"If anyone missed it, Seth Godin had a great post this week: http://ning.it/LdfjAE
Work hard on RIGHT things, let others sweat small stuff."
Technical Writing World
The social network for technical communicators
Daniel Archer's Discussions
Tech Writer's First Day
Started this discussion. Last reply by Milan Davidović Jan 5. 24 Replies 1 Like
Hiring Advice: Evaluating Captivate & RoboHelp knowledge
Started this discussion. Last reply by Colum McAndrew Jul 25, 2011. 13 Replies 0 Likes
Here's Help
Started this discussion. Last reply by Milan Davidović Aug 24, 2011. 3 Replies 0 Likes
Microsoft Help Viewer
Started this discussion. Last reply by Michael Bister Nov 16, 2011. 1 Reply 0 Likes
Daniel Archer's Page
Latest Activity
Daniel Archer posted a status"When the tech writer packs the kids' lunch (humor): http://ow.ly/aU1FL."
Daniel Archer posted a blog postThe (Non)-Profit Narrative: How Telling Stories Can Change the World
This is more quick hits than a real review. I opened The Non-Profit Narrative: How Telling Stories Can Change the World on my Kindle yesterday and ended up reading the whole thing in one sitting. It's by @DanPortnoy and it's about why organizations MUST get their stories right. Portnoy addresses non-profits who struggle with their version of marketing…See More
Daniel Archer's blog post was featuredTechnical Writing Capabilities and Offerings - for internal customers
In my organization, technical writers are shared resources. We provide a little bit of baseline support and a whole lot of surge support to several different projects. It's a dance of shifting priorities and erratic pace, but most days I wouldn't trade the challenge for any other environment.I do have one persistent complaint, though. My bosses (meaning the individual project managers) don't understand me. It's not the angst-ridden cliche. It's that they don't understand what I do. To varying…See More
Daniel Archer replied to Sarah Maddox's discussion Knowledge management and technical communication"I wouldn't have pictured it as a great fit for social network stuff either, but Microsoft is pushing it really hard in 2010. They've done a nice job with both the feature set and with integrating the features into the overall workflow, so…"
Daniel Archer replied to Arnold Burian's discussion Site admin changes"Good luck in your endeavors, Craig. Thanks for helping get this great community off the ground."
Daniel Archer commented on Daniel Archer's blog post Technical Writing Capabilities and Offerings - for internal customers"Update on this: the document has been very well-received and was briefed at the latest managers' meeting (two levels above me). Our group is already getting extra tasks and is even being leveraged in biz dev activities.
Sometimes it's just…"
Daniel Archer replied to Rakesh's discussion Technical Writer as Business Analyst"Rakesh, I've done both and it's fair to say there is some overlap. If you're trying to move from tech writer to BA, I suggest starting with positions that are heavy on documentation. That will bolster the value of your tech writing…"
Daniel Archer replied to Sarah Maddox's discussion Knowledge management and technical communication"I don't right now, but I'd love to. Let me know if your research turns up any ideas on kick-starting this.
The closest thing we've got is an effort to migrate the entire company to SP 2010, which is supposed to facilitate better…"
Daniel Archer replied to Daniel Berman's discussion Software Online Help"I typically use this outline:
1. Introduction (subheads for things like system access / requirements, support desk info)
2. System Overview (concepts, navigation, workflows, unique terminology, iconography, help, spellcheck functionality, etc).
3.…"
hyna reza liked Daniel Archer's blog post Technical Writing Capabilities and Offerings - for internal customersDaniel Archer commented on Daniel Archer's blog post Technical Writing Capabilities and Offerings - for internal customers"I am trying to facilitate some A|B testing. Best bet is probably to ask the field trainers to do it for me, since they are the only ones with regular access to standard users. The informal and formal SAT doesn't work because the government…"
Richard S. commented on Daniel Archer's blog post Technical Writing Capabilities and Offerings - for internal customers"If you'll pardon my saying so... imposing typical business practices in government agencies can be a challenge all on its own. Agendas are rarely obvious, and it's a mistake to assume that typical business goals like reducing…"
Daniel Archer commented on Daniel Archer's blog post Technical Writing Capabilities and Offerings - for internal customers"Mark,
Great comments as always. This is government IT, so the software is already bought and paid for even before it's developed. In that sense, we have a finite market share. The metric we talk about most is customer satisfaction, because that…"
Mark Baker commented on Daniel Archer's blog post Technical Writing Capabilities and Offerings - for internal customers"Daniel,
The value that any team member adds to a project is realized in terms of improved market share, improved margins, or reduced costs. The direct effect of any person's work on those things can be very hard to measure, but if project…"
Daniel Archer commented on Tammy Butcher's blog post The Value of Documentation and Help when Support is Free"I've had versions of this conversation with some open-minded project managers, and it always comes back to capturing intent - not just what does it do, but why does it do it? A support call is by nature going to be focused on the immediate…"
Profile Information
- How did you hear about TWW?
- A good old-fashioned Google search for information on technical writers, recruiting, and resumes led me to a blogger in my area who had just joined TWW. I was impressed by the content and signed up for myself.
About Me
My complete professional footprint is on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/archerdc
Daniel Archer's Blog
The (Non)-Profit Narrative: How Telling Stories Can Change the World
Posted on May 13, 2012 at 9:00pm 0 Comments 0 Likes
This is more quick hits than a real review. I opened The Non-Profit Narrative: How Telling Stories Can Change the World on my Kindle yesterday and ended up reading the whole thing in one sitting. It's by @DanPortnoy and it's about why organizations MUST get their stories right.
Portnoy addresses non-profits who struggle with their version of…
Continue Technical Writing Capabilities and Offerings - for internal customers
Posted on April 4, 2012 at 9:30am 5 Comments 1 Like
In my organization, technical writers are shared resources. We provide a little bit of baseline support and a whole lot of surge support to several different projects. It's a dance of shifting priorities and erratic pace, but most days I wouldn't trade the challenge for any other environment.
I do have one persistent complaint, though. My bosses (meaning the individual project managers) don't understand me. It's not the angst-ridden cliche. It's that they don't understand what I do.…
ContinueComment Wall (1 comment)
- At 10:18pm on July 13, 2011,
Sarah Maddox said… Hallo Daniel :)
Thanks so much for the offer. A few people have sent me invitations, but nothing has arrived in my inbox. I also applied myself a while ago. So I'll just be patient, if vocal about it. ;)
© 2012 Created by Arnold Burian.
