Samples

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This page presents some sample of my work.

 

The samples are listed as links with arrowhead bullets (hmtoggle_arrow0). Pressing a link drop-down-opens an overview of that sample with a thumbnail image of it. (JavaScript must be turned on for the toggles to be operational. If JavaScript is turned off, the toggles are automatically displayed in their expanded state.) You can view/download the full sample by either pressing its thumbnail image or by using the link provided beneath the explanatory text. (The full samples always open/download in a new browser window.)

 

All mentioned products are or may be trademarked by their respective owners.

 

Software Manuals for General Business Users

 

View BudgetPro User ManualClick to view in a new browser window

This is a "how-to" manual for a software for budgeting and financial forecasting of commercial properties. I created the manual when I worked for Brolin Corporation. It was used by CB Richard Ellis - the world's largest real-estate agency. I also designed Brolin's logo (you can see it at the top-right corner of the book cover).

 

This manual is rather special to me because it was the first complete manual I created "from scratch". (Please note that the samples are listed on this page alphabetically and not chronologically. It was thus a pure coincidence that this earliest manual appeared first in order.J) It demonstrates my ability to rapidly grasp the specifics of a completely new sphere with little or no assistance at all (All subject matter experts for the company were, as one can expect, based overseas.).

 

View Insider Quick Style GuideClick to view in a new browser window

A tutorial-style guide to a CRM/office management suite developed by IRM. This guide was specially designed to flatten the user's learning curve so that completely non-technical users (small business owners, managers, marketers) can have a head-start with the system and put it to use in their real-life business operations from the first day of its use (And this includes server installation, too.).

 

This guide dubs as an evaluation guide for the trial version of the product, so there were some other considerations that affected its writing, including a marketing angle. I designed the book cover as well, in a style that matched the style of the product web site. (See also the recommendation I received for this manual by Gabor Takacz.)

 

View KORVUE Bookings Quick Reference GuideClick to view in a new browser window

This is a custom guide created for one of the Verasoft's clients (Juut) who had adopted a highly customized version of the KORVUE enterprise system (Verasoft's beauty salon software). The purpose of this guide was to serve as a desktop reference for Juut's front-desk personnel (phone reps, receptionists) with quick reference points for the most common appointment booking scenarios in their everyday work. Because this was a reference guide, I deliberately kept the steps explaining the procedures as brief as possible and provided ample illustrations.

 

The main challenge here was to to present complex and inherently non-linear procedures (multiple starting points per procedure, nested procedures, context-dependency, etc.) in a straight-forward linear fashion. I solved the issue by making the content as modular as possible and by employing information-mapping techniques. As a result, new team members that have not received any prior training were able to successfully perform their duties using this reference guide on the job.

 

Click to view full-size image (opens in a new browser window)Click to show/hide details

This is a book I wrote for Wiley Publishing's "For Dummies" series. Being chosen to author the book over Wiley's staff writers was a recognition of my ability to present complex technical subject matter in concise, easy to understand form using layman language.

 

As the "Dummies" series prove, technical writing does not necessarily have to make a boring read. Written in the typical for the "Dummies" series light-hearted style, this book delivers the technical information in a lively manner and conversational tone. Another challenge that might not be so obvious was that, for this writing, I was obliged to follow strict requirements from the publisher, like style requisites, writing guidelines, and work-flow procedures, a condition which I successfully managed to comply with.

 

Note that, as per publisher's request, the book was targeted solely at the North American audience and, for this reason, the language was Americanized and "colloquialized" to a point at which readers outside US and Canada were starting to find it a bit of a challenge to read.

 

Due to a legally binding contract, I cannot submit an online copy of the book, but I can bring along a paper copy if you care to meet me.

 

View MCS User ManualClick to view in a new browser window

The user manual for MCS, a powerful software package for commercial real estate management developed by Brolin Corporation. The software was custom-designed to meet the specific needs of Brolin's largest client CB Richard Ellis - the global leader in real estate services. MCS is a complete client-server system managing a huge real-estate database with full-fledged CRM capabilities and serving as a prognostic, research, and analysis tool for the real estate market.

 

In spite of the highly sophisticated and specialized nature of CB's activities, its company policy was, in order to cut costs, to hire unskilled personnel for the system's operators' positions and to replace them frequently. This posed quite a challenge from the technical writer's perspective because the operators had to be able to use the system successfully without getting into the intrinsics of the real estate market/management or the software itself.

 

 

 

Software Documentation for IT Professionals (system administrators, integrators, developers)

(For system administrators, see also the Hardware Manuals section; for developers, see also SDK Documentation.)

 

Authentication Solutions

View M-Pin Core Server DocumentationClick to view in a new browser window

M-Pin Core Server is an authentication server which provides distributed trust, zero-password secure authentication on any website, by integrating the client organization's system through an API.

 

This user documentation library has been created out of the developers' internal documentation. The intended readership are system integrators and administrators.

