Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

'Are there any hidden costs?'

No, absolutely not. All charges are clearly stated in all my proposals and terms and conditions, and are agreed with you along with payment arrangements. If you later require changes to the scope of work then we agree these in writing along with any new charges.

'Content, and documents — what's the difference?'

These terms are often used rather interchangeably, but really ‘content’ is a more inclusive term than ‘documents’.

Documents are familiar to us all. Think of things like user manuals, reference charts and brochures. They may be printed, or in an electronic file format like Adobe PDF and Microsoft DOC – formats which are discrete, linear, static and hard to maintain effectively, yet undoubtedly in demand and valuable when done well.

Content is perhaps harder to define, but hints at many more possibilities.

At the small scale, you can think of ‘content’ as the building blocks – all the ‘pieces’ of meaningful information that we create and put together to form the substance of our communications, rather than the manner of its presentation. The text, diagrams, videos and other informative data (and even user comments) that go into a document, blog, help application, e-learning module, web portal or knowledge base.

With the right tools, content can be assembled into many different documents and other outputs. A document is really just one way of structuring, presenting and sharing a selection of content.

At the large scale, ‘content’ is often also used as a collective term for all of the above. When someone refers to content strategy for example, they usually mean planning, development, and management of varied informative media across an organisation or part of an organisation.

'Do you have any experience in my field?'

I specialise in software, Internet, information assurance and cyber security. I’m also very experienced in manufacturing and engineering in fields such as semi-conductors, combustors, oil & gas exploration and energy.

Note that being new to a particular domain is not necessarily a drawback in a technical writer; starting from scratch can help a writer see things through the eyes of the intended audience. Good technical writers are able to inwardly observe their own learning process and draw on this as a resource. Then they can better predict what the intended user will need and ask the right questions to develop content which fills the gaps effectively. Technical writers act as advocates for the end-user.

In the course of their work technical writers often get ‘hands on’ with your product. As a result, they can often provide valuable contributions for testing and improving software/hardware/processes.

And, integrating a technical writer into your project early can help you to optimise decisions. Technical writers often provide insight you can use to avoid unnecessary cost, risk and complexity in both your documentation and your product.

'What about graphics and styling?'

'What software tools do you use?'

Being able to quickly understand unfamiliar software and technology (and explain it to others) is central to what I do.

With technical writing tools, I have the added advantage that I already know what they are likely to be able to do — I just have to spend a little time to work out exactly how.

However, the main technical writing tools I use at the moment include:

Microsoft Word and other products in the Microsoft Office/Office 365 suite
MadCap Flare v12 and other tools in the MadPak suite
Oxygen XML Author v17 (for structured authoring with DITA)
Atlassian Confluence
Adobe Acrobat Pro DC

As for data storage and security, I:

use an automated approach to ensure my systems are backed up regularly, to both local and off-site storage
employ strong passwords, and I use multi-factor authentication and encryption where practical (especially with laptop storage and off-site backup)
route my network communications through a virtual private network (VPN) connection whenever possible, for added confidence
keep my anti-virus software up to date

'What types of content/documentation can you help us with?'

Wherever you need technical concepts, tasks and reference information to be communicated clearly, I can help.

For example, some of the most common forms of documentation I might help you with include:

user manuals
administration manuals
knowledge bases
blog articles
release notes
quick start guides
quick reference sheets
contextual help
installation guides
integration guides
configuration guides
troubleshooting guides
programming guides
system descriptions

'Why should I care about documentation?'

Great documentation is key to winning business and enables your customers to get the best out of their purchase, in the fastest possible time. And it frees up your support team to focus their expertise where it is most needed.

On the other hand, weak documentation costs. A lot. Your experts have a vital part to play, but foisting documentation entirely onto your development team is bad for morale and productivity; quality issues delay your time to market; sales are harder to win; support costs are higher than they need to be; you get bad-mouthed by frustrated users.

I can help you turn your users and customers into devoted fans. After all, there is no marketing like word-of-mouth from your own army of evangelists.

And, having me on board takes the load off of you and your team so you can focus on your core tasks.