In the age of the short attention span, the demand -- and the need -- for clear, focused, easily digestible documentation is greater than ever.

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All technical communicators should keep this question foremost in their minds. In this entry I show a real-life experience that underlines the need to understand precisely who the reader is and the importance of any information you create to that reader.

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Is there such a thing as documentation that makes users say "wow"? More to the point, how can I build a business case that makes a client say "wow"? Having a porfolio of success stories would be a good start.

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Let's face it, when you have a need to get work done, you may not think of everything you may need to ask a potential vendor. By the same token, the vendor may not know the right questions to ask you to get what they need so they can determine the scope of the work and price their proposal correctly.

In this post, I'm going to give a little guidance about the general areas that both customer and vendor should address in an attempt to help both sides come to an initial proposal that benefits both in terms of accuracy and completeness.

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How can we, as technical communicators, avoid finding ourselves in the situation that Bruce Springsteen sang about in My Hometown: these jobs are going boys, and they ain't coming back.

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I'm at the beginning of a new task, in the stage I usually refer to as "flailing about." This is when I dig around for information, brainstorm, create lists of things to think about, talk it over with friends or family or co-workers, and perhaps just set it aside and let it bubble for a while.

My goal is to provide a presentation and white paper on "Creating Requirements for a New Content Strategy."

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Stop me if you've heard this before. Next to "The Bass Story" (my wife and children moan every time I begin), this is one of those stories I tell to anyone who will listen.

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