value for money?

Ivan — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 01:19:19 +0000

Sarah O’Keefe (Scriptorium) discusses STC’s new dues structure: Dues are going up; Printed publications are no longer included in basic dues; No chapter or SIG membership are included in the basic dues.

She adds that while reaction is largely negative, she finds value from her STC membership and gives some examples and reasons to join/stay with the STC. I have to confess that I disagree her on most all points.

STC gives Sarah a channel to attract new customers; many prospective customers find her at STC organized conferences. For example:

“During an STC conference a few years ago, I was approached by representatives of a government agency to discuss a major project. (I found out later they had attended my session to see if they wanted to talk to me. I apparently passed that test.) That meeting resulted in a new customer and over $250,000 in revenue for Scriptorium.”

Why join the STC?

Sarah gives several reasons why you should join/stay with the STC.

Here’s my thoughts:

1. If STC succeeds, you are more likely to find jobs that pay well because your work is respected.

I honestly don’t see how the success or failure of the STC has any material impact on my career. I’ve never joined the STC and managed to work for Intel, IBM and others for almost 20 years.

If the STC closed, would technical writers across the planet get their marching orders or see a cut in salary? Don’t think so, tbh.

Re: your work is respected.

I think this depends on the company and people you work for.

STC membership doesn’t automatically earn you any respect, certainly not with the negative perception surrounding the STC, i.e. out of touch and broken.

Most HR and IT Managers are not aware of the STC and rarely if ever mention it in interviews.

2. You are less likely to be the first person laid off in a downturn.

Why?

Most HR Managers make their decisions on budgets, cutback and other factors.

It would be great if this membership gave an extra layer of protection but the reality is that if you’re going to get laid off, all the certs, degrees etc in the world don’t make one iota of difference.

3. You are less likely to find job postings that include general office work among technical communication tasks.

Not sure what this is about. Most job postings I see for technical writers don’t include ‘general office work’, which I assume means admin tasks.

You are less likely to be replaced by another, less skilled, less expensive writer.

Read this s l o w l y.

We made cut-backs to the technical writing dept in my last company; most of the technical writing tasks were shipped out to Poland and India.
These guys and girls were less skilled and less expensive.
Actually, the last 3 months at the place was spent up-skilling the offshore team.
The company needed to reduce costs, full stop.
The quality of the tech docs is not great but the share price is up. Analysts are positive regarding the company’s stance on ‘fiscal controls’.

4. If technical communication is valued, your work is less likely to be viewed like a commodity.

Now this is an interesting point. Is it valued?

Most of us who write for a living value the written word —that’s why we’re here, right? —but not everyone shares the same enthusiasm.

You could also replace ‘technical communication’ with any other job title and make the same argument.

If software development is valued, your work is less likely to be viewed like a commodity.
If quality control is valued, your work is less likely to be viewed like a commodity.
If network admin is valued, your work is less likely to be viewed like a commodity.

Links:

A mercenary view of STC: http://www.scriptorium.com

Broken STC Model http://www.idratherbewriting.com

Bill Swallow http://techcommdood.com/?p=309

Final Thoughts

Going back to Sarah’s point about drumming up work at events.

My take on the STC and other groups, for example, LinkedIn, is that their value is in proportion to what you put in.

The more effort you make, the greater the returns.

Those that make an effort to ‘use’ the STC (in the best possible way) are likely to see their careers blossom.

If you sit on your hands, then nothing is likely to come your way.

What do you think?

Is the STC value for money?

Are Daily Rates for Technical Writers Collapsing?

Ivan — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 19:56:38 +0000

Daily rates for technical writers are down to $30 per hour in some places in the Bay Area. Recent articles on other technical writing sites suggests that daily rates for technical writers is collapsing in the US, in particular the west coast, as more writers struggle to find roles that match their previous salaries.

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TECHWR-L (tech-whirl), the oldest site that I know for technical writers, highlights the case of a technical writer who’s been in the industry for 10 years and been jog-hunting for six months.

When asked what he thought where the tech docs industry was heading, his reply was, “it’s a race to the bottom”.

12 months ago, he left a high-paying tech writing job to travel but returned six months later, and looked for work. So far, nothing.

Daily Rates for Technical Writing in California

His only job offer to date was for $30 an hour.

