Primary Formats

There are four primary format types: narrative, outline, playscript, and flowchart.

Primary formats are those that are most commonly used in policy and procedures.

• A narrative format consists of a basic block of writing which runs left to right, and is usually contained within a single column on the page. Narratives are used for more policies than procedures.

• The outline format is similar to the narrative, but contains shorter sections of text that are clearly labeled. Outlines are generally easier to read for most users. Outlines can be used for both policies and procedures, but are more often found used in policies.

• Playscripts list the name of the person responsible for taking action (actors) next to the action(s) which must be taken. Many users appreciate how simple it is to quickly interpret a playscript. Playscripts are not appropriate for policies.

• The flowchart format uses symbols and arrowed lines to represent the flow of control. They are used in procedures more often than in policies, and are preferred more often by users who have technical experience. Flowcharts are used in procedure writing.

Secondary Formats

There are also four secondary format types: question and answer, troubleshooting, matrix table, and list.

Secondary formats are usually used within primary formats, but they sometimes show up on their own as a primary format for a document.

• A question and answer format is used to answer questions that may typically arise by the users, and are often written informally. This format can be used in both policies and procedures.

• Troubleshooting is found most often in procedure writing to help users quickly find the information they need so they can solve the problem as soon as possible, bypassing the need to read through the entire document again. Troubleshooting formats handle exceptions, or “breakdowns” of the typical processes described in the document.

• The matrix table format uses X and Y coordinates in a table to show which action should be taken at the rise of a specific problem. Campbell believes matrix tables are good to use when “readers need to refer repeatedly to the information periodically over time.”

• List formats are to be used frequently according to Campbell. Lists consist of short line lengths, wide margins, and clearly labeled, organized information. Some formats are more effective for certain types of writing than others. For example, Campbell mentions that if we are writing about our company’s commitment to safety, a standard narrative format should be effective. However, she continues, detailed procedures tend to work better in a playscript or flowchart format. It is also possible to (as noted above) combine formats. “Use your imagination and dabble with the possibilities,” Campbell says.

• A Hybrid Format is a combination of more than one format. In this example, we have a playscript combined with a flowchart. One warning here is that we should be carful not to over-clutter our documents with too many different visual formats.

So which formats are the best? It depends.

For policies, narratives, outlines, lists, and question and answer formats work well. Procedure documents can contain playscripts, flowcharts, troubleshooting, lists, question and answer, and matrix tables. Use common sense. If the format doesn’t contribute to the understanding of the user, it is probably best to select a different one (or more).

Source: Campbell, Jill. Writing Effective Policies and Procedures, 1998

Writing For Speed, Writing For Clarity

Remember back in high school when we were often told to write to a certain word count or page length?  I became aware that some students employed little tricks: changing the font to Arial or Veranda, or increasing the font size to 12.5 (which makes quite a difference in page length when used over hundreds of words).  At some point, it becomes silly to continue redundantly expanding on an issue already adequately addressed.

The key to remember in technical writing is to keep your writing simple.  Why force the user to read two sentences when they can receive the information in one?  Why complicate sentences with difficult wording when a straight-forward and clear message can help reduce confusion?  Try to imagine your audience in front of you.  How would you verbally communicate your message in that situation?  Now write it down.  Eliminate those formalities that were forced on us as teenagers and cut out words that only add length, but not clarity.

An example:
The technical communicator will then collect the assigned program surveys from the present users.
The technical communicator will collect surveys from users.

Which sentence would you rather read as a user looking for fast information?  The first sentence is too wordy to be included in a technical document.

But before you begin cutting apart your sentences, be certain that you are continuing to communicate the same information.  Sometimes sentences need a word that may initially appear to be only a “filler.”

An example:
Return the completed report in ten days.
Return the completed report in ten working days.

These sentences convey two different meanings.  In this case, “working” should remain in the original sentence.

