# Introduction Hi, I'm Austin! I'm a technical writer, content editor, and blogger living in San Francisco, CA.

Redding, California

I serve as the Communications Chair for the [UChicago Alumni Club of the Bay Area](https://alumniandfriends.uchicago.edu/s/community?clubGroupName=Alumni+Club+of+the+Bay+Area) and recently started a [Blog](/blog/becoming-a-fledgling-technical-writer) on my website called *The Developer's Pen*. On the weekend, you'll find me at a rugby match on Treasure Island, grocery shopping at Whole Foods, or sweating it out at Barry's or Flagship in the Castro. You can contact me at `austinlai.97@gmail.com` or check out my [GitHub](https://github.com/alai97) and [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-lai/). # Portfolio I'm a technical developer advocate based in San Francisco, CA. I specialize in developer-focused documentation, particularly around observability, deployment workflows, and platform integrations. I was part of the Documentation team at Datadog, where I managed several documentation sets for digital experience monitoring (DEM), software delivery (CI/CD), and Marketplace integrations. I also contributed multiple posts to the [Datadog Engineering Blog](https://www.datadoghq.com/blog/engineering/). Earlier in my career, I was a technical writer at Cisco AppDynamics, Salesforce, and a UX content strategist at Vinebase, acquired by Corksy. In my free time, I enjoy writing, updating, and publishing posts on my blog, *The Developer's Pen.* You can explore them in the [Blog](/blog/becoming-a-fledgling-technical-writer) section. # Technical Writing Tools: Bitbucket, GitHub, GitLab, Jira, Confluence, Transifex, Hotjar, Doxygen, Metabase, Google Docs, Snagit, and Visual Studio Code. **Datadog** * Writer for Datadog's Digital Experience Monitoring ([Synthetic Monitoring](https://docs.datadoghq.com/synthetics), [Continuous Testing](https://docs.datadoghq.com/continuous_testing), and [Mobile Application Testing](https://docs.datadoghq.com/mobile_app_testing)), Software Delivery ([CI Visibility](https://docs.datadoghq.com/continuous_integration), [Test Visibility](https://docs.datadoghq.com/tests), [Code Analysis](https://docs.datadoghq.com/code_analysis/), [Quality Gates](https://docs.datadoghq.com/quality_gates/), and [DORA Metrics](https://docs.datadoghq.com/dora_metrics/)), [Cloud Cost Management](/about-me/portfolio/technical-writing), and [Datadog Marketplace](https://docs.datadoghq.com/developers/marketplace/) product offerings * Member of the Docs Style Council, where we open sourced our [Documentation Style Guide](https://github.com/Datadog/datadog-vale) and wrote a [blog post](https://www.datadoghq.com/blog/engineering/how-we-use-vale-to-improve-our-documentation-editing-process/) titled `How We Use Vale to Improve Our Documentation Editing Process` * Editor and writer for the [Datadog Engineering Blog](https://www.datadoghq.com/blog/engineering/) (see How We Use Vale to Improve Our Documentation Editing Process or some of our latest blog posts) * Analytics Ambassador for the Documentation team, hosting monthly office hours for writers who want to create dashboards in Metabase, writing internal documentation on how to customize SQL queries and add drill-down functionality to dashboards, and teaching new writers how to use data collected from their documentation sets. * Interviewer on the Hiring Committee for new writers (senior and non-senior) and engineering managers * Mentor for single sourcing, internal analytics, internal documentation, as well as a trainer for Jira, Metabase, and Confluence * (Previous) Maintainer of external SDK reference documentation such as the [Datadog Flutter Plugin](https://pub.dev/packages/datadog_flutter_plugin) and the [Datadog React Native SDK](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@datadog/mobile-react-native)

Product Landing Page Improvements

{% embed url="" %} Reorganizing RUM & Session Replay's Doc Structure RFC {% endembed %} {% embed url="" %} RUM & Session Replay Doc Set Architecture {% endembed %}

Explaining Content on the Docs Site

Q1 OKR: Getting Started with Datadog