Some recruitment sites quote $40-$60 an hour as the industry standard.

I know that when I last worked in the states, late 90s, the rates were $40-$60 per hour, and that’s almost 10 years back. It’s hard to believe that now, ten years later, and factoring in inflation etc, daily rates are almost half of this.

Daily Rates for Technical Writing in Bangalore

According to a tech writer in Bangalore, the going rate in India is $10-15 an hour.

Link: http://www.techwr-l.com/node/1205

Tomorrow’s World

My concern for US writers is that they fail to grasp the momentum that counties like India have established and the high quality of university graduates they are now producing.

Also, the upturn in the recession has given a false sense of hope. Some that I’ve spoken to feel that the worse has passed and normal service (i.e. job stability) will be resumed.

As someone who works in Asia, and is seeing at first hand the juggernaut that is hurdling down the motorway, the race to the bottom has only started.

In the next 10-15 years, IT jobs which can be replicated offshore/offsite to lower costs will be embraced more aggressively. US companies have little choice but to do this.

The challenge for technical writers

The question for technical writers and others in this industry is how to approach this.

One suggestion would be to setup consultancy services in places like Bangalore, Vietnam, and Poland where the talent is there but the experience is lacking.
Experienced technical writers, who are willing to travel and embrace a new challenge, could do very well in these countries.

Staying at home may not be an option.

What do you think?

Top 50 Technical Writers on the Web

Ivan — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 08:12:44 +0000

I’ve made a list of the top 50 technical writers with a web presence. Some of these you might know, such as Darren Barefoot and Tom Johnson. I have also added some other writers from India, Russia and Israel to reach out to a wider audience. I’m sure there are others that I’ve missed. Let me know and I’ll update the list.

This week’s new additions include Alan Houser, Char James-Tanny, Cheryl Locket-Zubak , Colum McAndrew, Joe Welinske, Michael Hughes, and Paul Mueller.

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Update:

Thanks to everyone who sent in other technical writers that I overlooked. I’ve now added:

Geoffrey Sauer, Addison Berry, Jean Hollis Weber, Jim Campbell, Sarah O’Keefe, Shaun McCance, Shira Stepansky, Svi Ben Elya and Scott Able

Back to the list…

Top 50 Technical Writers

In alphabetical order, here is the list.

1. Aaron Davis and Scott Nesbitt http://www.dmncommunications.com

2. Amanda Abelove http://www.abelove.com

3. Amy Gahran http://contentious.com

4. Andrew Brooke http://techwriters-world.blogspot.com

5. Andy Schaub www.andyschaub.wordpress.com

6. Aneesha Myles Shewani www.linkedin.com

7. Anindita Basu http://writing-technical.blogspot.com

8. Anne Gentle http://www.justwriteclick.com

9. Apoorv Durga http://www.apoorv.info

10.Arden Gatlin www.liveperson.com

11.Avi Aharon: GUI Yourself http://gui-yourself.blogspot.com

12.Barbara Stuhlemmer http://techwriterblogs.com/doku.php

13.Berkun blog http://www.scottberkun.com/blog

14.Bill Albing http://www.keycontent.org

15.Bobbie Jo Morrell www.morrellimage.com

16.Bokardo.com http://bokardo.com

17.Chris Borokowski www.user-advocacy.blogspot.com

18.Dan Mabee http://managetechpubs.wordpress.com

19.Darren Barefoot http://www.darrenbarefoot.com

20.David Farbey http://www.farbey.co.uk (updated url)