10 Tips For Technical Communication Writing

1) Use simple words and phrases (by, not in accordance with)

2) Restrict most word usage to one or two-syllables (use, not utilize)

3) Eliminate long, drawn-out sentences (since, not in view of the fact that)

4) Say goodbye to redundancies (absolutely critical)

5) Write short paragraphs (100 words or fewer; 40 or fewer in procedures)

6) Consider one-sentence paragraphs (They are sure to grab the user’s attention)

7) Lists are awesome (Lists keep content short and clear while increasing white space)

8) Use an active voice (Start the motor, not The motor should be started)

9) Start with an action to be taken (Run the race, not The race should be run)

10) Use present tense (The employee reports the infraction, not The employee will report the infraction)

Use Specific Language

Finally, we should communicate specifically so that users do not become confused by our writing.

An Example:
The book may fall if not placed on a flat surface.
The book must be placed on a flat surface for stability.

Compare the word “may” against “must.”  The user will have no questions if they must do something.  May implies that the action is optional.  Watch out for these words: “may, might, could, should, ought to, probably, usually” (Campbell, 1998).  Each is different and has its own meaning.

Have you ever had a teacher stand up in front of the chalk board and just write the ideas of their students? Or maybe you’ve watched as co-workers used sticky notes for idea generation, or family members who jotted notes into their notepads.

Use Mind Maps For Creative Brainstorming

I was introduced to mind mapping software through a recommendation from a student in my technical documents and procedures class a few weeks ago. Her specific recommendation was for the VUE: Visual Understanding Environment… and after playing around with some of the other free mind map software, I have to support that recommendation!

If you’re tired of having to deal with all your scribbled-on paper, use VUE to keep your thoughts organized. VUE is extremely easy to use, and it looks great too. A few days ago I felt ready to begin thinking about a few new web projects. Take a look at my most recent brainstorming session.

You can use this program for recording just about any set of creative thought processes. Technical communicators can especially benefit during the prewriting stage of document writing. While most people use lists to hold their ideas, lists do not easy adapt to a branching, creative mindset. using a list instead of a mind map could mean the omission of important considerations if one is not careful.

Some of the other free programs I examined include: Xmind and FreeMind.

“A lot has happened in a year within the social software and collaboration space. The growing use of platforms such as Twitter and Facebook by business users has resulted in serious enterprise dialogue about procuring social software platforms for the business,” stated Mark Gilbert, vice president of research at Gartner. “Success in social software and collaboration will be characterized by a concerted and collaborative effort between IT and the business.”

E-mail Will Be Replaced

As early as 2014, Gartner predicts that social networking services (Facebook, Myspace, LinkedIn, etc.) will become the primary way of communicating within the company for about 20 percent of businesses. These social network sites will become the “hub” of business activity, and allow for interaction with their clients through the use of employee-created social networking accounts specifically to be used for business communications.

Interestingly, rumor has it that Facebook has already begun working on this project.

Twitter For Businesses?

More than 50 percent of enterprises are said to be participating in “microblogging” by 2012. When you think of microblogging, think “tweets” from Twitter: short status updates to aid in communicating in-the-moment information. Most businesses will be using an internal, more secure and potentially customized version of a Twitter-like service, while we’ll only find 5 percent of businesses participating in this form of communication outwardly to the clients and shareholders.

Social Media Initiative Failures

Over 70 percent of IT-initiated social media initiatives will fail; 50 percent of those initiated by the business-side won’t reach success either. ” IT organizations are accustomed to providing a technology platform (such as, e-mail, IM, Web conferencing) rather than delivering a social solution that targets specific business value,” Gartner asserts, “Enterprises will need to develop entirely new skill sets around designing and delivering social media solutions. Until this happens, failure rates will remain high.”

What do you think this prediction means for technical communicators? It looks to me that we’ll have some decent job security in this area as long as employers are able to recognize the (often) intangible value we can bring to their business.

