You Want to Learn What?

This has been the question posed to me repeatedly while working as a technical writer, trainer, and course developer. Since graduating from college, where I learned C, C++, COBOL, and Visual Basic, software development has changed just a little bit. While I might be long out of full time college courses, I want to continue learning so that I can continue to be an asset to any company. 

I have asked for training in Flash and various programming languages and all requests have been rejected because the company-specific value-add is not apparent. Oddly enough, when an obvious need for software training has come up (client requirement) I have also never received any formal training. The approach has always been "This is what we are using - figure it out"…good thing I am a quick learner and can read a manual.

For an idea of why I think training for technical writers is required, here is a portion from the qualifications section of an active job posting for a Technical Writer:

• Minimum of 2 years experience documenting some of the following: application end-user guides, system administration guides, API guides or comparable content.
• Advanced Microsoft Office skills, especially Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Outlook. SharePoint experience a plus. 
• Demonstrated ability to write and publish documents using FrameMaker and Adobe Acrobat Professional, screen capture software; Madcap Flare experience a plus.
• Experience documenting Java, Web Services (SOAP/REST) APIs, comfortable working with code snippets and design/functional specifications a plus

While I know lots of people do not receive company-paid training, for an occupation that requires a base knowledge of technical topics as well as various documentation tools....am I the only person at a loss here?

Back to learning Python I go...

There Is a First Time For Everything

Over the past few years, I have attended the Security Bsides (3x), BlackHat USA (1), Defcon (1), InfoSec Europe (1), and RSA USA (1) conferences. I don't even know how many conferences my husband has attended…but there have been a few to say the least :)

Of all the conferences I have attended, the most enjoyable - for it's diversity, relaxed atmosphere, and openness is Security Bsides. What I love the most about Bsides is the fact that they are not only open to, but encourage new speakers to present. How awesome is that?

I decided this year to take them up on it and have had a talk accepted! While not considered technical, the topic does impact everyone in the IT sector. Here is the information on the presentation:

• Title: Never Mind Your Diet, Cut the Crap From Your Vocabulary
  
• Abstract:
  It is never too inchoate to commence elucidating your obfuscated intelligence. Have you ever really listened to yourself or read what you have written? How many words can be reworded or dropped from a sentence to make your message clearer?
  
  As a listener and reader, it is hard enough trying to remember the various InfoSec-specific acronyms without surrounding them with various $5 words and extra, fluffy crap.
  
  In this talk, I will truly show how cheap talk is by not wasting money on wordage.

While I am confident about creating a presentation and have delivered training, I am green when it comes to delivering a presentation at a conference. I am very excited about this talk...hopefully my nerves won't get the best of me. 

InfoSec Radio Challenge

Over the past few weeks I have started listening to podcasts, reading more blogs, and following more technical people and businesses on Twitter to increase my information security awareness.

While I have enjoyed the various podcasts and find the contributors fun to listen to, when there are more than 3 people multiple things happen; people start speaking over each other, each person wants to voice an opinion, and the podcast gets too long - I ultimately tune out.

While fewer people tend to keep my attention, unfortunately, I have yet to find a podcast that truly delivers what I am looking for. This might sound crazy, but I am looking for a podcast that operates kind of like a talk show - but with limited speakers and is done in 30-45 minutes.

Every podcast pretty much covers the same big news items of the previous week, but does not have anything new to add to what has already been blogged or tweeted. I want some variety - such as guest speakers, something new, or fun, random facts. 

• Guest speakers could be on to discuss their expertise in a specific field or perhaps provide a different perspective to an event from the previous week.
• The something new concept can be anything such as a challenge to listeners to create/develop something new (IT related preferably) and then have them share it on an upcoming episode.
• The facts don't have to be directly related to InfoSec and can be something simple as "On April 30th, 1803, the US doubled in size through the Louisiana Purchase, which was $15 million dollars." 

I guess what I am saying is that I want to truly learn something from a podcast. I want to finish listening to an episode yearning to tune in again. If such a podcast exists, please let me know!

How Flexible Are You?

When developing content around your security product, do you know…

• How the learners will implement your product?
• Exactly what the learners need to know to do their job?

How flexible is your training solution?

Can you easily swap content in/out to deliver customized training?

Do you have use cases for various job sectors?

Can you speak the speak of your product in the context of learner needs?

While there are various methods on how to deliver training, if you don't know your audience, the delivery method is irrelevant. When developing training, spend time planning a solution that can be easily tailored to various learners. Create stories to link content between course portions and labs so that learners have the skills and foundation to help build a complete solution with your product. Plan to constantly create new and revisit existing stories to reflect changes in job sectors.

If your training solution is developed effectively, you can easily swap use cases and alter portions of training to meet specific learner needs at a minimal development cost to you while impressing learners with customized training.

So You've Got a Thesaurus

You say bifurcate, I say split.

You say multifarious, I say diverse.

You say superannuated, I say old.

When speaking or writing, if you really want people to hear what you are saying and understand the message you are trying to convey, think about the words you use.

If listeners or readers need to take time translating your words then your message might be lost. Unfortunately, you might also make the people listening or reading feel stupid or you might come across as arrogant. You might even lose respect and credibility because people might think you are using big words to hide your lack of knowledge.

So put the thesaurus away and elucidate your obfuscated intelligence.

Governments and Corporations Need People Like You and Me

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the echo chamber and the negativity within the InfoSec community. While there are negatives to InfoSec, and the IT sector in general, the positives will always outweigh the negatives.

What makes IT stand out from other professions?

• How many job sectors depend on the IT sector?
• How many job sectors truly have a world-wide community with overall common goals?
• How many professions provide the opportunity for continual learning and improvement?
• How many professions have multiple aspects and moving parts to provide constant challenges?
• Which other job sectors offer multiple, some would say too many, gatherings in various countries throughout the year?
• How many job sectors evolve consistently enough that the political and legal sectors cannot, and probably will never be able to, keep up?

I love IT…I love how it constantly challenges me and keeps me learning…I love how many people I have met and interact with using tools created in the IT sector.

Help Me Help You

Everyone has had at least one, but typically multiple, bad experiences with technical documentation. There really is an easy way to fix bad documentation. Hire someone that has a good base technical knowledge with strong writing skills and include them in the business. The best writer has probably done more than just writing - while this maybe not reflected in a previous job title, it will be apparent in the skill set and aspects of previous job functions. You can test this knowledge by having the writer explain code, describe the product or service from a previous job, or write about a topic related to your product or service. 

If you are fortunate enough to find a strong writer with a good technical background - maximize this resource. If you really want to make you documentation stand out, include your technical writer in every single aspect of the company. The best technical writers are included in development meetings, help address support issues, assist sales and marketing with content, and develop and conduct quality reviews, product testing, and training. More importantly, the best technical writers can do all of this and speak the speak of not only the company, but the product or service being provided.

Crazy, right? The best job that I ever had had me doing support, testing, training, and writing -> I still remember aspects of this product because I was probably more involved in it than most other people in my department.