21.Dawn L. Brown www.dawnsdesktop.com

22.Dr. Macro http://drmacros-xml-rants.blogspot.com

23.Edward W. Dodds http://edodds.blogs.com/conmergence

24.FastForward http://www.fastforwardblog.com

25.Gordon McLean www.onemanwrites.co.uk

26.Heather Leigh :http://blog.CrazyforWords.com

27.Ivan Walsh, Ireland www.ivanwalsh.com

28.Janet Swisher http://www.janetswisher.com

29.KJ Maas www.kjmaas.com

30.Laura Shaffer Mills www.redwriteblue.com

31.Liz Carver http://www.is-people.org

32.Mark Glinsky www.markglinsky.com

33.Mark Watson www.markwatson.com

34.Matt Anderson http://www.montagecomms.com

35.Mike Brannon www.mikeabrannon.com

36.Mike Unwalla http://www.techscribe.co.uk

37.Paul Pehrson http://blog.paulpehrson.com

38.Paul Stamatiou http://paulstamatiou.com

39.Prakash Rangarajan http://www.cloudtrance.com

40.Robert Wisbey http://www.robertwisbey.com/main.html

41.Robert B. Stepno www.stepno.com/bobres.html

42.Sarah Maddox http://ffeathers.wordpress.com

43.Seth Gottlieb http://www.contenthere.blogspot.com

44.Steve Borsch http://borsch.typepad.com

45.Steven Jong http://stevenjong.net/WordPress

46.Suresh Digital Dreams http://www.techpings.com

47.Susanne Dyrhage www.proz.com/profile/72014

48.Tim McGuinness www.timmcguinness.com

49.Tom Coates http://www.plasticbag.org

50.Tom Johnson www.idratherbewriting.com

New Additions

51. Geoffrey Sauer, EServer Technical Communication Library

Geoffrey Sauer, for his EServer Technical Communication Library at http://tc.eserver.org. Tom Johnson reckons that this is the most popular technical communications site in the world (http://www.idratherbewriting.com/2008/12/02/tceserverorg-the-most-popular-technical-communication-website-in-the-world/

Its readership data at http://tc.eserver.org/about/recent.lasso, shows that it serves 167,000 hits to over 22,700 visitors per day.

52. Addison Berry, Drupal documentation lead: http://rocktreesky.com

53. Jean Hollis Weber, documentation co-lead for OpenOffice.org: http://www.jeanweber.com

54. Jim Campbell, documentation lead for xfce desktop environment: http://j1m.net

55. Sarah O’Keefe, Scriptorium

President of Scriptorium Publishing, setup in 1996 to provide editing and production services to technical writing departments. In 2002, Sarah received her Certified Technical Trainer (CTT+) accreditation from CompTIA. Her presentations at international, national, and regional conferences (including STC, tekom, and WritersUA) have consistently earned high ratings. http://www.scriptorium.com/about/people/sarah-okeefe

56. Shaun McCance, Gnome documentation lead: http://blogs.gnome.org/shaunm

57. Esther Shira Stepansky – Technical writer, Web Site Administrator (Webmaster), and content contributor to http://elephant.org.il.

58. Svi Ben Elya – Founder of Elephant.org.il in Israel http://elephant.org.il

59. Scott Able – The Content Wrangler

“Content management strategist and social media choreographer with strengths in helping organizations improve the way they author, maintain, publish and archive their information assets.” http://thecontentwrangler.com/about-2/

Update Nov 19^th

This week’s updates take up to 66, the year I was born, so that can’t be so bad.

60. Alan Houser – http://www.groupwellesley.com & http://www.linkedin.com/pub/dir/alan/houser

61. Char James-Tanny – www.helpstuff.com & http://www.linkedin.com/in/charjt

62. Cheryl Locket-Zubak - www.workwrite.com and www.linkedin.com/in/workwrit

63. Colum McAndrew, The RoboColum(n) blog at http://notcolin.wordpress.com

64. Joe Welinske – President of WritersUA www.writersua.com/jwbio.htm

65. Michael Hughes – user-assistance.blogspot.com

66. Paul Mueller – www.useraid.com

Honorable Mention

I’ve also added these three sites as, while they are a great resource. I’m not sure who the editor is. Of maybe there are several people involved. If you know, please tell me and I’ll update.

1. Svi Ben-Elya and the Elephant organization http://www.elephant.org.il (Thanks Svi!)

2. DMN http://www.dmncommunications.com/weblog (Aaron Davis and Scott Nesbitt)

3. Le Blog d’Habib http://elhabib.fakir.free.fr (still trying to find out)

Where did this list come from?

I was preparing a report on freelance technical writers and noticed how hard it was to find technical writing sites run by writers, most were recruitment site.

So, I dug a little deeper and began to find writers here and there. There is nothing scientific in this list. It’s based purely on the websites that came up on Google, Bing and Yahoo.

Other technical writers who may not have websites, such as those involved in the STC, didn’t make the cut. Nothing personal here it’s just that I have no visibility on their contribution to the tech docs industry so it’s hard to gauge their impact.

