Recently, when checking my Google Analytics statistics for Great Documents, I saw just how prominent MS-Windows is for a vast majority of users out there on the web. In fact, Windows was the OS for about 84% of visitors to this blog. Amazing? You bet. So what does this mean? That is something else! Yeah, I know that the Apple Mac, Linux & Apple iPhone platforms are becoming more popular, however, if you are creating a blog, rest assured that the vast majority of visitors will be “surfing in” on some kind of Microsoft Windows Operating System.

All The Best,

Keith

According to yesterday’s post at Google’s Official Gmail Blog, there have been improvements made in the Google Labs for the overall search process. The following search capabilities have been improved, and thus became worthy (as of yesterday) to headline on the Official Gmail Blog.

One. Dictionary Definitions – to help you get definitions about specific words.

Two. Spelling Corrections – we all need to have accurate spelling of words we use.

Three. Calculations – especially if you want to convert a measurement in one system to another.

Four. Local Results. Looking for a restaurant or business? Use Google Search for fast results.

Five. Weather & News. Want the latest forecast or news? Use Google Search for the latest updates.

Click here to see the entire post at Google’s Official Gmail Blog.

Enjoy

Keith

I recently “Stumbled Upon” a great typing-skills-improvement program called the Rapid Typing Tutor. This website features all sorts of cool features, from actual typing programs to tutorials and arcades. So, no matter your age or temperament, you can take advantage of this website to “tweak” and improve your keyboard and typing skills. My son, who is in high-school now, once asked me “Dad, can you please type this paper for me?” Because I know he eventually needs to master the computer keyboard I said “Nope. You are going to type this yourself.” Now I know the perfect website where he can improve his typing skills, and no longer just type with two fingers (you know, one index finger from each hand).

The most recent version of this software (to be released in about one week) will feature Rapid Typing Tutor 3.0. This next version Rapid Typing Tutor will let you edit all lessons and create and remove any lessons and sections. You can also create any number of courses (once you are a “user”). Indeed, a great web resource that anyone can bookmark and begin using.

Click here to visit the Rapid Typing Tutor website.

Many thanks to Yuri (its developer and innovator) for such a great program!

All The Best,

Keith Johnson, M.S. Education
Technical Writer & Documentation Specialist
Hallandale Beach, Florida, USA

Welcome to the third post about “How to find a job on Social Networks”, a great book written by Brad & Deb Schepp. The title of the third chapter is Build and Work Your LinkedIn Network. In the previous chapter, Brad & Deb introduced the idea of first creating a profile at a great social networking site like LinkedIn and how to work toward 100% completion of that profile. Now that one has a profile created, the next job is to start to take advantage of it (e.g. work it). Let’s look at what Brad & Deb have said.

There are two basic approaches to social networking, and you need to choose which side is best for you. First, you can “link” with as many people as possible. So, the idea is that the larger the network, the better this is for you. Conversely, the second approach is to “link” only with people who you actually know. In this case, the network has alot more meaning since you know everyone well and closely. This reveals your selective nature, so that means if someone then becomes part of your network, there is added value to you as a member.

There is a common expression in the business world: the best time to look for a job is when you don’t actually need a job. This chapter has a similar section called “Dig Your Well before You’re Thirsty.” Makes sense, right? I would have to agree. You should never do something only as a consequence of poor planning or last resorts. You should live with the awareness that any job can take a detour, and perhaps without you. So, if the plane is going down, you will at least need a parachute. This is why you need to cultivate your network. You are providing yourself with a layer of security, helping to keep you active in your field. I am sure that 90% or more of LinkedIn members feel this way.

Click here to check out LinkedIn and create a profile or improve your current profile.

LinkedIn Open Networkers (LIONs). This is a new acronym. So, essentially, a LinkedIn LION will link “literally” to anybody who requests a connection. One LION cited in the book says that “Of the 30 million people at LinkedIn I could reach out to any one of 18 million people to find a job.” Personally, I find this a bit gregarious and unrealistic, as I personally would categorize myself in the second category of people on LinkedIn. Nonetheless, as you grow your network, you will be able to let others know that you need a job, and indeed many will help you out as they are able.

The rest of the chapter presents ideas about how to grow your network using the resources of the LinkedIn website and technology. You can use tools like Search, Invitations, consider colleagues and former co-workers, former professors and students alike. The chapter finally ends by showing how one professional man used LinkedIn (e.g. worked his network) to bring an additional $500,000 (US) worth of business in the second half of 2008. Congratulations, indeed!

So, once you get your profile on LinkedIn started, you need to endeavor to bring it to 100% completion and then use the LinkedIn tools of the website to “work your network”. You will most certainly find former colleagues, student-friends, and professors on LinkedIn. People are amazing and always glad to help others, especially those they know. This is a great chapter to revisit because creating a profile is the easy part. The challenging part is to bring it to completion and then begin seeing a bit of magic take place.

