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The Technical Editor"Hello Hachyderm! 👋 The Technical Editor here. I care about plain language in tech because no one should need a decoder ring to understand an error message. Just here to listen, learn, occasionally promote my YouTube Channel and post the odd tip.<a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/Introduction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Introduction</a> <a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/TechComm" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TechComm</a> <a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/Engineers" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Engineers</a>"

Keith SoltysThis week's Featured Links post has links to articles about the MAGA debt bomb, how the Grateful Dead helped build the internet, how we should respond to people 'doing their own research', and more.<a href="https://coredump3.blogspot.com/2025/06/featured-links-june-23-2025.html" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://coredump3.blogspot.com/2025/06/featured-links-june-23-2025.html</a><a href="https://twit.social/tags/Apple" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Apple</a>, <a href="https://twit.social/tags/iPad" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#iPad</a>, <a href="https://twit.social/tags/COVID19" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#COVID19</a>, <a href="https://twit.social/tags/LongCovID" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#LongCovID</a>, <a href="https://twit.social/tags/Finance" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Finance</a>, <a href="https://twit.social/tags/Food" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Food</a>, <a href="https://twit.social/tags/History" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#History</a>, <a href="https://twit.social/tags/Medical" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Medical</a>, <a href="https://twit.social/tags/Music" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Music</a>, <a href="https://twit.social/tags/GratefulDead" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#GratefulDead</a>, <a href="https://twit.social/tags/Politics" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Politics</a>, <a href="https://twit.social/tags/Society" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Society</a>, <a href="https://twit.social/tags/TechComm" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TechComm</a>, <a href="https://twit.social/tags/Technology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Technology</a>

StrfnurfnEDIT: Thanks all!! I'm passing along your suggestions. Anyone know an open-source project, even a small one, that needs API docs created or improved? Asking for a <a href="https://mstdn.social/tags/technicalWriting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#technicalWriting</a> pro who wants more experience with API documentation. <a href="https://mstdn.social/tags/FOSS" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#FOSS</a> <a href="https://mstdn.social/tags/techcomm" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#techcomm</a> (bonus points if it hits interests like politics, food, beer, auto racing, mapping/OSM, civil engineering, social good...)

Karen MardahlThe <a href="https://universeodon.com/tags/techcomms" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#techcomms</a> and <a href="https://universeodon.com/tags/accessibility" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#accessibility</a> communities lost a strong, kind, intelligent, wonderful, beautiful, and generous person to cancer on Monday 9 June, her birthday. Rest in peace, Char James-Tanny. You will be missed so much by so many. <a href="https://universeodon.com/tags/techcomm" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#techcomm</a> <a href="https://universeodon.com/tags/TechWriting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TechWriting</a> <a href="https://universeodon.com/tags/CharJamesTanny" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#CharJamesTanny</a>

ricksapirThe problem with "feature first"\\From Beta to Bedrock: Build Products that Stick.<a href="https://alistapart.com/article/from-beta-to-bedrock-build-products-that-stick/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://alistapart.com/article/from-beta-to-bedrock-build-products-that-stick/</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/ux" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#ux</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/techcomm" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#techcomm</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/productdesign" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#productdesign</a>(Liam Nugent via A list apart)

ricksapirIs "intelligence type" missing from your personas?\\The Many Facets of Intelligence: Designing User Experiences and Documentation for Diverse Minds<a href="https://www.uxmatters.com/mt/archives/2025/04/the-many-facets-of-intelligence-designing-user-experiences-and-documentation-for-diverse-minds.php" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.uxmatters.com/mt/archives/2025/04/the-many-facets-of-intelligence-designing-user-experiences-and-documentation-for-diverse-minds.php</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/techcomm" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#techcomm</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/uxdesign" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#uxdesign</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/ux" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#ux</a>(<a href="https://mastodon.social/@samiksha" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@samiksha</a> Chaudhuri via @uxmatters)

