I have kept a blog very in-frequently; but I have been doing a lot of writing. To start off this blog I wanted to cover the kind of writing I am willing to do on the web; and see if I could work that into a useful article / publication / web-log thing that would be interesting enough for others to follow.
- Email: I write a lot of email, sometimes very detailed and researched, sometimes quick (and in my limited opinion funny).
Email can occasionally be turned into a good blog post, but usually they make a good topic for an article (since you need to fill is so much context - Documentation: I have taken to writing documentation, and sending email links, rather than directly taking part in the geotools user list or udig user list.
Problem is it seems only I know what has been written, in fact the best way for me to tell if the documentation is successful is to watch what kind of questions are asked on the user list. Last year at this time all the questions were about connecting to WFS or opening a Shapefile, this year there are lots of questions about drawing maps. Looks like the documentation on working with data is starting to work...
4 comments:
Jody,
I've taken the liberty and updated your feed on the Planet OSGeo. So, now your new blog is syndicated.
I hope you don't mind :-)
Thanks muchly, I will still use the old blog (but mostly for java specific ranting), this one is obviously a bit more suitable for Planet OSGeo
This introduction to How 2 Map provides an interesting look at how technical writing can evolve from emails and documentation into useful resources for a wider developer community. The author's emphasis on documenting practical problems and observing the questions users ask shows how written technical guidance can become a valuable way of sharing knowledge.
The discussion around GeoTools, uDig, WFS, Shapefiles, and drawing maps also highlights the importance of making geographic data understandable and accessible. The focus on working with and presenting data connects naturally with Data Visualization Training, particularly where maps are used to communicate information visually.
The author's observation that documentation changed the types of questions appearing on the user list is especially interesting. It demonstrates how good technical documentation can help people understand data and solve problems independently, which also relates to Data Analysis Training when users need to work with geographic and other structured datasets.
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