Will Kelly

Digging out from the Snow

2009-12-20T10:52:52-05:00

Will

The Tools of My Trade: 2009 Edition

2009-12-19T17:05:28-05:00

By tradition, at the end of every year, I take a look back both personally and professionally over the previous 12 months. This year—especially with 2009 being a challenging year—was no different. Part of this year’s review was taking a look at the tools I use on a daily basis to get my work done to make sure I had the right mix for productivity and hadn’t fallen into any of the latest fads or had software just idling away when I should really decommission it and streamline my workflow.

Here is a look at the tools I use on a daily basis:

Evernote. Since I work cross platform quite frequently, Evernote has become my information repository of choice. If there is a scrap of information that I know I will need to access from one of my Windows PCs, Macs or my iPhone, it typically finds it way into Evernote. Lately, I am also using it to archive some project information for easy access at a later date if needed.
Microsoft Word 2007. I spend alot of time in Microsoft Word but as the office suite grows, I find myself resolving more and more Word issues in client documents much to my disappointment.
Microsoft OneNote 20o7. My use of OneNote predates Evernote and I didn’t even consider decommissioning OneNote (especially with OneNote 2010 to launch in June 2010) when I started using Evernote. Although, I must admit that my use of OneNote has changed to it being more of a “scratch pad” or place where I formulate ideas versus just where I do straight note taking or stash research information. Once Office 2010 Web Apps and OneNote 2010 leave Beta, I can see myself revisiting my OneNote usage based on the positive experience I had with the Office 2010 Technical Preview and the Office 2010 Beta.
Microsoft Outlook 2007. Once upon a time, Outlook was the organizational nexus of my personal and professional lives but lately not so much since I spread my time across more than one PC and operating system. Outlook on my primary writing machine still serves me for email and calendaring because that is where I sync my iPhone nightly. My To Do list has migrated to my iPhone and a lot more of my calendar scheduling takes place on Google Calendar. I am still seeking a calendar sync nirvana amongst Outlook, Google Calendar, and my iPhone.
Google Docs. I use Google Docs quite frequently for drafting my WebWorkerDaily posts, personal blog posts, and for maintaining project tracking spreadsheets. While I’ve been happy to watch Google Docs and the Web Office space grow and mature, I don’t see myself becoming a full-time Web Office user until it becomes a client or project requirement.
SnagIt 9. This is an old standby for many technical writers and while I see this venerable screen capture tool bloating over time, I use SnagIt Editor quite frequently for light graphics editing.
Microsoft Visio 2007. Visio is another technical writer standard and I’ve seen the application grow and mature since I first started (Pre-Microsoft Acquisition) using it to draw diagrams for my technical documentation. While I’ve had some good luck in the past creating diagrams with OmniGraffle, Visio diagrams remain the standard.

What are your tools of the trade?

A look outside my Home Office Window

2009-12-19T13:16:19-05:00

I am catching up on some WebWorkerDaily posts and staying warm while the snow continues to come down outside.

And the snow keeps coming...

2009-12-19T11:26:08-05:00

Just heard about the blizzard warning for my area.

Latest WWD Post: Rediscovering Outlines As a Productivity Tool

2009-12-19T10:16:11-05:00

Through high school and college, I used to rail against having to use outlines because I saw them as stifling my creativity. It wasn’t until years later, as more of my own consulting work grew past just straight up technical writing of user documentation, that I rediscovered outlines as a productivity tool, enabling me to quickly make plans, organize ideas and structure information. Now I consider them an important part of my project planning arsenal.

via webworkerdaily.com

The story of "how I got my outlines back" after growing to hate them while I was in school.

My latest WWD Post: Catch Google Wave With Waveboard 2.0 For the iPhone

2009-12-19T10:12:23-05:00

I am on record as wishing that Google Wave would become part of the Google Mobile App, but until that happens there is an alternative. WaveBoard 2.0 recently went live on the App Store (iTunes link, $0.99, or a free upgrade from the previous version) and offers iPhone/iPod touch users mobile access to the service.

via webworkerdaily.com

Outside my Front Door this AM

2009-12-19T10:08:27-05:00

I am officially declaring myself snowed on today.

Snow hits my Local Area

2009-12-18T23:33:00-05:00

I am thinking this weekend is going to be all about writing, some light house projects and watching the 1st season of Magnum PI on DVD,

New WWD Post: Blogging With OneNote 2010 Beta

2009-12-16T18:54:11-05:00

Now that Microsoft Office 2010 is in beta (as I noted here), I’ve been spending more time using the applications, especially OneNote 2010 beta. I have long used OneNote for capturing project information when I am working on one of my Windows machines, but its potential as a blogging tool has been on my mind recently.

via webworkerdaily.com

New WWD Post: 4 More Tips for Using Google Wave on Your First Project

2009-12-14T19:14:50-05:00

After writing “6 Tips for Using Google Wave on Your First Project,” I’ve been learning more about Google Wave as my client and I use it for document collaboration and communication. Since I wrote the initial post, we’ve gotten a better handle on the features that are helping manage our Waves and related communications.

via webworkerdaily.com