Five Open Source or Free Applications to Use in Technical Writing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Technical writing can get pretty expensive. You have to have applications that will help you in writing technical documentation and proposals, creating flowcharts of all kinds, modifying and manipulating images, and the list keeps going. The applications, like Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop, and Visio, usually come with a hefty price. Wouldn’t it be great if you didn’t have to sacrifice the quality if your technical documentation and proposals without having to pay $500 for an application? I have found some open source or free alternatives to the expensive applications that you will need for technical writing. I have listed the five main ones here:

1. Office Suite

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everyone needs an office suite that allows you to write documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and more. This is regardless if you are in the technical writing field or not. People usually think of Microsoft Office when they want a word-processing software. NeoOffice and OpenOffice are great alternatives without the price. Like Microsoft Office, NeoOffice and OpenOffice have everything you need to write and develop documentation, spreadsheets, presentations, etc. I prefer NeoOffice, but it’s only for Mac. However, both applications can get the job done. The great thing about both is that there are tons of templates on their web sites. Furthermore, you are able to download the templates from the Microsoft site, and open them in both applications (I’ve done that a few times). One thing to remember is that people are still using the Microsoft extensions, like *.doc, *.xls, *.ppt. Therefore, you have to remember to convert your documentation into those extensions instead of the extensions used in NeoOffice and OpenOffice.

2. Creative Suite

 

 

 

 

Even though the graphic design is left for the graphic designers, Technical Writers usually need to have some knowledge on image editing and manipulation. Adobe is well known for their Creative Suite, which includes Photoshop and Illustrator.  The suite is extremely expensive. It is definitely worth it if you have the money, but if you don’t, then you can just keep on dreaming. If this sounds like you, then you should check out Aviary. Aviary is an online creative suite that allows you to do almost everything you could do using the Adobe Creative Suite. A great addition is if you use Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome, Aviary has extensions that you can use to manipulate images that you find online. It also includes a screen capture application as well. If you want a more in-depth review of the Aviary online creative suite, then click here to check out what I wrote when I was writing for the awesome tech blog MakeTechEasier.

3. Project Planning

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you write project management documentation, then you know all about Work-Breakdown Structures (WBS) and Gantt charts. WBS and Gantt charts aid in planning how the project tasks will be broken down by time. It is something that needs to be done if you want to have a successful project. Without proper planning, a project will fail. Therefore, having a WBS and Gantt chart are useful because you have to think about how you will measure the success of the project during various phases. Also, you really consider the resources, which are usually actual people in roles, that you will need to ensure that the project tasks get accomplished. The usual application used to do this is Microsoft Project. I will have to admit that it’s probably one of Microsoft’s best applications out there. A great alternative is OpenProj that is very similar to Microsoft Project. You are able to easily create a WBS and Gantt chart that have milestones, resources, and attached to a time schedule. Additionally, you can specify dependencies. These means that if this task doesn’t get done first, then another task can’t be completed. I was very impressed with OpenProj, and it’s one of the applications I have on this computer.

4. Flowchart Creation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In many kinds of documents, like project plans, system architecture documents, and proposals, you always include flowcharts of all kinds. These flowcharts can be design flows, organizational charts, or workflows. It is a great way to show readers a complicated process in a simplified way. I usually use Microsoft Visio to create these. However, if you don’t have the money to spend on the application, then OpenOffice and NeoOffice both have Visio-like applications in their office suites. It doesn’t have templates in the application that you can use to quickly start your flowchart, which is something Visio has. However, if you go on their site, there are some templates that you can download, so you can use it to create your own flowcharts. There is a new service, Flowchart.com, that is currently invitation only, and it seems promising. However, I still don’t know the details, but I’ll keep a lookout for it.

5. Desktop Publishing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Technical Writers usually work in different areas. One day, you will see them writing a design document; the other day, they are working on a brochure. Therefore, a desktop-publishing software is something that every Technical Writer should have handy. There are some great desktop publishers out there, but they come with a hefty price. If you are starting out, and can’t afford to pay for one of them, then Scribus is an alternative you should consider. Scribus is an open source desktop publisher that allows you to create all kinds of publications. For instance, you can create publications like newsletters, brochures, postcards, etc. It doesn’t have any templates, so you kind of need to know what you are doing.  However, it has all the functionalities that you need to create a successful publication.