Smartphone Software Will Influence PC Application Design

“70 percent of collaboration and communications applications designed on PCs will be modeled after user experience lessons from smartphone collaboration applications.” With cell phones having such a large market penetration rate, users are able to now communicate with more people in less time than they can using their PC at home. As a result, PC software will begin to take more of its influence from handheld-based applications within the next 5 years.

Businesses Are Reluctant To Ask Permission For Data

Only 25 percent of enterprises will utilize social network analysis on a regular bases through 2015. With recent news of Facebook and other such companies collecting detailed information on users without expressed permission, Gartner estimates that privacy issues will still be a major concern for the majority of internet users. However, if businesses are able to obtain this permission to improve targeting of products and services to potential customers, both performance and productivity can increase.

Read the official press release here.

It may initially seem wise to craft very specifically written policy and procedure statements for nearly every conceivable action within the control of the company. However, as a little extra contemplation might discover, this would be highly impractical and inefficient. Even if this were attempted, by the time the writer felt they were “finished,” so much time would have passed that much of what was written to begin with is now irrelevant! As a result, new policies and procedures would need to be written.

Ambiguity In Policies

In many cases, the majority of policies in the workplace are fairly specific and easily-understood statements of what is (or is not) to be done by employees. However, no writer of policies will ever be able to anticipate, nor record in detail every situation that could arise… if only people were that predictable (might make for a boring life, but at least we would be prepared)! The reality is that a policy can really be anything that establishes a guideline.

“It is our policy to be the best in the business.” It is easy to see that this is quite an ambiguous policy!
But take, for an additional example, a policy that states, “Employees may not wear jeans containing a hole in them during casual Fridays.” Try to imagine, for a moment, all of the different ways that employees may interpret, and then try to “bend” this rule. I may not, as an employee, be able to wear jeans, but can I wear khakis containing a hole? Could I wear a pair of jeans with multiple holes? What if I am a contractor; must I abide by these rules when in the office? Keep in mind that this does not mean there should be no policies lacking ambiguity.

“It is our practice to bill within ten days of delivery.”
“Any accident involving more than $100 in damage will be considered a serious infraction.”
The above policy statements are simple, easy to understand, and to the point.

In Nancy Campbell’s book “Writing Effective Policies and Procedures,” she asserts that there are three factors that influence the extent to which policies should be ambiguous:
1) The ability of the readers (generally employees) to understand and cope with the policy.
2) Company management’s ability to understand and to enforce the policies.
3) The intensity of the issue addressed in the policy, and the organization’s commitment to control it.

Ambiguity In Procedures

Since procedures are the “how to” of policies, they tend to be less ambiguous. There are some reasons that we may want to maintain a degree of ambiguity here though as well. An example of a good situation may be when a policy needs to be written which instructs employees to use their professional judgment to assess a situation. They might need to gather information and then apply it towards a problem that could be difficult to strictly define.

Subjectivity In Policies And Procedures

As long as there are differences between individuals, there will always be some degree of subjectivity in existence. Even when we may try to be as objective as possible, someone will come along and often be able to point out how one may interpret our ideas differently.

Is the goal then to hire employees with company-aligned interpretations? There may actually be some truth to this thought. All companies want its employees to act professionally and to exercise sound business judgment. Again, Campbell believes there are three things to determine when thinking about subjective interpretations in a policy or procedure:
1) Which areas legitimately require employees to exercise some sound judgment.
2) How much subjectivity is needed.
3) How should we determine the basis for making that judgment.

Even while I have never taken an especial interest in poetic writing, I have found that I do enjoy much of what Robert Frost has written, not for his particular writing styles, but for the timeless concepts that has been found consistent among those I read from him.  And for this reason, Robert Frost poems will continue to be read in schools and by the public.  His messages are inherent to the human condition, they never expire:  Fear, compromise, hatred, friendship, and my favorite: the passage of time.

