Technical Writing Success

Welcome to episode 150 of the Technical Writing Success podcast from Curt Robbins. This podcast is targeted at IT professionals, technical writers, and documentation specialists. Subscribe today to never miss a single daily episode!Today’s episode reviews an article by guest author Joshua Oyewole entitled "Best Research Practices for Product Documentation in an Agile Environment." Hosts Daphne and Fred unpack this informative article that details the difference between research in traditional projects and the continuous, never-ending research loop required in an Agile environment for technical documentation.The article outlines key steps for new technical writers, including reviewing sprint goals, testing the product, and conducting efficient interviews with subject matter experts to ensure documentation remains accurate as the product rapidly evolves. Ultimately, the piece argues that successful documentation research directly reduces user friction and support tickets, establishing the writer as a valuable product partner._________________________I'm currently taking on new clients. I enjoy helping companies with their documentation and communications strategy and implementation. Contact me to learn about my reasonable rates and fast turnaround. — Curt_________________________>> Read the original Oyewole article: https://tinyurl.com/4zm6392y >> Read the Robbins article "Tool Review: Adobe FrameMaker" article: https://tinyurl.com/5dj3b8tp>> Read the Robbins article "Helping Junior Technical Writers": https://tinyurl.com/yc82h4j7>> Read the Robbins article "10 Famous Technical Writers": https://tinyurl.com/5ejznknw>> Read the Robbins article "Tech Writers: Embrace Structured Content": https://tinyurl.com/32ysxm3v>> Read the Robbins article "Role of User Experience in Tech Writing": https://tinyurl.com/mrdtenbb>> Join the Technical Writing Success group on LinkedIn: https://tinyurl.com/mr28u7td>> Subscribe to the weekly Tech Writing Success newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/yc7dbfy3>> Subscribe to the AI for Technical Writers podcast: https://tinyurl.com/mppehxtn

Welcome to episode 149 of the Technical Writing Success podcast from Curt Robbins. This podcast is targeted at IT professionals, technical writers, and documentation specialists. Subscribe today to never miss a single daily episode!Today’s episode reviews an article by show producer Robbins that is a tool review of the popular software Grammarly.Hosts Daphne and Fred unpack this informative article that details Grammarly's evolution from a simple grammar tool to a real-time editing and style coach, focusing on its utility for IT professionals and technical writers.It systematically covers the pros, such as enforcing style guides and improving clarity, and the cons, including false flags for technical jargon and limited support for specialized developer documentation formats like Markdown.Finally, this review analyzes how Grammarly's value proposition differs across various target audiences, including large enterprises, startups, and individual freelancers—emphasizing its role in governance, quality control, and productivity._________________________I'm currently taking on new clients. I enjoy helping companies with their documentation and communications strategy and implementation. Contact me to learn about my reasonable rates and fast turnaround. — Curt_________________________>> Read the original article: https://tinyurl.com/9aup7hxt>> Read the Robbins article "Tool Review: Adobe FrameMaker" article: https://tinyurl.com/5dj3b8tp>> Read the Robbins article "Helping Junior Technical Writers": https://tinyurl.com/yc82h4j7>> Read the Robbins article "10 Famous Technical Writers": https://tinyurl.com/5ejznknw>> Read the Robbins article "Tech Writers: Embrace Structured Content": https://tinyurl.com/32ysxm3v>> Read the Robbins article "Role of User Experience in Tech Writing": https://tinyurl.com/mrdtenbb>> Join the Technical Writing Success group on LinkedIn: https://tinyurl.com/mr28u7td>> Subscribe to the weekly Tech Writing Success newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/yc7dbfy3>> Subscribe to the AI for Technical Writers podcast: https://tinyurl.com/mppehxtn

Welcome to episode 148 of the Technical Writing Success podcast from Curt Robbins. In this episode, your charismatic hosts Daphne and Fred provide an extensive overview of the 2,000-year evolution of Halloween, detailing how it transformed from an ancient observance to a modern commercial holiday. All in only 12 minutes! They begin with the holiday's earliest roots in the Celtic festival of Samhain, which marked the New Year and the period when the veil between the living and the dead was thinnest. They explain how the Catholic Church strategically absorbed this pagan observance by establishing All Saints' Day and All Hallows' Eve in the eighth century. The two then track the holiday's American evolution, noting that Irish and Scottish immigrants brought traditions like "guising" and "Mischief Night," which escalated into widespread vandalism by the 1930s. Finally, this educational episode concludes by describing the rise of trick-or-treating as a means of social engineering to tame the holiday, noting the post-war commercial boom that cemented Halloween's identity as a children's holiday before its eventual co-option by adults._________________________I'm currently taking on new clients. I enjoy helping companies with their documentation and communications strategy and implementation. Contact me to learn about my reasonable rates and fast turnaround. — Curt_________________________>> Watch a video overview of this research from Robbins: https://youtu.be/1u9g-z0Fnxk>> Read the Robbins article "Tool Review: Adobe FrameMaker" article: https://tinyurl.com/5dj3b8tp>> Read the Robbins article "Helping Junior Technical Writers": https://tinyurl.com/yc82h4j7>> Read the Robbins article "10 Famous Technical Writers": https://tinyurl.com/5ejznknw>> Read the Robbins article "Tech Writers: Embrace Structured Content": https://tinyurl.com/32ysxm3v>> Read the Robbins article "Role of User Experience in Tech Writing": https://tinyurl.com/mrdtenbb>> Join the Technical Writing Success group on LinkedIn: https://tinyurl.com/mr28u7td>> Subscribe to the weekly Tech Writing Success newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/yc7dbfy3>> Subscribe to the AI for Technical Writers podcast: https://tinyurl.com/mppehxtn

