10 Tips for Effective Technical Writing

Writing doesn't have to be a stressful affair. Here are a few tips to make things easier for you.

Just the other day, I was helping out a friend put together a sales kit for potential clients.   She felt totally at a loss, since she hardly got support from her boss, who basically just asked her to pull something out of thin air by the end of the week.

As a media and marketing consultant for several clients, I’ve noticed that this is not an uncommon occurrence: junior execs suddenly being thrust into a technical writing role, and expected to deliver results.

While I have only recently hired myself out as a digital mercenary, I’ve been in the business of technical writing for almost 10 years, having done all kinds of operations manuals, sales reports, marketing presentations, concept papers and training materials.

I have to admit, I had to learn quickly on the job.  But it was a good thing, because it gave me the confidence to do what I’m doing now.  I feel that a lot of people can benefit from what I’ve learned over the years, which brings us to today’s topic.

YESPayments: For The Filipino Internet Entrepreneur

There are all kinds of internet entrepreneurs these days, particularly more so in the Philippines, where an increasing number of small business owners have been turning to the internet to reach new markets.

The more serious internet entrepreneurs must consider the next step: getting into e-commerce.  Sure, you can easily make a cost-effective website using open-source solutions.  Getting a payment gateway to handle credit cards on your site might be a but more challenging.

After all, you’d probably want a payment gateway that’s not only easy to deal with, but also has a proven track record of security and reliability.

You might want to check these guys out: YESPayments- The Payment Processing Professionals.

They’re an Internet credit card payment gateway, which means they accept credit card transactions from sponsored merchants over the Internet, and process these transactions through partner banks in Hong Kong and the Philippines.  YESPayments has an office to handle the technical interface and provide risk management information and daily reconciliation.

The company has been processing internet payments in the Philippines since 2003.  Which means this is YESPayment’s 15th year in business- a rather solid track record right there.

As far as security is concerned, YESPayments is the first Philippine Payment Gateway to pass the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) annual security Audit.  On top of that, each month, YESpayments is probed for weaknesses by an independent security company to ensure the highest protection against intrusion.

If you might need anything, they have 24/7 personal support.  They’re definitely worth checking out if your business or organization is serious doing business over the internet.  Check them out at YESPayments.com.ph.

Cheers, everyone!

10 Ways to Relax on a Rainy Day

by Renzie Baluyut

It’s the rainy season at around this time of year in the Philippines, so you can expect the usual downpour in the afternoons and early evenings.  There’d be times when it would be raining all day, and if you’re really lucky, you’ll find yourself in the path of the occasional tropical storm.

It’s that time of the year when it’s most prudent to bring an umbrella with you everywhere you go.  You take your chances if you’re planning an open-air event, and you always have to plan for contingencies when making out-of-town trips.

When I used to deal with events for the old radio station I was working for, this was the time of the year when we would plan a lot of indoor activities.  I would have a preference for events and promos involving spas, restaurants, hotels, movies and lots of shopping.  Of course, you do your best to come up with more creative executions of all kinds of below-the-line activities.

So if you’re looking for a few ways to just kick back and take it easy on a rainy day- something that doesn’t involve a PC or your workstation in any way possible- here are a few tips that might just hit the spot.

I think people should unplug every so often and read more books for a change. I know I should.

Strangely Addicted To Facebook Games Lately

When I first got into Facebook a year ago, I was simply amazed by its revolutionary design.  Unlike its more locally popular predecessors- Friendster, Multiply and MySpace, among others- Facebook had an amazing deal of customization available.  You can add whatever components you want onto your page, share pics, notes and all sorts of media, and put in all kinds of games and novelties.

The first games I remembered were those simple games- Vampires, Werewolves, or Hunters.  It was fairly interesting, but I’d have to say too simple for my tastes.  In fact, I hardly bother with most of the applications around on Facebook.  Some I’d just add for the heck of adding them, others I’d completely ignore despite dozens of invites from other friends.

I mostly use Facebook to maintain my networking efforts.  And to hook up with long-lost friends and classmates.  Definitely not to play games.

Besides, I got a whole bunch of games installed on my PC.  At least 6 or 7 at any given time.  Right now, I got World of Warcraft going on, Guild Wars, Jagged Alliance 2, Sins of a Solar Empire, Fallout 2, Star Wars: Empire At War and Marvel SuperHeroes Ultimate Alliance.