 

View M-Pin SSO Server DocumentationClick to view in a new browser window

M-Pin SSO Server, built as an extension to the M-Pin Core Server, delivers federated two-factor authentication to SAML 2.0 and RADIUS enabled applications at telco scale. It enables strong authentication federation to hundreds of on-premise and SaaS applications.

 

This user documentation library has been created from scratch and with no written specs entirely the active live collaboration with the development team. The content is targeted at system administrators.

 

 

Databases

View CMS User ManualClick to view in a new browser window

This manual describes B2Biscom's Catalog Management System (CMS) and its user interface.The manual is targeted at all CMS's end-users (operators, administrators, security managers) and and as such is somewhat on the middle ground between a general business user manual and a document for strictly IT professional usage. It serves a two-tier purpose: first, to cover, in concise overview style, the system's interface logic and, second, to serve as a handy reference book when the user needs some more detailed information about a certain interface element (screen, field, etc.).

 

B2Biscom was, at that time, the most popular e-commerce and e-procurement agency in Italy (later obtained by FASTWEB S.p.A. - an Italian broadband telecommunications company). CMS was developed for them by Applicata. It was a true growth experience for the entire development team because this project was well outside the company's main area of expertise (mobile, fixed, and IP telephony). For my work on this project, I received testimonials from both the contractor and the developer of the system (See the recommendations from Daniele Indaco and Ivan Bakardzhiev.).

 

View MCS Data Consolidation GuideClick to view in a new browser window

A manual specifically handling MCS's Data Consolidation feature. (For a description of MCS, refer to the MCS User Manual section on this page.)

 

The intended readership were MCS system administrators who might not necessarily be database specialists.

 

View OWLIMClick to view in a new browser window

A "primer" for the OWLIM database - the most powerful semantic repository in existence to date, a product of Ontotext. The manual is targeted at the typical database expert who is well-versed in relational databases but could use some guidance when structured data repositories are concerned, therefore the vast introduction to the Semantic Web, covering RDF, logic and reasoning, and ontology languages.

 

The Primer marks my initiation into semantic technologies and the Semantic Web. It.demonstrates my ability to take on some existing legacy documentation and carry it over to the next level following the company's established documenting practices and working towards its objectives. For example, you may notice that, because this is a cutting-edge technology currently emerging from the science research labs and just making its first steps towards some mature commercial applications, the scientific-paper-like language still dominates the manner in which the documentation is written.

 

Unlike most of the  technical documentation written in English today, in this book, British English spelling had been adopted, a remnant from the product's provenance in certain EU projects (mainly SEKT).

 

 

IDEs

Download VisiLab helpClick here to download

VisiLab is a visual programming environment for creating application scripts in Tcl for the JetiNET (now JN) server.

 

Creating this help system was quite a challenge for me because, as a freelancer, I had to quickly get deep into three very specific areas (Tcl, the JetiNET server, and the VisiLab programming environment) because the allocated time period for getting acquainted with the subject matter was very brief. But I really managed to "Wow!" the client!

 

 

Operating Systems

View BiNOSView HelpClick to view in a new browser window

This online help system is actually a user guide describing how to setup and use BiNOSView. BiNOSView is a Java application that provides a graphical user interface for configuring and managing Telco Systems switches. The acronym BiNOS™ stands for "BATM InterNetworking Operating System."

 

Intended for system administrators responsible for monitoring and managing Local Area Networks (LANs), the guide assumes its readership is well-versed in LANs, virtual LANs, Ethernet switching and bridging concepts, the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), routing concepts, and the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP).

 

 

Web Tools

Download Harvester helpClick here to download

The online help of Harvester, a professional email address extraction tool developed by Brolin Corporation.for the Diedre Moire recruiting agency. One of the very pioneers of Web email address extraction, the program could be accurately set up to extract email addresses only from pages that contain certain keywords.

 

The help system was implemented in the current, at the time, Windows Help (.hlp) format.

 

 

 

SDK/API Documentation

 

View igMap Control DocumentationClick to view in a new browser window

IgniteUI is a complete HTML & JavaScript toolkit to build browser-based applications.

 

The following link takes you to the content about the igMap control (visualizing various kinds of maps based on the HTML5 canvas element and client-side rendering) to demonstrate the principles of structured content, the Information Mapping methodology, and template-based writing approach in developer documentation.

 

View M-Pin Mobile SDK DocumentationClick to view in a new browser window

The M-Pin Mobile SDK is a software library that allows mobile application developers to use the M-Pin authentication scheme (see M-Pin Core / M-Pin SSO Servers) for authenticating their end-users. It is a "native" library which contains native API for the following platforms:

oJava API for Android
oObjective-C API for iOS
oC# API for Windows Phone

 

MITTO SMS API Developer GuideClick to view in a new browser window

MITTO SMS API The SMS API is a REST API for sending SMS messages using MITTO's SMS messaging service.

