For many of us, this past year was a time of transitions and triumphs, of mountains climbed and summits reached. I know for me, one of the greatest sources of daily encouragement was the pure stream of wisdom I received on Twitter. So many wise advisors gave their time and their words to inspire and [...]
Read more
Archive | Content RSS feed for this section
Seek or Go Hide
January 27, 2011
11 Comments
“Hide and Seek” had screeched to a halt! My 11 year-old son had outsmarted his younger sisters by hiding BEHIND the dryer! My poor daughters had looked every place they knew. They were now wailing that he’d run away from home. It was time for Dad to get involved. With a loud shout, I commanded [...]
Read moreWhy We Matter
January 11, 2011
19 Comments
I didn’t even KNOW I was a Technical Writer. You see, back in 1995, I’d been brought on as a TEMP to answer merger-related email for a bank. When the bank’s Online Customer Service department suddenly faced an external audit, they asked me to document all the internal procedures. A few weeks later, as that [...]
Read moreA Technical Writer’s Christmas List
December 22, 2010
16 Comments
I saw Santa in the mall this weekend. The line was long, but I THOUGHT about it. I know I’m too old. I know he would NOT appreciate me on his lap. I get all that. But I WANT stuff. I want Technical Documentation stuff. Not products, mind you: I want FUNCTIONALITY! I know the [...]
Read moreDocumentation as a Support Channel
December 14, 2010
6 Comments
The technical communication profession collectively peers through a window of opportunity. I work at the intersection of technical communication and customer service. My digital strategy tasks focus on the efficient delivery of effective content. So when I see someone who truly understands how valuable quality content can be to a customer, I jump for joy. [...]
Read moreRenewable Documentation in a Disposable World
November 15, 2010
12 Comments
Recently, the Lead Change Group invited me to share my thoughts on Renewable Leadership in a Disposable World. In the post, I explain how several 20th-Century organizations fixated on quarterly profits at the expense of their own long-term viability. There are many differences between the disposable and renewable organization and I won’t repeat them all [...]
Read moreDefeating Disappointment
October 27, 2010
11 Comments
Though often stereotyped, we Technical Communicators are truly NOT all alike. We paint our word pictures using every color of the visible light spectrum. We differ in our tastes, preferences and opinions, just like workers in any other profession. That said, throughout my 15 years in this field, I HAVE noticed a few key similarities [...]
Read moreLavaCon: Knowledge Nuggets: Day 2
October 6, 2010
2 Comments
The LavaCon 2010 conference covered innovation in digital media and content strategy. This post is a summary of thoughts from the Day 2 Keynote Speakers.
Read moreLavaCon: Knowledge Nuggets – Day 1
October 1, 2010
10 Comments
After a single day at LavaCon, my mind is like a treasure chest of solid goodness. The opening day offered four powerful keynotes. For those following from afar, I wanted to share key thoughts from each…
Read moreRelentless
September 30, 2010
12 Comments
A friend once referred to me as “relentless”, as in “unwilling to relent.” We’re about to find out if this is so… Many of you know, I’ve been just a little bit excited about LavaCon these past few months. I have been waiting to LiveBlog LavaCon like skaters wait for the olympics, like flower shops [...]
Read more- Planned Inconvenience
- Top Tweets of 2011
- Bring your WHOLE self to Work?
- Why We Matter
- May the True “You” Shine Through
- The Paradox of Social CRM
- Top Tweets of 2011
- Influence and Advocacy
- May the True “You” Shine Through
- Lose Some “Wait”
-
tomopencrm: Really interesting article. It's a real paradox - ...
-
Clemens Rettich: Love this Tristan. It is so refreshing to see some...
-
KnowledgeBishop: Fantastic content collection, Mary Ellen! Thank yo...
-
-