Check out my [GitHub profile](https://github.com/alai97) to see my latest work in the Datadog Docs repo! **Cisco AppDynamics** * Lead writer for AppDynamics' [Business Performance Monitoring](https://docs.appdynamics.com/appd/22.x/latest/en/analytics), [C/C++ SDK Reference Docs](https://sdkdocs.appdynamics.com/cpp-sdk/21.3/html/), and internal documentation programs such as the AppDynamics GovAPM User Guide and Disaster Recovery Communications * Doc Services (Accessibility Lead, Doc QA Editor, User Feedback Lead) ![npm: AppDynamics Node.js Agent](https://1987128965-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-MSVa4rSUFk2NeoQaWi-%2F-MURhWuVXtlK22lWnyNH%2F-MURhdUFPAZ1dRNCDaj4%2Fnpm%20node.js%20agent%20bordered.png?alt=media\&token=e3ccce1c-7acc-4c50-ac85-a83495ff0894) ![Auto-generate SDK Documentation with Doxygen](https://1987128965-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-MSVa4rSUFk2NeoQaWi-%2F-MT2XpIw35b8asac1UE3%2F-MT2XskyULlFaid41KNq%2Fsdk%20documentation%20in%20doxygen%20bordered.png?alt=media\&token=031d724b-55f1-4a8b-83fe-9da0c296999d) ![Custom Application-Level Permissions](https://1987128965-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-MSVa4rSUFk2NeoQaWi-%2F-MSkjeRoG0C62T0FuY8o%2F-MSkkUud_HYLrXI29oe-%2FCustomize%20Permissions%20Tier%20bordered.png?alt=media\&token=d70ee095-4d67-4bfc-acb1-9451387fb001) ![Maintenance Support for Software Versions](https://1987128965-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-MSVa4rSUFk2NeoQaWi-%2F-MSiqdCG2e3DMrgBSyJi%2F-MSitd4yG5j93lnrO8LG%2Fmaintenance%20support%20for%20software%20versions%20bordered.png?alt=media\&token=b6d42a8b-7016-4775-a67b-25c64d2a9a9a) ![Support Advisory: Windows Server 2008 and R2](https://1987128965-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-MSVa4rSUFk2NeoQaWi-%2F-MSlF9Cq8FS3GyoZnbEZ%2F-MSlGuaZPy1egzRkR8ee%2Fsupport%20advisory%20bordered.png?alt=media\&token=4145389f-7f01-4d37-94cd-f1812581c058) **Cisco** * Borderless Access FAQs * Remote New Hire Onboarding Guides * Community Migration from HCL to SharePoint ![Cisco Office 365 Help Center](https://1987128965-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-MSVa4rSUFk2NeoQaWi-%2F-MSivVnPqyE532ZJfFVq%2F-MSkiNY8A0xb1Ouo29Kj%2FO365%20Help%20Center%20Look%20bordered.png?alt=media\&token=30155d1e-2056-4ddc-8ff0-290941b91bf7) {% file src="/files/-MSez9rRPSDrEzIS8Xm4" %} Using SharePoint at Cisco Quick Start Guide {% endfile %} **Salesforce** * Integrated and reviewed an Incident and Event Management playbook for Salesforce Site Reliability Engineering * Migration of 500+ knowledge base articles from Google Sites to Salesforce GUS

Knowledge Base Article in Salesforce GUS

{% file src="/files/-MSl4Ijqtj4d4nU2Jqe-" %} Site Reliability Engineering Center Brochure {% endfile %} # UX Writing Tools: Jira, Google Docs, Abstract, inVision, Sketch, Figma, Balsamiq, Excalidraw, and Whimsical. **Datadog** I audited the [Docs landing page](https://docs.datadoghq.com/) for consistency nits, published a page about my findings in Docs4Docs, and rewrote a lot of microcopy for my 2021 Docs Hackathon project. ![Docs Site Landing Page Overview](https://1987128965-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MSVa4rSUFk2NeoQaWi-%2Fuploads%2FdpMggKGsxzu0GZLjL4o6%2Fdocumentation%20landing%20page.png?alt=media\&token=923747fa-2009-40fd-8187-2ea24e82b2a4) ![Docs Landing Page After](https://1987128965-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MSVa4rSUFk2NeoQaWi-%2Fuploads%2Fb78RYwnMyyz2yBVmfnx3%2Fdocs%20landing%20page%20after.png?alt=media\&token=7e721090-98f4-4f02-954c-699016eac657) ![Docs Landing Page Before](https://1987128965-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MSVa4rSUFk2NeoQaWi-%2Fuploads%2FAePQ8JavUDvD74SJkS4K%2Fdocs%20landing%20page%20before.png?alt=media\&token=9f7163ce-93b4-4db7-9aed-09f98369dee0) For more information, check out my corresponding [pull request](https://github.com/DataDog/documentation/pull/12495) in our open source repo! **AppDynamics** {% file src="/files/QuRuQSWQgprzBDjANz1A" %} UX Writing Style Guide: Capitalization {% endfile %} ![Application Analytics Dialogue Box](https://1987128965-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-MSVa4rSUFk2NeoQaWi-%2F-MSiP4e9wqL829Wz7p3B%2F-MSipunkfJXtDXO9Yv3f%2Fwhat's%20new%20in%20analytics%20popup%20bordered.png?alt=media\&token=316e8be6-1074-4d98-9549-8b5718f2633b) ![UI Copy Bug Ticket](https://1987128965-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-MSVa4rSUFk2NeoQaWi-%2F-MSktr_Yd6FMYRAFJFyB%2F-MSkytnRhWBXslm9ipjO%2FUI%20Engineering%20Bugs%20bordered.png?alt=media\&token=0c7ed562-e593-4c1b-a541-900cc4a42d35) **Vinebase** {% embed url="" %} Vinebase Voice and