From the Doc Side : technical writer

Meet the Team - Steve S.

Lindsey Robbins — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:05:00 GMT

Name? Steve S.

How long have you been at Blackbaud? Going on 4 years

What technology from the past do you wish would make a comeback? The flux capacitor... I could always use a little more time in the day!

Favorite part of technical communication? Working with multiple products, learning about new technology, and the adrenaline rush and creative high that accompanies routine deadline doom.

Products you Work On? The Raiser's Edge, Blackbaud Enterprise CRM, and Blackbaud Payment Service

Other projects you Work On? PCI Compliance, usability, consistency, and localization. I also cartoon for the company employee newsletter, The Buzz.

How did you get into technical writing? My career as an indie comic book creator, while fun, didn't really pay the bills... Luckily, I was able to apply my talents as a technical illustrator and then technical writer.

What's changed about Blackbaud since you've been here? The CEO and the ever-growing headcount.

What hasn't changed? The onsite fitness center remains the best perk I never use.

What's one unique thing about you? When not working to meet deadlines at Blackbaud, I work to meet deadlines as the staff cartoonist for the local alternative weekly newspaper.

Anything else? Nope.

Twitter - Can it Make You a Better Technical Writer?

Steve Pham — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 18:19:00 GMT

Copyblogger's Jennifer Blanchard thinks so and I completely agree. According to the post "How Twitter Makes You A Better Writer", Twitter helps writers in three ways:

Twitter forces you to be concise.
Twitter forces you to exercise your vocabulary.
Twitter forces you to improve your editing skills.

Being fairly new to Twitter, I find myself constantly editing my tweets (the Twitter word for posts) to fit the 140 character limit. Because of this limit, you do have to be careful about what and how you choose to write your messages.

How does Twitter force you to be concise?
There is no getting around being brief. You write more than 140 characters, your message doesn't get sent. You learn fast, capture the gist of what you want to say, and quickly send it out.

Why do you need to exercise your vocabulary?
If you only have 140 characters and have to be concise, you want to choose the most effective words to get your message across without using ones you don't. So you start thinking about ways to say what you want with creative word choice and not extra sentences. Each word matters. When each word matters you think about them a lot more.

What's editing have to do with anything?
Because of being concise and evaluating each word choice, you often have to re-read your messages quite frequently to evaluate whether it's what you meant to say. But, you don't have all day to edit a tweet. Twitter forces you to write better in shorter amounts of time because a medium like this is all about being timely. The posts need to be fast yet good. You can't compromise quality just because it's a microblog. And, you want to send out good content that relfects well on the rest of your content and your skills. Editing well and quickly is of essence.

So how does this help technical writers?
Well a good portion of help authoring is to deliver information as effectively and efficiently as possible so users can get back to the task they were trying to accomplish. Technical information isn't prose or poetry. No one wants to read a book on how to turn on the computer. A tool like Twitter can make you aware of how important each word choice is but it can also teach you to get your message across sooner. As well, I find it encourages creativity in being effective. Creativity is always an important tool in staying relevant in technical communication as well as learn how to meet your users' needs with less space and words. People want help with their problem now and then to move on. Twitter is great then for teaching technical writers to focus on one problem or message and quickly move onto the next task. What do you think? Do you agree? Or, do you think tools and mediums like Twitter are ruining the English language?

Have you committed a technical writing sin?

Steve Pham — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 19:40:00 GMT

I’ve been re-reading some old posts in the field, and after reading Amy Hoy's Slash7 post on "How Tech Writing Sucks: The Five Sins," I started thinking… is it really possible not to commit any one of the five sins?

The Five Sins -

Losing the reader
Making the reader feel stupid
Failing to stick
Being a total bore
Not providing much-needed context

Hoy says the five sins are results of "bad" writing, but can you realistically prevent these things from happening for all users? As a n00bie in the field, I’m learning how to ensure the reader is getting what she needs out of the documentation. One objective of documentation is… user needs help, refer user to a guide or help file, user resolves issue on her own, and in doing so, saves user time and a phone call to customer support. Pretty simple... the objective at least seems that way, but now comes the tricky part.