After reading through the poems and writing an analysis on each, I was also instructed to select the one that I most enjoy and share my thoughts with the class.  I chose “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.”  This is a simple poem, but important in my mind because the pace of society has often caused us to miss out on the small benefits and joys of life as we place  focus on our careers, education, and families.

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

I recommend reading through some of his work!  A few other poems of interest include: “A Patch of Old Snow,” “Birches,” and “On Going Unnoticed.”

A Blog Is Not A Diary

Sometimes when people think about an internet blog, they imagine a diary of an individual who only writes about their own life and is unable to relate back to their reader.  Ideally, a blog should be helpful and engaging to those who have an interest in your blog topic.  Think of something interesting to write about, and provide useful information!   If you would like to enter the technical communication field, publishing a blog can not only attract prospective employer’s attention and possibly supplement your income, but also act as a sample of your writing ability, additionally strengthening your perceived commitment to online publishing and your blogging topic.

Why A WordPress Blog?

1) Very easy to setup and maintain.
2) Hundreds of free themes (layouts) available on the web.
3) Ability to post your content without having to touch the code.
4) Plugins allow additional features such as user polls and statistics.
5) Fully customizable – No one even needs to know that you use it.

At this point in time, I believe WordPress to be the best free blogging tool on the internet (especially for beginners).  However, there are certainly a few rising competitors to keep an eye on: Joolma and Drupal.

How To Start A Blog With WordPress

1) Visit Wordpress.org.
2) Choose to either have your blog hosted by WordPress, or download the WordPress files to host on your own server.  Both methods are free, but if you choose to have WordPress host, your website url will end in “.wordpress.org.”  Some web hosts such as GoDaddy will automatically install your WordPress files for you through an option in your hosting account.
3) Search the internet for free WordPress Themes.
4) Extract your selected theme in you “themes” folder and select it from your WordPress “Appearance” menu.

I also recommend using the “All in One SEO Pack” and “Google XML Sitemaps” plugins.

1) How people reach your web pages
2) Where visitors click (links) once visiting one of your pages
3) How long visitors spend on each of your pages
4) The number of pages viewed per website visit
5) How many of your users have visited before (return visitors)
6) The browsers, operating systems, geographic locations, and monitor resolutions of your visitors

Analytics even allows you to set goals for your pages.  Perhaps you would like to earn a dollar value in advertising revenue by a certain date, or have X number of visitors access one of your pages.  Maybe you have a page path that you want visitors to follow, which is called a “funnel path.”  This is all very simple to set up with Analytics.

How To Setup Google Analytics

Visit http://www.google.com/analytics and sign up for a Google account.
Once you have signed in to Analytics, you will need to add the tracking code to your web pages.  It is my opinion that the best way to track pages is to create a separate file that is pulled into each one of your pages.  For example, on this site I placed the Analytics code in a file called analytics.php.  I then reference that file in my header.php, which is loaded on every page from the index.php file.  If you’re new to this, don’t worry; it is less complicated than it reads.

Click on the “Add Website Profile” as shown in the image below.

Next, enter your website information and click on the finish button.  Your Analytics code will be displayed along with the instruction to paste it in front of your </body> tag.   This is where the PHP comes in.

Using A PHP File For Analytics

Instead of having to place your tracking code onto every single one of your pages, we can make a simple reference to the page that holds this code.  This can be beneficial if we were to decide to change or delete our tracking code, since we would only need to edit our analytics.php file.  Here’s the code to place in front of your <body> tag:

<?php include(“analytics.php”);?>

With a few seconds of thought, I bet you can guess what this bit of PHP does.  Of course, it tells the page that it is located on to “include,” or “reference” analytics.php into the file.  Now open up a new notepad (or your text editor of choice) and paste your Analytics code, saving the new file as the previously mentioned analytics.php.

Convert Your HTML Files To PHP

Since we are now utilizing PHP in our pages, we will need to change our .html to .php files.  If you are convinced that you do not want to modify your pages due to breaking incoming links and potentially damaging your SEO efforts, learn how to bypass this problem.