Tone Style Guide {% endembed %} ![Vinebase Checkout UX Feedback](https://1987128965-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-MSVa4rSUFk2NeoQaWi-%2F-MSl8OXp-UyRvnFDOe1b%2F-MSlBwS9YERGD1KzU5Bz%2FVinebase%20Order%20Complete%20Feedback.png?alt=media\&token=66bc2c9d-11ca-4c11-b109-128e1ad1c44f) ![Initial User Gate Mockup](https://1987128965-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-MSVa4rSUFk2NeoQaWi-%2F-MSkjeRoG0C62T0FuY8o%2F-MSkm8ifcb9mrPqgY07k%2FNew%20User%20Gate%20Screen%20Edit%201%20bordered.png?alt=media\&token=8aa43c6a-9644-45f8-a2be-6a6556b461bd) {% hint style="info" %} **New User Gate Brainstorm** I designed the initial mockup and wrote the popover copy for the New User Gate. The user gate is the first screen that a new user sees when they visit Vinebase. It's important that we communicate our company mantra, validate the user's age (21 years old or older), and verify the user's shipping location (Vinebase currently only ships to California). {% endhint %} ![User Gate: Age Denied](https://1987128965-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-MSVa4rSUFk2NeoQaWi-%2F-MSkjeRoG0C62T0FuY8o%2F-MSkmFySOEyUIDQqjmiw%2FNew%20User%20Gate%20Screen%20Edit%202%20bordered.png?alt=media\&token=f67eb8c8-9612-49b9-aab7-0e362f544607) {% hint style="danger" %} **New User Gate Age Verification** I designed this mockup and wrote the microcopy for this error message. If a potential user under 21 years of age visits Vinebase, they are not legally allowed to buy alcohol. {% endhint %} ![User Gate: Shipping Location Unavailable](https://1987128965-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-MSVa4rSUFk2NeoQaWi-%2F-MSkjeRoG0C62T0FuY8o%2F-MSkmhu6GzXh6fIFD5ML%2FNew%20User%20Gate%20Screen%20Edit%204%20bordered.png?alt=media\&token=19b4b333-cea6-4ae6-97a0-f8dc7fdc6265) {% hint style="warning" %} **New User Gate Shipping Location** I designed this mockup and wrote the microcopy for this error message. If a potential user outside of California visits Vinebase, Vinebase is unable to process their orders (until domestic shipping becomes available). {% endhint %} ![New User Gate](https://1987128965-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-MSVa4rSUFk2NeoQaWi-%2F-MSkjeRoG0C62T0FuY8o%2F-MSko_uMkfmckqeA_K_G%2Fvinebase%20user%20gate%20bordered.png?alt=media\&token=2a2fcd24-246a-4540-8d21-86f708f56cc3) {% hint style="success" %} **Official New User Gate** After reviewing the mockups with Product Design and Engineering, we designed a clean, colorful dialogue box to verify a new user's shipping location and age. {% endhint %} **Cisco** ![Borderless Access Error Message](https://1987128965-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-MSVa4rSUFk2NeoQaWi-%2F-MSkiitdVdsAgU_pEESO%2F-MSkjX0e4nCeTJJFAd6M%2FAccess%20Denied%20Error.png?alt=media\&token=3fe83558-43dd-44fa-9c08-8b8574736a21) ![Cisco API Console](https://1987128965-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-MSVa4rSUFk2NeoQaWi-%2F-MSkjeRoG0C62T0FuY8o%2F-MSklWchVgeHjBX-ojRM%2FCisco%20API%20Console%20After%20bordered.png?alt=media\&token=9cbf01d5-0e20-4c9c-9479-186f6748f757) **UChicago Admissions** ![Uncommon Blog Wireframe](https://1987128965-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-MSVa4rSUFk2NeoQaWi-%2F-MSf0OoxNARXIzRDSr6M%2F-MSfpoGnF1JCIlXQZnl3%2Fimage.png?alt=media\&token=bac2951a-835c-4f15-8781-152d74b57229) ![Admitted Students Portal Wireframe](https://1987128965-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-MSVa4rSUFk2NeoQaWi-%2F-MSexx3ww6yPjIqTdOuD%2F-MSf-viyzPZZ8VgQprV7%2Fimage.png?alt=media\&token=a825c4b6-f940-4aec-a58e-b2256b97d322) **Application Development** ![Bathrooms of UChicago Wireframe](https://1987128965-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-MSVa4rSUFk2NeoQaWi-%2F-MSu6GZXdXQdD9wk0-aw%2F-MSu7RcTNsdjReicmcBV%2FBathrooms%20of%20UChicago.png?alt=media\&token=a8754c59-0182-4f80-8e4c-06ebb4d16de7) # Email Communications Tools: Oracle Eloqua, Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Salesforce Email Studio, Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and Quip. **UChicago Bay Area Alumni** * Manage a team of contributing writers on a bi-weekly email newsletter cadence with over 1,500 alumni across the Bay Area. * Edit draft newsletter submissions, format the newsletter layout, and design call-to-actions (CTAs). * Collaborate with the Chicago Booth Alumni Club of the San Francisco Bay Area Communications Chair on upcoming events, news, and announcements for UChicago alumni. * Document processes/policies for the newsletter program in a shared Google Drive folder, maintain the newsletter's Google Calendar, and respond to event requests in the #[newsletter](https://uofcbayareaalumniclub.slack.com/archives/C01TPTC7NP7) Slack channel.