BONUS: Document Collaboration

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Document collaboration is very important in technical writing. You are usually writing documentation that needs others input, or you are working in a team that is working on different pieces of a huge document. Therefore, you want to use an application that allows you to work together when writing and editing various documents. If it has version control and a mistake is made, then you can quickly revert back to an older version if an error was made. Google Docs is is my favorite way to collaborate with others when creating documents. If you haven’t checked it out, Google Docs allows you to chat with others while creating and modifying documents and spreadsheets. Additionally, it allows everyone to see the changes almost instantaneously, which is a huge plus. There is also version control in Google Docs. If you make a mistake, then you can revert back to an older version. Google Docs is a great alternative to Microsoft Office.

What are some of your favorite open source or free alternatives to popular but expensive applications?

 

 

Manfred Macx Reinvents the Way You Self Publish Your Book

With more people buying Ebook Readers (e.g. Amazon Kindle, Sony Nook, Apple iPad, etc.), there is more demand for books to be in electronic format. Even if you don’t have an ebook reader, but you have a smartphone, like an iPhone or Android, you can quickly download a free app, like the Kindle app, that allows you to read books via your phone.  With the popularity of internet marketing, social media, and self publishing, we are increasingly seeing people opting to self publish their books instead of going to a publishing house.  Therefore, if you are a Writer and are one of those people wanting to self publish, finding a self-publishing service that focuses on ebooks is extremely beneficial.

When you use one of the self-publishing services, they will assist you in creating and being able to provide your readers with a printed version or electronic copy of your book for a percentage of the book price, which is something that you set.  However, you are responsible for editing and promoting your own book. This is different than going to a publishing house that will usually help you in doing those two things. This is what makes self publishing so attractive to many writers.  It is easy and accessible to everyone. It is a lot of work though because you have to find something of value that will make the reader want to invest their money in your book. Now, there is a self publisher that is making it easier than ever for you to do that.

Last week, I interviewed Manfred Macx founder Jon Renaut. I was really excited to interview him. There were two reasons for my excitement: 1. Manfred Macx is a new self-publishing service that is revolutionizing the way self publishing works and 2. It is a Washington-DC based startup company. It is always refreshing to have your local startup companies doing something unexpected and innovative. I talked to Jon on the phone, and he talked about his new self-publishing service.

Shevonne Polastre: Why did you decide to start Manfred Macx?

Jon Renaut: I began a blog discussing ebooks and ebooks readers.  The more I started looking into ebooks and ebook Readers, the more I started thinking that there was more interesting opportunities than blogging about it. The model that my (self-publishing) site uses is the way that I wish my favorite authors worked. I’m kind of done reading paper books. It’s a pain to be carrying them around all the time.The last couple of books that I have read, I have read through my phone.

SP: You’re using the Kindle?

JR: No, I’m not. I have a Motorola Droid. The screen is a little small, but I have it with me all the time. If I have five minutes, here or there, I can pick up the book whenever I want to. It’s not ideal, but until there is a better technological solution, it’s working ok.

SP: Whatever works to get some reading done, right?

JR: Right.

SP: I thought the business model for Manfred Macx was interesting. Can you elaborate on that?

JR: The business model is not one of my own creation. It has been hitting the music industry first. The music industry kinda went digital a little before the publishing industry did. The publishing industry is just now getting into “What do we do now that everything is digital?” There are still lot more paper books than ebooks. Amazon’s big announcement that they are now selling more Kindle books than hardcovers. The market is moving pretty fast in that direction.

The idea is if you are going to be distributing digitally, there is no cost to you for each instance. The marginal cost for raising one more unit is zero. In a competitive market, the price goes to zero. But, you still want authors and musicians to make a living, so you have to look at “if my content is available to everyone, how do I still make money?” It’s kinda easier for (music) bands because they still have the performance. It’s how most of them make their money anyway. However, it’s pretty rare for an author to make a living doing public performances of their novels. I guess some of them could, but it’s not going to work for most of them. You have to look a little harder for things that fans would be interested in and would be willing to pay for. That’s what we’re trying to do.