All The Best,

Keith Johnson, M.S. Education
Technical Writer & Documentation Specialist
Hallandale Beach, Florida
My Profile at LinkedIn

Brad & Deb Online
Pinny Cohen Online

Recently, I was looking for a program that can seamlessly convert CHM (compiled Microsoft HTML Help) files into Word and PDF files without having to do this manually. With a little research on the Internet and after exchanging a few e-mails, I discovered a program called the ABC Amber CHM Converter, written by Mr. Yernar Shambayev (The Process Text Group). It is really cool!

All you need to do is download the trial version from the Process Text website (trial version is free for 30 days and paid version is only around 20 US dollars), and once it is running on your desktop, click on the Open button to select the CHM file you would like to convert to another format, such as PDF or Word. For example, let us imagine you want to convert a CHM file to PDF (portable data file) format. Click on this radio button in the right pane and then click the Save As button at the top of the window. You will be prompted with a dialog box where you decide the file name and then when you click the Save button, the program generates the new formatted file. It takes a few minutes and there is a GUI meter showing you the progress as the file is converted. When the file is converted, you may open it and see the final results. You should be impressed. The program does a really great job.

You will save immense amounts of time if you have CHM files and wish to convert them over to PDF or Word formats and do not want to spend all your time formatting individual pages within Microsoft Word. Believe me, that is no fun. It is better to use an automated tool like the ABC Amber CHM Converter.

Thanks, Yernar for writing such a great program

Here is the URL to Yernar’s website, called Process Text.

http://www.processtext.com

All The Best,

Keith Johnson, M.S. Education
Technical Writer & Documentation Specialist
Hallandale Beach, Florida, USA
My LinkedIn Profile
My eLance Profile
My StumbleUpon Profile

The Second Chapter of this great “how to” book is called Create your Best Profile. Some good advice indeed, especially when you consider the fact that our economy everyday is becoming more virtual. So, what this means is that the way people initially experience you and your professional presence is via the Internet.

The first major suggestion of Brad and Deb is that you not complete your LinkedIn profile down to including personal details. Keep it professional as possible. OK, if you want to share a few personal things, that seems alright. However, keep your readers’ eyes on your professional image and what you have to offer.

Regarding the photo you include with your profile, it should be “friendly and professional”, and the authors cite a good friend of theirs as an example (David Becker, p.32). This positive image will stick in your mind and when you really need someone with specific professional skills, then you will be able to remember the person at LinkedIn because the profile included both solid professional information and a quality photo.

You Need 100 Percent. As you complete a LinkedIn profile, there is a status and percentage of completion bar that appears that lets you know if your profile is really complete (according to LinkedIn standards). So, be patient, and follow the suggestions that LinkedIn sends your way. Eventually you will get to 100% profile completion status. Endeavor to get a few recommendations; try to connect with other friends and colleagues who have a profile at LinkedIn.

At the end of this chapter, the authors give an example of someone who actually got a job on LinkedIn. Office Manager Cher Lon Malik “wasn’t even looking for a job when her current job found her on LinkedIn (p. 53).” Now that is what I call great luck and great fortune! So, make sure you spend some time considering the details of this chapter because it really focuses on helping you complete your profile at LinkedIn so that you achieve not only 100% completion status, but you also truly have a profile that will encourage others to read and learn more about you.

All The Best,

Keith Johnson, M.S. Education
Technical Writer & Documentation Specialist
My Profile on LinkedIn

Brad and Deb Online
Pinny Cohen Online

According to one of my good Internet friends, Mr. Pinny Cohen, a new book has been written showing you how to find a job using social networks like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. Written by Brad and Debra Schepp, this fine book helps job seekers of all kinds in challenging times, helping them harness the power of technology and virtual collaboration. How to find a job on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and MySpace and other social networks has three objectives – it helps you reach out to potential employers in the best possible way, you learn what makes each social networking site “tick”, and finally you are given tips and tricks about the networking process in general.

This book has ten (10) chapters, so I will be dedicating one post toward each chapter for a total of ten posts about this fine book. I feel a social obligation to help others by reviewing this book and writing about it because these are difficult times for many people. There is nothing worse than having no money or no job, simply nothing worse! So, with that said, let’s take a look at this book and see what Brad and Debra have to say. We will start in this post with Chapter One: Putting the Work in Social Networking.

Initially this chapter seeks to define the social network called LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com). Brad and Debra call this site “a professional’s dream come true.” Why is this? Well, you can connect with millions of potential colleagues who come together to share their career expertise. Indeed, that is a great thing.

