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Summary: The book's title & focus is clear, concise and unambiguous.
Review: A concise guide for beginning (and experienced) technical writers. After reading this book, I would love to recommend it to anyone who hires, teaches or works with technical writers and associated professions. The book provides an excellent introduction into the world of technical writing and why its more than just writing. Editing, graphics, indexing, usability, project management and organizational skills, presentation and interviewing skills are just some of the skills needed as a technical writer and are these are well covered in this book. Especially noteworthy is the chapter on localization (L10N) and internationalization (I18N). The only drawbacks to the book is its reliance on using examples from software documentation and use of Adobe FrameMaker. I would have to disagree with the authors statement that technical writing for software accounts for 85% of all technical writing. Although it is surely more than 50%, no references are made to technical writing in fields such as manufacturing, machinery operation and maintenance, tools, appliances. That being said, if you're a technical writer or want to become one, this book is for you. If you're not a technical writer, but work with one or may hire one, then I highly suggest this book to find out what technical writing is about and how a good technical writer can add value to your company or organization. As stated in its subtitle, it is truly a "real world guide to planning and writing technical documentation".
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Summary: Please Don't Recommend "Bribing" SME's!
Review: Alan Pringle and Sarah O'Keefe have provided an excellent introduction to the field of technical writing. For those just starting out in the field, you'll understand precisely what you will face. For those who have been around awhile, you'll find nuggets of inspiration and true-to-life humor that will help you face another day. As a tried and true technical writer, I found the chapters on "Getting Information," "Editors -- Resistance is Futile," and "Indexing" to be excellent explanations of key parts of the technical writing process. Technical Writing 101 is well-written, summarizes the technical writing process with appropriate technical detail, and is enjoyable to read! You can't go wrong with a text like this!
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Summary: Not what I expected
Review: I found this book to be very well written and easy to read. It provided a lot of insight into what you should consider when writing an instructional manual or book. However, the reason I purchased the book was to study up on technical writing in order to take the Technical Writing Dante test. After I finished reading the book, I looked at the sample questions and found that not one of them had been addressed.
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Summary: Who are these people called Technical Writers?
Review: I had never even heard the term "Technical Writer" until I was hired as one in 1998. Previously I had been working as a software trainer and had become very dissatisfied with off the shelf training materials. Consequently I ended up writing all of my own material, as well as take-home job aids and reference books. These books were very well received and hence a love of writing began. After leaving the Government and moving to the USA, I no longer wanted to train but I wanted to continue writing since I had enjoyed it so much. I was later hired as a technical writer for a fortune 500 company in Oklahoma. A friend of mine back in Canada wanted to know what I was doing but I didn't know how to explain it in 20,000 words or less. Sarah rescued me by writing this book and I immediately ordered it. Not only is the material accurate; the book is funny, immensely readable and short enough to be absorbed by a non-techie within a few hours. I sent the book to my friend and she finally understands what I do (or rather USED to do!) Never, when I wrote "The WordPerfect 5.1 Reference Series" for the Canadian Government did I think I would be launching a satisfying lifetime career. Thank you Sarah and Alex for putting into words the details of what technical communication is all about, and how to go about much of it!
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Summary: Good, real-world advice
Review: So many books on "technical writing" discuss project management that just doesn't happen in the real world. Often throughout my 15-year career as a technical communicator, I've encountered individuals with English or Journalism degrees who hadn't the first idea about what technical writing (really) involves. This book provides an excellent, realistic overview of the profession and its (very important) components -- aside from a degree -- and being a writer of sorts (fiction, for example) -- and the kind of aptitude and skill set it takes to do the job right (and love it).
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Summary: Good for beginners
Review: The book is targeted at new technical writers and engineers (SMEs) who want to understand what technical writing is all about. It could also be used for preparing training courses on technical communication. Neat presentation, large font size and simple language make the book very easy to read. But a few spelling and grammatical errors tend to put you off. More so when it is supposed to be a book on writing! Try spotting these errors when you read the book. It could be good editorial practice. Not that you don't have enough of that already. True to its title, the book doesn't dwell too much on any of the wide range of topics it covers. But, a few sections stand out. Chapter 3, "Doc plans and outlines," and Chapter 13, "Single sourcing" are well researched and presented. The book also has a long list of references-web sites and mailing lists relevant to our profession. Even if you don't have time to read the entire book, don't miss the cartoons and illustrations-especially the one on the back cover.
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