Why am I publishing your article?
Every one in our field writes technical documents. It's like 20% of your job when you start out and turns into about 50% of it as you move up the IT ladder. I spend a lot of time researching fixes or solutions for problems I encounter at work. Sometimes I find part of the fix in a book and part at a few different websites and part from my own experience. Usually I have to write a "post mortem" on what I did to fix the issue.
Many times I come across technical articles and I think to myself " I could have written that" .
So I thought others must have the same experience. Why not give them a place to show there talents and help out other engineers. Since your writing tech docs anyway why not put it out there for the rest of the world to see. It's kind of your chance to "shine" and get published without having to pay for it or spend hours setting up your own site.
Here's how it works
You send an article to infoarticle@arconi.com
I review it. That includes:
- Testing the fix myself if I have the environment to do so.
- Making sure the content isn't something I have seen at 50 other websites.
- It includes your name and optionally "Bio" info (if you want that posted).
- Make sure screen shots are clear and preferably in "GIF" format.
Please read below for further details on formatting, content and such.
If the article passes the tests and I can see you put some effort into it then as soon as I can, it will get posted. When I post it I will send you an email with a link to it so you can show your friends that your an IT "Star".
Formatting
The article should be:
- Word or word pad .doc or .rtf or compatible (if it contains screenshots)
- A text file that is already spell checked and formatted; capitalization, commas, basic grammar in place.
- Screen shots need to be clear. I would prefer you send them in GIF format. I will also accept bitmaps but not large ones try to keep it under 75k if possible.
Content
The articles can be about:
- Windows Servers and Workstations
- Linux Servers and workstations
- Networking
- Storage systems (NetApp, EMC, Clarion, etc.)
- Scripting, VBscript, Winbatch, Perl, KIX, batch file
- Email systems
- Just about any type of IT infrastructure item.
The article or "fix" should not be something you can find duplicated all over the internet. Here's the philosophy; If you spend time searching for an answer to a problem and you solve it by putting together several pieces of information you couldn't find at one site or one book, that's what were looking for.
It's ok if the article is short, even one paragraph, as long as the info is valuable. If for instance you find a problem and the fix is editing the registry and you found the correct key to edit, and all that info fits into one paragraph then cool!
Look at some of the other articles out here for reference.
"Bio" information
Send what info you want posted in your bio. At the top of the article I'll list you as the author. At the bottom I will place a "bio" box with whatever you send me about yourself. But, please, keep it clean and professional.
Bio info is not mandatory but this will be like a mini resume, you can send prospective employers out here to see your work.
You should include:
- Your Name
- Your experience or Cert's if you have them
- Your area of focus
