TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Training material is often used in a sequential
fashion, as an adjunct for a tightly controlled
learning experience. User material is used as a
random access support resource for the entire,
unpredictable range of user application
experiences.
Thus, the organization of the material and the
richness of the access tools differs.
Another distinction is the experience level of the
audience. Training presumes that the reader is a
novice at the outset and informed at the end of
the training session. Training material builds on
itself, moving from basics to more advanced
concepts. Again, the sequence is important. User
material can be written for multiple audiences
(novices, informed users, experts) but each topic
must be as independent of the others as possible,
because each topic can be reached randomly. User
material can't build on itself outside of a given
topic.
Training material is written for novices and
supports their learning experience. User material
is written for all levels of experience and
supports real-world use of the product.
