San Francisco STC Future Meetings and Archive

Wednesday, August 20, 2008
TBD

Becoming the Compelling Candidate

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

What can you do to give a company every incentive to hire you? From knowing yourself, to knowing your audience, to proactively convincing management that you are the best match, here are the steps to meet the company's needs so it will meet yours. Not only will you find better work, but you'll get more respect – and better opportunities – faster.

We'll discuss resumes, cover letters, researching, interviewing, portfolios, and negotiation as they relate to today's local job market for technical communicators. Bring your toughest questions and be prepared to participate fully.

As a former software industry Technical Writer and Publications Manager, and for the past 13 years a recruiter of Bay Area technical communicators, Andrew knows that we often fail to capitalize on our full professional potential. He also knows how we can reverse this tendency. If you're ready to make your career more fulfilling, show up and share. This one meeting will likely save you years of frustration.

About the presenter: Andrew Davis runs Synergistech Communications, a local recruiting firm for staff and contract technical communicators. Andrew is a former writer of system administration and software developer documentation for companies such as Oracle (documenting relational databases on proprietary operating systems), IBM (UNIX hypertext authoring tools), Informix (Windows database tools), Network Equipment Technologies (PBXs and routers), and Verity (enterprise text search tools). He is also a past president of the San Francisco STC.

Andrew is well-connected in Silicon Valley's software and telecommunication documentation communities, and focuses on introducing small and mid-size companies to technical communicators possessing hard-to-find technical expertise. In addition to recruiting Technical Writers, Synergistech has provided its clients with trainers, instructional designers, medical writers, and user experience (UX) professionals on both coasts.

Synergistech's web site, www.synergistech.com, contains detailed, specific advice for aspiring as well as established technical communication professionals, and includes large sections on resumes, portfolios, interviewing, contracting, compensation, and competing in today's job market. He's reachable at andrew@synergistech.com or 1-866-591-2968.

What color is your book?

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Symantec has the Yellow Book. IBM has the Red Book. Other large companies have other versions of this book type. What is this, and how do you write one? This presentation uses a real project as an example. You will learn to how plan, structure, and then write one of these books.

About Gilbert Gonzalez: Gilbert is an award-winning technical publications professional with over 19 years' experience planning, creating, editing, and updating technical documents for end-users, system administrators, and developers.

Gilbert is a Senior Information Developer at Symantec Corporation and the president of the San Francisco STC.

The Power of Personas:
A 360° Approach to Understanding Users

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Technical communicators have an increasing number of tools and approaches to choose from to deliver content to meet the needs of diverse and targeted audiences.  How do we know we are meeting the needs of our audiences and delivering the right content, at the right time, in the right format? 

User personas are a methodology that can help ensure the information model maps directly to the work and information use model of each user audience.

About Joan Lasselle: Joan is Founder and President of Lasselle-Ramsay, Inc., a professional services company that develops business information and learning solutions that drive superior user experience, productivity, and change.

Lasselle-Ramsay focuses on four practice areas: content management, technical documentation, training development, and on-the-job information tools.

Since 1982, Lasselle-Ramsay has worked with major high-tech and medical device manufacturers to develop technical documentation solutions for commercial products.

Radical IA: Pushing the Envelope to Move Beyond Tactics to Strategic Information Architecture

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Whether you are currently an information architect, or want to be one, the tactical aspects of IA are just one dimension of the role. Strategy is key, and in many corporate cultures it requires a radical approach to garner acceptance for the strategic dimension of the IA role.

Join Andrea Ames for a conversation about Radical IA – what it is and how to achieve it, as well as how to determine when it’s fruitless in your corporate culture. Bring lots of questions and your own experiences to enable a lively and interactive discussion!

About Andrea Ames: Andrea is a Senior Technical Staff Member and Information Experience Strategist and Architect in the Information Management division of the IBM Software Group.

Andrea has nearly 25 years of experience in technical communication, specializing in information strategy, usability, architecture, and design.

She is a Fellow and past President (2004-05) of STC, an ACM Distinguished Engineer, and a senior member of IEEE. She designed, coordinates, and teaches in the UCSC in Silicon Valley certificate program in Technical Writing and Communication.

The Pulse of Today's Job Market: 3 Inside Perspectives
Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Are you worried about the economy's downturn? Have you ever wondered what hiring managers and recruiters are really looking for? Have you ever wanted a chance to ask questions about jobs and job searches outside of a hiring process? Here's your chance to kick your job searching skills up a notch.