The general idea is you set a goal of how much money you want to raise with your book. Then, you list whatever you want to sell. Once you reach that goal, the ebook is free to everyone. You can come to the web site and download it, or put it on a file-sharing service, like BitTorrent. Then, the author will still have the items for sale. If you see this free ebook, and you check it out and love it, you can come back to the site and support the author. I already have the ebook, but I would love to meet the author for a drink, or whatever the author is selling.

SP: Do you have an example of how Manfred Macx works?

JR: I have a book I self published, and I sold a bunch of stickers advertising the web site.  All the proceeds go to a charity I chose.

SP: So there is a way of people to set it up so the proceeds go to charity or another third-party?

JR: Yeah, sure.

SP: Will Manfred Macx be publishing paper formats as well?

JR: We will be doing paper books too since plenty of people are reading them on paper and will be for awhile, I think.

SP: Are you distributing to all the formats out there? Like Kindle, Nook, and iPad?

JR: That’s the plan. I personally prefer the .epub format because it’s open and there a lot of things that can read it. But, being a technical guy, if I have a book that is in the wrong format, I can get around that. Lots of people wouldn’t know how to convert .epub to something like the Kindle format or anything else. Yes, I would like to make the books available in as many formats as possible.

SP: There are probably lots of authors out there who aren’t the most savvy when it comes to promoting their books. Do you have an additional service that can help authors with book promotions, especially online?

JR: That’s planned. Right now, the funding is all coming from my personal savings account. I’m hoping that it can kind of build up slowly, and when Manfred Macx starts to bring in more money, we can start expanding the services.

SP: I know that you are just launching the service. Are you ready for writers to start using it?

JR: Yes, we are ready to go!

Check out Manfred Macx if you want to self publish your book today.  It is very innovative how they have taken the business model that the music industry is using and applied it to the publishing industry.

5 Google Chrome Extensions for Freelance Writers

When Google Chrome came out in 2008, I installed it on my Windows laptop, and I instantly was a believer. The front page, which shows all of your most-visited web sites was spectacular. It was quick to bring up compared to the other browsers. Last but not least, it was created using WebKit, which is what Safari, my favorite Macbook browser, was developed using. However, I couldn’t use it 100% because of two reasons: 1. Not all sites support it and 2. It had no extensions. This all changed last year when Google Chrome began supporting extensions. If you haven’t been able to install any, then you probably need to upgrade to the newest Google Chrome. The way you will know this is that the Install button on the extension page is grayed out.

This is a four-part blog series of the 20 Google Chrome extensions that you will find useful if you are a Freelance Writer.  Here are the first five Google Chrome extensions.

1. Feedly

Freelance Writers should constantly be reading the latest news and blogs.  This is a great way for getting story (or blog) ideas.  Feedly is an app that makes catching up with your feeds easy.  After installing Feedly, you should see the icon next to your Chrome’s address bar.

They recently added a way for you to know how many feeds you need to read. If you haven’t checked out Feedly, you need to. It has a way for your to share it throughout all the social networking sites (e.g. Twitter, Google Buzz, Facebook, etc.), so you are able to quickly show all of your friends.

2. Google Mail Checker Plus

Google Mail Checker Plus allows you to check your Gmail inbox.  The reason that I chose this one over the others is that it’s the only one that allows you to preview your unread email. Additionally, it has a lot of options that you can modify to fit your needs.  You can even change the icon, if you choose to.

After making the modifications that you want, any time you have an unread message, the icon will start shaking. It’s great for people who get so wrapped up in their work (me) that the only way to get their attention is to flash something over their face.

3. Evernote

When you are browsing the internet, you need to have something that will save all the clips that you collect.  This is where Evernote comes in.  It can capture anything that you want in a contained place.  This Google Chrome extension is great because you can quickly click the Evernote icon next to the address bar, and what you wanted to clip is quickly saved.

