One of the most important things to do as a job seeker or a business networker is to build your connections on LinkedIn. Susan Ireland provides key advice on how to write effective invitations that will succeed in building your network… and she also warns against lazy invitations that can turn people off. 2 Lazy LinkedIn Invitations That Can Burn Bridges - from Susan Ireland’s Job Lounge
A few weeks ago we looked at a New York Times article, Where Oh Where Has my Job Application Gone? This week we get some additional tips on how to follow up when you have recieved no acknowledgement of your job application or even of your interview. The Etiquette of Following Up - from Lawyerist.com
In July I posted an article about how our nation’s top universities’ websites are riddled with typos (How Embarrassing! Top Colleges Misspell Words on 1 in 6 Web Pages) This week we find out that even the American Copy Editors Society is not immune to typos. Gerri Berendzen tells us the saga in When a tiny error makes a big difference
Why not have developers write technical documentation? After all, they likely designed the software, or at least had a hand in the design. Don’t they know the software best? Yes, perhaps they do, but that does not make them the best candidates for writing manuals, or even Help files.
The truth is that most developers do not like writing docs. They prefer writing code. When pressed into service for documentation, they will complete the task as quickly as possible in order to get back to their preferred job. The resulting documentation is likely to be too sophisticated for an end user. It will often assume too much technical savvy from current customers and a level of product knowledge that new users cannot possibly have.
Although few and far between, there are software engineers who enjoy the break from design and code to write documentation. Some of these people even write well. But beware! If you are one of those lucky product development managers who can rely on an engineer for docs, be sure to schedule time for documentation QA from a technical writer or the QA team.
Developers know the product so well, they can’t foresee the mistakes that end users make, and they don’t write instructions to prevent those errors. This oversight leads to increased Help Desk calls for problems that could have been avoided with clearer docs.
In contrast, professional technical writers approach the product from the point of view of the end user. Like customers, they don’t know all the ins and outs of the product design. Therefore, they can anticipate where users will have trouble and write detailed, even elementary, steps to improve the user experience. Their own questions can be used to build a dynamic FAQ list for product Help files or a user Wiki community. Developers’ time spent on docs is reduced to one interview and occasional questions, usually via email, to clarify points as the tech writer completes the docs.
The result is a set of manuals and Help files that provide solutions for users before they even have problems, preventing support calls and promising more satisfied customers.
Contact The Essay Expert for professional writing assistance with your technical documentation. Our experienced technical writer will be a seamless addition to your development team, writing everything from Help files and manuals to last-minute ReadMe and release notes. The results? High quality product documentation and happy developers.
As a lawyer and editor, I couldn’t resist sharing this article with my readers. Judge Labels Lawyer’s Motion Nearly Incomprehensible, Marks Up Errors
Whether you are a business owner or you are looking for a job, you are probably attending networking events. Do you follow up afterwards? If so, how do you do it? Here are some great guidelines from Lynn Gaertner-Johnson at businesswritingblog.com. How to Follow Up on Networking Contacts
According to the readers of my blog, the distinction between “it’s” and “its” is the top pet peeve and common error out in the writing world. This article attempts to explain the distinction between the two words.
“It’s” is a contraction. Most of us have heard of and are familiar with contractions. Here’s how they work:
If you want to say “Here is” and be less formal about it, squash the words together and substitute an apostrophe for the last vowel (“I”) to create “Here’s.” If you want to say “Do not” less formally, squash the words together and substitute an apostrophe for the last vowel [“o”] to create “Don’t.”
This process of contraction is how we get many words such as: can’t; doesn’t; aren’t; there’s; and (drumroll please)… it’s!
How simple is that? If you want your word to mean “it is” or “it has” then just make a contraction: it’s.
Examples:
It is time for bed. = It’s time for bed.
It is a girl! = It’s a girl!
It has been raining for days. = It’s been raining for days.
These examples seem simple enough. I think where people get flummoxed is when they want a word meaning “belonging to ‘it.’”
Why is this one confusing?
When something belongs to Harry we add an apostrophe after “Harry” and say it’s “Harry’s.” When something belongs to the barber we add an apostrophe and say it’s the “barber’s.” However, when it comes to saying something belongs to “it,” the apostrophic form goes out the window, i.e. we do NOT use an apostrophe. Something belonging to “it” is “its.”
Why is there no apostrophe in “its”?
Note there are other times we do not use an apostrophe to show possession. When something belongs to “her” we say it’s “hers.” When something belongs to “him” we say it’s “his;” when something belongs to “us” we say it’s “ours” and when something belongs to “them” we say it’s “theirs.” There are many irregular constructions here. Yet somehow most people don’t make mistakes when it comes to these other possessive forms. It’s “its” that continues to baffle us.
You might notice something in common about all the examples where apostrophes are not used to show possession: they are all a part of speech we refer to as a pronoun. Pronouns are our shortcuts so that we do not have to keep referring to people and things by their name or other descriptor. They are a referential shortcut. They replace, or substitute for, nouns.
I will write more about pronouns in a future article where I will talk about the use of “I” and “me.” For now you can look at http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/pronouns.html for more information. Some examples of pronouns are he, she, they, you; her, him, us; our, their, and its.
Here’s your rule to remember: When forming a possessive PRONOUN, do NOT use an apostrophe. Since “it” is a pronoun, we do NOT put an apostrophe after it to make it possessive. Just as you would not write “her’s” or “our’s,” do not write “it’s” when you are intending to show possession.
It’s my fervent hope this article has cleared up some common misperceptions and that its contents will be distributed widely by its readers!
If you or someone you know is in need of writing or editing assistance, please contact The Essay Expert .
Do you know the difference between the words “lose” and “loose”? Do you wonder each time you write one of these words whether you’re spelling it right? Today I will not only give you examples of how to use “lose” and “loose,” but I will also give you a trick to remember forever which spelling is correct.
Lose: This word is a VERB. Some of its most common meanings are to come to be without something, to fail to keep track of something, to have someone die, or to fail to win.
Here is a list of some things you can lose: keys; money; a job; 25 pounds; loved ones; a game of pool, your virginity, or your mind.
Before you get lost in thought about all the things you might lose, let’s move on to our next word.
Loose: This word is usually used as an ADJECTIVE. It can mean free, unfettered, unbound, or lacking in restraint; a few of its antonyms (opposites) are firm, bound and tight. It can also be used as a VERB meaning to let go of, let shoot or fly, or set free.
Some things that can be or get loose are: Hair, knots, zoo animals, a sexually promiscuous person, a structure, an interpretation, vegetables in the grocery store, and teeth.
There are many idioms that use the word “loose” such as “let loose,” “break loose,” “cut loose,” “hang loose,” “turn loose,” and “on the loose.” And are any of you “foot loose and fancy free”?
I hope the difference between “lose” and “loose” is clear. Now, how will you remember which is which?
It’s easy. Whenever you find yourself loosely throwing a double letter “o” into the word loose, ask yourself, “Should I *lose* the “o”?” If you want a verb that means “to be without something,” then be without the extra “o”! If you want to say you “failed to win,” have the loser (not the looser) pay up the winner with the extra “o.” And if you think you might lose track of something, lose track of the second “o.”
If on the other hand, if you want your word to mean free, unbound, or anything loosely in that category, be free with your “o”’s! Dare I say, “Use them or lose them?”
If you have questions about this or any other spelling/grammatical issue, ask The Essay Expert.
Confused about how to use commas? I often recommend that people read their sentences aloud with a pause or breath at the comma. Here are some examples of the difference a comma can make (note: if you are in the U.S. then the money example is not accurate). Brazilian Press Association: The Comma
Whether you are writing a cover letter or business letter, press release or academic paper, it is important to place your prepositions carefully. Otherwise you might confuse your readers, or even say something you don’t mean. Times Topics: Prepositions on the Loose