Three industry leaders--Andrew Davis of Synergistech Communications, Mira Wooten of Oak Hill Corporation, and Tim Bombosch of Lasselle-Ramsay Information Development Services--will share their insider perspectives with you. Susan Becker, past president of STC SF, will serve as moderator.

Whether you are currently seeking a position, or just want to prepare yourself for your next search, or are hiring for a position, this panel provides an valuable opportunity to reassess your job search skills. Following this presentation, you will be able to conduct shorter, more effective job searches--a valuable skill at any time and even more valuable in today's climate.

To make sure we address the most common questions, we invite you to send your questions in advance to Tim Bombosch at bombosch@gmail.com. During most of the evening, however, panelists will field your questions from the audience.

About Tim Bombosch: Tim Bombosch is a technical communications consultant and Project Management Professional for Lasselle-Ramsay Information Development Services. His projects range from high tech and bio tech to consumer electronics and manufacturing. Clients include Hewlett Packard, Genentech, Boston Scientific, Iridex, Beckman Coulter, the US Mint, and Plantronics.

Tim speaks and writes extensively about project management, technical communications, and Web 2.0. He is a Senior Member of the STC and serves currently the Secretary of the STC Management SIG. He is the and Program Manager of STC SF as well as its Immediate Past President. Tim has written and managed multiple award-winning documentation projects at Lasselle-Ramsay, Mindjet, Sygate Technologies, IBM, and Kaiser Permanente.

Before becoming a technical communicator and project manager, Tim taught media studies at Stanford University, where he received his PhD in German Studies.

About Andrew Davis: Andrew Davis runs Synergistech Communications, a local recruiting firm for staff and contract technical communicators. Andrew is a former writer of system administration and software developer documentation for companies such as Oracle (documenting relational databases on proprietary operating systems), IBM (UNIX hypertext authoring tools), Informix (Windows database tools), Network Equipment Technologies (PBXs and routers), and Verity (enterprise text search tools).

Andrew is well-connected in Silicon Valley's software and telecommunication documentation communities, and focuses on introducing small and mid-size companies to technical communicators possessing hard-to-find technical expertise. In addition to recruiting Technical Writers, Synergistech has provided its clients with trainers, instructional designers, medical writers, and user experience (UX) professionals on both coasts.

Synergistech's web site, www.synergistech.com, contains detailed, specific advice for aspiring as well as established technical communication professionals, and includes large sections on resumes, portfolios, interviewing, contracting, compensation, and competing in today's job market. He's reachable at andrew@synergistech.com or 1-866-591-2968.

About Mira Wooten: Mira Wooten is the Director of Business Development at Oak Hill Corporation, a consulting company that specializes in technical content development. Mira is a gifted networker who is grounded in industry best practices. Her well-honed communication and negotiation skills help her determine client needs and balance those with the requirements of contractors and the company Oak Hill, making sure everyone wins.

She's a senior member of the STC and a certified Enterprise Content Management Practitioner, with a BS degree in Business from the University of Phoenix and a graduate certificate in Telecommunications Management from Golden Gate University. Mira writes and performs music to raise money for non-profits in the Bay Area when she's not helping her clients achieve their business goals.

An Overview of Trends, Tools, and Technologies in Software User Assistance

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

The application of technical communication skills to the development of software user assistance has grown immensely in the past twenty years. This specialization is very fulfilling and challenging and technical communicators are finding their role in the software development process to be increasingly valued.

User assistance is much more than "Help." It encompasses a wide range of skills and technologies that are combined to improve the software user's experience.

• We contribute through wizards, tutorials, and web-based training.

• We develop and populate knowledge bases and content management systems.

• Printed manuals and their PDF equivalents are still an important element of our documentation sets.

• Many of us are now embedding helpful content directly into the user interface.

• We are involved with usability testing, localization, testing, quality assurance, and branding.
  

This presentation provides a cutting-edge overview of the latest trends in software user assistance, defines the key terminology, highlights the most important technologies, and offers predictions on future directions of our field. The seventy-five minute session should be of interest to technical communicators of all backgrounds and experience levels.

About the presenter: Joe Welinske is the president of WritersUA, formerly known as WinWriters. WritersUA is a company devoted to providing training and information for user assistance professionals.

The WritersUA/WinWriters Conference draws hundreds of attendees each year from around the world to share the latest in user assistance design and implementation. The free content on the WritersUA web site attracts over 20,000 visitors each month. The WritersUA Annual Conference will be held in Portland, Oregon, March 16-19, 2008.

