“Adding Life to your Documentation” By Whitney Potsus Summary By Khadim Dia September 16, 2008

Goal of the article: Provide advice to technical writers in order to: improve the presentation of their documentation make their work more enjoyable make their documentation more enjoyable for readers Tips provided by the author: Top “n” lists To-do lists “The Least You Need to Know” lists Best practices lists Common practices lists Graphics Quizzes Conclusion Technical documentation can be: Interesting to write Enjoyable to read

Top 10 List: Remote Car Starter User Guide MitchMitch in Mitch's manual, Remote Car StartersRemote Car Starters My store has been installing Remote Car Starters since the early 1990s.Remote Car Starters WE thought it would be a good time to post our Top 10 List: 10. Hood Safety Switch Make sure that there the emergency cutoff is installed under the hood…. Top “n” Lists Are effective to memorize information Are useful to give tips and tricks Can adapt to the personality of the product Must include 15 points or less Must be brief

Things you should do to a new PC before surfing the Web By Mark Kaelin, TechRepublic on 30 September 2005Mark Kaelin, TechRepublic Tags: diy | guide | internet | pc | securitymalware | surfing | tips | web | connect | routediyguideinternetpcsecuritymalwaresurfingtipswebconnectroute  to a friend to a friend Printer friendly versionPrinter friendly version To-do Lists, Recipes, and Checklists Explain what users must have on hand before following a procedure Are useful to avoid making mistakes Are useful to avoid forgetting important steps

“The Least You Need to Know” Lists Summarize efficiently the information Provide readers with the information they need Are easy to read In This Chapter: Creating HTML in text files Serving and browsing Web pages Understanding links and URLs Chapter 1: The Least You Need to Know about HTML and the Web

Best Practices Lists Include advanced information Help users being more autonomous Help users depending less on technical support services Made for people who know the products very well

Common Practices Lists Focus on ways to work more efficiently Provide useful tricks and help saving time Include accessible information

Graphics and Tables Catch the attention of readers Give weight to the information Help ordering and transmitting the information

Quizzes Are effective and fun learning tools Are practical for readers who want to test their knowledge Help readers to know their limits Quiz: Picture Manager How well do you know Microsoft Office Picture Manager 2003? Is it a snap for you or more like a shot in the dark? Assess your expertise with this quiz. What picture editing tasks can Picture Manager do for you automatically? a.Correct brightness, color, and contrast. b.Correct contrast, red eye, and resolution. c.Flip, rotate, and crop.

Conclusion The article achieves two important goals. 1.It helps technical writers to be more creative in their work their guides and manuals will be more interesting to read their job, and the writing process, will be more enjoyable 2.Consequently, readers have a better access to information the reading process will be easier and fun they will learn better Questions are welcome