Email Newsletter From June 2023

Email Newsletter Policies

**Vinebase** {% embed url="" %} Vinebase Email Communications Style Guide {% endembed %} **Cisco** ![SharePoint Site Request Approved](https://1987128965-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-MSVa4rSUFk2NeoQaWi-%2F-MSu7yGxKXa1FgquadBJ%2F-MSuHlYIgAlWgySGJCPW%2FSharePoint%20Provisioning%20Email%20Accepted.png?alt=media\&token=a869503d-534f-4b7d-9170-be2179302554) ![SharePoint Site Request Denied](https://1987128965-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-MSVa4rSUFk2NeoQaWi-%2F-MSu7yGxKXa1FgquadBJ%2F-MSuHiUf2eHEZfoeTYVw%2FSharePoint%20Provisioning%20Email%20Rejected.png?alt=media\&token=3309d462-e7fd-4191-97b9-ee3529879238) ![SharePoint Site Request More Information Required](https://1987128965-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-MSVa4rSUFk2NeoQaWi-%2F-MSu7yGxKXa1FgquadBJ%2F-MSuHoBJkpN34V64SAmj%2FSharePoint%20Provisioning%20Email%20Revision.png?alt=media\&token=4a86bd32-c36e-4c0c-9a04-d0d5f9023b57) **Salesforce** {% file src="/files/-MSl5Ygbdb1qaCT3\_pSN" %} Site Reliability Engineering Newsletter {% endfile %} # Content Strategy Tools: Confluence, Particle, Google Docs, and Google Sheets. **AppDynamics** * Resolving broken URLs and redirect links in Confluence. Because version control is not publically available on Confluence, our doc solution is to create new doc spaces for each major product release (for example, Controller 4.5, Controller 20.x, and Controller 21.x). \ \ With multiple doc spaces, redirect links and linking to versioned docs can be tricky (such as PRO21 links linking to PRO21, not PRO45). In my content strategy plan, I captured **Incoming Links** and **Outgoing Links** in Confluence and fixed links that were not compatible to the space version. * Auditing alternative text in Confluence. Our doc set contains over 1,000 pages with screenshots and diagrams. As part of my accessibility OKR, I audited alt text and documented best practices for writing alternative text. ![Writing Alternative Text Best Practices](https://1987128965-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-MSVa4rSUFk2NeoQaWi-%2F-MXJC_AT2V82bZrwVsGM%2F-MXJJG3vewgzZgoSMiTJ%2FAlt%20Text%20Screenshot%201.png?alt=media\&token=86c5edd0-24a0-41a9-b4ef-1bf4265ae1b5) # User Research Tools: Qualtrics, Verint, Webex Meetings, Hotjar, Google Docs, and Google Slides. **AppDynamics** ![Custom HTML Surveys in Confluence](https://1987128965-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-MSVa4rSUFk2NeoQaWi-%2F-MSnw2SQqrmrS4kiMdgZ%2F-MSu5K6-kRIUz9bU9Eu6%2Fqualtrics%20doc%20survey%20bordered.png?alt=media\&token=f0f03b54-2886-4cc5-9132-4e4a65664327) ![Custom HTML Surveys Instructions](https://1987128965-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-MSVa4rSUFk2NeoQaWi-%2F-MSnw2SQqrmrS4kiMdgZ%2F-MSu62-VAJcH-WTR-2My%2Fqualtrics%20survey%20doc%20bordered.png?alt=media\&token=b97d50f3-efb7-414b-a165-17b065817f4c) **Cisco** * At Cisco, I observed and transcribed user feedback sessions (group, 1/1, usability testing) for several IT services. # Copywriting Tools: Grammarly, Microsoft Word, and Google Docs. **Vinebase** ![Vinebase About Us Page](https://1987128965-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-MSVa4rSUFk2NeoQaWi-%2F-MSl8OXp-UyRvnFDOe1b%2F-MSlAhEt3F2pQb-XNrCH%2FVinebase%20About%20Us%20Final%20bordered.png?alt=media\&token=87a020c2-4051-47b3-aff5-98e4ae0e9b12) **Uncommon Blog** {% embed url="" %} {% embed url="" %} Adulting in College Series {% endembed %} **The Chicago Maroon** {% embed url="" %} Restaurant Critique {% endembed %} # Portfolio Updates ## 7.0.0 - April 18, 2025 ### Changes * Updated the [Portfolio](/about-me/portfolio) page. ## 6.0.0 - May 13, 2024 ### Changes * In a turn of events, I've decided to start blogging on my website! My first blog post is live. To learn more, read [Becoming a Fledgling Technical Writer](https://www.austin-lai.com/blog/becoming-a-fledgling-technical-writer). ## 5.0.0 - April 12, 2024 ### Changes * It's been a while, but we're back. Updated the [Technical