How do you keep the reader engaged with relevant, lively content, without feeling stupid, so she can remember it the next time she completes the process?

Seems straight forward, but then again, we are discussing user guides and help files. These materials aren’t usually opened unless there is an issue, and then they are closed as soon as the issue is resolved. I guess what I am proposing is, these sins are sometimes inevitable. Here’s why…

You will lose the reader as soon as the issue is resolved.
No matter how you write, you’re going to make some reader feel stupid – either talking above or below them.
Most of the time, the content users are looking for is not everyday occurrences. Failing to stick is predictable and they will have to search for the answer again.
No matter how pretty you make it look, technical documentation is not going to be the most exciting type of reading available. How many manuals have ended up on the bestseller’s list?
Can you document everything? Probably not. So anytime a user cannot find something she is looking for, she is going to find it lacking.

I understand we are supposed to write in a way that best prevents this from happening, but perhaps it’s just the nature of the beast. You can’t expect to satisfy everyone can you? But I bet you can expect to commit one of these "sins.” What do you think? Can we strive for and achieve sin-free technical content? And if not, is it good enough to learn from our mistakes and keep improving as we go along?

How do you explain technical writing to a kid?

Lindsey Robbins — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 16:51:00 GMT

The short answer is… you don’t!

Last Friday, I had the distinct privilege to be part of a special field trip for kids from Meeting Street Academy (See Rachel’s blog post for more background on the special event). In short summary, I was to explain to four and five year olds what I do for a living. Hmmm… technical writing in the eyes of a child.

Here are some things I thought of… (and yes, please feel free to laugh at my feeble attempt)

Do you like to read?
What books?
Do you like to make up stories?
Do you like playing on the computer?
Add that all up and you can be me!

See in my mind, I was trying to explain how a kid their age who loved reading and stories somehow became me as an adult with this career that involves playing with things and writing about it. I even showed them the *books* we write and how they have pictures (screen captures).

I really wanted to explain how curiosity was important in my education and career but wasn't exactly sure how. However, I think in general I was supposed to show them that it’s important to read, to learn how to write, and to stay in school. I loved how they liked to raise their hands to ask questions, that’s a good sign! Being eager to learn is definitely a part of technical writing.

I’ve given plenty of talks about technical writing before (to college age kids) but this experience gave me a chance to see what I do through the eyes of a child. And, I laughed. It’s not exactly possible but I think just seeing someone who has a job they love and enjoy is important. I hope they continue to see positive examples of people who applied their learning to a cool career. If one of them happens to take on technical communication, all the cooler.

How would you explain your profession to a child?

Society for Technical Communication Summit 2008 Reviews

Lindsey Robbins — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 20:25:00 GMT

Thought I'd give the rest of my reviews for the STC 2008 Summit now instead of putting it off for another day. I've already given a review on the Trends in User Research panel and discussed my session on Writing as an Asynchronous Conversation. If you'd like to hear more about what I learned in these sessions, leave a comment about which one and I'll write up a separate post detailing what I learned.

Getting Real-World Feedback on Your Information: A Case Study by Kori Bevis, IBM
The only negative about this presentation was the overwhelming hotness of this room which caused everyone to be sleepy. Otherwise, it was full of useful information especially as we consider how to involve more users in our documentation usability projects. Kori did a great job explaining how they implemented a client council in evaluating their new information repository web application.

XML the Easy Way: Moving Your Unstructured Content (Word / FrameMaker) to DITA by Todd Aldous
Wanted to see a presentation on Asessing Accessibility of Websites for Users with Disabilities but the session was canceled because of the sporadic internet connectivity. Totally bummed. Showed up in this session a few minutes late and quickly realized that moving unstructured content is easy if you build a bunch of custom plug-ins for FrameMaker. One of only two sessions I regretted going to at the conference.

Guidelines for Effective Captivate Movies by David S. Locke, Wordsmith
Since we're now using Adobe Captivate to create our video tutorials, I thought it would be good to see what other people in the field had to say about what makes a good captivate movie. The foundation of his message was good but thought some of his time estimates might be exaggerated. I definitely think when you first start creating short videos you can spend a lot of time editing, but after you create a few and set a style you spend less time on the details and more on the content. His core issues of context and control, content, communication, focus, and synchronization were spot on. If more people are interested, I'm sure I could co-write a post with Nikki on what we think are important guidelines for video tutorials and screencasts.

