Hello all. A TW in my area referred to something she called the "Brenner Guide," which gives statistics for time needed to perform certain tasks, based on national surveys. For example, according to this guide a TW can copyedit six pages per hour. Has anyone heard of this reference? This TW spoke about it as though it were an industry standard.

Dear TECHWR-L Members,

I would like to bring to your attention a new software tool for acronym management – Acronyms Master.

This tool has been specially developed for those who work with technical documentation.

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I think that many of you will find this tool as very useful.

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I’d love to hear your opinion and suggestions on this tool.

* FINALIZING A DTD FOR USE WITH A FRAMEMAKER STRUCTURED APPLICATION *

This article deals with finalizing a Document Type Definition (DTD) created from your FrameMaker Element Definition Document (EDD) (StructureTools > Save As DTD).

At the beginning of March, I asked for some general advice about a new job I landed: writing procedures and other documentation for a new factory that is gearing up to start production. Now that the dust has settled somewhat, I thought I might provide a followup for anyone who is interested. In this installment, I'll just lay out some of the background details.

First, my background: before taking this job, I never did any technical writing. I have mostly worked in print publishing, specifically educational books for children. So, there's been a lot to learn and in a short period of time.

My current customer has requested a "ROM" or "Rough Estimate of Magnitude" document for a software project. I have done some searching on Google and found little that addresses this topic.

What kind of information should a good ROM document contain? Are there any published standards, templates or outlines for a ROM?

Thanks for any help you may be able to provide!

by Eric J. Ray

Webmaster note, April 2008: We've republished this 1996 article on request from a researcher (and long time TECHWR-L member) to offer some history and perspective about the TECHWR-L list.

It's fascinating how many things haven't changed.

Feel free to add comments to this article that offer more recent TECHWR-L perspectives. And, feel free to comment onlist about what's stayed the same and what's changed over the years. Again, Happy Birthday #15, TECHWR-L!

Until Spring 1993, technical communicators had few Internet resources of their own. They could find common ground in forums oriented toward specific word processing programs and other tools of the trade, but they had no place to discuss profession-specific, rather than tool-specific, issues.

TECHWR-L was founded that spring, and the growth, development, and response to the list has been remarkable. Most significant, however, is the effect that TECHWR-L has had on individual technical communicators worldwide. Looking ahead, the Internet can and should be used to provide more focused and comprehensive resources to technical communicators in the future.

I'm looking for a way to earn a little extra money at home with a part-time job. I have looked into data entry jobs that are offered through sites like indeed.com (my personal favorite) and others, but they seem to be scams. Every time I inquire about the job, I am asked to pay a fee to even learn about the offer, and it makes me doubt the legitimacy of the company.

I'm not sure if this is the right forum to be asking, but I'm starting to lose hope that I'll ever find a legitimate way to earn a few extra bucks at home on weekends or after work. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

by Emily Cotlier

I'm a technical writer working in New Zealand, and my jobs here have sent me to Singapore and Australia. When I told my friends and acquaintances that I was planning on moving from the United States, where I had lived all my life, to another country, their responses ranged from disbelief to envy. One person asked me, "Is that actually possible?" Others confessed that they didn't even have a passport.

Over time, I've found that many technical writers working in the Pacific Rim are expatriates from the United States, Europe, and India. In this era of globalization, many others are interested in exploring opportunities in different countries, or accompanying a spouse who is posted abroad. This article offers advice on finding technical writing jobs abroad, setting your own expectations for the new work environment, and getting involved in your new culture and country. It is based on my own experiences as an American expatriate working abroad, and on conversations with other expatriate technical writers. Although many of the examples are based on my own experiences, the information and advice can be applied to anyone seeking employment as a technical writer outside of their native country.

by Alice E. Fugate

Question: I love everything about being self-employed--except for waiting to get paid! My paychecks never seem to arrive on time. Sometimes my clients forget to send my invoices to Accounts Payable or the invoices get misplaced; other times the process just bogs down and takes forever. Whatever the reason, I'm stuck waiting for checks that don't come. How can I get my clients to pay on time?

Lay the groundwork for a happy fiscal relationship at the very beginning of each project. A little planning, plus a judicious dose of effective communication, will pave the way for timely payments.

Some people seem to think an SOP manual and a Best Practices manual are the same--that the terms are interchangeable. What are your thoughts?