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Community


Join the Community

Staying in touch with your users isn't the only thing you can do in the blogosphere. You can also get to know other technical writers and stay on top of what's happening in the field by subscribing to and reading the wide variety of technical writing blogs out there. There are technical writers who blog weekly or even daily about the latest software tools, how to organize projects, managing your workday, and a host of other helpful issues which every aspiring technical writer needs to know more about. There are also a growing number of podcasts available covering technical writing topics. For starters, check out Tom Johnson's excellent blog and podcast series at http://www.idratherbewriting.com. You'll find links there to other blogs and podcasts.


Start Your Own

After reading a few of the blogs that are out there and leaving some comments, you'll start to be a contributing member of the community. Why not take this a step further? Why don't you start your own technical writing blog? "Wait," you may be saying, "I'm not a technical writer yet. I'm just taking a course!" Well, what about a blog covering your experiences as you get started as a technical writer? A blog like this could find plenty of interested readers who, like you, are looking into technical writing. You could also attract the interest of more seasoned professionals who will be happy to share experiences that they learned as they themselves got into the field.

Whether you get involved by posting to other writers' blogs or by starting your own, it's a great idea to get involved. In a high tech field like technical writing, everyone is online. Blogs are the places where people go for information and to meet others who share their interests. As you move forward with your technical writing career, you'll find that you have more and more of your own experience to share.

Conclusion

Technical Writing can be a skill you need from time to time in developing and marketing a product, or it can be a dynamic, rewarding profession. As technology pervades every corner of our daily lives, good technical communicators will continue to be in even greater demand. This course is just the beginning of all there is to learn about technical writing. Get involved. Join the online community of technical writers and the STC. Learn all you can, and never stop learning.

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