Welcome to episode 147 of the Technical Writing Success podcast from Curt Robbins. This podcast is targeted at IT professionals, technical writers, and documentation specialists. Subscribe today to never miss a single daily episode!Today’s episode reviews an article by show producer Robbins that showcases 10 powerful software tools for technical writers and documentation specialists.Hosts Daphne and Fred unpack this informative and enlightening article that reviews and categorizes ten essential software tools for technical writers, including Camtasia, Snagit, Swagger, MadCap Flare, Confluence, Document360, and Google Docs._________________________I'm currently taking on new clients. I enjoy helping companies with their documentation and communications strategy and implementation. Contact me to learn about my reasonable rates and fast turnaround. — Curt_________________________>> Read the original article: https://tinyurl.com/mprmfpyv>> Read the Robbins article "Tool Review: Adobe FrameMaker" article: https://tinyurl.com/5dj3b8tp>> Read the Robbins article "Helping Junior Technical Writers": https://tinyurl.com/yc82h4j7>> Read the Robbins article "10 Famous Technical Writers": https://tinyurl.com/5ejznknw>> Read the Robbins article "Tech Writers: Embrace Structured Content": https://tinyurl.com/32ysxm3v>> Read the Robbins article "Role of User Experience in Tech Writing": https://tinyurl.com/mrdtenbb>> Join the Technical Writing Success group on LinkedIn: https://tinyurl.com/mr28u7td>> Subscribe to the weekly Tech Writing Success newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/yc7dbfy3>> Subscribe to the AI for Technical Writers podcast: https://tinyurl.com/mppehxtn

Welcome to episode 146 of the Technical Writing Success podcast from Curt Robbins. This podcast is targeted at IT professionals, technical writers, and documentation specialists. Subscribe today to never miss a single daily episode!Today’s episode reviews an article by show producer Robbins that is a tool review of Paligo.Hosts Daphne and Fred unpack this informative and enlightening article about this cloud-first content management system for technical documentation. The review begins by positioning Paligo as a powerful solution for moving beyond traditional tools like Word, emphasizing its commitment to topic-based structured authoring and content reuse via XML. The article then enumerates several pros, including true single-sourcing, robust version control, and multi-channel publishing capabilities. It then contrasts these advantages with significant cons, including a prohibitively high price point and the difficulty in customizing published outputs. Ultimately, Robbins concludes that Paligo is a highly specialized and expensive system best suited for large enterprise organizations with complex documentation needs, making it impractical for small companies or individual freelancers._________________________I'm currently taking on new clients. I enjoy helping companies with their documentation and communications strategy and implementation. Contact me to learn about my reasonable rates and fast turnaround. — Curt_________________________>> Read the original article: https://tinyurl.com/fp42svsz>> Read the Robbins article "Tool Review: Adobe FrameMaker" article: https://tinyurl.com/5dj3b8tp>> Read the Robbins article "Helping Junior Technical Writers": https://tinyurl.com/yc82h4j7>> Read the Robbins article "10 Famous Technical Writers": https://tinyurl.com/5ejznknw>> Read the Robbins article "Tech Writers: Embrace Structured Content": https://tinyurl.com/32ysxm3v>> Read the Robbins article "Role of User Experience in Tech Writing": https://tinyurl.com/mrdtenbb>> Join the Technical Writing Success group on LinkedIn: https://tinyurl.com/mr28u7td>> Subscribe to the weekly Tech Writing Success newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/yc7dbfy3>> Subscribe to the AI for Technical Writers podcast: https://tinyurl.com/mppehxtn