If you are a recent college graduate, for example, you can at least connect with former teachers and professors. So, no matter your status in the marketplace, LinkedIn can be put to work for you. Brad and Debra note for us that when you create a LinkedIn profile and then Google your name using the Google search engine, chances are, your LinkedIn profile will come up in the top search results. LinkedIn is easy to use and features “communication methods” like invitations, messages, introductions, in-mails, among others.

My good friend Pinny Cohen is featured and mentioned in Chapter One (page 22). The authors tell us about how Pinny has used LinkedIn to build his network. He has found clients in the following ways: by company type, by niche, by targeted company, introductions, answers, second contacts, profile optimization, icon display, expertise shown, and explanations (for example, Pinny says “I explain what I can offer (value wise) to someone reading my profile. So, they are thinking about how they can be helped instead of just oh, that is an interesting person.” Pinny is one of the first people featured in this book).

Each chapter ends with a section called “Looking Ahead” which gives the reader an idea about what the next chapter will cover. Indeed, this is a great way to start such a book by introducing the great social network LinkedIn. OK, Chapter One has been covered, next to be covered: Chapter Two (Create Your Best Profile).

Cheers,

Keith

Brad and Deb Online
Pinny Cohen Online

At a recent LinkedIn group discussion, the topic of “documentation checklists” was raised. Is there such a thing as a documentation checklist? Can one silver-bullet documentation checklist be drafted that will ensure successful completion of a documentation guide? Is this really necessary? Here are my thoughts on this.

Yes, you can formulate a basic list of questions that need to be raised and every documentation guide needs to try to answer these questions. Of course, every computer system, process or procedure requires a unique list of questions, but it is possible to draft such a list and make sure these ideas are addressed in the documentation.

Secondly, there must be great flexibility with documentation because no two computer systems are alike. Even within a suite like Microsoft Office or Open Office, word processing and spreadsheet programs, for example, are unique, so a common checklist will not necessarily address all the unique functionalities of each program. Each program must be considered separately.

Finally, who is the reader? Is this an internal document? Is this a document for the end-user? This matters greatly. You cannot disclose proprietary information to end-users. At the same time, not everybody in an organization is entitled to the same level of system access and disclosure. So, be wise and mindful as you write your documentation guides.

That is the best advice of all

Keith Johnson, M.S. Education
Technical Writer, Documentation Specialist
Hallandale Beach, FL, USA.

Dear Blog Subscribers & Visitors:

I have just finished composing a short free e-book called “Seven Heavens – Which Level of Success is for you?” It discusses different levels of success that I envision as attainable levels and based on my professional experiences as a Technical Writer. It’s purpose is simply to get your mind reflecting and to consider what level of success is best for you.

To get this free e-book, simply use the CONTACT FORM of this website to make your request. Also, please tell me in the contact form, in addition to your request, how this website has helped and if you have any ideas about making it better, I am all ears. Thanks a million

Have a great weekend,

Keith

According to great motivational mentors and doctors like Dr. Deepak Chopra and Dr. Wayne Dyer, charity is something we should slowly cultivate in our lives, however, it is also good to understand the different kinds of charity that actually exist. Just because somebody asks for something does not mean you should give it to them. About a month ago, my son lost his cellphone while travelling and now I feel pressure to buy him another cellphone device. Should I? Does he really need this device? Can he message with his friends simply with the Internet or do I have some sort of moral obligation as a dad to get him another device? This is the kind of question that understanding charity addresses. Such an understanding will help us better both our personal and professional lives.

The Buddha once taught that there are three basic realms of existence (just philosophically, of course): mind, speech, and body. So, the easiest form of charity, from the mind, is to nurture positive thoughts about healing, well-being, and happiness for others and in this way happiness returns to us. Secondly, we can engage our speech by actually saying kind words and words of encouragement toward others as they take on challenges in their lives. So, right from the outset, two-thirds of all charity is centered in the mind and speech with selfless and well-intentioned thoughts and words. Great, indeed.

Finally, the last form of charity involves the physical realm of people, places and things. So, of course recently, charitable organizations have been trying to raise money to help the earthquake victims of the Island Haiti where tragedy recently hit. But in addition to money, physical things like food, water and medical supplies are needed in addition to general funds. Overall, from this, you can see that it really takes all three levels working together for charity to manifest: mind, speech, and body.

Let us all endeavor in both our personal and professional lives to work with a sense of charity and collaboration so that positive energy reaches people across the globe, because the only way that humanity will pull through these difficult times is by nurturing the charitable spirit on all levels: mind, speech, and body. For those of you who receive some kind of charity from others, be grateful for what they can give you, because not everybody is in a position to give freely, as many people are struggling with different kinds of challenges and issues themselves.

Cheers,

Keith Johnson, M.S. Education
Technical Writer & Documentation Specialist
Hallandale Beach, Florida, USA
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