Keith SoltysWhen I was working at the Toronto Stock Exchange I had to create some large documents with content that was being shared with another writer. I did not trust Word's Master Document feature so came up with my own solution. It took a bit more effort than using Master Documents but was stable. I've published my guide to working with multi-file Word documents on my blog in the hope that it may help others.<a href="https://coredump3.blogspot.com/2025/03/working-with-multi-file-word-documents_7.html" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://coredump3.blogspot.com/2025/03/working-with-multi-file-word-documents_7.html</a><a href="https://twit.social/tags/MicrosoftWord" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#MicrosoftWord</a> <a href="https://twit.social/tags/word365" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#word365</a> <a href="https://twit.social/tags/TechComm" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TechComm</a> <a href="https://twit.social/tags/TechnicalWriting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TechnicalWriting</a>

DJ Fragile ToolchainsAnother day in the life of a documentarian. <a href="https://chaos.social/tags/writethedocs" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#writethedocs</a> <a href="https://chaos.social/tags/techcomm" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#techcomm</a>

Keith SoltysIf you're a technical writer, today is a sad day. The Society for Technical Communication has filed for bankruptcy.<a href="https://coredump3.blogspot.com/2025/01/stc-rip.html" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://coredump3.blogspot.com/2025/01/stc-rip.html</a><a href="https://twit.social/tags/TechComm" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TechComm</a> <a href="https://twit.social/tags/STC" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#STC</a> <a href="https://mstdn.social/@alanpringle" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@alanpringle</a> <a href="https://mstdn.social/@sarahokeefe" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@sarahokeefe</a>

Scott P ✅Wow. After some 60+ years the Society for Technical Communication (STC) has folded. I’ve been a member for more than 20 years. This is a reflection on the importance (or lack thereof) of documentation particularly in the software industry, but also hardware, manufacturing, etc. This was once seen as crucial for customer support, but now it’s just an expense to spend as little on as possible. <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/enshittification" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#enshittification</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/RIPSTC" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#RIPSTC</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/techcomm" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#techcomm</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/documentation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#documentation</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/racetothebottom" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#racetothebottom</a><a href="https://www.stc.org/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.stc.org/</a>

Magic HopiSince I joined Mastodon in 2022, I haven't taken the time to write an <a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/introduction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#introduction</a>. With <a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/HelloQuitX" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#HelloQuitX</a> and the current shitshow, now is probably a good time !I'm a linguist & painter who found a calling working on digital information architecture. With age, I'm turning into an ecofeminist witch.I've been practicing <a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/yoga" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#yoga</a> & <a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/meditation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#meditation</a> for 20 years, trained as a teacher but I'm weary of new-age bullshit being a cover for capitalism investing our bodies. So I teach <a href="https://mastodon.green/tags/TechComm" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TechComm</a> instead.1/2

Ivana Isadora Devcic📅💊 Highlights of the work day:- Reviewed a big PR with significant content updates + a new guide that should clarify an important concept and help users establish some best practices when using the products- Great Q&A session with the product manager as part of the kickoff meeting for a new docs project - Spent some time troubleshooting the GH Action from yesterday; still reconsidering the current approach<a href="https://mastodon.xyz/tags/MyMicroBlog" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#MyMicroBlog</a> <a href="https://mastodon.xyz/tags/TechnicalWriting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TechnicalWriting</a> <a href="https://mastodon.xyz/tags/techcomm" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#techcomm</a> <a href="https://mastodon.xyz/tags/documentation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#documentation</a>

Ivana Isadora Devcic📅 😷 Highlights of the work day:- Worked on automating the process of creating release notes with GitHub Actions- Updated the plan and prepared action items for a new documentation project- Reviewed updates to an OpenAPI document. Figuring out the best approach for using a schema as a base, extensible model<a href="https://mastodon.xyz/tags/MyMicroBlog" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#MyMicroBlog</a> <a href="https://mastodon.xyz/tags/TechnicalWriting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TechnicalWriting</a> <a href="https://mastodon.xyz/tags/techcomm" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#techcomm</a> <a href="https://mastodon.xyz/tags/documentation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#documentation</a>