Welcome to episode 145 of the Technical Writing Success podcast from Curt Robbins. This podcast is targeted at IT professionals, technical writers, and documentation specialists. Subscribe today to never miss a single daily episode!Today’s episode reviews an interview with junior technical writer Izzy Brotzman from Milwaukee that was conducted by show producer Robbins. Hosts Daphne and Fred unpack this informative and enlightening interview that explores the career journey and insights of Brotzman, a technical writer at Iron Mountain, covering his unusual educational background. He has a nuanced stance on artificial intelligence (AI) as a tool. Brotzman also discusses how technical writing drives definition and consistency in product development and how Agile methodologies benefit her work and team visibility. _________________________I'm currently taking on new clients. I enjoy helping companies with their documentation and communications strategy and implementation. Contact me to learn about my reasonable rates and fast turnaround. — Curt_________________________>> Read the original interview: https://tinyurl.com/3hwx8ccr>> Read the Robbins article "Tool Review: Adobe FrameMaker" article: https://tinyurl.com/5dj3b8tp>> Read the Robbins article "Helping Junior Technical Writers": https://tinyurl.com/yc82h4j7>> Read the Robbins article "10 Famous Technical Writers": https://tinyurl.com/5ejznknw>> Read the Robbins article "Tech Writers: Embrace Structured Content": https://tinyurl.com/32ysxm3v>> Read the Robbins article "Role of User Experience in Tech Writing": https://tinyurl.com/mrdtenbb>> Join the Technical Writing Success group on LinkedIn: https://tinyurl.com/mr28u7td>> Subscribe to the weekly Tech Writing Success newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/yc7dbfy3>> Subscribe to the AI for Technical Writers podcast: https://tinyurl.com/mppehxtn

Welcome to episode 144 of the Technical Writing Success podcast from Curt Robbins. This podcast is targeted at IT professionals, technical writers, and documentation specialists. Subscribe today to never miss a single daily episode!Today’s episode reviews a video entitled "Google’s Sundar Pichai Reveals Future of AI in Candid Talk with Marc Benioff" that was published on YouTube on October 17 by DWS News.Hosts Daphne and Fred unpack this informative 45-minute video in only 14 minutes (you just got 30 more minutes today; you're welcome). The interview primarily centers on Pichai's personal background and journey, tracing his life from growing up in South India and his early fascination with technology to his education at Stanford and eventually joining Google.A major focus of the discussion is the evolution of technology at Google, particularly the company's shift to an "AI first" strategy. This was driven by the development of foundational models like the Transformer and the subsequent creation of Gemini, emphasizing the potential for AI to act as a digital super intelligence and collaborator in the future. Benioff and Pichai also discuss their companies' shared values, the importance of long-term research investments, and the need for responsible stewardship of powerful new technologies like quantum computing and AI._________________________I'm currently taking on new clients. I enjoy helping companies with their documentation and communications strategy and implementation. Contact me to learn about my reasonable rates and fast turnaround. — Curt_________________________>> Watch the original video: https://tinyurl.com/336jshpe>> Read the Robbins article "Tool Review: Adobe FrameMaker" article: https://tinyurl.com/5dj3b8tp>> Read the Robbins article "Helping Junior Technical Writers": https://tinyurl.com/yc82h4j7>> Read the Robbins article "10 Famous Technical Writers": https://tinyurl.com/5ejznknw>> Read the Robbins article "Tech Writers: Embrace Structured Content": https://tinyurl.com/32ysxm3v>> Read the Robbins article "Role of User Experience in Tech Writing": https://tinyurl.com/mrdtenbb>> Join the Technical Writing Success group on LinkedIn: https://tinyurl.com/mr28u7td>> Subscribe to the weekly Tech Writing Success newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/yc7dbfy3>> Subscribe to the AI for Technical Writers podcast: https://tinyurl.com/mppehxtn

Welcome to episode 143 of the Technical Writing Success podcast from Curt Robbins. This podcast is targeted at IT professionals, technical writers, and documentation specialists. Subscribe today to never miss a single daily episode!Today’s episode reviews an article by this show's producer Curt Robbins, a senior technical writer, entitled "Understanding Usability Testing."Hosts Daphne and Fred unpack this informative article from Robbins that was published on LinkedIn on October 17.The article defines usability testing as a structured observation process to determine if a product or document is truly consumable by its audience, emphasizing that its goal is to uncover points of confusion rather than merely finding bugs. Robbins discusses the pros and cons of usability testing, highlighting cost reduction and risk mitigation as major benefits, while noting the high cost and time commitment as drawbacks. Finally, the article explains how usability testing's value proposition differs for large enterprises, small companies, and individual consultants, arguing it is critical for compliance and risk management across all scales._________________________I'm currently taking on new clients. I enjoy helping companies with their documentation and communications strategy and implementation. Contact me to learn about my reasonable rates and fast turnaround. — Curt_________________________>> Read the original article: https://tinyurl.com/399ypfyu>> Read the Robbins article "Tool Review: Adobe FrameMaker" article: https://tinyurl.com/5dj3b8tp>> Read the Robbins article "Helping Junior Technical Writers": https://tinyurl.com/yc82h4j7>> Read the Robbins article "10 Famous Technical Writers": https://tinyurl.com/5ejznknw>> Read the Robbins article "Tech Writers: Embrace Structured Content": https://tinyurl.com/32ysxm3v>> Read the Robbins article "Role of User Experience in Tech Writing": https://tinyurl.com/mrdtenbb>> Join the Technical Writing Success group on LinkedIn: https://tinyurl.com/mr28u7td>> Subscribe to the weekly Tech Writing Success newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/yc7dbfy3>> Subscribe to the AI for Technical Writers podcast: https://tinyurl.com/mppehxtn