Add Me!

Let me know who I missed – maybe you should be here – with maybe a few words about your/their role.

I’ll update this list and, fingers crossed, we’ll get it up to 100!

China’s Aigo launches MP6 online streaming players & digital products in India

Ivan — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 03:04:24 +0000

Aigo, one of the leading IT brands in mainland China, has launched a range of digital products for the Indian marketplace including a range of MP6 players.

Its product portfolio is staggering.

In addition to digital audio players, MP3 players, omnispheres, digital video players digital mobile TVs, TV mates, digital frames, it also develops MP6 online streaming players.

Screenshots here: http://en.aigo.com/en/NewsInformation-46.aspx

Aigo has 1,900 employees with offices in the US, Asia and Europe.

It was the official sponsor of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and has raised its marketing profile by partnering Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team and Manchester United. Look for the Aigo logo on Lewis Hamilton.

More stories at: http://www.twitter.com/ivanwalsh

Posted via email from ivanwalsh’s posterous

China’s Aigo launches MP6 online streaming players & digital products in India

Ivan Walsh — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 03:04:24 +0000

Aigo, one of the leading IT brands in mainland China, has launched a range of digital products for the Indian marketplace including a range of MP6 players.

Its product portfolio is staggering.

In addition to digital audio players, MP3 players, omnispheres, digital video players digital mobile TVs, TV mates, digital frames, it also develops MP6 online streaming players.

Screenshots here: http://en.aigo.com/en/NewsInformation-46.aspx

Aigo has 1,900 employees with offices in the US, Asia and Europe.

More stories at: http://www.twitter.com/ivanwalsh

Posted via email from ivanwalsh’s posterous

Process Design Tutorial #5 | What do I need to capture in my business processes?

Ivan — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 08:31:58 +0000

In this week’s process modeling tutorial, I’m going to look at what do I need to capture in my business process. Some of you have written in asking for more background on what you need to capture in your process maps. Needless to say, it depends on the complexity of the project, but, at a minimum, you’re looking to capture the following.

Business Process Design Template

So, let’s start at the top.

You need to capture some of the following when developing your processes:
Time to perform each task
Time an individual or a resource is available to perform a task
Cost of the individual/resource
Probability of occurrence of certain events
Frequency at which new incidents in the business process are initiated

This is just a starter of what you need to cover. If you need to know more please drop me a line of look under the Process Design section of the site.

FYI: Business Process Design Templates

You can download the completed version of these business process templates over here: http://www.klariti.com/business-process-design-template/.

As I mentioned above, we’ve partnered with Klariti Ltd (www.klariti.com) and released some very detailed Microsoft Word and Visio templates. These are on sale for only $9.99 until month end – it’s the promotional price – and after that they go back up to $29.99. They include process narratives (Word) process maps (Visio) and Excel spreadsheets for controlling your projects.

PS – If you’ve found this article useful, please consider giving us a Digg or StumbleUpon.

Regards,

Ivan

Twitter / Facebook / Flickr / Templates / Tips

Process Design Tutorial #5 | What do I need to capture in my business processes?

Ivan Walsh — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 08:31:58 +0000

Business Process Design Template

So, let’s start at the top.

You need to capture some of the following when developing your processes:
Time to perform each task
Time an individual or a resource is available to perform a task
Cost of the individual/resource
Probability of occurrence of certain events
Frequency at which new incidents in the business process are initiated

This is just a starter of what you need to cover. If you need to know more please drop me a line of look under the Process Design section of the site.

FYI: Business Process Design Templates

You can download the completed version of these business process templates over here: http://www.klariti.com/business-process-design-template/.

PS – If you’ve found this article useful, please consider giving us a Digg or StumbleUpon.

Regards,

Ivan

Twitter / Facebook / Flickr / Templates / Tips

What kind to Technical Documents should I write for Java projects?

Ivan — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 05:04:34 +0000

People email me all the time asking questions about technical writing and other documentation related questions. I was recently asked how to start ‘documentating for a banking solution which is been developed in Java on Open-Source platform. What kind to documents should i write for this project?’ Now, there isn’t much to go on here, so…

It depends on what the client actually wants.

Here’s what I’d do:

1. Ask the person in charge which activities are most important, for example, installing the servers, updating the databases, teaching users and so on.