So, You Can Write. But Can you Think? by Dawn Maxson, Dell and Deborah Doyle, Sun Microsystems
I really try to be a nice person so let me just say that this session was a complete waste of time. Nothing valuable learned. Would expound but I'd rather not talk badly about a presentation on a blog. I'm sure they had excellent intentions for this presentation. Better luck next time ladies.

Stop Wasting Time: Ten Things You Can Do to Make Yourself More Efficient by Scott Abel, The Content Wrangler
Scott really is one of those people best seen live, in person. Funny, on the edge, and willing to call anyone out on any topic. This was a fun presentation full of some great tips, resources, and websites. My favorite of the 10 tips were #7 - tag and share, #4 mashups, and #3 project management tools. You can see his full presentation on slideshare.net, although as I said above, he really is worth the price of admission.

Mining Web 2.0 Content for Enterprise Gold by Michael Priestley, IBM
Do I wish I were as genius as Michael? Yes, yes I do. Michael did a nice job of talking about the relevance of web 2.0 and DITA and making a case for open standard support for web 2.0. I especially appreciated his discussion on how it's getting easier to get content in but harder to get content out because information becomes silo'd, redundant, and harder to reuse. My favorite thing he said in the whole presentation centered on separating the content from the application of which I am a strong advocate. No matter what application you end up using, your content needs to be solid. In this case, advocating more standards for web 2.0 would enable us to create more flexible, powerful content. Definitely had a lot to think about after his presentation and not the least was how I could someday be as super smart as Michael.

Agile Technical Documentation by Jean-Luc Mazet, Hewlett-Packard
Probably my favorite presentation at the conference. Great balance of humor and bursting full of useful information about the hot topic in software development - agile! He did a great job with overview for those newer to this style of content development and yet also gave advice on things to avoid. For example, as technical writers getting away from "owning" pieces of documentation. The team owns the document and together you write content. When you reuse, content becomes stronger. The most encouraging part of the talk was about how writing in agile really empowers writers and when someone struggles, agile enables coaching until improvement happens. I like that idea much better than the sink or swim method. Jean-Luc wrote a great conference paper summarizing his responses. You can find it on the stc.org website.

Engaging Diverse Audiences using Screencasts, Wikis, and Blogs by Gail Chappell and Cindy Church, Sun Microsystems
Theme of this session? Lots of great examples. Because the project Gail and Cindy worked on for Sun Microsystems was under open source, we were able to visually see examples of every part of their project. I particularly liked the information on the screencasts and blogs because those are both things we are doing and will need to evaluate effectiveness soon. Plus, it's nice to hear other companies discussing their integrated approach to help authoring. It's not all about silos of information and user guides. I like thinking about all the ways content can mix and mash and output in different formats depending upon clients needs. And, I heart examples but I think I already mentioned that above. :-)

Secret Social Session (S3) on new Social Media & Networking by Robert Armstrong
An unofficial, underground STC session was published last minute on twitter and a message board and had a pretty good turnout. It was nice to see my other conference twitterers and have some fun talking about the tools. While what we do is not about the tools, it's still fun to learn and hear about what might be coming next. And, I liked the whole underground movement of the social networking at the conference.

Editing Modular Documentation by Michelle Corbin, IBM and Yoel Strimling, Comverse
Last session ended on a good note. One reason to instantly like this session is we were talking about the content (modular documentation) and not about the tool (DITA). One surprise from the session was the number of hands that shot up at the beginning of the presentation of people whose sole job function was a technical editor. Ouch! Wonder if those people see the future coming or not? I don't know if everyone agrees with me but seems like technical communicators need more skills and flexibility in job function than one that puts you in a small box (especially if mainstream documentation goes the way of agile, then I don't see how you can make your job function only editing). Okay, off the soapbox and back to the presentation. The nice thing about the presentation was that it was well organized, provided some overview but not exhausting, and they had advice not just "we did this, then that". It's nice when people can provide best practices because it shows that they've not only done this type of work but thought through the pluses and minuses. Favorite takeaway - edit for usability not reusability. While reusability is key for technical communicator's work efficiency, that doesn't mean it's important for clients. Usability still needs a central role in evaluating technical communication.