Writing article](https://www.austin-lai.com/about-me/portfolio/technical-writing) to include up-to-date information about what I've been working on and some examples. * Looking forward to hosting a walking tour tomorrow. It may rain a lot in the morning, so we're hoping that it stops before we start the guided tour. ## 4.0.0 - August 18, 2023 ### Changes * Added an updated version of my resume. * Added a visual of a biweekly alumni newsletter. * Time flies! So much has happened since 2022. ## 3.0.8 - October 7, 2022 ### Changes * Added a visual demonstration of #[15495](https://github.com/DataDog/documentation/pull/15495) in my portfolio. * It's October 7th, wow. There's some new changes and new energy which I vibe with. I'm also baking a lasagna tonight. ## 3.0.7 - September 14, 2022 ### Changes * Updated the images in my portfolio. * I can't wait to go to LA and Vegas at the end of the month. ## 3.0.6 - September 12, 2022 ### Changes * Added more links to my work samples and refreshed my job description. * I spent the weekend in Walnut Creek which was a nice change of pace from the city! ## 3.0.5 - July 29, 2022 ### Changes * Updated my work description on the Portfolio page. Time really flies by! ## 3.0.4 - July 13, 2022 ### Changes * It's almost my birthday! I'm taking some time off to work on my personal stuff and make two birthday cakes. No pressure. * I finally decided to connect my domain to this website after three years of paying for it. This was surprisingly easy, thanks Gitbook:tada: ## 3.0.3 - June 17, 2022 ### Changes * Boy, does time fly. I included Error Tracking to the list of products I support. * Just wrapped up our Q2 Docs Hackathon—I played around with site partials for the device tile selector in the RUM [product landing page](https://docs.datadoghq.com/real_user_monitoring/#get-started) and revamped the index page for Synthetics [Guides](https://docs.datadoghq.com/synthetics/guide/). * I visited New York for a week and thoroughly enjoyed it! ## 3.0.2.5 - March 30, 2022 ### Changes * I adopted a 1.5 year old Jindo dog from South Korea today! ## 3.0.2 - February 20, 2022 ### Changes * I updated the Technical Writing and UX Writing pages with more recent work experience. * I've taken several workshops about Metabase as part of this Analytics Academy program and have successfully passed some quizzes! * I went to the office for the first time in two years and I felt so dehydrated from drinking Perrier all day. There was bottled water in the fridge but I just wasn't feeling it, you know? * I got AYCE Korean BBQ and saw Kacey Musgraves, MUNA, and King Princess this weekend at the Oakland Arena! ## 3.0.1 - February 13, 2022 ### Changes * Uploaded an updated version of my resume. * The cherry trees blossomed for a week and now they're gone! Nature is wild. * Updated the UX Writing page with relevant content from my [2021 Docs Hackathon](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/austin-lai_datadog-docs-activity-6877298969177931776-bVcv). ## 2.0.1 - October 6, 2021 ### Changes * Updated my portfolio after a six months break. ## 1.0.5 - April 30, 2021 ### **Changes** * Added C/C++ SDK reference documentation link. * Updated the Email Communications page with relevant communications experiences. ## 1.0.5 - April 1, 2021 ### **Changes** * Roses are blooming outside my window in my neighbor's garden. * Updated the Content Strategy page with relevant content strategy experiences. ## 1.0.4 - February 8, 2021 ### **Changes** * Woke up this morning to the smell of pollen and my nose immediately started running. * Updated the Remote Onboarding page with relevant technical writing experiences. ## 1.0.3 - February 5, 2021 ### **Changes** * Breathed in gratitude and exhaled doubt. * Added style guides to the UX Writing page and updated this changelog. ## 1.0.2 - February 4, 2021 ### Changes * Updated the UX Writing page with images, files, and hints. * Updated the Introduction page to include my favorite candle and bookstore in San Francisco. * Incorporated a little bit more personality and flavor to my writing. I plan on adding food content soon. ## 1.0.1 - February 3, 2021 ### Changes * Added colors and images in several pages. * Created a table in the Portfolio page. ## 1.0.0 - February 1, 2021 ### Changes * Added an introduction page and forked the Gitbook repository from GitHub. * Created basic tabs under the Portfolio section and