Category Archives: technology

New Article: Leveraging Talents, Skills, and Passion on TechWhirl

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I have added another article about LavaCon 2011, this time a feature with Corey Ganser from MindTouch. Please check out, “Building the Business Case for Technical Communicators by Leveraging Talent, Skills and Passion”

This interview was co-authored with Connie Giordano, co-owner of TechWhirl. Corey shared his insight on how technical communicators should place themselves within a company and serve in many different roles, such as technical support, marketing, as well as documentation.

Take some time out of your busy day and read “Building the Business Case for Technical Communicators by Leveraging Talent, Skills and Passion,” along with other coverage I have done for TechWhirl.

New LavaCon Article on TechWhirl

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I have added another article about LavaCon 2011 on the TechWhirl Online Magazine. Please check out my new session summary titled, “Lightning Talks – Multiple Speakers.”

In this article, I mentioned six speakers who each presented a lightning talk about an important topic of interest related to the field of technical communication. A lightning talk is a brief 10 minute presentation along with question and answers. Lightning talks are meant to be short, thoughtful, and sharp.

The following is a list of presenters and their topics at the Lightning Talks during LavaCon.

  • Richard Hamilton spoke about XML and Wikis
  • Alan Houser explained why it is an important time to be a technical communicator
  • Ben Woelk shared the top ten practices to shockproof social media
  • Robert Armstrong talked about the Art of the Demo and how to present a demo
  • Brenda Huettner covered how NASA approaches social media
  • Hilary Hart spoke about the importance and benefits of the Technical Communication Certification program.

“Lightning Talks – Multiple Speakers” is featured on the TechWhirl site alongside other session summaries I have posted about LavaCon 2011.

Social Media Overload?

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Are we at the point where we are constantly connected to new social media networks that we are slowly shunning these places due to a lack of interest? I had an interesting discussion with a good friend of mine, offline of course, in which we shared some feelings for why we are not posting as much as we used to. This list is not much of a surprise but a reflection of what is truly occurring. Is this a true phenomenon?

Social Media Overload

Are we overloaded with social media?

Reasons why we have social media fatigue

  1. Too many social network sites to look at in a day or week
  2. Lack of quality content posted online
  3. Content is overwhelming or too much is being posted at once
  4. Conflicts with friends and acquaintances

If there is social media fatigue, how can we mediate this issue? There are solutions that we can practice to alleviate the overload. The alternative is to shut down your computer and read a book. That alternative is not as feasible as we might think when this world is highly connected to the internet.

Solutions to alleviate social media fatigue

  1. Consolidate to a handful of social networking sites
  2. Organize your social feeds so you receive relevant information instead of junk
  3. Use a program that organizes social media sites in one place
  4. Post meaningful comments and updates that others appreciate
Social Media Overload

Ways to alleviate social media overload

While these solutions are general ideas, below are some examples of what I practice in order to avoid overloading my social media experience.

  1. Automate my blog updates using Hootsuite and a Facebook Application to post on Twitter and Facebook.
  2. Trim down my list of followers on Facebook, Google+, and Twitter so I see relevant information.
  3. Unsubscribe from updates to be sent to via email and phone
  4. Link WriteTechie RSS feeds and Twitter updates inside of LinkedIn.

There is no silver bullet to alleviate social media overload. With a few simple steps, we can clean up our online social life. It may not be possible to permanently avoid social media because it is becoming an integral part of how we communicate with the world. What we have to realize is if we are tired of social media, we need to find a method for how we can participate in a healthy and positive manner.

What are your tips and methods for reducing your social media overload?

If you are not overwhelmed by social media, find me online

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