Ruminations on our relationship with technology
Given all the ways technology influences how we make a living, many professionals have asked: What technologies work best for what purposes? In other words (as educator Neil Postman asked), for what problem is the technology a solution? Articles on technical communication, one of the Professional Topics on this site, can help shed light on this question.
In a nutshell, technical communication studies how to present technical information about science and technology clearly and concisely. Ultimately, the goal is to inform readers so they can understand science and learn how to use technology with ease. To explore this topic, select an article below.
What technical communicators do (and what they don’t do) Quite often, I find that technical communication is a misunderstood profession. For some reason, people might think it means writing long, complicated documents about technology or highly technical knowledge. But that’s precisely what technical communicators do NOT do. Quite the opposite. In fact, technical communicators, such … Read more
From technical writing to humanistic technical writing Over my years as a technical writer, I’ve learned that technical communication is sometimes a misunderstood profession. Occasionally, I meet people who think technical writers are professionals who write long, complicated documents about science and technology. Actually, I tell them, technical communication is practically the opposite. In truth, … Read more
What technical writing is (and what it isn’t) When I mention that technical writing and editing are part of what I do for a living, I occasionally hear this reaction: “Oh God, technical writing? Writing long, complicated documents sounds awful!” In fact, I very much agree. Writing long, complicated documents does sound awful. But that’s … Read more