updated the Introduction. * Integrated Gitbook with GitHub and successfully merged my first edit. # Consistency Editing **Datadog** * I review people's documentation changes in Markdown files and commit copy suggestions to their PRs in GitHub. * I helped open source the [Documentation team's style guide](https://github.com/DataDog/datadog-vale/) and published a [blog post](https://www.datadoghq.com/blog/engineering/how-we-use-vale-to-improve-our-documentation-editing-process/) on the Datadog Engineering Blog. **AppDynamics** * I lead Doc QA for major product version releases every six weeks. I reviewed release notes, resolved issues, and new feature documentation before GA. * I collaborated with the Doc Editor on a checklist to proofread documentation according to the Documentation Style Guide. ![Writing Alternative Text](https://1987128965-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-MSVa4rSUFk2NeoQaWi-%2F-MZYG8NMOvCG_0r2vqva%2F-MZYZkHjarqdc0QpIhnU%2Fwriting%20alternative%20text.png?alt=media\&token=f8da86e2-9dbc-49a2-91a7-e9c1f8d61dd2) ![Peer Review Checklist](https://1987128965-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-MSVa4rSUFk2NeoQaWi-%2F-MT3ENo9OgH40wtRL7dy%2F-MTHSeQAen_v4G7Wtfkb%2Fpeer%20review%20checklist%20bordered.png?alt=media\&token=6fe9460a-e8ca-472a-907b-32ce5e8eabd0) # Remote Onboarding #### Datadog **2021** I joined the Documentation team in May 2021. I shadowed and reverse-shadowed the Docs On Call rotation program where you are the Documentation Liaison on Slack and PR Reviewer on GitHub for three days in a month. In January, our team migrated our internal documentation from our external GitHub wiki to our Confluence space, Docs for Docs. Since then, two new members have joined the Documentation team in November 2021, and I have contributed to existing pages (such as Writing Style) and authored new pages (such as Troubleshooting Local Doc Build and onboarding documentation). * I document tribal knowledge and explain internal processes of the Documentation team. **AppDynamics** #### 2020 My first day at Cisco AppDynamics was March 23, the week San Francisco went on lockdown. I was the first technical writer in the Information Development team to onboard remotely and luckily, I had my computer and phone already configured with Cisco identity and device management services. I set up weekly check-ins with my manager and technical writing mentor, who walked me through the New Writer's Checklist, trainings, and my first major product release! * I formatted the New Writer's Checklist into an actual checklist with macros in Confluence, updated the content to reflect a work-from-home onboarding experience, and fixed broken images/links. * I conducted a consistency review across several doc sets with a checklist of topics from the Docs Style Guide and piloted a peer review process per product release. * I published release notes, updated product documentation, and closed out release tickets in July! Since two new hires on the Information Development team started in November 2020, I have been mentoring these individuals by scheduling weekly check-ins, troubleshooting questions about the New Writer's Checklist, and hosting trainings on Confluence, Jira, Snagit, Outlook, and Zendesk. * I write documentation plans and transition docs for new writers. * I guide new writers through release notes and resolved issues. ![Application Analytics Transition Plan](https://1987128965-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-MSVa4rSUFk2NeoQaWi-%2F-MT2gumSs43FeKgJ373P%2F-MT39knnMEa55T60CX5a%2Ftransition%20plan%20bordered.png?alt=media\&token=5f7cfd8e-3a92-4302-a392-b90a3d9665fe) **Cisco** #### **2019** At Cisco, I was the sole member of the Digital Workplace Transformation team working in San Jose and the rest of my team was spread across New Mexico, San Diego, and RTP. My team worked cross-functionally with security engineers and change managers in London, Australia, and Tel Aviv, and I’m grateful that my morning calls were never too early for me in California (7:30 AM at the earliest). I learned to be patient, document everything, and proactively communicate to ensure that my stakeholders were all in sync. I was mentored by two User Experience Researchers who introduced me to the world of user experience design, writing, and copy. * I wrote onboarding guides, email communications, and laptop provisioning instructions for new hires. * I provided UX copy feedback on screen mockups, landing pages, and design prototypes. * I transcribed group interviews, prepared research presentations, and designed surveys in Verint. # Becoming a Fledgling Technical Writer Read about the essentials of launching your career in technical writing—as a student, career changer, or a professional looking to specialize.