All in all, the conference will definitely be a highlight of my 2008 work year. Thanks to Blackbaud for empowering us through training!!!

Klingon Technical Writers

Justin Baden — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 18:25:00 GMT

Ok, so if I had to pick one, I’m definitely a Star Wars guy... but Star Trek is still in the mix. Regardless of where you stand, whether it be with the Rebel Alliance or Star Fleet, one thing is true... Klingons are no joke. And as tech writers, they’d be no nonsense in the way they handle their business.

As proof, I present the following list, which I came across back in 1999 and saved because it's awesome. I know it’s been circulated around the web in many forms, altered for various job titles, but here’s the classic tech writer version. BTW -- if you know who wrote this or where it originated, drop a note in the comments and I'll update the post to give credit.

So without further discussion, here are the top 15 things likely to be overheard if you worked with Klingon tech writers:

15. Certification?! Having your hot blood dripping from my glistening blade is all the certification I need!

14. I will return to the homeworld and my documentation will arise triumphant in the STC Documentation Gauntlet, leaving all others drowning in their own dangling modifiers. It will be glorious!!

13. Not returning my review copies by the agreed deadline is a declaration of war! Indeed, it is a good day to die.

12. These specifications are for the weak and timid!!

11. This version of Word is a piece of GAGH! I need the latest version of FrameMaker if I am to do battle with this manual.

10. You cannot really appreciate Dilbert unless you've read it in the original Klingon.

9. Indentation?! I will show you how to indent when I indent your skull!

8. What is this talk of "drafts"? Klingons do not make document "drafts." Our documents escape, leaving a bloody trail of SMEs in their wake!

7. Use of passive voice is for the weak. They will not survive.

6. Proofreading? Klingons do not proofread. Our documents are purified with pain-sticks which cleanses them of impurities and weakness.

5. I have challenged the entire Marketing team to a bat'leth contest! They will not concern us again.

4. A TRUE Klingon warrior riddles his document with bullets, leaving it to beg for mercy.

3. By changing the layout of my manual, you have challenged the honor of my family. Prepare to die!

2. You question the worthiness of my grammar? I should kill you where you stand!

1. Our competitors will know fear and cower before our suite of manuals and online help! Ship it! Ship it and let them flee like the dogs they are!

Update! The orignal author of the Klingon tech writer list has come forward... it's JD Hickey over at Docmentia Inc. Thanks for the laughs!

How do you like your help?

Lindsey Robbins — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 21:00:00 GMT

In the evolution of software help, user assistance content has taken many shapes and forms. The search for the best way to assist you in your every day work processes is an ever changing quest. Long, jargon filled, and confusing technical documentation is hopefully outdated. And hopefully too, the short picture diagrams with confusing instructions. How did we ever figure out how to put furniture together before technical communicators? However, we know that’s not always the case.

Why is it so difficult to make help easy? Well one difficulty is keeping up with how fast software can change but more so it’s about meeting user’s expectations for help in the program. Here are some questions we might struggle with on a daily/monthly/yearly basis –

User Guides -

When you access help, do you want a user guide?
Do you want to see the user guide on the screen side-by-side with the program or do you want to print it out and go page by page?
Do you take notes when you print the manuals?
Do you want a lot of detail or does that take up too much time and paper?
Are you a visual learner? Do we need more or less screen captures?
If we have more, that’s more pages and bigger file sizes.
Do you have the internet bandwidth to download big user guides?
How do we document everything but not overwhelm you with the number of user guides?
Do you learn by area of the program or depending on the process you’re performing?

Help Files -
Or, are you the type of user who doesn’t have the time for printed manuals and you just want your answer now. You want to search through a help file or knowledgebase and get back to doing your work.

If you are this type, how do you search?
Do you want similar information as the user guide or do you want just problem solving information?
Do you need visuals?
Do you need a glossary or index?
How do you want the help to appear in relation to the program?
How do you access the help? Do you want to hit F1 on the keyboard? Need a question mark icon to click? Or do you miss the days of Microsoft Word when that paper clip would pop up trying to guess when you needed help?