2. Once you have a list of the most essential activities, discuss with him/her what you believe are most necessary…

3. then you can write books that support these tasks,

Without knowing too much else about the project, I’d say that you need to produce:

•Admin Guides
•User Guides
•Release Notes
•Training Documents
•Installation Guides

If you let me know more about the project, I can give you more concrete answers.

Regards,

Ivan

and you can Twitter me @ivanwalsh

Vacancy – Senior Technical Writer for Server Products

Ivan — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 05:02:21 +0000

Kevin Manderfield, one of my tech writer friends in Brisbane, just sent me this. PGP are looking for a Server Products Senior Writer to create and maintain documentation for its Universal product line.
Here’s the job description:

Documentation may take the form of guides, online help, short “How do I.?” videos created using screen video capture software, or technical notes.

As a senior level writer, this person is expert in the technical writing process and many industry-standard technologies and understands industry initiatives such as content management, single sourcing, and XML.

The Server Products Senior Writer will report to the Sr. Manager of Technical Documentation and Globalization. If seeking remote position, the candidate must have proven success working independently from a remote or home office.

* 5+ years experience as a technical writer developing end user and system administrator documentation for a technical audience
* Experience with the AuthorIT content management system
* Experience with the process of localizing documentation
* Experience with PGP and other security products
* Understanding of networking and network protocols; messaging and mail protocols
* B.A./M.A. or Certificate in Technical Writing, Professional Writing, Computer Science, Engineering or equivalent experience

You can find more over here www.pgp.com

Regards,
Ivan

Twitter @ivanwalsh
Web: www.ivanwalsh.com

Snagit Tip – How to create a Mirror edge at the bottom of your screenshots

Ivan — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 07:29:25 +0000

There are many ways to do this but this is how I create that nice mirror effect you see at the end of product images and screenshots.

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1. In Snagit, open the image you want to use

2. Copy the image.

3. Hold the handles at the bottom of the canvas and drag down. Increase the size of the canvas (not the image) to 200%. So, you’ve doubled the space available.

4. Paste the image.

5. Drag it down the canvas so it’s just under the top image.

6. Flip it.

7. Align the flipped (i.e. the upside down image) with the one on top.

8. Use Zoom to align.

9. Crop the lower image. Leave only a small edge i.e. what you’re going to make into the nice mirror effect.

9. Select the lower image.

10. Select Effect, Image Processing, Average Blur

11. Select 3.

This should give you a nice mirror effect as you can see in this example.

Let me know how you’d have done it!

Regards,

Ivan

Twitter @ivanwalsh
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/ivanwalsh/
Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/ivanwalsh/
Ivan: http://www.ivanwalsh.com

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Process Design – How many swim lanes should I add to the flowchart diagrams?

Ivan — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 00:28:45 +0000

How many swim lanes should I add to the process design diagrams?

Another part of the process design package is the flowchart diagrams. One area where I’m getting a little stuck is deciding how many swim lanes to add to the Visio diagrams. To get things rolling I have created three Visio diagrams with 2, 3 and 4 swim lanes. Take a look here.

The question is: which one will be business analysts use the most?

Regards,

Ivan

Twitter @ivanwalsh

The question is: which one will be business analysts use the most?

Regards,

Ivan

Twitter @ivanwalsh

Follow Friday – News and Views June 3

Ivan — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 01:43:31 +0000

Here’s a roundup of some of this week’s news. Next week, I’ll add more info on upcoming XML authoring software releases and the new Google Wave platform.
[ad]
Adobe launches Flash Catalyst tool for rapid UI design

Adobe launched the beta release of Flash Catalyst, a new authoring tool that aims to accelerate the development of rich user interfaces with Flash. The authoring tool is a response to growing demand for more polished enterprise applications. It is intended to complement Adobe’s Flex development tool, which the company has rebranded as Flash Builder.

http://arstechnica.com

Google Docs now supports MS Office 2007 file formats

Google added support for Microsoft’s Word and Excel 2007 default file formats to its online Docs office suite. Support for PowerPoint 2007’s file format remains out in the cold. The firm has added .docx and .xlsx to the list of file formats Google Docs accepts for uploading documents.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/

How to Write Release Notes?
Our partners site, Klariti.com, released a series of articles on how to write release notes. “Release Notes cover what’s new, download and installation instructions, known issues and frequently asked questions. Creating Release Notes is fairly straightforward. Create a Release Notes template and re-use it on each release.”

http://www.klariti.com/release-notes-templates/how-to-create-release-notes.shtml

Jing Pro Released to mixed reviews
Techsmith, the makers of Snagit and Camtasia, two of my favorite technical writing tools, released a premium version of Jing, it’s online screen capture software. Feedback was mixed from the tech writing community.