Joe has been involved with software documentation development since 1984. Together with Scott Boggan and David Farkas, Joe authored two editions of the popular and pioneering book Developing Online Help for Windows. He has also taught online Help courses at the University of Washington, UC Santa Cruz, and Bellevue Community College.

Joe received a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Illinois in 1981, and a M.S. in Adult Instructional Management from Loyola University in 1987. Joe is currently serving his second term as President of the STC Puget Sound Chapter.

Automating API Documentation

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

API Documentation is a fast-growing and highly-paid specialty in Technical Writing. As Monique Semp explains, you can write an API Reference in FrameMaker and publish it as a PDF, but such a document is difficult to maintain and unlikely to satisfy your target audience: programmers. Programmers expect online, hyperlinked reference material that's exactly in sync with the API elements (such as classes and functions).

This presentation shows how to use automated tools to generate an HTML-formatted API Reference. Monique will give us an overview of automating an API reference's production and tell us the advantages of such an approach over a manual solution such as FrameMaker-to-PDF. She will give us guidelines for choosing the right tool, and discuss concerns such as imposing coding standards and workflow changes on the engineers. She will demonstrate how this all worked when, using DoxyS, she developed an API Reference for a 700+ function ANSI C API.

About the presenter: A Senior STC member, with more than 15 years of documentation and software experience, Monique has won STC Touchstone and Berkeley competition awards of merit and excellence every year since 2001.

Monique began her career as a software engineer writing PL/M and C code for automated train control (the "people movers" in airports) and the accompanying user manuals. Her career evolved and she's been a technical writer since 2001; her first project was producing API documentation for Java-based wireless applications.

Monique has her own company, Write Quick, Inc., and provides many technical writing services, including API references, programming guides, configuration manuals, and technical processes and procedures.

What does Web 2.0 Mean for Technical Communication?

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Web 2.0 is a concept without a definition. Think of it as wikis and blogs, collective intelligence, multidirectional communication. Technology often innovates faster than businesses can adapt, and Web 2.0 is no exception. This new webscape’s challenge to technical communicators is profound:

• How can technical communicators maintain complete, accurate, and easy to use documentation in an environment that is constantly evolving and invites both participation and customization?

• What is the evolving role of technical communicators in this paradigm?

• What technology and production issues do technical communicators face?

On a deeper level, the role of technical communicators changes most dramatically because, in a Web 2.0 world, the value and role of information changes.

Instead of an add-on expense to product development, technical communication holds all of the pieces of Web 2.0 technology together. In addition to integrating help files and PDFs into product packages or interfaces, technical communicators become deeply embedded in marketing communication, support, and e-commerce.

About the presenter: Tim Bombosch is a certified project management professional (PMP) and technical communication consultant with Lasselle-Ramsay in Mountain View, California. He is currently a project manager for information development projects. He also implements content management systems and plans strategically for the future of technical communication.

Tim has over 8 years of experience in the technical communication industry. He worked at Mindjet, Sygate Technologies (now Symantec), IBM, Web MD, and Kaiser Permanente. Before beginning his career as a technical communicator, Tim taught media studies at Stanford University, where he completed his PhD in German studies and wrote extensively about German cinema.

Tim is the immediate past president of the San Francisco STC.

What Technical Communicators Need to Know to Succeed in the Real World

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Whatever technical communicators have been doing, we've not been achieving all that well. According to studies of technical communication departments, we are not getting the work that we seek. We are not perceived as the champions of users in the organization—usability groups get that responsibility. Web and intranet sites are developed by Web developers rather than technical communicators.

The news isn't all gloom and doom—many technical communicators are finding ways to get the work we seek. What are these people successfully doing?

That’s what this interactive session explores. Specifically, it identifies the needed skills and the sales strategies that work, helps participants develop their own action plans and, in the process, helps participants seriously consider what success means.

About the presenter: Barbara A. Giammona has been a technical communicator for more than 20 years and a manager of technical communicators for more than 15. After seven years as a vice president at Morgan Stanley in New York City, she is currently the manager of corporate IT communications for McKesson Corporation.

Barbara’s article “The Future of Technical Communication: How Innovation, Technology, Information Management, and Other Forces Are Shaping the Future of the Profession,” published in Technical Communication, the Society's journal, in August 2004, was the recipient of the Frank R. Smith Award for Distinguished Technical Communication.

Barbara is an STC Associate Fellow and a member of the San Francisco STC chapter and the Orange County chapter, where she plans to relocate.