General Documentation Questions -
Then there is the multitude of other questions we might ask ourselves:

Do you want other user’s advice on what works or doesn’t work? Kinda like user reviews on store websites.
Do you want to be able to edit the content yourself?
Add a comment?
Do you want to save the documentation so you don’t have to remember it?
Do we need more web 2.0 types of content and how would we manage it?
And even more so, how can we marry the help files, user guides with other efforts in the company like knowledgebase, training, and support?

These are a few questions jumping off the top of my head. If I quizzed other team members, I’m sure this post would become exponentially longer. We do know from our documentation survey you still prefer having user guides. But we then have to manage how your expectations might change now and in the future. If we don’t start preparing now we won’t be ready then.

This topic really struck a note with me recently because a well respected technical communicator in the field decided to publish content for her users in the form of a wiki and stop creating manuals.

I’m interested in seeing how this goes. I’m aware that her audience needs might be radically different than ours but when you’re focused on day-to-day tasks it can be hard to remember to look out and see how our field is trending. I’m not sure what our users will ask of us in the years to come. It’s exciting and I know whatever you expect of us, we’ll do our best to deliver top quality.

Have any opinions?

Meet the Team - John

Lindsey Robbins — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 18:54:00 GMT

Name? John Lyons

How long have you been at Blackbaud? 1 year

What technology from the past do you wish would make a comeback? Well, I’m still waiting for one of those hoverboards from the Back to the Future movies. Does that count? It’s not really a comeback since they never existed, but way back when those movies came out, I remember reading that everyone would have one of those things by now.

Favorite part of technical communication? The fact that there is always something new to learn. Whether it’s new features in our programs, ways to tailor documentation to our users’ needs, or the technology behind the programs, there is always plenty to learn. The work environment at Blackbaud is great, and it offers plenty of learning opportunities.

Products you work on? Blackbaud Enterprise CRM and Blackbaud NetCommunity

Other projects you work on? I’ve been working on a consistency project to create a style guide for products on the Infinity platform, and I handle updates to the sample database for The Raiser’s Edge. I’ve also been learning Visual Basic and trying to familiarize myself with VBA and API in The Raiser’s Edge.

How did you get into technical writing? Just lucked out, I guess. After working for newspapers for about 10 years, I decided for the second time that I needed to get out and move to something more technical. (The first attempt was back in 2000 when I started studying computer networking and got the CCNA certification. Unfortunately, I managed to get my certification just as the dotcom bubble was bursting.) Luckily, this time around my sister worked at Blackbaud and passed along my resume. … The paper where I worked just started a “voluntary separation program” to buy out employees, so it seems like switching fields was a pretty good idea.

What's changed about Blackbaud since you've been here? Lots of new faces. I’ve only been here for a year, but even in that short time, it seems like we’ve hired a ton of new people. The ones who are fresh out of college make me feel REALLY old.

What hasn't changed? The great work environment. All jobs have their ups and downs, but the positive work environment at Blackbaud and the great coworkers make a huge difference.

What's one unique thing about you? Nothing really … Although I do have an inordinate number of pink shirts that I actually wear on occasion. My wife buys them and claims to really like pink on me, but I suspect she just gets a kick out of seeing me look silly. However, there might be more to it than that, because even before she started buying all those pink shirts, I had one pink button-up that I’d wear occasionally; maybe a few times a year. When I wore it, I consistently got compliments from female coworkers. A coworker picked up on this and started wearing pink too, and he got the same response. So either women really like pink dress shirts, or they just like when guys look silly. Or maybe both.

Anything else? Well, as much as I like my job, the best thing about working at Blackbaud has nothing to do with work. My favorite perk is a pickup game of basketball with some guys who work here. Twice a week, we play ball before work from 6 to 7 a.m. I’ve been told by more than one person that I’m crazy to get up that early, but it’s really one of the best parts of my week.