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Whether you're starting out your professional career in the technology industry or looking to pivot from a related field (such as technical solutions, legal/business writing, or technical content writing), understanding the role of a technical writer and the pathways to a career in technical writing is important. This blog post outlines what a technical writer does daily, presents potential internship projects, and offers guidance on finding opportunities to kickstart your career in technical writing. ### What does technical writing look like in a medium or large-sized engineering organization? In a large-scale tech company, a technical writer often collaborates within a documentation team that consists of other writers, each specializing in different facets of a company’s suite of products. Your day might include: * Brainstorming and proposing strategies to improve the information architecture across multiple documentation sets on the documentation site. * Managing content through sophisticated version control systems, reviewing substantial pull requests, and resolving complex translation conflicts by using source control tools like Git and translation services like Transifex. * Working on cross-team projects with teams like Websites, Product Management, and Engineering to ensure documentation is available for product announcements and rollouts. * Helping documentation teams address documentation debt, which can be a symptom of hypergrowth (e.g. a software company doubles in size over 1-2 years). By neglecting documentation needs as a way of saving money, time, and/or labor, software companies may appear "agile" on the outside, but these organizations face expensive consequences in the long run when every customer requires a Sales Engineer or creates a Support ticket just to onboard onto a product offering. ### What kind of technical writing opportunities are available for me in these organizations? Internships at these sizable organizations are structured to provide a comprehensive view of the documentation process at scale. Interns might be tasked with developing and releasing customer-facing documentation such as: * Writing software product documentation (including developer docs, API docs, translation, and contextual help) or getting started tutorials for new features. * Participating in large-scale audits of legacy documentation to align with current product offerings and style guidelines. * Working with content designers to standardize, test, and wordsmith in-app copy to provide an optimal user experience. * Collaborating with engineers on authoring and editing content for internal and external Engineering Blog posts. * Piloting and executing internal newsletters/email communications about monthly wins and delivery of an organization's Objectives and Key Results (OKRs). * Contributing to or consolidating knowledge base articles into a single source of truth that supports teams worldwide. For example, I was an intern at Salesforce for two summers in my undergraduate career. In my first summer, I migrated over 500 knowledge base articles from a legacy Google Site, which we deprecated, into an incident and event management playbook for site reliability engineers (SREs) in Confluence. In my second summer, I associated these knowledge base articles with real time alerts in the Salesforce platform so that when an SRE gets paged about an alert, they are provided with a knowledge base article with information about the particular alert and troubleshooting instructions to initiate the incident management process. ### How do I start looking for internship opportunities like these? When you’re looking for a summer internship or a co-op program at a medium or large-sized company, it’s important to be vigilant and proactive with their career websites: 1. Regularly Check Career Sites: Medium to large-sized companies often update their job boards with internship opportunities regularly. Bookmark the careers pages of companies like Salesforce or Meta and set biweekly reminders in your calendar to check them. 2. Apply Promptly: Once internships are posted, recruiters are often bombarded with a queue of resumes (we’re talking like over 100 applicants in the first hour of the job posting). Aim to submit your application within 2-3 days of the listing going live. Delaying your application can mean missing out on the opportunity. 