Converting your HTML pages to PHP will also open up many additional opportunities to add interactivity to your site in the future.  If you are new to web development, my advice is to always create your pages with the PHP extension; there is little reason to want to limit yourself to a static website.

When you are finished re-naming your files and uploading them to your server, you’ll notice that Analytics does not instantaneously display your website statistics.  So with a day’s time to kill, let’s add a filter to exclude our own IP address from affecting our stats.

How To Add An Analytics Filter

Under the actions column of your Analytics home page, click the edit link.  Scroll down to the filters section and click on the add filter link located at the top right corner of the section.

Add a new filter with a filter type that “excludes  - traffic from the IP addresses – that are equal to” and then your IP address.  If you are not sure what your IP address is, find your IP address.  Save your changes.

I recently ordered Kristopher Jones’s new book on how to optimize websites for search engine effectiveness. His introduction includes a brief history of SEO as well as an overview of general tips for success. Afterward, I was surprised to find that the next 284 pages basically consist of explaining how exactly to accomplish his given advice; You won’t find much theory here. Each topic is clearly labeled in the upper left corner, with an average topic length of about two pages.

Certainly this makes the book easy to pick up for quick referencing, but seems to lack the depth that I had expected from a book so thick. And while I understand this to be a newcomers guide to search engine optimization, some of Jones’s advice includes the idea of throwing money at a problem to have someone else do the job for you.

But what Jones does do well is introduce an absolute beginner to the most basic concepts of web design and SEO and then shares some more advanced techniques to those of us with a little more experience. His examples are very clear, and he provides in many cases, numerous ways of approaching an objective. Some of the topics he covers include: creating a meta robot tag, using text modifiers, optimizing your website for multiple browsers, designing a sitemap, re-writing URLs, and utilizing redirects. He also spends some time venturing into creating communities on the web and publishing successful blog posts, finding suitable linking partners, and submitting your articles to directories. While some of this information may seem overly redundant to an experienced web user, he presents useful advice even for the lesser novice among us.

I do recommend this book if you are just starting your web publication journey, or perhaps have a basic understanding of SEO, but feel that you lack the knowledge or skills to be effective. There is a lot of information out on the web regarding search engine optimization, but if you want to be sure you’re receiving advice from a trustworthy source, this book might be an important one to keep close by while you develop your online content.

Technical Writer

An experienced writer who may work in any one of the dozens of industries that employ these professional.  The largest number are concentrated in computers, software, science, and health care, as well as in electronics manufacturing.  Technical writers are the company communicators of complex information.  In many cases, they will interview the subject matter experts of a project, product, behavior, or service, and then translate technical information into language that is easily understandable to the end-users.  Frequent responsibilities include creating product manuals, help guides, brochures, and press releases.  Most tech writers also possess skills in multimedia creation, increasingly taking on the role of the graphics and web designer.

Technical Illustrator

Similar to a graphics designer, these technical communicators focus their attention on providing a clear understanding of technical information through the use of visuals.  Designing pamphlets, brochures, flow charts, and product illustrations, technical illustrators often have an educational background emphasizing art rather than English.

Information Architect

The primary role of the information architect is to ask questions relevant to the company, its customers, and its employees.  While a technical writer will translate written language, and the illustrator will design visuals, the architect will examine how these processes interact and support the company agenda.  Is there a better way to do something?  What effect will this action have on our users?  Does this decision help the customer, or reduce the quality of their experience?  These questions may be applied to a wide range of technical activities, including web, database and software design, content management systems, and the functioning of entire departments.  The activities of the IA can be described as similar to that of a business analyst.

Usability Expert

These analytical employees primarily examine the effectiveness of a company’s virtual user interfaces.  They use their creativity to imagine an improved system, a system which motivates customers towards positive action, and is easily understood.  Like the information architect, the usability expert will ask a good number of questions.  Should this help button be placed up here, or down there?  Will the user be able to find the most important information without becoming frustrated?  What about web page load times?  How long must the user wait, and is this acceptable?  How might someone from a different culture interpret this?