Miguel Afonso Caetano"Similar to Wood’s conviction that AI’s transformative potential doesn’t come from simple tasks like writing emails, tech writers will likely find conviction when they go beyond fixing simple grammar errors to using AI for developing conceptual articles, generating release notes, or understanding connections across disparate API products.One of my colleagues compared using AI like learning to play an instrument—it’s one thing to have an intellectual understanding about the instrument and notes, but knowing how to play an instrument well is entirely different. It takes practice, experimentation, learning, diligence, and time. Maybe too many tech writers feel that AI should provide a push-button solution to creating documentation effortlessly (a misguided perception based on too much AI hype). When pushing that button doesn’t magically produce great docs, perhaps they become cynical and dismissive?"<a href="https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/trends-predictions-2025-tech-comm" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/trends-predictions-2025-tech-comm</a><a href="https://tldr.nettime.org/tags/AI" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#AI</a> <a href="https://tldr.nettime.org/tags/GenerativeAI" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#GenerativeAI</a> <a href="https://tldr.nettime.org/tags/TechnicalWriting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TechnicalWriting</a> <a href="https://tldr.nettime.org/tags/TechnicalCommunication" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TechnicalCommunication</a> <a href="https://tldr.nettime.org/tags/APIs" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#APIs</a> <a href="https://tldr.nettime.org/tags/APIDocumentation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#APIDocumentation</a> <a href="https://tldr.nettime.org/tags/PromptEngineering" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#PromptEngineering</a> <a href="https://tldr.nettime.org/tags/TechComm" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TechComm</a>

DJ Fragile ToolchainsOnly a couple of weeks left to get your documentation related talk proposal in for the next Write the Docs conference, held May 4-6 Portland. ➡️ <a href="https://www.writethedocs.org/conf/portland/2025/cfp/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.writethedocs.org/conf/portland/2025/cfp/</a><a href="https://chaos.social/tags/writethedocs" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#writethedocs</a> <a href="https://chaos.social/tags/techcomm" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#techcomm</a> <a href="https://chaos.social/tags/documentation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#documentation</a> <a href="https://chaos.social/tags/cfp" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#cfp</a>

Ben BristowI explain what I do in descending order of specificity, situation-dependent: - I write UI and API docs for a cybersecurity company. - I’m a software tech writer. - I’m a “tech writer.” I write software manuals. No, not furniture manuals. - I work in tech. No, I’m not a programmer, but I know some. They’re nice. Sometimes. - I work in tech. - I work with computers. The attached Calkearns (with alt-text) is better for some of these.<a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/TechWriting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TechWriting</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/TechComm" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TechComm</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Software" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Software</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Humor" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Humor</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Calkearns" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Calkearns</a>

JeromeStrange O/S message: "Your computer ran into a success."❔<a href="https://infosec.exchange/@catsalad/112676564786376626" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://infosec.exchange/@catsalad/112676564786376626</a><a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/UI" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#UI</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/UX" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#UX</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/ContentDesign" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#ContentDesign</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/TechComm" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TechComm</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/messages" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#messages</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/OS" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#OS</a>

JeromeWell designed information is clear, unambiguous, and enhances comprehension and other human performance.The illustration below shows a duration. Several design changes could each have made this usable, such as adding a space: 23:00 09:30 or a word: 23:00 to 09:30<a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/InformationDesign" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#InformationDesign</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/ContentDesign" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#ContentDesign</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/TechComm" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TechComm</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/TechnicalCommunication" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TechnicalCommunication</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/interface" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#interface</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/usability" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#usability</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/duration" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#duration</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/time" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#time</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/clarity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#clarity</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/comprehension" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#comprehension</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/accuracy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#accuracy</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/performance" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#performance</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/UserPerformance" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#UserPerformance</a>

DJ Fragile ToolchainsThis is your reminder that we're just over two weeks out from the talk proposal deadline for Write the Docs Atlantic, an online conference about documentation.All the details are here <a href="https://www.writethedocs.org/conf/atlantic/2024/cfp/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.writethedocs.org/conf/atlantic/2024/cfp/</a><a href="https://chaos.social/tags/techcomm" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#techcomm</a> <a href="https://chaos.social/tags/writethedocs" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#writethedocs</a> <a href="https://chaos.social/tags/documentation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#documentation</a> <a href="https://chaos.social/tags/cfp" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#cfp</a> <a href="https://chaos.social/tags/conference" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#conference</a> Retweets appreciated.

Palantir.netThe goal of this short and sweet style guide is to be "just enough" guidance for technical documentation contributors who aren't regular writers. Thank you Lorna Jane! <a href="https://github.com/lornajane/developer-style-guide" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://github.com/lornajane/developer-style-guide</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/opensource" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#opensource</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/techwriting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#techwriting</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/writethedocs" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#writethedocs</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/techcomm" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#techcomm</a>

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