3. Prepare Thoroughly: Given the competitive nature of these positions, ensure your resume, cover letters, and any required samples are polished and tailored to the specific role and company culture. Highlight experiences that demonstrate your ability to work with people, write well, and complete projects in a timely manner. ### What's next Securing a position as a technical writer in a medium to large-sized tech company offers unique challenges and rewards. With large teams and substantial resources, these roles provide an opportunity to significantly impact how users interact with technology. By understanding the scope of the role, staying diligent in your job search (whether it’s in technical writing or another opportunity), and applying swiftly, you can position yourself as a strong candidate ready to gain professional experience in a medium or large-sized company. # A Call For Simplifying Single Sourcing in Product Documentation Discover how simplifying single sourcing in your product documentation can save time, reduce complexity, and improve collaboration across teams.

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[Single sourcing](https://www.madcapsoftware.com/blog/guest-post-justifying-single-sourcing/) sounds like the holy grail of product documentation, right? A single source of truth, reduced maintenance headaches, and streamlined content updates across statically generated sites and content management platforms (CMS). It works in theory, but in practice, it’s often more complicated than it seems. If you’ve ever tried to single-source product documentation, especially across multiple SDKs and repositories, you’ve probably encountered more headaches than you'd expect. Sometimes, it's not the effortless solution we hope for, but actually a series of challenges that make us question whether it's worth the effort. To better understand the challenges and nuances of single sourcing, it’s helpful to first look at the[ definition of single-source publishing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single-source_publishing). Essentially, single sourcing involves maintaining content in one place and then distributing or referencing it across various locations or systems. For example, in the Datadog documentation, we use a `pull_config.yaml`[file](https://github.com/DataDog/documentation/blob/master/local/bin/py/build/configurations/pull_config.yaml) to pull in specific files from external repositories, like the one below, to sync our documentation across systems: ```yaml - repo_name: synthetics-test-automation-bitrise-step-upload-application contents: - action: pull-and-push-file branch: main globs: - 'README.md' options: dest_path: '/continuous_testing/cicd_integrations/' file_name: 'bitrise_upload.md' front_matters: dependencies: ["https://github.com/DataDog/synthetics-test-automation-bitrise-step-upload-application/blob/main/README.md"] title: Continuous Testing and Bitrise ``` In this case, we single-source a lot of CI/CD provider README files for our [Continuous Testing documentation](https://docs.datadoghq.com/continuous_testing/cicd_integrations/#integrations), including tools like the following: * Azure DevOps Extension * CircleCI Orb * GitHub Actions * GitLab * Jenkins * Bitrise (Upload Application) * Bitrise (Run Tests) By referencing external files like this, we ensure that we always pull in the most up-to-date information without having to manually copy and paste content from these repositories. However, as convenient as this can be, it introduces complexity and makes things fragile. Every time a file changes, it can break our docs build system—especially when something as simple as a link format is off, an anchor is incorrectly referenced, or a file isn’t synced properly. This is just one example of why we’ve had to reconsider our approach to single sourcing. Let me walk you through my journey with single sourcing, and how I learned the hard way that it’s not always the best solution for scaling documentation.