User Interface Designer

A UID is a developer of a menu-like system that allows users to interact with the company.  Almost all larger companies today have both internal user interfaces for employees, in addition to external interfaces that are presented to everyone else, including clients and business partners.  The interface designer needs to think carefully about how to grant its users the best experience available while still allowing all of the desired functions of the interface.  For example, if Amazon.com were to remove their shopping cart link from the storefront and place it buried deep within a series of pages, how many sales do you think they would lose out of customer frustration?  Often acting as a usability expert, the designer must possess strong critical thinking skills.

Web Designer

Combing the analytical skills of the user interface designer with some of the artistic skills possessed by a graphics designer, the web designer is in interesting blend of general technical communication skills.  Add to this the responsibilities of updating the website with press releases, editorials, or tutorials, and we now accept a role encompassing at least three primary areas within technical communication.  Like with the API writer, programming and web scripting skills are often important to a successful web designer.

Technical Trainer

Besides holding the advanced writing skills typifying a technical communicator, they frequently also have the ability to verbally explain themselves in ways beneficial to instructing others.  Working beside other human resources employees, the technical trainer often might specialize in the training of scientists, engineers, and computer professionals.

Technical Translator

Ordinarily well experienced with the information they work with, translators take a piece of profession-specific material and lower its complexity, reducing or eliminating unnecessary terminology that would be foreign to the reader.  Since accuracy in translation is so important, technical translators will frequently supplement their knowledge with additional research as they work on their project.

API Writer

With a programming background and an ability to understand new concepts quickly, an API (application programming interface) writer will develop the references that other technical people rely on to complete their job.  Therefore, the API writer needs to be certain that they understand how a particular application or programming language/environment functions.  As new and improved software is regularly turning out to developers, technical API writers continue to serve an important role.

Project Manager

Understanding effective communication and having the ability to carefully think about the effects a decision could bring, many experienced technical communicators should be able to naturally step into a project management role within departments dealing heavily with technical information.

Sources:
http://www.bls.gov
http://www.uxbooth.com
http://www.usabilityfirst.com
http://www.wikipedia.org
http://www.jobprofiles.org

Increasing Page Rank On Day One

Research has shown through multiple studies that very few people will spend their time cycling deeper through search engine results to access a web page.  A very strong majority of people looking for information will click on the links that show up on the first through third pages.  This leaves us with hundreds of thousands of web pages that are almost never visited through a search engine.

When a search engine robot crawls across the web evaluating pages and their relevancy toward a certain subject, each page is ranked in order of this perceived relevancy.  The greater the rank, the more likely users will be to find your page higher up towards page one in search engine results.  Below is a list of 7 basic, but necessary ways to increase your ranking on the day your website is published.

Name Your Web Page

Have you ever come across a book without a title?  Of course not!  How would anyone reference it?  Likewise, it only makes sense to also name each of your web pages in a way that describes what visitors will find within the content.  Open your XHTML file and place the following between your <head> and </head> tags:

<title>This Is My Descriptive Page Title</title>

Remember that this is the title that users will see in the search engine results page.

Choose Targeting Keywords

It is important to recognize that a Google search for “pet stores” will turn up significantly more results than a search for “pet stores in Minnesota.”  Knowing this, the chance that our new website will be able to initially compete with the greater competition for the “pet stores” keyword is very  low.  Instead, opt to target your visitors with more specific words or phrases.  Depending on how competitive your website topic is, you may wish to assign your keyword phrases as long as three or even four words long!

Telling search engines which words you wish to describe each of your web pages with is quite simple.  Once again, place the following between your <head> and </head> tags:

<meta name=”keywords” content=”keyword1, keyword2, keyword keyword3″ />

An excellent free service you may wish to use is Google’s Keyword Tool, allowing you to search out the competition for phrases related to your website in addition to the search volume for that phrase.  Remember that keyword phrases are separated by a comma, and that each of your pages need their own set of keywords to accurately describe its content!

