As a Senior Technical Writer at Genesys (formally Interactive Intelligence), I am responsible for creating and maintaining a host of technical documentation, such as online Help systems and reference guides that support the company’s contact center, unified communications, and business process automation software. To accomplish this I work closely with developers, test engineers, and product managers to get the inside details that our customers need to know to use our software effectively and efficiently.I have created documentation for both our on-premises and cloud products. For on-premises products, I create Technical Reference documentation in Microsoft Word/Adobe Acrobat and online Help in Adobe RoboHelp. For the cloud product, I create documentation in a custom version of WordPress.

Following the reorganization process that resulted after the exodus of a large client, the QA department in the Louisville Mediaocean office was eliminated. So, while I sought a new full time position, I leveraged my long standing working relationship with the editorial staff at TechRepublic and picked up extra writing projects in addition to my regular weekly column.

Mediaocean is dedicated to providing custom software designed for advertising agencies to manage their business. The Louisville office produced the AV and FP products (AdVault Media and Financials & Production), which are cloud-based applications created in RPG, Java, and HTML and are accessed via Internet Explorer and Safari.As business at the Louisville office ramped up, I was rehired as Quality Assurance Analyst. I was primarily responsible for testing the FP products but occasionally tested AV products. In addition to analyzing problems and bugs found by customers, I also evaluated and tested new and modified features. Testing consisted of creating detailed test plans and procedures and documenting all steps and problems in the Atlassian Jira issue tracking package. Testing procedures involved entering data into the system, running thru the various processes, and ensuring the expected results were output on screen or in reports. Troubleshooting data regularly required checking multiple data files on an AS/400 via MochaSoft TN5250 and researching using DBU, WRKQRY, and SQL commands. Testing procedures also required ensuring consistency of the HTML-based GUI as well as validation and certification of various browser and Java versions.

After Mediaplex Systems was acquired by MediaBank, I was laid off when the Documentation department was trimmed back during the reorganization process. Leveraging my long standing working relationship with TechRepublic, I picked up extra writing projects in addition to my regular weekly column while I sought a new position. I also did some pro bono web development work for the Gloria Dei Lutheran School & Child Care Center.

MediaBank is dedicated to providing custom software designed for advertising agencies to manage their business. The Louisville office produced the AV and FP products (AdVault Media and Financials & Production), which are cloud-based applications created in RPG, Java, and HTML and are accessed via Internet Explorer and Safari.As a Documentation Specialist, I was responsible for all documentation in support of the Broadcast media product. The main documentation was represented by an online Web-based help system that was created using Adobe RoboHelp. The help system was accessible from within the product and covered each option with step-by-step instructions, along with annotated screen shots created in TechSmith SnagIt. When new features were added to the product or existing features were modified, newsletters describing the changes were created and laid out in Word, converted to PDF using Adobe Acrobat and sent out to clients via email. For customer support training sessions, we created and produced a variety of paper products. Customized 12- and 16-page training guides were created in Word, laid out in Adobe PageMaker, printed in color on heavy stock paper, folded, and stapled. For new clients, manuals were created in Word, printed, and then bound using a comb binding machine. Also for new clients, all relevant documentation was compiled in PDF format, linked together using a menu system created with Adobe Acrobat, and then burned to CD.

Elizabethtown Community and Technical College maintains a facility on the Fort Knox military base to provide college courses to military personnel and spouses as well as local area civilians. As an extension of this facility, the Off Campus Programs office is also in charge of providing college courses at locations in five surrounding counties. I was responsible for providing technical support to students, staff, and faculty at the Fort Knox campus as well as at the outlying locations that were supported by the program. My primary responsibility at the Fort Knox campus was to maintain computers, printers and the network infrastructure in two labs used by students for classroom work and open period studying. I also maintained multimedia stations in the classrooms that were comprised of computers, projectors, sound systems, DVD players, and document cameras for use by instructors for class instruction. I assisted the office staff by maintaining equipment and automating procedures to improve efficiency. For example, I created scripts in Windows Script Host and Visual Basic for Applications that automated the extraction of pertinent registration information from GoArmyEd data files for input into ECTC PeopleSoft system, thus replacing a problematic, manual process. I also implemented an electronic bulletin board system which displayed frequently requested information on large monitors in the hallway and in the waiting area, thus reducing the amount of time staff spent answering the same questions. Other tasks included maintaining wired and wireless networking infrastructure and performing fundamental user administration tasks in coordination with IT department on main ECTC campus.

Based on my previous work as a contractor for Humana's Medicare and Claims Documentation project I was called back as a part of a three person team to write and edit documentation for the Clinical Guidance expansion project at Humana. The Clinical Guidance department worked exclusively with nurses and other medical professionals whose patients were insured by a Humana plan. This documentation consisted of talking points and procedural instructions for use by customer service representatives working in the Clinical Guidance department. Working closely with a Subject Matter Expert from the Clinical Guidance department, who was on loan with our team, we completed the project ahead of schedule.