Video Tutorials Debut in the Blackbaud NetCommunity Help File

Nikki Tremann — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 13:44:00 GMT

Does this sound familiar? A coworker sends an email asking you to explain how to do something. You begin your reply, feverishly typing out the necessary steps and details. Half a page later it dawns on you -- it would be easier for both of you if you simply walked over and showed them what you're trying to describe.

Welcome to Tech Writer World! We often face this dilemma when trying to describe a complex process using static text and images. Since we don't have the ability to drop by our users' desks to explain in person, we're happy to announce that we now have the next best thing -- video tutorials! Video tutorials are short demonstrations you watch in a browser that show and explain how to do something in the program.

Our first video tutorial, Processing Individual Signup Requests in The Raiser's Edge, debuts in the Blackbaud NetCommunity 5.5 help files. Let us know what you think and we'd love suggestions for other processes in Blackbaud programs you would like us to address in future tutorials.

Meet the Team - Justin W.

Lindsey Robbins — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:51:00 GMT

Name? Justin Ward

(Editior's Note - Sometimes we just call him Ward. We don't want to confuse him with Baden, our other Justin).

How long have you been at Blackbaud? 10 years

What technology from the past do you wish would make a comeback? Trap doors and revolving bookcases.

Which technology do you wish would go away forever? Caller ID. When I was in middle school I enjoyed making prank phone calls. Now, your name and number are displayed so the person you're calling knows exactly who it is, even with a disguised voice. Bummer. Thanks to Caller ID, the prank phone call is a dying art.

Favorite part of technical communication? I’m constantly learning new things, and I like the notion that what I do will help the end user with his job.

Products you Work On? Financial Edge, Education Edge, Blackbaud Student Information System, and ResearchPoint

Other projects you Work On? Usability projects

How did you get into technical writing? My college advisor pointed me in this direction, and after two years working for a newspaper, I made the move.

What's changed about Blackbaud since you've been here? Location, CEOs, cafeteria vendors, healthcare plan, just to name a few.

What hasn't changed? My NEO photo and my cube mate.

What's one unique thing about you? I’ve been to Vegas seven times and hit every casino from Fremont to Mandalay. What’s unique about that? After seven trips I’ve won significantly more than I’ve lost. I own that city!

Meet the Team - Ellyn

Lindsey Robbins — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 17:10:00 GMT

Name? Ellyn

How long have you been at Blackbaud? 6.5 years. I left Blackbaud for 2 years and just returned March '08 (remotely in Williamsburg, VA).

What technology from the past do you wish would make a comeback? Sound effects in games like Pong and Pac-Man! I even had the Pac-Man Fever album.

Favorite part of technical communication? I enjoy the usability aspect - assessing how our users process and use the products and documentation we create. I love visiting clients in their work environment and learning how they use our products! I also have great interest in international communication and translation. And lately, I'm becoming more fascinated with social networking and Web 2.0.

Products you Work On? The Education Edge, Blackbaud Student Information System, The Patron Edge, Blackbaud Enterprise CRM.

Other projects you Work On? Usability group - researching Team Foundation Server to track client contact activity.

How did you get into technical writing?: As an English major, I completed a few internships with various literary reviews and magazines. The experience was sufficient but I didn't really enjoy that type of writing. My advisor was big on this thing called tech writing and encouraged me to try a few tech classes in the department. I did and I've been in tech writing ever since!! I continued into the MA in English/Tech Writing program (almost finished paying the student loans!) and gained some very cool real-world experience. We worked on so many interesting projects, ranging from helping to publish the department web site to editing documentation for NASA. I also really got into the international communication/translation aspect of tech writing but that's another story. Maybe I'll blog about it :-)

What's changed about Blackbaud since you've been here? The technology - it's amazing how much has changed in just the 2 years I was gone!

What hasn't changed? The people! My co-workers genuinely care about helping users make the most of our products and documentation. And my team is awesome. Especially being remote, you lose a little of that personal connection established by living in the cube farm!! I think we all work well together, communicating about work stuff but also taking a bit of time to connect personally.

What's one unique thing about you? I love to scuba dive.

Anything else? Happy to be back!

Documentation is Haunting Me

Lindsey Robbins — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 20:56:00 GMT

Even on vacation I couldn't escape documentation. While most people think technical writers explain software or some similar product (and it's true, I do) so many other forms of technical communication exist. On my vacation I was bombarded with other people's technical writing. It's like one of those things you never notice and then when you're aware of it, it appears everywhere.

