In the past, I stopped updating this site because of either technical issues, or because life just kept me too busy.
This time, I can see it coming: I’m going to have to go quiet on this site because that’s what my life requires of me. I hope to be back soon, but I can’t guess when that might be.
I’ve been a technical writer for about 25 years, but a friend of mine has been a technical writer for 35 years.
This friend recently pointed out that creating professional-looking output still requires you to become a desktop publisher, same as it did 40 years ago. Creating and crafting text (writing) is easier, but presenting that text to the reader (publishing) still requires a broad skill set that includes design.
[Read More]If you ask customers what they value, they will tell you. Obviously, first you have to be smart enough to ask them, and then you have to be smart enough to listen.
In 2024, a major firm asked its customers what made them likely to recommend that firm. The ten most frequent responses were ranked from 1 to 10, with 1 being the most important.
The most important factor was customer support. Fully 12% of customers said that mattered more than any financial considerations, including payment terms and price.
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