Welcome to episode 142 of the Technical Writing Success podcast from Curt Robbins. This podcast is targeted at IT professionals, technical writers, and documentation specialists. Subscribe today to never miss a single daily episode!Today’s episode reviews an article by Victoria Oluchi Lazarus, a technical writer and software programmer from Nigeria, entitled "Information Architecture: What Does This Mean in Technical Writing?"Hosts Daphne and Fred unpack this informative article from Lazarus that was published on LinkedIn on February 27.Lazarus explains Information Architecture (IA) as the essential process of strategically organizing content to ensure clarity and usability for end-users, using the example of a poorly structured TV manual to illustrate its importance. To help technical writers improve their documentation, Lazarus outlines seven key strategies for excelling at IA, including understanding the audience, defining a clear structure, and testing and iterating on the content. _________________________I'm currently taking on new clients. I enjoy helping companies with their documentation and communications strategy and implementation. Contact me to learn about my reasonable rates and fast turnaround. — Curt>> Read the original Lazarus article: https://tinyurl.com/3jsjfmwh>> Read the Robbins article "Tool Review: Adobe FrameMaker" article: https://tinyurl.com/5dj3b8tp>> Read the Robbins article "Helping Junior Technical Writers": https://tinyurl.com/yc82h4j7>> Read the Robbins article "10 Famous Technical Writers": https://tinyurl.com/5ejznknw>> Read the Robbins article "Tech Writers: Embrace Structured Content": https://tinyurl.com/32ysxm3v>> Read the Robbins article "Role of User Experience in Tech Writing": https://tinyurl.com/mrdtenbb>> Join the Technical Writing Success group on LinkedIn: https://tinyurl.com/mr28u7td>> Subscribe to the weekly Tech Writing Success newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/yc7dbfy3>> Subscribe to the AI for Technical Writers podcast: https://tinyurl.com/mppehxtn

Welcome to episode 141 of the Technical Writing Success podcast from Curt Robbins. This podcast is targeted at IT professionals, technical writers, and documentation specialists. Subscribe today to never miss a single daily episode!Today’s episode reviews a new article from this show's producer, senior technical writer Curt Robbins, entitled "The Role of AI & Discipline in Achieving Efficiency & Productivity."Hosts Daphne and Fred unpack this informative article from Robbins that was published on LinkedIn on October 10.Robbins addresses the highly competitive job market for technical writers and content creators, asserting that success requires more than just proficiency with software. He focuses on the essential combination of artificial intelligence (AI) skills and personal discipline and rigor. Robbins strongly advises professionals to master AI tools to avoid being replaced by others who have, citing Accenture's recent layoffs as a potent example. He also stresses the critical role of discipline, strategic execution, and maintaining a positive attitude as key differentiators for career success._________________________I'm currently taking on new clients. I enjoy helping companies with their documentation and communications strategy and implementation. Contact me to learn about my reasonable rates and fast turnaround. — Curt>> Read the original article: https://tinyurl.com/4ntd2c7v>> Read the Robbins article "Tool Review: Adobe FrameMaker" article: https://tinyurl.com/5dj3b8tp>> Read the Robbins article "Helping Junior Technical Writers": https://tinyurl.com/yc82h4j7>> Read the Robbins article "10 Famous Technical Writers": https://tinyurl.com/5ejznknw>> Read the Robbins article "Tech Writers: Embrace Structured Content": https://tinyurl.com/32ysxm3v>> Read the Robbins article "Role of User Experience in Tech Writing": https://tinyurl.com/mrdtenbb>> Join the Technical Writing Success group on LinkedIn: https://tinyurl.com/mr28u7td>> Subscribe to the weekly Tech Writing Success newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/yc7dbfy3>> Subscribe to the AI for Technical Writers podcast: https://tinyurl.com/mppehxtn

