bull; The must-have reference for every technical writer, editor, and documentation manager bull; Provides all the information you need to document hardware, software, or other computer products bull; Written by award-winning documentation experts at Sun Technical Publications, Read Me First! is the most comprehensive guide to creating documentation that is clear, consistent, and easy to understand

The definitive reference for technical writers, editors, and documentation managers, Read Me First! A Style Guide for the Computer Industry, Third Edition,has been revised and updated to cover everything from creating screencasts and referencing web sites to writing for wikis. This award-winning guide to creating clear, consistent, and easy-to-understand documentation covers everything from grammar and writing style to typographic and legal guidelines. The authors, who are senior editors and writers at Sun Microsystems, share their extensive experience and provide practical tips and recommendations, including guidance on hiring writers, working with illustrators, managing schedules and workflow, and more. The third edition of Read Me First features new chapters on: Writing for wikis and encouraging wiki collaboration Creating screencasts, using screencast terminology, and guidelines for writing narration Creating alternative text for nontext elements such as screen captures, multimedia content, illustrations, and diagrams It also includes new tables for symbol name conventions, for common anthropomorphisms, and for common idioms and colloquialisms. An updated and expanded recommended reading list suggests additional resources.

Is the Help Helpful? presents the full cycle of helpcontent development, regardless of the operating systemrunning the application, the type of help being produced,or the tools used to produce it. In this book, you'lldiscover: (1) The ten most common complaints that usershave with online help, the causes of the underlyingproblems, and ......

Master the Core of All Web Development—And Prepare for the Future Mastering HTML and XHTML is the most complete, up-to-date book on the core language of the Web. You'll learn everything you need to know about coding web pages in both HTML and XHTML, the latest, more powerful version of HTML. But it doesn't stop there. You also get practical instruction in complementary web technologies such as JavaScript, CSS, and Dynamic HTML, along with a Masters Reference that makes it easy to find the information you need. Tying it all together is the authors' expert guidance on planning, developing, and maintaining effective, accessible websites. Coverage includes: Choosing between HTML and XHTML Creating web pages Planning and developing public, personal, and intranet sites Including images in web pages Using HTML/XHTML frames effectively Converting HTML to XHTML Creating CSS style sheets Using JavaScript Including multimedia Creating Dynamic HTML or Dynamic XHTML documents Validating XHTML or HTML documents Creating coherent, easily maintainable websites Making your website searchable Accommodating users with disabilities Creating an XML DTD Extending XHTML with Namespaces

Maximize the impact and precision of your message! Now in its fourth edition, the Microsoft Manual of Style provides essential guidance to content creators, journalists, technical writers, editors, and everyone else who writes about computer technology. Direct from the Editorial Style Board at Microsoft—you get a comprehensive glossary of both general technology terms and those specific to Microsoft; clear, concise usage and style guidelines with helpful examples and alternatives; guidance on grammar, tone, and voice; and best practices for writing content for the web, optimizing for accessibility, and communicating to a worldwide audience. Fully updated and optimized for ease of use, the Microsoft Manual of Style is designed to help you communicate clearly, consistently, and accurately about technical topics—across a range of audiences and media.

Turn your knack for language into a lucrative career Must-know techniques and resources for maximizing your accuracy and speed Interested in becoming a copyeditor or proofreader? Want to know more about what each job entails? This friendly guide helps you position yourself for success. Polish your skills, build a winning résumé and land the job you've always wanted. Books, magazines, Web sites, corporate documents - find out how to improve any type of publication and make yourself indispensable to writers, editors, and your boss. Balance between style and rules Master the art of the query Use proofreader symbols Edit and proof electronic documents Build a solid freelancing career

Every complex product needs to be explained to its users, and technical writers, also known as technical communicators, are the ones who do that job. A growing field, technical writing requires multiple skills, including an understanding of technology, writing ability, and great people skills. Whether you're thinking of becoming a technical writer, just starting out, or you've been working for a while and feel the need to take your skills to the next level, The Insider's Guide to Technical Writing can help you be a successful technical writer and build a satisfying career. Inside the Book Is This Job for Me? What does it take to be a technical writer? Building the Foundation: What skills and tools do you need to get started? The Best Laid Plans: How do you create a schedule that won’t make you go crazy? How do you manage different development processes, including Agile methodologies? On the Job: What does it take to walk into a job and be productive right away? The Tech Writer Toolkit: How do you create style guides, indexes, templates and layouts? How do you manage localization and translation and all the other non-writing parts of the job? I Love My Job: How do you handle the ups and downs of being a technical writer? Appendixes: References to websites, books, and other resources to keep you learning. Index

Anne Gentle's Conversation and Community has become the go-to reference for social media and technical communication. Her clear-eyed survey of the social media landscape has been adopted by many universities and is widely used by technical communicators. Now, in this second edition, she has updated and expanded her book, adding chapters on building a content strategy, analyzing web techniques, and developing an open source strategy. With more interviews and case studies, this is your guide to the new world of technical communication and social media. Inside the Book Towards the Future of Documentation Defining a Writer's Role with the Social Web Community and Documentation Commenting and Connecting with Users Wikis as Documentation Systems Finding Your Voice Content Strategy for Community Documentation NEW Chapter Analyzing and Measuring Web Techniques NEW Chapter Open Source Documentation NEW Chapter Concepts and Tools of the Social Web Glossary, Expanded Bibliography, and Index

If you are a researcher, an academic, a journalist, or a manager -- long on technical expertise but short on time