Community

Open-source projects

Participating in open-source projects is a great way to practice your skills and to get in touch with the community. On the web, you will find entire lists of documents and repositories in need of contribution. For starters, you can try:

Alternatively, you can help develop a wiki. Look for a topic that interests you, preferably one that concerns technology. If you like video games, for example, PC Gaming Wiki is quite strong on technical aspects, but still approachable enough for an average gamer to add some meaningful content. Check out their editing guide too. Always pay attention to editing guides for projects before you contribute.

Conferences

Conferences are great for catching up with industry trends and expanding your business circles. They will also look good on your resume!

In Poland, the most popular tech comm event is Soap, held annualy in Kraków. The conference is all about content in any shape and form. Topics involve technical documentation, visual media, UX design, publishing, and new technologies. Speakers and attendees include professionals from tech comm and related areas: technical writers, information architects, UX designers, project managers… Translators too! The tickets can get pricy, but you can team up with your friends for a group discount.

Outside of Poland, you can attend Write the Docs, which takes place every year in Europe (Prague), in the US (Portland), and in Australia (Melbourne). In Europe, there is also Tekom – a German conference on language, IT, and media.

Many content-related conferences may be of interest to technical writers even if not specifically marketed as such. There is OmnichannelX (on e-commerce and communication strategies) or XML Prague, for example. To stay updated on similar events in Poland and abroad, join the group Tworzenie dokumentacji.

🖊️ NOTE: Your location needn’t play a role; many of these conferences are held remotely either by default or as an option. Check the registration and see if you can join online.

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