Write a Web Page Description

The page description is what will show up when a user comes across your link in the search engine results.  We have 160 characters to try to convince people to visit our site, so let’s make it good!  Your description should utilize some of your keywords while being simultaneously concise.  If you were to view this site’s homepage description, it read:

<meta name=”description” content=”Tech comm blog exploring the technical communication field, including web design, technical writing, and information about a technical communication degree.” />

Each of your pages should have its own description, describing the content on the page.  Place your description between your <head> and </head> tags.

Name Your Page Files Appropriately

Search engines are always trying to find relevancy when viewing your pages.  If you name your files in a way that reinforces your keywords, your pages are more likely to be associated with your targeted subject.  An example for a technical writing webpage would be to change “reallycoolpage.html” to a more descriptive “technicalwriting.html.”  This method also applies to any images or links you may have on your pages.

Validate Your Web Pages

A correctly scripted web page is definitely easier for search engine robots to traverse, often resulting in the potential for a better page rank.  Check out these excellent, free HTML/ XHTML and CSS validators!  You can read more about the importance of validation here.

XHTML Validation , CSS Validation

Use Header Tags

The use of the header tag (such as <h1>My Heading</h1>) tells search engines that the words inside the tag should be weighed with more importance when determining how a page should rank.  With the inclusion of CSS, we can create header tags that fit the theme of our website.

Design A Sitemap

A sitemap is similar to a table of contents in that they both direct a visitor to their preferred location.  A sitemap on the web is a single web page that categorically links to all of your other pages on the domain.  Search engines reward websites with a sitemap by more easily finding all of your new content and indexing them for people to find through search queries.  You can find a free XML sitemap generator here.

Use No-Follow Links

Creating links to other pages that may not be closely related to your site’s content should, for the sake of your page rank, contain the HMTL no-follow attribute.  Again, robots are always trying to piece together the relevancy puzzle, and if they notice that a website about writing is linked to a website about animals, an inconsistency is noted and your page rank could be lowered.  View the following example showing how to use no-follow:

<a href=”http://www.example.com” rel=”nofollow”>Example Page</a>.

However, I feel that I have finally nailed down the best program to take advantage of my talents most effectively.  I love the internet and all of its capabilities.  I like to be creative and invent solutions to problems.  But I also have the annoying tendency to want to jump into as many new projects as possible, spreading my time across several interests, acquiring a good amount of knowledge in much, but mastering little.  The obvious disadvantage is that I sometimes struggle at “being the best” at any one sole procedure.  The advantage shows up when I am presented with a problem and am able to draw from my larger experiences from many fields.  For example, if I were asked to create a solid content management system with Ruby on Rails, I would definitely need more time to acquire the knowledge to do so.  But if I were able to utilize any web language (or languages), I might consider using PHP and/or JavaScript and XHTML/CSS to solve the problem.  This isn’t a perfect example, but hopefully is understandable enough.

At this point, imagining myself spending all of my working hours programming a single software application, using a single programming language, and being responsible for only a small piece of a greater project, sounds like I would be missing out on a good portion of the fun!  I am an idea person, an entrepreneur; let me dabble in many areas and provide insights as they come.  But trust me, I am definitely striving to focus down on one process at a time; I’m just not naturally good at it.  Oh yeah, and I also enjoy writing. :)

So what is this site all about, you ask?  This is a record keeper, a journal, a personal diary of my progression through a Technical Communication graduate program.  I will likely write about the technical communication field, technical writing, the work environment for technical communicators, professional/business communications, visual communications, web programming and scripting, my thoughts on the different assigned books I read throughout the program, and eventually, maybe even provide some reasonable advice.

While I cannot promise to always be interesting, I have made it easy enough for you to find what you’d like.  Check out the right-hand sidebar to select your current topic of choice.