4. Aviary Web Capture

There are times when you will need to capture screenshots of certain sites.  Aviary is already a wonderful app in itself.  I wrote about it in “Aviary, a Web Alternative to Adobe Creative Suite“.  They now have a Google Chrome extension to help you capture screenshots of things you see around the webosphere.  After you press the Aviary icon, click the Capture Visible Portion of Page link.

It will open up a new window that will show what you captured. Like Fireworks and Photoshop, you are able to modify your capture by cropping, resizing, adding text, shapes, etc.

5. AddThis – Bookmark, Email, Share, Translate

AddThis allows you to share any content with over 200 social networking sites.  The ones you can access from the Google Chrome extension are the most popular ones.  If you click the More link, you will be able to access the rest.  If you are a social media lover, then you need to install this app.

Three WordPress Syntax Plugins to Show Code Snippets On Your Blog

If you are writing a blog post about coding, you sometimes have to show examples of the code, so that readers know what you are referring to. However, if you have WordPress and try to add code to a blog post, you will notice that the code you have entered disappears. You might be at a loss on what you can do to resolve this problem, and I have the answer. Here are three WordPress plugins that will allow you to add syntax without any issues:

1.WP-Syntax Plugin

WP-Syntax supports a variety of programming languages that you can display on your blog posts with ease. For example, if I am discussing how to modify something in WordPress, and I want to add a php code string, all I need to do is

If it’s another language that you want to display other than PHP, you just need to replace the name in the double quotations to the desired language. For instance, if you want XML, just change it to

To color code the code snippets so readers can differentiate between it and normal text, you can modify the WP-Syntax plugin. There is also a WP Syntax Colorizer plugin that extends the WP-Syntax plugin and makes it easier to modify the color coding. It’s very easy to use, and it changes the color of the code snippet, so it is visibly different than your normal text. Note:If you have a blog with different contributors with different user roles, you might have to install a Role Manager plugin. It might give users without Administrator privileges some issues.

2. Google Syntax Highlighter for WordPress

Google Syntax plugin works very similar to the WP-Syntax plugin. The only difference is that the syntax is slightly different. The coding works like this:

If you want to color code the snippet, then you would need to install the SyntaxHighlighter. The only thing with the Google Syntax plugin is that you might have to add Javascript, if you want some of your code snippets to be viewed properly. This is done by adding:

3.  Syntax Highlighter WordPress

As the other two plugins, the Syntax Highlighter WordPress plugin allows an easy way to highlight code snippets. It supports different programming languages that can be viewed easily on any post. The format is

Unlike the other two, the Syntax Highlighter WordPress plugin does not need any other plugins that need to be installed. You can use it on its own.

These are the three best WordPress plugins to use to show code snippets. Now you don’t have to worry about creating images or placing comment brackets around them, so they are viewed properly. Which is your favorite sytnax plugin to use?

The 30 WordPress Plugins that I Use on My Blog

Every WordPress user probably has a couple of plugins that they use to enhance their blog/site, be it on the back-end or front-end.  Here are the 30 WordPress plugins that I currently use on my blog.  Are there any that you use that I didn’t list?

1.  Akismet – Akismet is a must-have plugin if you want to have extra spam protection.

Version 2.2.6 | By Matt Mullenweg | Visit plugin site

2.  All in One SEO Pack – The All In One SEO Pack plugin is a great way to add SEO to your blog/site without having to be a SEO expert.

Version 1.6.8.1 | By Michael Torbert | Visit plugin site

3.  CommentLuv – CommentLuv provides a way for your blog commenters to show their last blog post.  I’ve talked to some people who say that this is a way to have readers leave your blog, but I think it’s a great way to help your fellow bloggers out.

Version 2.7.63 | By Andy Bailey | Visit plugin site

4.  Easy Contact – Easy Contact provides an easy way to add a comment form on your blog/site.

Version 0.1.2 β | By Scott Allan Wallick | Visit plugin site

5. FD Feedburner Plugin – The FD Feedburner plugin helps to redirect your feed to your Feedburner feed

Version 1.41 | By John Watson | Visit plugin site

6. flickrRSS – The flickrRSS plugin allows you to beautify your blog/site by adding Flickr images.

