Samples of our work
We've been around since 2001, so we've got plenty of projects to choose from. We've divided the list below, like Gaul, into three functional areas: writing projects, codemonkey projects, and we're-just-here-to-give-advice projects. Follow the links to view actual samples or a neat write up in our blog.
Writing
We've written a lot since 2001. So far, the list includes two books (and working on a third), ghost-written chapters of another book, and lots of articles, case studies, white papers, and technical documentation. Also, lots of newsletter, blog, and direct response landing pages and email content. Topics include grid computing, PHP development, small and home business topics, computer security, and a metric ton more besides.
- Forgent. Forgent sent their software and technical manuals to India. What came back, at least on the tech doc side, was pretty mangled English. So we rewrote it all in idiomatic English, reducing the size of the book by at least a third. There's just something about being direct that makes an American reader's heart palpitate.
- Keller Williams. We maintain some of their Policy and Procedures manuals.
- Hart InterCivic. Before we started helping them with content management, we wrote a white paper for them. It was the first time we ever used our copywriting platform.
- IBM DeveloperWorks. We've written dozens of articles for IBM on all manner of topics. Check out samples here.
- TrendFund. Trendfund asked us to pen a series of direct response emails in the voice of their upstart founder. When we were done, our contact at the company said that we had nailed the voice and mannerisms to a level that was just plain scary.
- Phurnace. Phurnace graced us with the impossible deadline: in five days, edit one white paper and write a another one to demonstrate ROI. So we delivered on that deadline.
- Campus Pipeline. Campus Pipeline came to us on a Thursday and asked for a 5000-word white paper by Tuesday. Topic: content management and portals. Right up our alley. We delivered the draft on Monday night. They took it from there.
Codemonkey Work
The only way to be an effective technical writer (in the true sense of "technical") is to actually do the things you're describing. This is how we differentiate ourselves from all the other technical scribes out there--we actually write code, we know how it works, we've put it together. It's the only way we know how to explain it to someone else. Here's a brief selection of work that we've done since 2001.
- MICROSITES. Everyone wants a microsite, and for good reason: they're effective. We've built them for long-time client Streetman Homes, Hart InterCivic, and LifeSize Communications. We've also done one-time projects for SHPS and others.
- CONTENT MANAGEMENT. Wow. We have over a dozen of these projects under our belt. Why do we love to do this work? Because it allows us to engage with a customer at a level that really matters to us--we can talk about content, their publishing processes, their audience, everything. Here's a very short list of projects we've done in this area:
Hart Intercivic
Health Alliance for Austin Musicians
Streetman Homes
Texans Care For Children
Time Warner Cable Sales & Marketing
Abbott Spine (formerly Spinal Concepts) - ECOMMERCE. We've helped Communicard a lot. And retailer B. Lily. And JJ Kent (particularly their first few iterations of Italian Charms). And of course, Heromachine.com.
- Hard to Categorize (ie, Custom) Applications. We've built specialty event planning applications, calendaring applications, timesheet collection applications, custom mailing list software, lead generation tools, Google API search engines, hypersites for personalized mass mailings, and much, much more. Most of these tools take just a week or two to build--some take a lot longer, depending on the mission.
Consulting
Sometimes we're just tapped to give advice, nothing more. Essentially, we listen to an organization's ideas and then tell them how they should go about doing things. It may be as simple as saying, "You need to use x" or it may be as complicated as helping them draw up design plans for executing on an idea.
Like the time we helped TrendFund come up with a landing page tracking system for their ad buys. Or the help we give Dexma with online lead generation. Or the sounding boards we offer to Hart InterCivic, LifeSize Communications, and Streetman Homes--all companies leveraging the power of the web to stay competitive with much larger rivals.
And we can't forget one of our favorite customers, upscale dog boutique Dogologie.
Let's not forget...
We have a long history of working with ad agencies, to wit:
- GSD&M
- Delaune & Assocaties
- Makos Advertising
- FG Squared
- NION
- Yellow Fin (now Spoonbend)
We're also quite comfortable working with non-profits and universities: