Using Transcription: Focus on Technical Writing

Technical writers face many challenges in bringing their documents to completion, though the biggest, by and large, is the gathering and organization of accurate information. John Hewitt, in his posting "Eight Common Technical Documentation Writing Problems", lists the following hurdles in the process of turning raw information into worthwhile explanations: poor organization, inaccurate information, outdated information, irrelevant information, incomplete information, bad sentence structure, unexplained jargon and concepts, and poor word choice. Notice that five of the eight problems center around acquiring information and organizing it.

So, how do you get accurate and up-to-date information? You interview a subject matter expert. One of our technical writing clients suggested sending questions via email to the expert in advance of a telephone interview. This allows the expert time to formulate responses to adequately cover the subject. However, the amount of information on any given subject can be daunting and taking notes during an interview can cause the writer to miss important information. His solution? Use transcription. Record the interview either directly into a recorder or tie in to a dictation server and have every word the expert says transcribed.

Transcription is also a great tool for planning meetings between technical writers working on a project. Again, the amount of information exchanged at the meetings can be daunting, not only on subject matter issues but also schedules and production commitments. By recording the meeting and having the audio transcribed, each participant is free to exchange information without worrying about taking notes and missing important details. Within a few hours after the meeting, all of the participants receive a detailed transcript in their in-boxes and everyone is on the same page.

If you are in the business of turning raw data into worthwhile explanations, then transcription is a must-use to capture and organize all of your information.

Will Our Brains Survive the Digital Age?

In a new series devoted to the effects of our reliance on digital devices in this modern world, the NY Times takes a serious look at the collateral damage in "Your Brain on Computers". Citing such cognitive calamities as memory loss, a weakening in our ability to focus, an increase in impatience, and fractured thinking, the expose draws on the expertise of psychologists, neuroscientists and communications specialists to warn us of the possible dangers of being too connected.

All of the digital technology available to us today: smartphones, e-readers, workstations, netbooks, and game players, to name a few, make us more prone to multitask. Several of the articles argue that multitasking, while in and of itself is very useful, can lead to sloppy work and an increase in mistakes made. Inundated by a plethora of information, the multitasker finds it hard to separate the vital details from the irrelevant ones. Many of the experts believe that the multitasker is less likely to be able to focus and is easily distracted, even after their tasks are completed.

Then there is the drug of that next ding indicating you have mail, luring you back to the screen and away from what you are currently working on. Or the flashing notice of a tweet. Or the buzzing of your smartphone with a new text. All of these invade your focus, fracturing your train of thought, and eliciting a dopamine response within your brain similar to the fight/flight adrenaline of our ancestors. These chemical responses create stress on your brain, causing shallow thinking, reduced creativity and weakened concentration.

One thing that most of the experts agree on is the necessity for technology users to impose a sort of digital detox on themselves. Living life unplugged for some portion of the day can increase the brain's ability to recover from the ravages of information overload. By concentrating on one thing, such as reading a book or immersing yourself in a hobby, the brain is given time to relax and break habits formed by constantly answering the siren call of a digital device.

Print For Marketing: A Comeback in 2011

With the advent of digital print, many have predicted the demise of traditional print and a trend towards the digital experience. Not so, says Joe Pulizzi, founder of the content matching site Junta42. According to his latest blog posting, marketers and agencies are talking up print for 2011. Joe lists many opportunities for the marketer, as well as reasons that there might still be a role for print:

1. Getting Attention: The decrease in magazines and print newsletters means the quantity of your mail is shrinking. Since there is less mail, that means more attention is paid to each piece.

2. Customer Retention: Historically, the reason custom print magazines and newsletters were developed by brands was for customer retention purposes. Since marketers are all about customer retention when it comes to content marketing outside of basic brand awareness, you have a fit here.

3. No Audience Development Cost: Publishers have to spend huge amounts of time and money qualifying subscribers, marketers do not. If marketers want to distribute a magazine to their customers, they just use their customer mailing list.

4. What's Old is New Again: What excites marketers and media buyers is what is NOT being done. Since social media, online content and iPad apps are all part of the marketing mix today, reverting to print is "something new in the marketing mix."

5. Customers Still Need to Ask Questions: Joe says that "the print vehicle is still the best medium on the planet for thinking outside the box and asking yourself tough questions based on what you read. It's lean back versus lean forward. If you want to challenge customers, print is a viable option."

6. Print Still Excites People: Many people perceive the printed word as more credible than anything printed on the web.

7. Unplug: More and more people are choosing to disconnect themselves from digital media.

According to Shachar Meron, marketing guru and copywriter at BatesMeron Sweet Design, print as it pertains to marketing and communications will re-surge going forward, but will be permanently transformed. He posits that cheaply printed materials used primarily to convey information (newspapers, etc.) are on their way out and high-quality, high-impact marketing pieces are in. Since printed materials cost more to produce than digital items, there will be an increase in usage by high-value brands who take advantage of benefits unique to tangible pieces: special papers, sizes, formats, foldings, die-cuts and printing techniques.

This is seconded by Kassia Krozser, who says that user experience is - after the content of the book - the most important place for publishing types to focus attention.

Print for 2011 will be all about impact, quality and reach. As consumers tire of digital interruption in their lives, marketers will gravitate towards print again to grab their attention.


(photo courtesy of Spike Print Studio - Spike Island)