Welcome to episode 140 of the Technical Writing Success podcast from Curt Robbins. This podcast is targeted at IT professionals, technical writers, and documentation specialists. Subscribe today to never miss a single daily episode!Today’s episode reviews a new article from CJ Walker in France entitled "Unlocking New Career Paths: How Data Transforms into Knowledge." Hosts Daphne and Fred unpack the informative article from Walker that was published on the Firehead blog which discusses how technical communicators transform raw data into knowledge and insight. The article outlines an eight-stage knowledge transformation journey, progressing from Raw Data to Insight, detailing how each stage adds value and meaning to information. Furthermore, the source emphasizes the evolving and strategic role of technical communicators within this process, arguing that modern practitioners act as knowledge architects and system designers rather than just writers. Finally, the text explores emerging specialized career paths in knowledge transformation, such as Knowledge Systems Architect and Content Intelligence Manager, demonstrating the growing demand for these sophisticated skill sets._________________________I'm currently taking on new clients. I enjoy helping companies with their documentation and communications strategy and implementation. Contact me to learn about my reasonable rates and fast turnaround. — Curt>> Read the original Walker article: https://tinyurl.com/2t2n6a6w>> Read the Robbins article "Tool Review: Adobe FrameMaker" article: https://tinyurl.com/5dj3b8tp>> Read the Robbins article "Helping Junior Technical Writers": https://tinyurl.com/yc82h4j7>> Read the Robbins article "10 Famous Technical Writers": https://tinyurl.com/5ejznknw>> Read the Robbins article "Tech Writers: Embrace Structured Content": https://tinyurl.com/32ysxm3v>> Read the Robbins article "Role of User Experience in Tech Writing": https://tinyurl.com/mrdtenbb>> Join the Technical Writing Success group on LinkedIn: https://tinyurl.com/mr28u7td>> Subscribe to the weekly Tech Writing Success newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/yc7dbfy3>> Subscribe to the AI for Technical Writers podcast: https://tinyurl.com/mppehxtn

Welcome to episode 139 of the Technical Writing Success podcast from Curt Robbins. This podcast is targeted at IT professionals, technical writers, and documentation specialists. Subscribe today to never miss a single daily episode!Today’s episode reviews a new article from show producer Robbins entitled "Is Bigfoot Real? An Exercise in Critical Thinking."Hosts Daphne and Fred unpack the informative article to better understand the dynamics of critical thinking within the world of documentation and technical writing. Although the article begins by discussing the topic of Bigfoot, Robbins quickly reveals that the true purpose is to instruct technical writers and IT professionals on the vital importance of employing critical thinking and demanding empirical evidence rather than relying on opinions or emotional beliefs. Robbins structures his argument with several lessons that differentiate between fact and opinion, stressing that scientific proof, such as a body, bones, or DNA, is necessary to validate a claim like Bigfoot's existence, as noted by figures like Neil deGrasse Tyson. Furthermore, he highlights the correlation between Bigfoot sightings and black bear populations as well as the lack of recent, clear video evidence, concluding that for professionals, objectivity and logic must supersede groupthink and bias._________________________I'm currently taking on new clients. I enjoy helping companies with their documentation and communications strategy and implementation. Contact me to learn about my reasonable rates and fast turnaround. — Curt>> Read the original article: https://tinyurl.com/mry5px72>> Read the Robbins article "Tool Review: Adobe FrameMaker" article: https://tinyurl.com/5dj3b8tp>> Read the Robbins article "Helping Junior Technical Writers": https://tinyurl.com/yc82h4j7>> Read the Robbins article "10 Famous Technical Writers": https://tinyurl.com/5ejznknw>> Read the Robbins article "Tech Writers: Embrace Structured Content": https://tinyurl.com/32ysxm3v>> Read the Robbins article "Role of User Experience in Tech Writing": https://tinyurl.com/mrdtenbb>> Join the Technical Writing Success group on LinkedIn: https://tinyurl.com/mr28u7td>> Subscribe to the weekly Tech Writing Success newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/yc7dbfy3>> Subscribe to the AI for Technical Writers podcast: https://tinyurl.com/mppehxtn