 

The guide is intended for software developers, solution architects, integration engineers, and similar, who seek to integrate MITTO’s SMS Messaging service into their own platform or system. The content assumes that the intended audience is familiar with the REST protocol and, to some degree, with telephony standards.

 

View SolverPlatform SDK Online ReferenceClick to view in a new browser window

Solver Platform SDK is a comprehensive Software Development Kit that enables developers to create and deploy custom applications using mathematical optimization programming and Monte Carlo simulation. It supports the most popular platforms and languages: Microsoft COM and .NET, Java and MATLAB, as well as C/C++, Visual Basic and other languages. It's available for 64-bit and 32-bit Windows and 64-bit and 32-bit Linux.

 

Creating an online reference like this one makes for probably the most versatile practical education in programming languages a technical writer can get, as it had to cover, with examples, the following languages: VB 6, VB.NET, procedural C, C++, C#, and Java.

 

 

 

Hardware Manuals

 

View Nokia ESB26 User ManualClick to view in a new browser window

ESB26 was an integrated Ethernet switch developed for Nokia and under the Nokia trade name by the Israeli company BATM/Telco Systems.

 

The assumed persona for whom I created this manual for was the network administrator responsible for installing and setting up network equipment; therefore, the manual was written with the presumption that the reader possesses working knowledge of Local Area Networks, Ethernet and routing concepts, and Internet protocols.

 

View T5C-L3 Installation GuideClick to view in a new browser window

The T5C Routing Switch was a compact high-performance Ethernet routing switch developed by BATM/Telco Systems. It was tailor-made for demanding networks that required multi-layer service capabilities at wire speed.

 

This is the installation guide for the device; it covers the user-operational hardware and the initial installation and configuration through the device's console port. The guide was targeted at network administrators and integrators.

 

View T6Pro Architectural OverviewClick to view in a new browser window

T6Pro, developed by BATM/Telco Systems, was a carrier-grade IP multi-layer platform with non-blocking architecture specifically designed for the needs of telecoms.

 

This brief document provides an overview of the architecture of the device and the underlying proprietary technologies. The document was targeted at communications specialists and decision-makers in telecom companies.

 

 

View Vivax Storage Server Administration GuideClick to view in a new browser window

Vivax Storage Server is a file storage server specifically developed by Vivax Technologies (now out of business) to meet the needs of small business operators.

 

This guide covers the installation, configuration, security, and maintenance of the server. It also provides information on using its embedded software.

 

Targeted at system administrators for small- to medium-sized companies, the guide was written with the assumption that the reader has at least  basic understanding of file server functionality (RAID systems, etc.).

 

 

 

Case Studies and Press-Releases

 

View the Finnet Case StudyClick to view in a new browser window

A case study about Salon Seudun Puhelin Oy, a strong Finnish telecom company (member of the Finnet group) which decided to build a modern and scalable area network in order to provide broadband services. The case study describes the solution provided by BATM/Telco Systems.

 

The document emphasizes how BATM / Telco Systems handled the project giving special consideration to some aspects that are of immense importance to the potential customers for such solutions:

• High performance

• Minimum downtime

• Ease of management

• Network Security

 

View GW232 Press ReleaseClick to view in a new browser window

A two-page press-release about Telco Systems launching a new series EdgeGate Voice over IP and FTTH media gateway, the GW–232. The EdgeGate GW–232 VoIP and FTTH media gateway series was the most powerful device in its class. The text is optimally written to comply with the accepted press-release standards and to get the attention of the media.

 

View GW232 Executive SummaryClick to view in a new browser window

The Executive Summary about the market debut of Telco Systems' GW–232 series (VoIP and FTTH media gateway). Presents the information in a condensed, succinct form suitable for a reader in decision-maker position.

 

View LAN Party Case StudyClick to view in a new browser window

Explains how BATM/Telco Systems successfully handled network speed and traffic requirements of 1,500 gamers assembled in Antwerp for the biggest ever LAN event in Belgium. The case study was written to serve as a hard-hitting promotional piece for potential clients with heavy-duty requirements for network capacity .

 

Click to show/hide desciption and thumbnailMercedes Case Study (Yes, you read it right - it is about Mercedes Benz cars)

View Mercedes Case StudyClick to view in a new browser window

The case study explains how the famous German car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz trusted BATM/Telco Systems's network device NSW-7308-E to aggregate real-time test data collected by various sensors during real-life conditions stress tests of their cars. The study emphasizes the reliability of the equipment which was exposed to the same extreme conditions as the test cars.(The NSW-7308-E withstood the heat of a simulated desert as well as the extreme cold of a "polar climate".) The study was targeted at car manufacturers, as well as at anyone operating in extreme conditions, and draws heavily from the prestige the Mercedes-Benz brand has in the eyes of the prospective clients.