Month: January 2010

bookmark_borderWho cares if they read it or not?

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RTFM

Seriously, do we spend too much time worrying about this? What do we get paid for after all, to write documentation, so that’s what we should concentrate on doing. So what if no-one reads it, as long as I’ve done my job I’ll get paid.

And no, I don’t care if they don’t understand how to use the product properly, if they choose not to read the documentation then there isn’t much more I can do, is there? Yeah, they might get stuck but if I can learn it, so can they. If not then maybe they shouldn’t

Pander, pander, pander. I’m sick of it. The documentation is perfectly good and until people learn to read it then they really should stop complaining. Ohh and if they choose to look on the internet for an answer to their question, good luck! We all know that those bloggering things are a lot of rubbish and no, I don’t use that Twatting thing either, what a waste of time. Don’t even start me on Facebooks.

I’m perfectly busy enough, doing the job I was paid for, so yes, they should RTFM and it’s not my fault if they don’t.

…

Obviously I’m jesting, but this seems to be a bit of a hot topic right now, and rather than rehash what has already been said, I’d highly recommend you spend 10 minutes of your day reading the following:

I guess it’s safe to say there are challenges ahead but hey, it’s a new year, what better time to start tackling them.

bookmark_borderMorning Music

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Radio and I have never really gotten along. It’s mostly my fault. I don’t listen.

badum tish!

Actually, that’s not all that far from the truth. I don’t listen to the radio all that much, it’s just never been a part of any routine. Radio wasn’t a big part of my childhood as it never occurred to me that there might be stations other than those my parents listened to, so for the most part I grew up listening to albums.

The one time I do listen to the radio is in the car on my commute which brings me to my quandary.

What, or more exactly who, should I listen to?

Music wise my tastes lie somewhere between Radio 1 and Radio 2, with Radio Clyde (West of Scotland only) being the closest match (where closest equals “if I have to suffer a mix of chart music”). I’m not a fan of talk shows on the radio, so Radio 4 is out, and Radio Scotland has a jack of all trades approach which just annoys me.

Of course we are only talking about when I’m driving to and from work so I need to find a breakfast show and a drivetime show that I can tolerate.

With Chris Evans moving to the breakfast slot on Radio 2, it seems like there will finally be something decent to listen to of a morning in the car. His evening show was pretty interesting and musically a reasonable fit to my tastes. He’s much less grating on the radio than on TV and as the alternatives are Chris Moyles (Radio 1) or George Bowie (on Radio Clyde), well it’s a no-brainer.

But what of drivetime? Simon Mayo on Radio 2? Puhleeze, there is more personality in a toe-nail clipping. Scott Mills on Radio 1, inane chatter, that whole “off of” bollocks and his playlists always seem to favour the current, most annoying, manufactured tripe. Radio Clyde seems to be where this is heading, which at least gives me local traffic reports but means I have to endure the latest greatest Scottish slang… ohh yeah, and adverts.

And yes, I could just chuck in a CD, but my other half and I don’t share musical tastes, so perhaps the ultimate option is just to switch it off.

What do you do?

bookmark_borderBack in the flow

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Smugly, I’m not at work today as we have a public holiday carried over so that particular pleasure has to wait.

Not so smugly I’ve got three websites to design and build, the living room and hall need painted, the ceiling of the porch needs to tackled, and a big heavy wooden reindeer is still sitting in the front garden.

And, naturally, with so much to do, I’m busy re-tagging MP3s to sort out my iTunes library.

Procrastiwhat?

It’ll be good to get back into a routine though, and once I get rid of this hacking cough (3 weeks and counting) I’ll get back to the gym too. Honest. I will.

Hey, I have resolutions ya know!

bookmark_borderFloating on white

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He shivers in the sterile air, pristine and shimmering as the last light of the day clambers over the rooftops. The yellow-pink hue setting a million and one diamonds ablaze, ice and snow twinkle in the embers of the day, crackling underfoot.

Each steps snaps through the silence, echoing against brick and stone, gravel and mortar and his breath barely escapes before falling to the ground. A flare of light as a car slides past, careful on the icy road, and again he wonders why he is out tonight, why he is trudging against the biting cold.

Pulling his coat tighter still he steps on.

He thinks of the future, resolutions drift through his mind and he discards them wantonly. He knows which one he is waiting for and with the patience of solitaire he continues to deal with each one as it comes to him.

Lose weight, the card says. He chuckles at the banality, far too obvious.

Read more books, it says. He considers this a worthy aim but knows all too well that if that were to happen, things would stay the same.

Keep in touch with your friends.

Keep in touch with your friends, it repeats. He forces it from the deck, knowing it to be the best of all yet fearing how it will play as the year unfolds.

He turns the next card in his mind.

He is resolved.

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bookmark_borderNew Challenges

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A new year and a new set of challenges await me both here on this blog, and professionally.

I’ve signed up to Project 52 in the hopes that it will help me maintain at least a regular level of content here. With quite a few side projects on the go this year I’m fearful of my time being sucked elsewhere so hopefully it’ll help keep things trickling along.

Professionally my team and I are keen to move things to a more web-centric output, and I want to get us more hooked into our Developer Community website and try and factor in some social media services as well. I’ve just finished writing an article for a supplement which will be published with the next issue of the ISTC Communicator magazine and it made me realise that it’s time to stop talking and start doing.

From that point of view it should be an interesting year as I truly believe that, for those of us who can, we need to start utilising the benefits of social media and really start to change how our profession is perceived. Social media is driven by information, and without doubt we are the best people to step in and adopt social media practices for the best of reasons.

I have an even greater interest in this area as, in the coming months, I’m going to be planning and creating a community website for the ISTC. I have many ideas already, and I’ll be canvassing ISTC members and all the technical communication professionals who I’m lucky enough to have visit this blog.

All in all it should be a big, busy year. Just as I like it.

Although why I chose to make my New Year Resolution “read more fiction”, I’m still not quite sure.

bookmark_borderThe year ahead

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Right.

It’s a New Year.

Better join that gym, line up all the books I WILL read, and put away that silly Playstation thing that sucks so much of my time.

I will watch less TV, write more both here and my other blog (ohh and that other place too).

First things first though, a new haircut.

Who knows what this year will hold. Much as I try not to plan too much, as ever my head is full of thoughts and, as ever, I’ll probably mention them here.

I hope 2010 (that’s Twenty Ten, right?) is a good one for all of you!