Version 5.1 | By Dave Kellam and Stefano Verna | Visit plugin site

7. Front-end Editor – I love this plugin.  The Front-end Editor lets you edit your blog posts directly on the page without having to access the WordPress admin dashboard.

Version 1.5.1 | By scribu | Visit plugin site

8.  Google Analytics for WordPress – For Google Analytics users, this plugin is a must have.

Version 3.2.4 | By Joost de Valk | Visit plugin site

9. JS-Kit Echo – I decided to use JS-Kit’s Echo commenting system after receiving no response from Disqus on issues I had after I changed domains.  I must say that I love it.  I plan on writing more about Echo in a future blog post.

Version 2.2.0 | By js-kit.com | Visit plugin site

10. MediaRSS – I use this so the image I use in my blog posts can show up on RSS readers.

Version 1.1.4 | By Andy Skelton | Visit plugin site

11. MobilePress – MobilePress is a great plugin so that your blog/site can be mobile-phone friendly.

Version 1.1 | By Aduity | Visit plugin site

12.  Most Commented – Plugin to retrieve your posts with the most comments.

Version 1.6 | By Nick Momrik | Visit plugin site

13. Official StatCounter Plugin – I have been using StatCounter for years.  This plugin allows you to enter your StatCounter information without having to mess with code.

Version 1.0 | By Aodhan Cullen | Visit plugin site

14. Recent Comments – Retrieves a list of the most recent comments.

Version 1.18 | By Nick Momrik | Visit plugin site

15. Recent Posts – Returns a list of the most recent posts.

Version 1.1.3 | By Nick Momrik | Visit plugin site

16. Redirection – Manages 301 redirects and monitors 404 errors

Version 2.1.24 | By John Godley | Visit plugin site

17. RSS Cloud – RSS Cloud plugin pings RSS Cloud servers

Version 0.4.1 | By Joseph Scott

18. SEO Friendly Images – Automatically adds alt and title attributes to all your images.

Version 2.4.4 | By Vladimir Prelovac | Visit plugin site

19. SEO Slugs – Removes common words like ‘a’, ‘the’, ‘in’ from post slugs to improve SEO.

Version 1.0 | By Andrei Mikrukov | Visit plugin site

20.  Shared Items Post – Plugin that works to show your Google Reader Shared Items.  I only use it once a month, but you can change the frequency to whatever you like.

Version 1.3.0 | By Craig Fifield, Google Tutor | Visit plugin site

21. The WordPress Bar – This plugin adds a navigation bar to external links.  Very similar to the DiggBar.

Version 0.6.2 | By Anthony Montalbano | Visit plugin site

22. TweetMeme Retweet Button – TweetMeme plugin to show your retweets and allow your readers to tweet your blog posts.

Version 1.7.2 | By TweetMeme | Visit plugin site

23. Tweet Stats – Plugin that allows you to show your most tweeted posts and your most recently tweeted posts.

Version 1.0 | By Improving The Web | Visit plugin site

24. WordPress Related Posts – Plugin that generates related posts at the bottom of each blog post.

Version 1.1.1 | By Denis | Visit plugin site

25. WP-PageNavi – Adds a more advanced paging navigation to your WordPress blog.

Version 2.50 | By Lester ‘GaMerZ’ Chan | Visit plugin site

26. WP SUP – Adds the SUP-ID HTTP header to your site’s feed and pings FriendFeed’s public SUP feed.

Version 1.1 | By Derek van Vliet | Visit plugin site

27. WP Super Cache – Helps with your blog’s caching

Version 0.9.8 | By Donncha O Caoimh | Visit plugin site

28. WP Widget Cache – Goes alongside the WP Super Cache plugin.  Helps cache the output of your blog widgets.

Version 0.25.2 | By Andrew Zhang | Visit plugin site

29.  Zemanta – Zemanta helps you find related images, links, and content without lifting a finger.

Version 0.6.3 | By Zemanta Ltd. | Visit plugin site

30. Google XML Sitemaps – Generates a XML sitemap of your blog

Version 3.2 | By Arne Brachhold | Visit plugin site