Official Jing blog here: http://blog.jingproject.com and our review over
http://www.ivanwalsh.com/2009/06/review-jing-pro-–-record-hd-quality-videos-for-youtube/

5 Things I Want to Know about Project Natal

Microsoft released Project Natal, a motion sensing device that allows you to control video games and Xbox 360 menus with your body instead of a peripheral controller. Natal gives you voice and full-body motion control over your on-screen avatar using an RGB camera, depth sensor, multi-array microphone, and custom processor running proprietary software. Microsoft released the Project Natal software development kit to game makers who want to incorporate Natal functionality into their products.

http://www.pcworld.com

Hulu Desktop for Mac, PC

Hulu Labs lets you play with new products and services as they are almost ready for prime time. Among the new toys of everyone’s favorite piracy-busting online video service is Hulu Desktop, a bona fide client for the service running on both Mac OS X and Windows computers. Hulu Desktop delivers Hulu straight to your desktop with no browser required (though you will need Flash installed). Hulu Desktop is wrapped with a media-center-like bow, with a customized “lean-back” UI that can run full screen and even respond to Apple Remotes and Windows Media Center remotes.

Microsoft select St. Paul for Silverlight Offices

Gita Sitaramiah reports that Microsoft has leased space at Wells Fargo Place in St. Paul, for a software development office. The tech giant had also considered locating in Minneapolis, where it currently is operating in temporary quarters. Initially, Microsoft is leasing around 12,000 square feet of space on the 24th floor of the Wells Fargo tower, employing 26 people at the start. The St. Paul office is a key part of Microsoft’s intent to build around Silverlight, a Web browser application that competes with Adobe Flash.

http://www.twincities.com/ci_12511706?source=most_emailed

Review of Groundswell – Winning in a world transformed by social technologies

Groundswell was our book of the week and well worth a look if you want to get an insight into how social media works on a business level. In other words: how to make money from social media. Customers are writing about your products on blogs and recutting your commercials on YouTube.

They’re defining you on Wikipedia and ganging up on you in social networking sites like Facebook. These are all elements of a social phenomenon — the groundswell — that has created a permanent, long-lasting shift in the way the world works. Most companies see it as a threat. You can see it as an opportunity.”

http://www.ivanwalsh.com/2009/06/review-of-groundswell-winning-in-a-world-transformed-by-social-technologies/

Why Google Squared Makes Bing Look Good

Google Squared is a specialized search engine that creates meaningful data from large data sources and lets you compare this information by adding different attributes. Think Excel+Wikipedia+Search Engine = Google Squared. This is not Google’s finest hour by any means. Take a look at some of the results it produced.

http://www.ivanwalsh.com/2009/06/google-squared-confirm-that-richard-nixon-was-a-quaker-obama-is-a-zombie-president/

Linux/Java-based Android platform to the MIPS architecture

Technical writers with an interest in Android and open source may be interested in this. Embedded Alley completed its port of the Linux/Java-based Android platform to the MIPS architecture. The Embedded Alley Development System for Android-based Devices initially targets devices ranging from set-top boxes (STBs) to industrial equipment running the MIPS-based RMI Au1250 processor. The Embedded Alley Development System for Android-based Devices is available now. http://www.linuxdevices.com

DITA webinar
FierceContentManagement are putting on a webinar on Thursday June 11th at 2:00 pm ET called Using DITA to Streamline Your Workflow. The webinar is sponsored by Just Systems and features Gilbane Group analysts and DITA experts, Bill Trippe and Dale Waldt.

http://www.fiercecontentmanagement.com

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Interview with Vinish Garg, vhite.com

Ivan — Mon, 25 May 2009 02:43:28 +0000

Vinish Garg is the Director of vhite.com, an Indian technical writing firm that provides technical documentation and medical writing consultancy services.

