Tech Comms Book - Your Attention, Please

[forfear]

This may appear a bit out of topic, but I think its relevant generally for tech commers authoring professionally with Flare/Word, with all the single-sourcing, XML, ideas going around. Sometimes good not to lose sight of the basics.

I am just beginning in the first few chapters of this book, "Your Attention, Please" by Paul Brown and Allison Davis. Its not a tech-comms book specifically, but a general brand/market communications book that is packaged rather attractively in a compact sort of way. One of those random but remarkably good finds.
Its small and compact. Well laid out. Ultimately it is packed with information about writing attractive, high value, user relevant copy that gets 'attention'. Always love books about writing and design that expound the very values they write about. It discusses ways to get your 'communications' read, better navigated, designed, coloured.

If it helps writers and tech commers broaden their value in the company, its crafting 'communications' that are sticky and what users want. Interesting book layout as well.

As writers and instructional designers I think there is actually indeed, immense value in branching into psychology, adult learning, brand communication/market communication ideas. We've all done some amount of mar-comms writing and web writing copy most of the time anyway for our product descriptions and product feature lists.

If anything, this book could be a nice handy 'ideas' book to really help you write and structure and make that next project 'pop'.

Always goood to get our projects up the value chain and visible - Not onto a dusty book shelf, or filed away for risk compliance but - yes, that means getting the hard-earned stuff you write in Flare read, referred to, printed on, scribbled on and dog-eared. If you don't have a book on this, this is that one book.

What do you think?
What are you reading on your desk at the moment?
For me, today, its JoAnn T. Hackos book Information Development .

[RamonS]

Right now I am reading my own book - again. Hopefully others can do so too real soon.

Other than that, Stauss & Seidel's "Complaint Management: The Heart of CRM" is a must read for anyone who deals with software.

[NorthEast]

Yep, I'll look out for 'I love Microsoft' in my bookstore.

[RamonS]

Nope, it is about Flare and has no Windows bashing. And to be more precise, it really is "half" mine.

[KevinDAmery]

Yep, I'll look out for 'I love Microsoft' in my bookstore.

And don't forget it's sequel, "Hooray for Internet Explorer!"

[LTinker68]

Yep, I'll look out for 'I love Microsoft' in my bookstore.

And don't forget it's sequel, "Hooray for Internet Explorer!"

And coming next year, "Learning to Love .NET".

[RamonS]

Yep, I'll look out for 'I love Microsoft' in my bookstore.

And don't forget it's sequel, "Hooray for Internet Explorer!"

And coming next year, "Learning to Love .NET".

And after that "DCOM is the future! Blaster is a hoax!"

[Andrew]

"Why the Windows Registry Should Be Replicated in Every OS"