The Technical Writer’s Existential Crisis
jen
Why ‘Just Put It in SharePoint’ Isn’t Document Management
Many of the jobs I’ve been at have SharePoint, which a very powerful tool for sharing information. Note that I said “sharing”, not “storing”. Because most companies seem to use SharePoint to dump all their files into, never to be…
When You’re Limited to Company Approved Software
Nothing makes me crazier than knowing there is a great tool out there that would really help me with my work, but I can’t install it because I don’t have admin rights, and requesting software that isn’t in our Software…
Starting a New Job
I’ve started 5 new jobs in the last 6 years, thanks to moves and layoffs. It’s been painful. But it’s also helped me refine my approach when starting a new job, so here’s what I’ve learned. And then we’re off…
How I’ve Used AI
Over the past six months, AI has gone from being a distant acquaintance to a trusted coworker. It has made it possible for me to do things I would never have been able to do, to do things faster, and…
OneNote for Task Management. Really.
I am perpetually on the hunt for the perfect task management system. In my personal life, I’ve gone from Trello, to Todoist, and have currently landed on TickTick. But work is a different story. At work, I’m usually in a…
The Obligatory AI Post
I have only 2 things to say about this: That’s all, folks.
CMS: What You See is NOT What You Get
Warning: rant incoming. I have NEVER had a positive experience with a content management system (CMS). I kid you not – never. In fact, in some jobs, the CMS made my job objectively more difficult. Which makes no sense, because…
Building a Docs Dashboard
I did it. I FINALLY did it! I made a Document Governance and Effectiveness that actually provides useful information for our team to act on! It’s not perfect, but it’s a start, and I couldn’t have done it without my…
My Toolkit
Technical Writers aren’t just writers – we often have responsibilities like reporting, document management, document governance, etc. Which is why you need more than the tool you author with. Here’s the list of tools I’ve found myself using in almost…