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Communities and Blogs

Technical writing can sometimes feel like a solo job, but you are part of a huge, global community! Staying connected is crucial for finding job opportunities, solving tooling dilemmas, and keeping up with the rapid pace of change in the tech industry.

1. The Must-Join Professional Community: Write the Docs​

Write the Docs (WTD) is the largest and most influential community dedicated to people who write, illustrate, and design documentation. It is the single best resource for continuous professional development.

Write the Docs Website and Conferences

The central hub for global conferences (in Portland, Prague, and local hubs) and a wide array of resources on content strategy and tooling.

The Write the Docs Slack Workspace​

The WTD Slack is where the daily conversation happens. You can join channels dedicated to specific topics, making it easy to get real-time help.

  • #tools: Ask questions about Docusaurus, Sphinx, Markdown, or version control.
  • #jobs: The primary channel for finding new technical writing positions and contract work.
  • #beginners: A safe space for new writers to ask foundational questions without judgment.
  • #style-guides: Discussing the pros and cons of Google vs. Microsoft style rules.

2. Social Hubs and Discussion Forums​

These platforms are excellent for quick questions, career advice, and engaging in broader professional discussions.

Reddit: r/technicalwriting

A highly active forum for career advice, portfolio reviews, salary discussions, and specific questions about tools and methods.

LinkedIn Technical Writer Groups

Connect with peers for professional networking, job alerts, and discussions focused on the business side of documentation.

3. Key Blogs and Publications​

Following leading figures and documentation teams ensures you stay current on best practices, emerging tools, and content strategy trends.

The Google Developer Documentation Blog​

This is a gold standard resource. The Google dev docs team often publishes articles on their processes, style guide updates, and high-level strategy for managing massive documentation sets. Following their work is a great way to elevate your own standards.

Specialized Docs Tooling Blogs​

Follow the blogs of the tools you use, as they often announce new features and best practices:

  • Docusaurus: Follow their releases for the latest features like MDX component support and theme updates.
  • GitLab/GitHub Documentation: These platforms constantly innovate in the Docs-as-Code space. Pay attention to how they structure and release their own documentation.

The Write the Docs Newsletter

A great weekly digest of job opportunities, new articles, and community discussions curated and delivered straight to your inbox.

By actively engaging in these communities, you transition from someone who writes documentation to someone who is a professional in the field, opening up mentorship, collaboration, and career opportunities.