Welcome to episode 138 of the Technical Writing Success podcast from Curt Robbins. This podcast is targeted at IT professionals, technical writers, and documentation specialists. Subscribe today to never miss a single daily episode!Today’s episode reviews a new article from show producer Robbins entitled "Tool Review: MadCap Flare."Hosts Daphne and Fred unpack the informative article to better understand the pros and cons of this popular enterprise application for documentation and technical writing. They explain that MadCap Flare is a comprehensive help authoring tool (HAT) for professional technical communicators. The review highlights the tool’s significant pros, such as its robust single-sourcing capabilities, granular control features like conditional text, and its all-in-one environment for managing complex documentation. However, the article also addresses major cons, including the product's high cost, steep learning curve, platform limitation (Windows-only), and the difficulty of proprietary platform lock-in. Finally, the author assesses whether Flare is suitable for different user segments, concluding that the tool is generally ideal for large enterprise companies due to its scalability and ROI on complex projects._________________________I'm currently taking on new clients. I enjoy helping companies with their documentation and communications strategy and implementation. Contact me to learn about my reasonable rates and fast turnaround. — Curt>> Read the original article: https://tinyurl.com/4dz7srnn>> Read the Robbins article "Tool Review: Adobe FrameMaker" article: https://tinyurl.com/5dj3b8tp>> Read the Robbins article "Helping Junior Technical Writers": https://tinyurl.com/yc82h4j7>> Read the Robbins article "10 Famous Technical Writers": https://tinyurl.com/5ejznknw>> Read the Robbins article "Tech Writers: Embrace Structured Content": https://tinyurl.com/32ysxm3v>> Read the Robbins article "Role of User Experience in Tech Writing": https://tinyurl.com/mrdtenbb>> Join the Technical Writing Success group on LinkedIn: https://tinyurl.com/mr28u7td>> Subscribe to the weekly Tech Writing Success newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/yc7dbfy3>> Subscribe to the AI for Technical Writers podcast: https://tinyurl.com/mppehxtn

Welcome to episode 137 of the Technical Writing Success podcast from Curt Robbins. This podcast is targeted at IT professionals, technical writers, and documentation specialists. Subscribe today to never miss a single daily episode!Today’s episode reviews a new study from the Stanford Social Media Lab that was covered in a CNBC Make It entitled "A New Buzzword is Hanging Over Businesses as They Rush into AI."Hosts Daphne and Fred unpack the CNBC article to better understand the Stanford study about the negative impact of what researchers call "workslop." This refers to AI-generated content that seems adequate, but in actuality lacks the substance necessary to advance a task. Drawing on research from BetterUp and the Stanford Social Media Lab, the article explains that this phenomenon is potentially eroding teamwork and costing organizations millions in lost productivity. Jeff Hancock and Kate Niederhoffer, the researchers behind the term, explain that this low-effort, confusing content shifts the burden onto recipients, leading to frustration and a decrease in trust among colleagues. The article suggests that organizations must provide clear guidelines and foster a team commitment to quality to mitigate the negative effects of this pervasive issue. ._________________________I'm currently taking on new clients. I enjoy helping companies with their documentation and communications strategy and implementation. Contact me to learn about my reasonable rates and fast turnaround. — Curt>> Read the original CNBC article: https://tinyurl.com/3jbucbnr>> Read the Robbins article "Tool Review: Adobe FrameMaker" article: https://tinyurl.com/5dj3b8tp>> Read the Robbins article "Helping Junior Technical Writers": https://tinyurl.com/yc82h4j7>> Read the Robbins article "10 Famous Technical Writers": https://tinyurl.com/5ejznknw>> Read the Robbins article "Tech Writers: Embrace Structured Content": https://tinyurl.com/32ysxm3v>> Read the Robbins article "Role of User Experience in Tech Writing": https://tinyurl.com/mrdtenbb>> Join the Technical Writing Success group on LinkedIn: https://tinyurl.com/mr28u7td>> Subscribe to the weekly Tech Writing Success newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/yc7dbfy3>> Subscribe to the AI for Technical Writers podcast: https://tinyurl.com/mppehxtn

Welcome to episode 136 of the Technical Writing Success podcast from Curt Robbins. This podcast is targeted at IT professionals, technical writers, and documentation specialists. Subscribe today to never miss a single daily episode!Today’s episode reviews a new article by Kelly Jones, Chief People Officer at Cisco, entitled "The AI Era Demands a New Kind of Leader." Hosts Daphne and Fred unpack the Jones article to understand why Jones advocates for a new kind of executive called the "Super Leader" to manage the era of Artificial Intelligence. This leadership model requires a combination of emotional intelligence and technological fluency to navigate the widespread disruption AI is causing in the workforce. The article outlines four key personas of this Super Leader: The Technologist, the Empath, the Philosopher, and the Change Agent. All of which, she claims, are necessary to drive innovation while supporting employees through uncertainty. Furthermore, the text details how Cisco is internally developing these capabilities through training, AI-assisted tools, and wellness programs to ensure that leaders can maintain clarity, empathy, and ethical grounding as technology evolves._________________________I'm currently taking on new clients. I enjoy helping companies with their documentation and communications strategy and implementation. Contact me to learn about my reasonable rates and fast turnaround. — Curt>> Read the original Jones article: "The AI Era Demands a New Kind of Leader": https://tinyurl.com/mw34k4w4>> Read the Robbins article "Tool Review: Adobe FrameMaker" article: https://tinyurl.com/5dj3b8tp>> Read the Robbins article "Helping Junior Technical Writers": https://tinyurl.com/yc82h4j7>> Read the Robbins article "10 Famous Technical Writers": https://tinyurl.com/5ejznknw>> Read the Robbins article "Tech Writers: Embrace Structured Content": https://tinyurl.com/32ysxm3v>> Read the Robbins article "Role of User Experience in Tech Writing": https://tinyurl.com/mrdtenbb>> Join the Technical Writing Success group on LinkedIn: https://tinyurl.com/mr28u7td>> Subscribe to the weekly Tech Writing Success newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/yc7dbfy3>> Subscribe to the AI for Technical Writers podcast: https://tinyurl.com/mppehxtn