As far as playing PC games are concerned, if you want some gaming going on, then you’d better play some real good games.

Then as some of you might remember- not so long ago, if you’ve been following this blog- I got me a case of Repetitive Strain Injury.  My right hand hurt like hell- which meant having to go with just one hand- the left one- for several days.  Sure I could use a PC, as long as I could just type things up with one hand, or use the mouse with just the left hand- quite a challenge if you’re not naturally ambidextrous.

Which brings us to our topic of this post.

I first got addicted to Dungeons & Dragons: Tiny Adventures.  Heard about it on one of G4TV’s blog posts, and decided to try it out, huge D&D geek that I was.  While it was nowhere close to an actual tabletop role-playing game (yes, with dice, rulebooks and an actual Dungeon-master), it was nevertheless entertaining.  

It occured to me that, in reality, it was really more of a marketing device for the 4th edition rules than anything else.  Still, it was simple enough for me to play, even with just my left hand, and addictive enough for me to wait out the 10 or so minutes it takes in between encounters.  That, despite all the bugs and error messages they had at the time.

Heck, I even made new friends from all over the world- fellow D&D players all- just so we could buff each other whenever we were online, and then heal each other in between quests.

Then I posited: how about the other Facebook games?  Surely they must have evolved past the early days of, say, Vampires, I thought to myself.

And so here I am, spending more time on Facebook with all these games

• Crusades.  An excellent game that allows you to build and equip a medieval army.  Build up your territory to make more money to support your cause, complete quests for much-needed experience, then send out your army to do battle with other armies.  Go medieval on some other poor bloke’s ass!
• The aforementioned Dungeons & Dragons: Tiny Adventures.  I’m actually on my second character now, after having retired my Dragonborn Fighter after about a week of playing.
• Gangster Wars.  Roughly the same game mechanics as Crusades, only this time, you’re either a capo, a consigliere or a soldier in the service of The Don.  Great for anyone who’s a huge fan of The Godfather, Goodfellas or The Sopranos.
• Might of Many.  Again, roughly the same game mechanics as The Crusades, but this time you play Orcs against Humans.  You also arm your hero with weapons and armor, do quests, and develop your lands for cash.
• Elven Blood.  Same game mechanics almost, but this one almost has a storyline of sorts.  Your elven hero gains experience, gold and the occasional reward item performing quests, and you travel the land doing more quests, making yourself more kickass in the process.
• Blood Lust, Skies of Blood and City of Blood.  From the same makers of Elven Blood, using pretty much the same simple game engine, only this time you’re set in: a> a sci-fi world with vampires, cyborgs and undead (Blood Lust), b> a modern-day setting chasing terrorists in Manhattan (Skies of Blood), or c> a seedy criminal underworld where you’re working your way up to the top (City of Blood).
• Knighthood.  I like this because it seems to utilize a different set of game mechanics compared to the others.  Still trying to figure it out how to advance though.  It’s slow going without vassals or gold.

I’m trying to moderate my Facebook gaming now that I have realized I’m playing too much.  These games are getting in the way of my blogging!

So what are your favorite Facebook games?

Renzie Goes To Kawayan Cove

I just came from this most awesome place in Nasugbu, a coastal municipality in Batangas, about 2 hours south of Metro Manila.  Nasugbu is known for its white-sand beach resorts and tropical forests, which therefore makes it a fairly popular summer destination.

Kawayan Cove is an exclusive residential seaside community which covering about 68 hectares worth of prime beach-front real estate.  You have to give credit to the developers for easing in the village among the groves of trees and bamboo, making it as close to the nature as possible by working with the natural contours and landscape.

The result was simply spectacular.  You have family-friendly amenities and wide-open spaces inobtrusively tucked into lush the Batangas forest, with minimal disturbance or alteration to the topography, and a population density well lower than the typical high-end developments in the general area.

A view of Kawayan Cove from the road leading down to Bamboo Beach. Beautiful, ainnit?

Anyway, I realize I have a lot to write about this particular visit, so I hope to churn out all my posts over the weekend.  You’ll definitely be reading more from me about my visit to Kawayan Cove.  Highlights of my Kawayan Cove adventure: