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jmacI wrote up a tech-writing technique I call the assertions document. It helps you rapidly develop your own understanding of a new-to-you topic by getting your subject-matter experts engaged in the docs project as quickly as possible, and even eager to help you—largely by giving them ways to tell you how you're wrong. <a href="https://masto.nyc/tags/TechWriting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#TechWriting</a> <a href="https://masto.nyc/tags/TechnicalWriting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#TechnicalWriting</a> <a href="https://fogknife.com/2025-04-04-assert-your-way-to-stronger-technical-writing.html" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://fogknife.com/2025-04-04-assert-your-way-to-stronger-technical-writing.html</a>

jmacHere's one for the tech writers, writing about tech writing: <a href="https://masto.nyc/tags/TechWriting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#TechWriting</a> <a href="https://masto.nyc/tags/TechnicalWriting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#TechnicalWriting</a>

NicoDuring <a href="https://univention.social/tags/UniventionSummit" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#UniventionSummit</a> I was asked several times about reading recommendations for <a href="https://univention.social/tags/techwriting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#techwriting</a> . A good start is <a href="https://www.writethedocs.org/guide/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.writethedocs.org/guide/</a>. To dive deeper into the topic, I recommend reading the book "The Insider's Guide to Technical Writing" from Krista Van Laan. Yes, a book 😉 .

NicoWhat a wonderful day an <a href="https://univention.social/tags/UniventionSummit" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#UniventionSummit</a> . I enjoyed meeting long term colleagues from other companies, getting to know inspiring new people, and exchanging experiences about <a href="https://univention.social/tags/techwriting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#techwriting</a> . I'm looking forward to the recordings of the talks, especially of "Digitale Enteignung - Wie Big Tech Wirtschaft und Demokratie zerstört" from Martin Andree.

masukomiLeft here for fellow programmers who will inevitably need this hug.<a href="https://connectified.com/tags/programming" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#programming</a> <a href="https://connectified.com/tags/TechWriting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#TechWriting</a>

LanaSpoke at the <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/WriteTheDocs" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#WriteTheDocs</a> meetup in Berlin yesterday, and it was an absolute pleasure connecting with so many like-minded folks! 🌟 We dove into emerging trends in the documentation world and how to stay ahead of the curve in the near future. 🚀✨ <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/TechWriting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#TechWriting</a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/Documentation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Documentation</a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/Writerside" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Writerside</a>

Don WatkinsHow to write your first article at Both.org! <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/writing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#writing</a> <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/technology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#technology</a> <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/techwriting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#techwriting</a> <a href="https://www.both.org/?p=7007" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.both.org/?p=7007</a>

Alexandre FrankeAs part of my quest to make <a href="https://mamot.fr/tags/GNOME" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#GNOME</a> i18n rock, I did some <a href="https://mamot.fr/tags/TechWriting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#TechWriting</a> and improved the Damned Lies OpenAPI documentation.Can you find the 7 differences?<a href="https://mamot.fr/tags/AFdoesFLOSS" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#AFdoesFLOSS</a>

Daryl 🇺🇦 ✔️ :Verified:Calling those who write <a href="https://vmst.io/tags/documentation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#documentation</a> or work in a closely adjacent role! The Write the Docs salary survey is live and available. This is for anyone who has been paid for documentation or documentation-adjacent work in the past year, regardless of current work status, employee/contractor classification, location, and so on.<a href="https://salary-survey.writethedocs.org" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://salary-survey.writethedocs.org</a><a href="https://vmst.io/tags/TechnicalWriting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#TechnicalWriting</a> <a href="https://vmst.io/tags/techWriting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#techWriting</a> <a href="https://vmst.io/tags/docs" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#docs</a> <a href="https://vmst.io/tags/WriteTheDocs" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#WriteTheDocs</a>

masukomiDear Geeks: A friendly <a href="https://connectified.com/tags/TechWriting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#TechWriting</a> reminder. Just because YOU have a big vocabulary doesn't mean all your readers do.Some people are young, or haven't had the opportunities to encounter as many words.Some people don't have YOUR language as their native language.All user facing strings _must_ be written with that in mind. Here's an example of how NOT to do it. How many young coders or people new to English do you think know the meaning of "obsolescent" ? How many native adults?

jmacCan I just point out the Lists page of the Google dev-docs style guide is one of the few oases within the company where Corporate hasn't sucked all of the fun out: <a href="https://developers.google.com/style/lists" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://developers.google.com/style/lists</a>“An ant might break its leg and require a tiny splint.” <a href="https://masto.nyc/tags/TechWriting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#TechWriting</a>

jmacOne of my favorite entries in the Google dev-docs style guide word list is for "simple": “What might be simple for you might not be simple for others. Try eliminating this word from the sentence because usually the same meaning can be conveyed without it.”Google Search’s top hit for the thing I was trying to do is the following page, which counterexamples this to a painful degree. Every "quite simple" step made me say “I'm sorry, the *what*?” <a href="https://banjocode.com/post/hugo/custom-css" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://banjocode.com/post/hugo/custom-css</a> <a href="https://masto.nyc/tags/TechWriting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#TechWriting</a>

jmacJust spent two hours replicating a cool feature I miss from my former employer's in-house static-site generation system using Hugo and CSS. This article by Brian P. Hogan got me 66% of the way there, so thanks for that Brian P. Hogan! <a href="https://medium.com/pragmatic-programmers/displaying-shell-command-code-blocks-in-hugo-d50691096772" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://medium.com/pragmatic-programmers/displaying-shell-command-code-blocks-in-hugo-d50691096772</a>The rest was having Gemini give me answers that were, as usual, absolutely wrong but nonetheless rich with novel techniques for me to research and learn how to use correctly. Which I did! More or less.How's your Monday going. <a href="https://masto.nyc/tags/TechWriting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#TechWriting</a>

rOpenSci✍️New on the blog: Labels For Technical Writing Projects<a href="https://mastodon.social/@gvwilson" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@gvwilson</a> discusses the challenges of organizing non-software projects in GitHub and shares the label system he uses for technical writing projects like books and lessons.If you're looking for practical tips on managing your writing projects in GitHub, check it out here: <a href="https://ropensci.org/blog/2024/09/12/labels-writing-projects/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://ropensci.org/blog/2024/09/12/labels-writing-projects/</a><a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/OSS" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#OSS</a> <a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/TechWriting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#TechWriting</a> <a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/OpenScience" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#OpenScience</a> <a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/OpenEducation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#OpenEducation</a>

masukomiI have experienced this _so_ many timesWhen this happens, take it as a reminder that this is a place where **you should have left inline documentation.** 😉<a href="https://connectified.com/tags/techwriting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#techwriting</a> matters, even if you're just a developer writing to future you.

Dysmorphia💛🤍💜🖤Tech writing managers: How do you hold people accountable for writing quality?I’m managing a team of writers again, and I find this is the missing piece. People fixate on what they get measured on, and writing quality is difficult to quantify. User satisfaction ratings can be a proxy of quality, but the docs I oversee have a low volume of feedback, so it’s not a strong enough signal. <a href="https://sfba.social/tags/TechWriting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#TechWriting</a> <a href="https://sfba.social/tags/WriteTheDocs" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#WriteTheDocs</a>

jeanaWhere's the lie 😭 <a href="https://triangletoot.party/tags/DITA" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DITA</a> <a href="https://triangletoot.party/tags/markdown" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#markdown</a> <a href="https://triangletoot.party/tags/techwriting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#techwriting</a> <a href="https://triangletoot.party/tags/docsascode" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#docsascode</a>

Dysmorphia💛🤍💜🖤I just compared putting docs in the same repo as the code to encourage devs to review docs PRs to putting a scratching post next to the couch to encourage cats to use the post instead of the couch to scratch. (I also compared managers enforcing process with nagging to yelling at the cat not to scratch the couch. It might work once but the moment you aren’t there, they’ll go back to the previous behavior. )I might avoid metaphors in my professional writing but I keep popping off with weird ones when I talk about the work. <a href="https://sfba.social/tags/TechWriting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#TechWriting</a> <a href="https://sfba.social/tags/techWriterLife" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#techWriterLife</a>

masukomiA post about how D&D taught someone to write good alt-text.It's a decent post, but unfortunately D&D didn't teach them to get to the point quickly. Just scroll down until you see "Thank you, random Dragon Magazine issue"<a href="https://ericwbailey.website/published/dungeons-and-dragons-taught-me-how-to-write-alt-text/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://ericwbailey.website/published/dungeons-and-dragons-taught-me-how-to-write-alt-text/</a><a href="https://connectified.com/tags/techwriting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#techwriting</a> <a href="https://connectified.com/tags/accessibility" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#accessibility</a>

Elizabeth Tai | 戴秀铃 🇲🇾Trying out <a href="https://pkm.social/@omnivore" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@omnivore</a> and am pretty happy with it! It doesn't play as friendly with Firefox, but fixed it thanks to their docs (yay <a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/techwriting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#techwriting</a>) and was sad text to speech not available for Androids yet. I do depend on it a bit. (I like to listen to articles while working out.) But the thing that I am super excited about, besides it being open source is that it can funnel your articles to <a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/Obsidian" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Obsidian</a>.I have to admit my current system isn't working for me.<a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/Pkm" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Pkm</a> <a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/App" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#App</a> <a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/Rss" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Rss</a> <a href="https://hachyderm.io/tags/omnivoreapp" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#omnivoreapp</a>

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