Welcome to episode 135 of the Technical Writing Success podcast from Curt Robbins. This podcast is targeted at IT professionals, technical writers, and documentation specialists. Subscribe today to never miss a single daily episode!Today’s episode reviews a new article by senior technical writer Curt Robbins entitled "AI: Not Taking Over the World Anytime Soon."Hosts Daphne and Fred unpack the Robbins article and describe an episode where he became frustrated with the AI image generator Ideogram, which repeatedly misspelled the brand name "Midjourney" (even after repeated prompting). Robbins argues that artificial intelligence is currently limited and serves only as a supplement or assistant. He suggests that those who claim AI is on the verge of world domination should be dismissed, emphasizing that the technology still has significant shortcomings, such as spelling errors and Gemini's inability to produce a correct aspect ratio. _________________________I'm currently taking on new clients. I enjoy helping companies with their documentation and communications strategy and implementation. Contact me to learn about my reasonable rates and fast turnaround.>> Read the original article: "AI: Not Taking Over the World Anytime Soon": https://tinyurl.com/ye29v3yc>> Read the Robbins article "Tool Review: Adobe FrameMaker" article: https://tinyurl.com/5dj3b8tp>> Read the Robbins article "Helping Junior Technical Writers": https://tinyurl.com/yc82h4j7>> Read the Robbins article "10 Famous Technical Writers": https://tinyurl.com/5ejznknw>> Read the Robbins article "Tech Writers: Embrace Structured Content": https://tinyurl.com/32ysxm3v>> Read the Robbins article "Role of User Experience in Tech Writing": https://tinyurl.com/mrdtenbb>> Join the Technical Writing Success group on LinkedIn: https://tinyurl.com/mr28u7td>> Subscribe to the weekly Tech Writing Success newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/yc7dbfy3>> Subscribe to the AI for Technical Writers podcast: https://tinyurl.com/mppehxtn

Welcome to episode 134 of the Technical Writing Success podcast from Curt Robbins. This podcast is targeted at IT professionals, technical writers, and documentation specialists. Subscribe today to never miss a single daily episode!Today’s episode reviews a presentation by technical writer Jodi Zolli entitled "Balancing the Equation: Doing More than Documentation." Zolli is a content developer and project manager from Boston. Hosts Daphne and Fred unpack Zolli's informative presentation, covering QA testing, project management, and training (among other topics). The presentation recommends that technical writers expand their roles beyond traditional documentation to increase their organizational value. The material emphasizes that technical writers possess skills crucial for improving usability and user experience, assisting with process definition, creating visual content, and supporting functions like quality assurance testing, and project management. The presentation aims to shift the perception of technical writers from being solely dependent on engineers to being proactive, versatile contributors (sometimes humorously referred to as the "Swiss Army knife of technical writers"). _________________________I'm currently taking on new clients. I enjoy helping companies with their documentation and communications strategy and implementation. Contact me to learn about my reasonable rates and fast turnaround.>> View the original presentation "Balancing the Equation: Doing More than Documentation": https://tinyurl.com/ycxmf4fd>> Read the Robbins article "Tool Review: Adobe FrameMaker" article: https://tinyurl.com/5dj3b8tp>> Read the Robbins article "Helping Junior Technical Writers": https://tinyurl.com/yc82h4j7>> Read the Robbins article "10 Famous Technical Writers": https://tinyurl.com/5ejznknw>> Read the Robbins article "Tech Writers: Embrace Structured Content": https://tinyurl.com/32ysxm3v>> Read the Robbins article "Role of User Experience in Tech Writing": https://tinyurl.com/mrdtenbb>> Join the Technical Writing Success group on LinkedIn: https://tinyurl.com/mr28u7td>> Subscribe to the weekly Tech Writing Success newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/yc7dbfy3>> Subscribe to the AI for Technical Writers podcast: https://tinyurl.com/mppehxtn

