Using concrete specific words won’t necessarily make your writing shorter, but it will make it more interesting to read.
Avoid:
And of course:
When writing a blog (or any type of web writing), you are writing for an audience that’s fickle and distracted. There’s just too much information, so they flit about and if they encounter a problem (such as poor organization, or rambling writing), they bail. Web readers will not read your writing, unless it is written to their needs.
Web readers read differently:
The general rule for web writing is to write shorter sentences, but little information is ever provided on how to write shorter sentences. The old maxim, ride the horse in the direction it’s headed, is appropriate here. If you organize your information in a way that follows how people read, your blog is more likely to be read.
Jason is very sensitive to the needs of his clients and—being a musician himself—helped us immensely in crafting our ensemble’s acclaimed web-site. He is easy to brainstorm with and patient in explaining areas of his knowledge with those less familiar.
—Jeremy Berkman, Co-Artistic Director, Turning Point Ensemble
“I’ve had the distinct pleasure and honour of playing music with Jason Hall for much of the past year. Jason’s musicality and unquestionable ability wonderfully combines sensitivity with humour and vitality with compassion.”
—Jason Jones, Musician
With touchscreen technology poised to become a ubiquitous part of our lives, the future of the book is likely to change dramatically as well.
From TED.com – “Software developer Mike Matas demos the first full-length interactive book for the iPad — with clever, swipeable video and graphics and some very cool data visualizations to play with. The book is Our Choice, Al Gore’s sequel to ‘An Inconvenient Truth’.”
In 2010, I determined that I wanted to improve my Adobe Illustrator skills and so I started creating a mandala a month. Below is the final result.
Wonderfully written piece…the depth of understanding generated a feeling of gratefulness, pleased to be getting the inside story.
In one of the courses I teach at BCIT (British Columbia Institute of Technology), I received an email from a very keen participant asking how to prepare for the course (Technical Editing and Grammar course – 1008). Inspired by such enthusiasm (this is what makes September great!), I decided to take it further and include information for anyone interested in improving their core skills as a technical writer.
Get a Quality Style Guide – Consider ordering the Chicago Manual of Style (I have both an online and hard copy version). It’s an excellent investment for anyone interested in high-quality English-language writing.
Learn MS Word – Research the Track Changes feature in MS Word. There are other software programs technical writers need for writing, but MS Word is still the most common. As a technical writer, you’re expected to use Word at an advanced level.
Learn hard copy markup – It may seem archaic, but hard copy markup makes you indispensable when editing and developing large documents).
Learn the Most Common Grammar Errors – In my course, we learn the ten-top grammar errors. Don’t feel you have to know all grammar errors (that’s what a good style guide is for), but your credibility as a writer is increased exponentially if you know the core ones. To find out the ten-top grammar errors, take my course.
Write, write, write! – to get your foot in the door, take every opportunity you can to write and edit even if it means working for free. Ensure you ask low paying (or non paying) clients to let you keep a copy of the before and finished versions, so you can use them to market yourself.
Type: Case study Objective: Describe how NextBus solution works Purpose: Data-driven improvements to bus service Audience: Municipal transit decision-makers
Back in February 2010, Webtech Wireless expanded its InterFleet® implementation with the city of Saint John, New Brunswick to include an additional 100 public works and police vehicles—a contract valued at over $100,000. Now to complement the city’s Interfleet solution, Saint John Transit also plans to deploy a Webtech Wireless solution—NextBus.
NextBus will provide Saint John Transit with an AVL tracking solution for its 60 buses, allowing riders to check bus arrivals in real-time. Using PCs, landline phones, cell phones, or SMS text messaging, riders get real-time travel information (each bus is fitted with a satellite tracking system) designed to help them decide whether catching the next bus is a sprint or leisurely stroll. Currently, riders can only view a static schedule of intended bus arrivals and departures on the company’s web site.
NextBus will also install five LCD screens at various locations around the city, including McAllister Place Mall and the university campus (UNBSJ) and LED screens at bus stops. To help make public transport more attractive to potential riders (and as a nod to Saint John Transit’s already existing environmental initiatives), the service will add to the city’s existing hot spots with free WIFI for riders on all its buses.
A subsidiary of Webtech Wireless, San Francisco-based NextBus implements real-time passenger information systems used by dozens of transit agencies, universities and other transit operators across North America. Because traffic variations, breakdowns, and day-to-day problems faced by any transit provider can interrupt service, NextBus was designed to help keep riders on schedule even if their buses aren’t. NextBus uses satellite technology and advanced computer modeling to track vehicles on their routes.
As Canada’s oldest incorporated city and New Brunswick’s largest municipality, the city of Saint John has been providing municipal services for more than two centuries. According to Statistics Canada, the Saint John municipal area has a population of 122,389, with a population density of 36.4 persons per square kilometre.
Historic Saint John has been a transportation hub since long before confederation.
The Port of Saint John is one of Canada’s most important ports (its relatively mild maritime climate keeps its deep-water harbour ice-free year round when inland ports in the St. Lawrence Seaway must contend with ice). This keeps the city’s businesses and industries bustling throughout the year. In 2010 for the first time ever, the Port of Saint John exceeded 30 million metric tonnes of cargo in a single year.
Saint John Transit was established in 1979 to provide scheduled transit service to the city. It replaced City Transit Limited (1948-1979) and a string of others dating back to the People’s Street Railway Company (1869-1876). Saint John Transit is the largest public transit system in the province, both by mileage and passengers.
Saint John Transit’s ridership is approximately 50 percent higher than the average for Canadian cities with a population of between 50,000 and 150,000.
Current active fleet bus types:
To reduce auto emissions, the City of Saint John, along with the Federal and Provincial governments, is investing in public transportation between uptown Saint John and outlying communities. Branded as ComeX (Community Express), it provides a rapid bus transport service during peak commuting times.
Source: Statistics Canada, 2006 Census of Population.
With the implementation of ComeX, greenhouse gas emissions are projected to drop by 1,500 metric tonnes and downtown traffic will decrease by 800 vehicles a day over the next five years.
Working to deadline, Jason provided valuable copy editing and feedback to a key customer report that was over thirty pages long. Jason’s changes provided the critical polishing that greatly improved the impression the prospect received with the final report.
—David Greer, Vice-President of Marketing, Webtech Wireless