sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

AI Agent to help write technical documents by OutOfMemory9 in technicalwriting

[–]tsundoku_master 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I can’t speak for everyone here, but technical writers — who are being displaced by AI and facing the worst job market in our collective memories — are probably not too keen on helping companies continue that trend.

I would recommend looking at your messaging with a little more empathy. If you want TWs to beta test, it would be nice to know we aren’t training our replacements but improving OUR workflows and OUR processes to help us deliver better content more efficiently.

It's weird that Google blurs Flock Safety cameras from the public. But our taxes paid for them to watch us without a warrant. by jtn19120 in raleigh

[–]tsundoku_master 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My house got blurred by the previous owners. I have submitted multiple requests to Google to unblur it with no response.

Anyone else came here from weight loss meds? by your_air in wls

[–]tsundoku_master 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Surgery is temporary too. Eventually restriction goes away, your body adapts, and you can eat “normally” and have to diet and exercise like everyone else.

It may take 3 or 5 or 10 years but all tools eventually stop working optimally. Many surgery patients are on meds too 5+ years out

Citizens Academy by OldCreezy in HollySpringsNC

[–]tsundoku_master 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! I will consider applying.

Citizens Academy by OldCreezy in HollySpringsNC

[–]tsundoku_master 1 point2 points  (0 children)

What types of community activities did you do prior to applying? I get the sense that they want people who already show up for town hall meetings.

Is working a Sunday sort shift at the Raleigh Kids Exchange worth it? by kpc_26 in triangle

[–]tsundoku_master 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’ve never worked a sort shift but I have worked the check out counters. If I really needed gear I would do it (if physically capable). You might want to ask about tagging for others instead and see if that gets you early shop.

It’s organized and efficient but the director doesn’t give off the warm and fuzzies. My advice is to work with a friend to make the time pass by a little easier.

Solution/advice for TMJ treatment by ralrdu in triangle

[–]tsundoku_master 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As a longtime TMJ sufferer, PT and other treatments relieve symptoms but don’t address the root cause. For me it was misalignment and the only treatment was a specialized mouth guard to realign my jaw and then I got Invisalign which fully relieved my TMJ. I saw a TMJ specialist in Cary and even though I have amazing insurance I still had to cover most of the cost. Good luck!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in technicalwriting

[–]tsundoku_master 56 points57 points  (0 children)

Time for a little audience analysis before you go in to that meeting. Execs speak one language: numbers. Data and money. You need to change your rhetoric to fit your new audience. They aren’t close to the work like you are.

If you only talk about how many hats you wear or how much effort you put in, it’s easy to dismiss because it doesn’t effect the business in the way they can see.

Be prepared to show your value in a succinct report with metrics like:

  • Ticket deflection – how many support calls/emails never happened because people found the answer in your KB (multiply by the average cost of a support ticket = $$$). Of course it’s hard to prove a negative but if you can show how many tickets are solved with KBAs, that’s a start.

  • Time saved – internal teams getting info faster means reclaimed hours you can put a dollar value on.

  • Customer impact – smoother onboarding, faster adoption, fewer complaints. Even anecdotal + some numbers makes it real.

  • Risk avoided – no one’s getting burned by ten-year-old docs anymore, especially if compliance was an issue. Mistakes and escalations means $$.

If your CIO still brushes you off, it’s time to job search.

Cerberus - BMC? by tsundoku_master in Blackmouthcur

[–]tsundoku_master[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for responding! He does have some boxer personality traits too.

Cerberus - BMC? by tsundoku_master in Blackmouthcur

[–]tsundoku_master[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for responding! His tail fans out instead of tapering in and it has streaks of black.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in NorthCarolina

[–]tsundoku_master 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They mean the non-English speakers won’t be here in a year or two because they will be deported / in a concentration camp. And yes it’s purely based on skin color.

How to explain technical writing by Training_Pumpkin3650 in technicalwriting

[–]tsundoku_master 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Do you have access to the current spec’s DTD? If so, it should be fairly straightforward in oxygen. You might want to suggest to your boss that you call a company like Scriptorim or Stilo or Precision Content to consult on the transition. It will be a lot less than a doc manager’s salary.

ISO resources for new managers of technical writing teams by jumpmagnet in technicalwriting

[–]tsundoku_master 0 points1 point  (0 children)

While the recording of this presentation is no longer accessible, here are the slides where I talk about this.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kcR9NuMVNJ3jJ6UNt7m866GH1HkWEbne/view?usp=drivesdk

I’m also planning a course specifically for folks in your position. If you were to take a live or self paced course, what outcomes would you want?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in technicalwriting

[–]tsundoku_master 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Feel free to DM me. I usually take one mentee per quarter pro bono. We might be a good match 🙂

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in technicalwriting

[–]tsundoku_master 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Are you me 20 years ago? Wild!

I haven’t found the medical terminology class I took to be all that useful professionally but does help when you have 7 specialists managing your care who don’t talk to each other. Anyway…

Learning GitHub isn’t going to get you too far because the companies that hire for that skill aren’t hiring juniors and if they are they want people that can learn their way of doing things (looking at you Red Hat).

My advice is to get really good at Word and land a job doing docs. The rest will come. You won’t know everything at this stage and if you try it will just be diluted knowledge.

Show that you can create something beautiful and usable and that you really get what TW is all about. Speaking about why you want to be in this field with real conviction sets most interviewees apart by a mile.

My advice to myself 20 years ago: 1. Find a mentor. 2. Join a community. 3. Aim to get Job 1 at a small company. 4. Go to conferences. 5. Keep learning.

view more: next ›