Welcome to episode 133 of the Technical Writing Success podcast from Curt Robbins. This podcast is targeted at IT professionals, technical writers, and documentation specialists. Subscribe today to never miss a single daily episode!Today’s episode reviews a new article from Robbins that explores the topic of perfection in documentation and technical writing. Hosts Daphne and Fred unpack the article, analyzing how a quest for perfection in enterprise documentation and communications may cost too much time, money, and energy. Robbins supports his point by discussing the evolution of modern communication and the acceptance of previously contested grammatical rules, like ending sentences with prepositions, as well as his experience using the AI image generator Ideogram, which forced him to prioritize efficiency over absolute perfection. Ultimately, the article advocates for clear, accurate messaging that elicits action over adherence to rigid, potentially inefficient standards, emphasizing that the target audience often does not care about minute perfection._________________________I'm currently taking on new clients. I enjoy helping companies with their documentation and communications strategy and implementation. Contact me to learn about my reasonable rates and fast turnaround.>> Read the original article "Don't Allow Perfect to Be the Enemy of the Good": https://tinyurl.com/3p3ken2s>> Read the Robbins article "Tool Review: Adobe FrameMaker" article: https://tinyurl.com/5dj3b8tp>> Read the Robbins article "Helping Junior Technical Writers": https://tinyurl.com/yc82h4j7>> Read the Robbins article "10 Famous Technical Writers": https://tinyurl.com/5ejznknw>> Read the Robbins article "Tech Writers: Embrace Structured Content": https://tinyurl.com/32ysxm3v>> Read the Robbins article "Role of User Experience in Tech Writing": https://tinyurl.com/mrdtenbb>> Join the Technical Writing Success group on LinkedIn: https://tinyurl.com/mr28u7td>> Subscribe to the weekly Tech Writing Success newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/yc7dbfy3>> Subscribe to the AI for Technical Writers podcast: https://tinyurl.com/mppehxtn

Welcome to episode 132 of the Technical Writing Success podcast from Curt Robbins. This podcast is targeted at IT professionals, technical writers, and documentation specialists. Subscribe today to never miss a single daily episode!Today’s episode provides a list of 10 inspiring technical writers, editors, and documentation specialists from around the world. If you're a tech writer or documentation person, each is worthy of following. The article includes brief profiles of ten active technical writers from different countries, highlighting their specialties, contributions to the technical writing community, and professional experience shared on platforms such as LinkedIn._________________________I'm currently taking on new clients. I enjoy helping companies with their documentation and communications strategy and implementation. Contact me to learn about my reasonable rates and fast turnaround.>> Read the original article "10 Inspiring Technical Writers": https://tinyurl.com/2uvvf39b>> Read the Robbins article "Tool Review: Adobe FrameMaker" article: https://tinyurl.com/5dj3b8tp>> Read the Robbins article "Helping Junior Technical Writers": https://tinyurl.com/yc82h4j7>> Read the Robbins article "10 Famous Technical Writers": https://tinyurl.com/5ejznknw>> Read the Robbins article "Tech Writers: Embrace Structured Content": https://tinyurl.com/32ysxm3v>> Read the Robbins article "Role of User Experience in Tech Writing": https://tinyurl.com/mrdtenbb>> Join the Technical Writing Success group on LinkedIn: https://tinyurl.com/mr28u7td>> Subscribe to the weekly Tech Writing Success newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/yc7dbfy3>> Subscribe to the AI for Technical Writers podcast: https://tinyurl.com/mppehxtn

Welcome to episode 131 of the Technical Writing Success podcast from Curt Robbins. This podcast is targeted at IT professionals, technical writers, and documentation specialists. Subscribe today to never miss a single daily episode!Today’s episode provides a personal message and update from this show's producer, senior technical writer Curt Robbins. He describes how he has rebooted both this podcast and his other podcast, AI for Technical Writers, as weekly shows. He also explains how he has rebooted his LinkedIn newsletter, Tech Writing Success, making it shorter and easier to consume. In addition, Robbins explains some of the feedback he has been receiving from followers, including how one reader criticized his January article "10 Famous Technical Writers" for not including, well, himself. Another case was how some followers took offense to the Robbins article about how he resigned from a tech writing project involving a Chinese-owned end client and how he refuses to support communist regimes that oppose the United States and capitalism. _________________________I'm currently taking on new clients. I enjoy helping companies with their documentation and communications strategy and implementation. Contact me to learn about my reasonable rates and fast turnaround.>> Read the Robbins article "Tool Review: Adobe FrameMaker" article: https://tinyurl.com/5dj3b8tp>> Read the Robbins article "Helping Junior Technical Writers": https://tinyurl.com/yc82h4j7>> Read the Robbins article "10 Famous Technical Writers": https://tinyurl.com/5ejznknw>> Read the Robbins article "Tech Writers: Embrace Structured Content": https://tinyurl.com/32ysxm3v>> Read the Robbins article "Role of User Experience in Tech Writing": https://tinyurl.com/mrdtenbb>> Join the Technical Writing Success group on LinkedIn: https://tinyurl.com/mr28u7td>> Subscribe to the weekly Tech Writing Success newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/yc7dbfy3>> Subscribe to the AI for Technical Writers podcast: https://tinyurl.com/mppehxtn