Soon after receiving an expanded contract for managing Medicare, Humana's National Education & Policy Development department brought in a large group of contract technical writers and training professionals to create procedural documentation and training material for the Medicare and Claims Documentation project. After completing training and mastering the Information Mapping system of analyzing, organizing and presenting information, I was assigned to work with the NEPD department in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Conducting interviews and editing sessions over the phone and via email, I wrote and edited talking point scripts and procedural instructions for use by customer service representatives receiving calls concerning Medicare coverage. After working with multiple on-staff technical writers, I noticed inconsistencies in writing style, document structure, and organization that, upon further investigation, were found to be contributing to problems and confusion for representatives as they moved from document to document while answering questions. I began suggesting documentation standards and processes to improve consistency across all documents used by the representatives in the Green Bay office. After these documentation standards were recognized to be a way of improving efficiency and my work with the Green Bay office was complete, I was asked by NEPD department heads to analyze and propose a set of documentation standards for writers in the Louisville office.

After firmly establishing key contacts with several technology Web sites and recognizing technical support opportunities with local businesses, I decided to venture into the realm of working for myself as a freelance technology writer and computer consultant. Over a 4 year period I expanded my contacts and accumulated a host of satisfied customers to whom I provided scores of how-to articles, technical support, and web site development.As a freelance technology writer, I wrote a weekly column for the ZDNet Web site's Help & How-To channel and continued writing articles for Element K Journals as a contributor. I also established a close working relationship with the editorial staff at the TechRepublic Web site and began writing weekly articles for them. I later began regularly contributing articles to the PC Today and Smart Computing magazines. I also contributed articles to CMP Media's Web Review site and small independently owned site called 8Wire.As a computer consultant, I began working with a local doctor's office occasionally doing hardware and software maintenance. As the office hit a growth spurt, I was called in on a regular basis to order and setup new computers, improve backup technology, modify the medical software configuration, provide training, and expand the network infrastructure. The latter included wiring new office space, replacing network switches, adding Internet connectivity, setting up wireless network access, and establishing a network security system.As a web site developer I created Web sites for local small businesses including a real estate office, a home remodeling and construction firm, and a heating and air conditioning business. In addition to domain registration, I established hosting services, email connectivity, and then worked closely with each client to create customized multipage sites. Once the sites were up and running, I assisted in regular updates of content as well as performed other associated maintenance tasks.

Soon after ZD Journals was consolidated with ZD Education, the Louisville office was closed and the journal operation was moved to Rochester, NY, which was the home of ZD Education. At the time, I became a telecommuter and continued writing content for the various Windows journals from my home office. During the transition period I worked closely with the new management and the remaining employees to assist in the migration of the journal business to a new location, modify procedures, and get a set of new writers up to speed. I regularly traveled to the Rochester office to conduct training sessions and continued to mentor new writers via email and telephone conversations. Once things were up and running I helped launch new journal products, including Inside Microsoft Windows 98, worked on special projects with ZD Education, and continued writing how-to articles for other journals and email-based tip newsletters. During this time, I also became the ZD Journals representative on the ZDNet Web site where I wrote a regular weekly column for the Help & How-To channel. By early 2000, ZD Education was acquired by an investment company and renamed Element K. The main functions of ZD Education were the impetus for the acquisition and journal business slid into the background.

The Cobb Group was founded in 1984 by Doug Cobb soon after he became well known for writing books on using Lotus 1-2-3 and the company went on to become the world's leading publisher of software specific journals. When I joined the company, it had recently been acquired by Ziff Davis but was still being run as a separate entity with Doug at the helm. 1992-1994After going through a rigorous training program during which I was a contributing writer for a number of journals, I became the editor-in-chief of the Inside PC Tools journal and was responsible for creating all material for that journal. As I became more proficient at writing articles, I took on a second journal and over the next couple of years worked on a number different journal products, including new journal launches . 1994-1996During the Windows 95 beta program, I became heavily involved with the new operating system and developed multiple special projects that helped to put the company in a great position to launch the Inside Microsoft Windows 95 journal. I also started working closely with marketing to identify potential mailing lists and assisted in the creation of marketing material. Over the next couple of years, I continued writing the Windows 95 journal, was promoted to Senior Editor, and began mentoring new writers.1997-1998I was promoted to Product Group Manager and became the team lead for the Windows journal products where I managed a team of writers, editors, and layout artists. In this capacity, I oversaw production, monitored deadlines, developed new projects, hired and mentored new writers, and contributed articles when needed. During this time, the company became more tightly integrated with Ziff Davis and was renamed ZD Journals. After the reorganization and subsequent reshuffling, I transitioned back in to my previous position of Senior Editor and picked back up writing several of the Windows journals.

As home computing was becoming more popular, there was an increased demand for computer classes at the adult education program in Louisville. After signing on as a night class instructor, I developed course material and taught classes on using DOS, Lotus 1-2-3, and Windows 3.x.

PCM was an old-school computer magazine that served the tight-knit community of Tandy 1000 PC users and primarily published BASIC code that readers could painstakingly type into their systems to create the programs. The content also included product reviews of new Tandy computers, hardware specifically designed for Tandy computers, and, of course, commercial software that would run on Tandy computers.As the Technical Editor, my primary job was to review the BASIC code that was submitted by hobbyists hoping to have their programs published in the magazine. Once the code was verified, I'd turn the descriptions that accompanied the code into articles to be published along with the code. In addition, I edited all magazine articles for technical accuracy, answered letters to the editor, wrote a regular column and product reviews as well as articles for feature stories. PCM hosted an forum on an early online service called PC Link and my duties included monitoring the forum and hosting a monthly special that usually involved a monitored Q&A session with well known technology experts or representatives from Tandy. (Interesting fact: PC Link later became America Online a.k.a. AOL)