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The Process of Technical Writing
James Hunt, The Technical Writer Blog

The technical writing process consists of four main phases. These are planning, writing, delivery, archiving. These phases are not necessarily set in stone and some variations do exist.

40 Useful and Creative Infographics
Jacob Gube, Six Revisions

Information graphics (or infographics) are graphical depictions of data and information. By presenting information in a compact and creative approach, infographics are able to quickly convey knowledge and engage its viewers.

In this collection, you’ll find forty beautiful and educational infographics, displaying the uncommon spectacle of “art meets science.”

Offshoring, outsourcing and globalization
Rhonda Bracey, CyberText Newsletter

Rhonda Bracey writes to clarify “offshoring” from an Australian perspective and makes the points that in a global economy, international boundaries should not be an obstacle for technical writers.

She writes in response to a posting on the STC discussions site:

• What do you class as ‘offshore’? Everybody lives somewhere and any country/continent where they don’t live can be classed as offshore — from their perspective.
• If ‘onshore’ means the US or perhaps North America (US + Canada), then you have forgotten that STC is an international organisation. Therefore many members do NOT live in the US/Canada. With attitudes like those you expressed, it’s no surprise that many former international members of STC left the organisation, and continue to leave it.
• My ‘onshore’ is Australia. Read more…

Real Projects for Entry-Level Writers Trying to Build Their Portfolios
Tom Johnson, I’d Rather be writing Blog

Beginning writers trying to break into the field of technical writing face a paradox: almost all jobs require experience, but they can’t get experience without first having a job.

In the past, I’ve recommended that beginning writers create documentation for any open-source project they can find, such as WordPress, Audacity, or other projects on SourceForge.net. However, our organization now has about ten open source projects that would provide an ideal opportunity for entry-level writers to gain real experience in technical writing.

A few good ways to improve your writing
Eddie Gear, Metalique

Writing is one of the most effective tools of communication. But how well do we communicate our thoughts to others? A good writer is one who uses simple lucid language, is able to convey ideas clearly, grab the reader’s attention and keep him coming back for more. Sometimes in our eagerness to write concisely, we overdo things, with the result that we end up with a poor draft. In this article, we will have a look at some of the areas where we can improve our writing skills.

6 Steps to Valuable Internet Content
Yann Gourvennec, BNET Insight

Marketers are now finally waking up to the idea that pre-formatted communications aren’t the right way to engage with customers. The marketing department needs to learn how to write valuable content that brings value to website visitors that initiates discussions, questions and comments. here are my tips:

Step 1: Short text is a myth