I interviewed Vinish recently and asked him how he started as a technical writer, about technical writing in India, and new trends he sees emerging in this field.

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Ivan: Could you tell us a little about your background and the type of activities you perform as a technical writer?

Vinish: I have been developing technical documentation for software, for five years now. I started with Help Systems, User Guides, and Training Manuals.

In my next jobs, I developed Installation Manuals, Cheat Sheets, Process Documentation, Proposals, Business Plans, White Papers, and Case Studies.

I have worked in traditional development methodology as well as Agile Documentation which is a different experience altogether.

Ivan: Technical writing is really taking off in India. I read recently there may be 10000 tech writers hired in the next few years. Why do you think India is doing so well in this area?

Vinish: Yes, technical writing is coming up gradually in India, being recognized and getting the respect as any other specialized profession.

One of the reasons is that technology outsourcing has helped Indian professionals keeping themselves updated and rubbing shoulders with the best professionals in the world.

The whole concept of technical documentation, the software, the process, and understanding the responsibility is matched to the most developed countries in world such as US, UK or other European countries.

Two, Indian professionals have generally good communication skills and this, coupled with technical education background give them a good platform to be good technical writers.

Three, I should also highlight the role of organizations such as STC and TWIN. They have been doing a great service to generate awareness about this profession, holding conferences and learning sessions throughout the country.

It is a great encouragement for budding writers who want to make a mark in technical writing profession.

Ivan: What trends to you see emerging in the tech communication field?

Vinish: I guess implementing and setting up of structured authoring would take over the traditional tools and methods of technical documentation.

Software such as Arbortext Editor is not too common in India but I can see such software being accepted in more and more companies in India.

Tip: Read more about XML in Technical Communication here

Structured authoring brings a rich set of benefits of organization such as a more streamlined authoring process where single source authoring enables content reusability.

In the long run, it saves cost if intelligently implemented in the documentation process. The content management and version control is easier as virtually all lose ends in traditional technical authoring are eliminated.

Ivan: You recently launched vhite.com. Could you tell us a little about why you setup the company?

Vinish: I have worked as a technical writer (or documentation specialist, as was my position in Basware) for more than 4 years now. I worked for diverse product based companies, and an organization that was into B2B projects.

Setting up my own venture has been a conscious decision based on certain factors.

1. I am based in Chandigarh and I think there is no dedicated technical writing services provider in the city though it has made strides in IT. Some very good companies have setup their development centres in Chandigarh.

And as I told you earlier, since technical writing is gradually being recognized in India where organizations have realised the important of quality technical documentation, I thought that it is the right time to strike when the iron is hot.

2. I also feel that there are not too many very good technical writers in and around Chandigarh. When I look at some profiles or technical work samples of professionals, I do not wonder why they are not getting the respect. We did some research and market analysis and realised that many organizations in India offer technical writing training that focus on tool or software, or language.

So, vhite offers technical writing training where we focus on the whole concept of technical writing – the importance of documentation, the process, the review process, checklists, emails, audience analysis, and a host of such concepts that are as important as learning language or a software.

We strive to encourage technical writers take it very seriously, while enjoying the process. And since we are a start-up business, we offer traditional documentation models.

In future, we plan to setup the whole structured authoring platform so that our people and our trainees are keeping pace with the latest developments in technical writing.

Ivan: You also provide medical writing services? What type of documents or content is involved in medical documentation?

Vinish: Good documentation is absolutely vital to any field, be it healthcare or technology. We understand that accurate and clear documentation that is compliant to different style guides is important in healthcare and sciences.

We have experienced medical and healthcare professionals on board who have helped us extend our documentation services to medical writing as well. We offer technical as well generic medical writing which includes developing Protocols, Monograms, CMEs, Research Papers, besides reports and articles on general healthcare subjects.

Ivan: Finally, where do you see the technical documentation field moving in the next few years?

Vinish: I can see it getting more challenging. Technology will lead to intelligent applications where software and web applications would be intelligently and smartly developed, may be leaving less scope or low need of documentation.

Another challenge would be to keep pace with the technical documentation technologies as new software may be more challenging for budding technical writers who would be new to this profession.

On the positive note, I can sense that it would be more fun for experienced professionals. Web2.0 has facilitated information sharing and knowledge exchanged like never before.

