Re: Essential software/programming skills for TC?

[Tom Johnson <tom -at- idratherbewriting -dot- com>]

I created a "Tools to Know" slide for a recent presentation here:
http://bit.ly/gp5Qgq. I group tools into four categories: graphics, page
layout, help authoring, and video.

Tom
---------------------
blog: idratherbewriting.com
twitter: tomjohnson


On Tue, Dec 7, 2010 at 9:15 AM, Bruce H. Johnson <bhj -at- wrkblslns -dot- com> wrote:

> Lots of good advice coming in this thread. In addition, many of the tools
> we
> use, such as Word, have their own macro/programming language. In Word's
> case, it's VBA. Learn a lot of the tool language, especially if it is
> fairly
> wide-spread in the industry.
>
> Over the past 20 years, my consulting company has done a lot of online
> libraries in RoboHelp. Using VBA, I was able to cut the initial development
> time of a manual (the reformatting and markup, not the content development)
> to about 10% of doing everything by hand every time.
>
> Right now, I'm working on extracting lots of our old archives from tape and
> floppy disk. Tons of Ventura Publisher and older formats such as
> WordPerfect. Using Word VBA, I'm able to update Ventura chapters to the
> current directories. Using Word VBA, I've automated an open (and convert)
> and Save As RTF for older word processing formats.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: techwr-l-bounces+bhj=wrkblslns -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+bhj <techwr-l-bounces%2Bbhj>=wrkblslns.com@
> lists.techwr-l.com] On Behalf Of
> Phil
> Sent: Tuesday, December 07, 2010 3:44 AM
> To: TECHWR-L list
> Subject: Essential software/programming skills for TC?
>
> While I accept that in some sense this 'unanswerable' being dependent on
> employers/industries, I would nevertheless appreciate opinions on the
> following:
>
> What are the essential software/programming skills a new tech communicatior
> MUST possess?
>
> To give some context, I've been a 'writer' in various capacities for many
> years, needing little other than Word to do my work. Now in my 40s, I'm
> "retraining" in the sense of doing an MA in Tech Comm. While the MA is
> great
> for the 'soft' skills (theory of ID, Comm Planning, Audience Analysis,
> Usability etc) I find myself overwhelmed when looking at the trade in the
> variety of software/programming skills discussed. To name a few: QuarkXP,
> InDesign, Framemaker, Flare, RoboHelp, Dreamweaver, XML, Html, Java,
> Python,
> various C languages, Json, JQuery - and those are just off the top of my
> head.
>
> Which, if any of these (and if not these, what else?) can I _NOT_ afford to
> have missing from my CV/Resume?
>
> n.b. I know there are many other essential skills for being a TC that have
> nothing to do with software/programming, but I am pretty well aware of
> those
> already. Likewise, 'ability to learn any of the above quickly' is something
> I also recognise, but I'd appreciate specific answers to the question.
>
> Thx in advance for any thoughts!
>
>
> Phil
>
>
> Phil Stokes BA MA TESOLcert
> Language Instructor
> Chulalongkorn University Language Institute
> Phaya Thai Road
> Patumwan
> Bangkok
> 10330
> Thailand
>
>
>
>
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
> Create and publish documentation through multiple channels with
> Doc-To-Help.
>
> Choose your authoring formats and get any output you may need. Try
> Doc-To-Help, now with MS SharePoint integration, free for 30-days.
> http://www.doctohelp.com
>
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> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
> Create and publish documentation through multiple channels with
> Doc-To-Help.
> Choose your authoring formats and get any output you may need. Try
> Doc-To-Help, now with MS SharePoint integration, free for 30-days.
> http://www.doctohelp.com
>
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Create and publish documentation through multiple channels with Doc-To-Help. 
Choose your authoring formats and get any output you may need. Try 
Doc-To-Help, now with MS SharePoint integration, free for 30-days. 
http://www.doctohelp.com

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