Here are a few examples from my recent trip and the time spent in the great outdoors of Northern Michigan.

Planes. Not only did I have neat little instructions with pictures but I also saw a flight attendant reading out of a huge manual. I thought they had to memorize their stuff. And, I know pilots have thick books of instructions as well. Not sure if I'm more or less comfortable with the idea that flying takes so much instruction to complete safely.
I bought a bunch of new gear for camping. I did read the instructions and follow them for my tent, footprint, self-inflating foam pad, head lamp and screen house. I did not read it for my sleeping bag or SIGG water bottle. I should have for the SIGG because I was supposed to wash it before using the first time. Ooops. I'm sure a few chemicals still inside won't harm me, right?
Food. Do you notice how many food packages come with instructions and warnings. I am always reading the labels and not even thinking about who designed and wrote them.
Countless other items I completely ignored as I tried to disconnect for a few days.

Interesting observation about the camping gear. Years past the product pictures and instructions that they crazily throw in last minute were more frustrating than helpful. This time, I actually could figure out what to do based on the instructions. Either I'm getting better at this documentation interpretation thing or my field is improving. You decide. :-)

Meet the Team - Betsy

Lindsey Robbins — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 15:02:00 GMT

Name? Betsy

How long have you been at Blackbaud? 9 years

What technology from the past do you wish would make a comeback? Coleco Vision! The Smurf game to be exact.

Favorite part of technical communication? Multi-task…A LOT. There is so much to do. I love the ability to select what I am going to work on for any given day. I feel very much in control of my own day and I love it.

Products you Work On? RE, BBEC, & BBNC

Other projects you Work On? variables & schemes with content reuse, Team Foundation Server, Help files

How did you get into technical writing?: My first year at Blackbaud, I was in RE Support. I also became a software trainer that year. My whole life, I loved writing and I had my eye on the Doc Team since I started. I applied for an open position and transferred to the team in May 2000. Since then, I have gone from solely working on RE for the first 3-4 years to working on multiple products for the last 3-4 years.

What's changed about Blackbaud since you've been here? What has NOT changed is the question! I no longer drive to work on the banks of the Ashley River; I drive to Daniel Island. We use to develop 3 products...today, I lose count how many products we develop! My team’s processes have changed and our writing style has changed. Everything has changed….which I think is great! I enjoy the challenge that constant change brings. It keeps me motivated.

What hasn't changed? The people that I work with are very passionate and are all so great! That has never changed. Blackbaud continues to have a genuine heart for what we do and who we are. I love that we work for nonprofits so closely as nonprofits are a big part of my personal life. I volunteer a lot and try to be as involved in our community as possible.

What's one unique thing about you? In 1995, I worked at the golf pro shop during the week of The Masters in Augusta, GA. It was one of the greatest weeks of my life!

Welcome!

Lindsey Robbins — Fri, 09 May 2008 20:27:00 GMT

Welcome to the Products Documentation Team Blog! We are very excited for the opportunity to connect with you in this new way. After all, everything we do is about you!

Our Documentation team is part of the Product Development department at Blackbaud and we create user assistance content. For example, have you referred to a help file in one of our products or read a user guide from our website? Well, that’s our team’s primary output but certainly not all encompassing of everything we develop. In general terms, we create the help that assists you in using your software. As software and technology change, so does our team. We are constantly learning and trying new ways to help you.

In this blog we hope to share with you content we’ve created, topics in technical communication, and more of the behind the scenes of being a technical communicator in the ever evolving world of software documentation.

So who are we exactly? Well we’re 11 technical writers and one manager. We’re located in three different parts of the country. The majority of us work out of our Charleston office but we have two remote writers, one in Cleveland, OH and one in Williamsburg, VA. We came to our current positions from a variety of backgrounds. Over the coming months, we’ll try to introduce ourselves individually so you can get to know us and why we’re so passionate about software technical communication and how that helps you get your job done better. And hopefully in the process, we can get to know each other a little better. We definitely look forward to hearing from you!