TechCommGeekMom

When I started my career in tech writing, it was the age of the writer. Tech writers tended to work independently on a single book for months at a time. Better, for many, they not only got to write the book, they got to design it and shepherd it through the publication process. At the end of the process a book arrived from the printer and you got to keep a copy — I still have several. It was, from beginning to end, your work, your product, your book. Fewer of us get to work that way today. We now live in the age of the content manager. 

Sourced through Scoop.it from: everypageispageone.com

Mark Baker wrote an excellent and thought-provoking article on his "Every Page is Page One" blog that intrigues me, because he’s trying to address the balance between technical communications having a foundation in technical writing, versus tech comm having a foundation in content management. He makes sound arguments for both sides, and I can say that I understand where he’s coming from. I like to think of myself as a content strategist and definitely a content manager, but there’s a side of me that longs to continue to craft the art of writing well. His assertion at the end of the article about the use of hypertext theory is an interesting one as well, as it’s something that’s crossed my mind as well. 

 

Take a look at this. Do you agree with Mark’s assessment and how he came to his conclusions? What do you think? Include your answers below. 

–techcommgeekmom

See on Scoop.it – M-learning, E-Learning, and Technical Communications

Sync represents Adobe’s latest push to bring professional creativity to mobile devices.

Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.wired.com

This WIRED article picqued my interest. Adobe was definitely one of the first software companies to try to embrace iPad tech early on. I think I have almost every iPad app they’ve made, and I applaud them for their work towards working in a mobile medium. However, there will always be tools, like Framemaker, that I can’t imagine being translated into an iPad app, even with the iPad Pro. Perhaps I’ll be proven wrong at some point in time, but it leaves me with the question that’s been hounding us since tablets–especially the iPad came out, namely, are we truly going to be a society using only mobile tools like smartphones and tablets, and the laptop/desktop will be obsolete? I think this move by Adobe shows that we are headed in that direction, but I suspect it’s still not as close to being 100% mobile as people suspect. Unless storage memory, RAM, and processor speeds get to the point that they can process what’s in a laptop as well for programming–or projects that would be made on tools like Framemaker (which is, by the way, an Adobe product, coincidentally enough), it’s going to be a while until we are completely mobile. In many cases, even the some of the apps on the iPad that Adobe makes are watered down versions of the desktop/laptop versions, which in many cases is enough, but there are always exceptions. Is all of Creative Cloud in app form? I don’t think so. But give it time…give it time…

 

What do you think? Include your comments below. 

–techcommgeekmom

See on Scoop.it – M-learning, E-Learning, and Technical Communications

Towards the end of last year, I found myself in a blogging slump, which as you can imagine was not something I wanted to talk much about. I am, after

Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.linkedin.com

My LinkedIn connection Holly Genser posted this LinkedIn article by Linda Dessau, and it’s rather good. I know for myself, it was reassuring that even the best bloggers burn out now and then, and sometimes there are circumstances that don’t allow you to write or post as much as in the past (which is my circumstance right now). 

 

Linda’s pointers are good ones, and they are realistic and obtainable, at least in my eyes. 

 

Are these easy mistakes to avoid? I think so. Read the article, and tell me what you think.

–techcommgeekmom

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Give your podcast a little extra umph with these ten WordPress plugins.

Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.searchenginejournal.com

Thanks to Adam Helweh for posting this great article featured in the Search Engine Journal on Facebook. 

 

I know I’m investigating the idea of adding more podcasts to TechCommGeekMom, so seeing this article piqued my interest, especially since I am a WordPress user.  I thought this might also be of interest to other budding podcasters as well. 

 

This looks like a great list of tools to check out! 

–techcommgeekmom

See on Scoop.it – M-learning, E-Learning, and Technical Communications

When did the job search process get broken? Years ago, getting a new job was a straightforward process.

–Liz Ryan

Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.forbes.com

I’ve been following Liz Ryan on LinkedIn for a while now, and I appreciate her insights on job hunting. Instead of automation for picking out candidates, it’d be nice if the HR industry would develop a better way to come up with a better UX for onboarding! That process is always a mess with filling out too many forms and the process of verifying education and employment taking too long.

Having been unemployed several times over the past few years, as well as having several friends in the same situation, it’s hard to see talented people get passed over because a machine doesn’t see a special keyword. I’ve learned to use keywords to say things such as, "I don’t know (keyword), but I understand XYZ, so I’m sure I can pick that skill up quickly," to try to trick the system. It’s a pain, but somehow it helps.

 

Take a look at this if you are frustrated about finding work. If you are an employer, take a look, and think about what you can do to find the talented people you really want.

–techcommgeekmom 

See on Scoop.it – M-learning, E-Learning, and Technical Communications