I write about software development, tools, and people.
And how marketing makes it all better.
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Guest post at Authentic Engine blog
I have a guest post up today at Authentic Engine. Using your “whiskers” to detect disruptions Authentic Engine is a consultancy based on emotionally smart management and fostering workplace inclusivity and team emotional safety.
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The Cardinal Virtues? of Technical Writing
First, a disclaimer: Medium served me this article, but it’s a year old. Weird. Nonetheless, I have things to say about the content. The Virtues of Technical Writing, by a pseudonymous writer Introduction They are gleaned from a Bachelor of…
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The Seven Righteous Fights: Overview
This is a series derived from my popular talk “The Seven Righteous Fights”. It’s not an exact transcript, but I think having a written form to refer people to greatly increases accessibility and gives me room to expand my thoughts…
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Contract additions
Last year, I signed 4 contracts for work-for-hire. I estimate that will be average-to-low going forward, but I don’t have enough data points. Every time I work with a company, I come up with something I want to remember to…
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The three documents you ACTUALLY need first
Because I work as only-writer for so much of my time, I forget that I’m not just a lone technical writer, and I’m not just an indie, but I’m in an odd category beyond that. Because no one who hires…
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Search-First Writing for Non-Writers (Open Source Bridge, 2013)
If people can’t use your software, you have already failed as a developer. This talk digs in to how optimizing for search and using the existing technical assistance forums can put your product ahead of the pack. Technical writing, in…
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Search-First Documentation: Tags and Keywords for Frustrated Users (Write the Docs, 2013)
If people can’t use your software, you have already failed as a developer. This talk digs in to how optimizing for search and using the existing technical assistance forums can put your product ahead of the pack. Technical writing, in…
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Success Is More Than Not-Failing (Write the Docs, 2015)
We talk a lot about minimum viable products, and building our products up from small features. We talk a lot about failure, and how to learn from it and not replicate failures over and over again. But what I haven’t…
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Cassandra at the Keyboard: Whistleblowing at All Scales (Open Source Bridge, 2015)
Cassandra was a prophetess doomed to be accurate, but never believed. In my role as a technical writer, I often have the information needed to make useful observations about development processes, communication problems, and other organizational troubles. The problem is…