Overall, the future is bright at least for those who would be ready to leave their comfort zones, to embrace new technological challenges, and to create their won space in the ever-growing crowd of technical writers.

About Vinish Garg

You can read more about Vinish and vhite, his technical writing company at www.vhite.com

Update: May 18 vhite now offers online technical writing training courses. This is the first of its kind in Chandigarh, India.

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Resources:

Technical Writers of India TWIN

User Guide Templates

White Paper Templates

Introduction to Technical Writing

XML in Technical Communications

1001 Writing Tips: Using Microsoft Word to Create Large Documents

Technical Writing in India | Resources for Indian Tech Writers

Ivan — Fri, 15 May 2009 01:30:00 +0000

This page lists technical writers, tech writing companies, and education providers in India. It also provides career advice about entering technical writing in India and future prospects of graduates.

While there is alot of info about technical writing in India, what’s missing here are most Indian tech writers. From what I can see there are only two or three Indian tech writers listed on this page, which seems odd as this is a lot right now

The Handbook of Technical Writing, Eighth Edition (Handbook of Technical Writing Practices)

ISBN: 0312352670
ISBN-13: 9780312352677

If you’re a tech writer in India and would like to be profiled, let me know and I’ll arrange an interview with you.

Ivan

Link: Technical Writing in India | Resources for Indian Tech Writers

Technical Writing in India | Resources for Indian Tech Writers

Ivan Walsh — Fri, 15 May 2009 01:30:00 +0000

The Handbook of Technical Writing, Eighth Edition (Handbook of Technical Writing Practices)

ISBN: 0312352670
ISBN-13: 9780312352677

If you’re a tech writer in India and would like to be profiled, let me know and I’ll arrange an interview with you.

Ivan

Link: Technical Writing in India | Resources for Indian Tech Writers

Indian Technical Writers Wanted!

Ivan — Thu, 14 May 2009 01:58:15 +0000

I’m writing a series of profiles on technical writers in India. What I plan to do is talk to tech writers in India and get your thoughts on how this industry is growing in India, tips for those entering the profession and other pieces of advice you may have.

I’ll also post the interview on our sister sites to give your interview more coverage. Our sites get over 250k visitors per month, so this could be a nice way to promote yourself and raise your profile.

There is no cost or charge involved. If you would like to be interviewed, please let me know. It’s ivan at ivanwalsh dot com.

Look forward to hearing from you!

Ivan

Technical Writing Jobs | Updated Every Day

Ivan — Thu, 14 May 2009 01:21:20 +0000

Klariti has published a master list of all the recruitment sites that specialize in technical writing. They seem to have most of the usual suspect, including tech writing recruitment companies in UK and India. Handy list if you want to get your CV out to multiple recruiters. Link: Technical Writing Jobs | Updated Every Day

Technical Writing Jobs | Updated Every Day

Ivan Walsh — Thu, 14 May 2009 01:21:20 +0000

1 stop shop for Indian Technical Writers launched

Ivan — Tue, 05 May 2009 02:25:18 +0000

Chillifreeze, the one-stop shop for Indian writers launched Corporate Training Solutions for companies in a variety of genres of writing including technical writing, press release writing, and business communication among others.
Chillifreeze has a database of over 6000 writers across India and the globe.
Chillifreeze has recently launched its Corporate Training Services in India. The company offers training in varied genres of writing including niche areas like press release writing, technical communication, business communication, creative writing and more.

They are also open to identifying trainers in new areas to suit the requirements of clients.

Pallavi Rao of Chillibreeze says, “The service is likely to be invaluable to small and large enterprises to train their in-house writers, editors, research associates, analysts, marketing & sales teams.”

Chillifreeze, the Indian Writers Association offers courses & certifications, offline training & workshops, training for corporate employees, job postings, project matching services, freelancing & writing guides, blogs and discussion boards plus offline meets for writers to connect and network across India.

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Technical Writing in India | Resources for Indian Tech Writers

Technical Writing in India | Resources for Indian Tech Writers

Indian Technical Writers Wanted!

Technical Writing Jobs | Updated Every Day

Technical Writing Jobs | Updated Every Day

1 stop shop for Indian Technical Writers launched

Update Nov 19^th