Need to Succeed presentation and handout

YouTube, Lifecasting, and You: How video affects online communication

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

With ubiquitous broadband availability, video on the Internet has undergone a revolution in the last 2 years.

Video-enabled iPods and cell phones, RSS-ready iTunes, YouTube, digital cameras and camcorders, and inexpensive data plans have all given bloggers, independent video makers, and "lifecasters" multiple outlets for sharing their views, opinions, observations, and information.

This month, Stephanie Bryant, author of Videoblogging for Dummies, presents an overview of the tools and technologies to help you decide the best methods for getting your video message out there.

About the presenter: Stephanie Bryant is a technical writer and videoblogger from Santa Cruz, California. She's the author of Videoblogging for Dummies, and has been videoblogging since May, 2005. Some of the videoblogs she's worked on include the Intellectual Property Society's videoblog. She lives on the road with her husband and their cat.

Structured Wikis for Collaboration and Content Management

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Wikis are great! But because Wiki Markup does not structure information as effectively as XML, reusing content and single sourcing can be difficult. The open-source, structured Wiki system TWiki takes important steps towards overcoming this obstacle, making adopting Wikis for technical communication more viable.

In this presentation, Phil Gochenour of CNET explores the basic functionality of TWiki and what makes it "structured." He discusses TWiki's benefits for collaboration and some plugins and variables that extend its functionality. Phil's presentation also includes a demo of a TWiki Wiki he developed at CNET.

About the presenter: Phil Gochenour, a technical communicator in the Project and Service Management and Documentation Group at CNET Networks, is directly responsible for developing and maintaining the internal CNET Networks TWiki system.

Phil holds a PhD in comparative literature, with a specialization in media studies, from Emory University. He has taught in the media studies program of the University of Virginia as a visiting assistant professor of digital media studies, and is the author, of articles on online communities, systems theory, and the novels of Thomas Pynchon. Since 1999, Phil has been involved with online content development as a writer, editor, content strategist, and information architect.

Introduction to the Translation of Technical Documents

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

An overview of Globalization, Internationalization, Localization, and Translation: what they are and who does them, and concepts you as a Technical Writer must understand about presenting your work in other languages.

About the presenter: Daniel Doornbos took his first technical writer job in 1982 covering lubrication and maintenance of farm machinery and construction equipment at Chek-Chart, a division of Simon & Schuster (now part of Motor Information Systems).

After spending a few years as a Manager of Graphic Production, Daniel returned to writing as the Technical Publications Manager at Pinnacle Systems (now a division of Avid) documenting video editing and broadcast television products. Later, Daniel worked as a contractor for several companies, including his former employers, developing documentation for the mortgage, health care, automotive, and broadcast television industries.

Currently, Daniel is the lone writer at Promise Technology, where he develops user documentation for RAID controllers and storage subsystems. His responsibilities include localization of user documents and GUIs.

Daniel received his MBA degree from Golden Gate University and certificates in the Management of Technical Documentation and in Graphic Production from the UC Santa Cruz Extension.

From World-Weary to World-Ready: Meeting Today's Content Globalization Challenges

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Today, the need to produce content ready for all world markets is greater than ever, but localization costs are higher, too.

Much attention is focused on localization methodologies, tools like Translation Memories, and content management systems, but the biggest factor in the quality and cost of all content still is the size and quality of the source material itself.

This workshop gives technical writers and content developers tips and techniques they can implement immediately to improve content and cut localization costs significantly. The seminar also presents a business case for improving content development and reducing word counts.

About the presenter: Hans Fenstermacher is President and founder of ArchiText, a division of language service provider Translations.com (part of the TransPerfect Global Group). ArchiText provides comprehensive translation, localization, and content globalization services to Global 2000 companies.

Born in Germany, Hans speaks six languages fluently and holds degrees from Princeton University and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. His 25-year career in the language and writing industries led him to create ArchiText's ABREVE® process (patent pending), a proprietary English content globalization system, designed to reduce content volume, enhance content usability, and maximize content efficiency. Hans is an Associate Fellow of the Society for Technical Communication, as well as past president of the Boston Chapter. In 2002 Hans founded the Globalization And Localization Association (GALA) and served as its first Chairman.

Presentation

The Sheer Audacity! Using the open source Audacity audio editing program to produce great podcasts. Presented by Jerry Franklin

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

What is podcasting, why is it important to me, and how can I get in on it? Jerry will answer these questions by presenting a brief overview of podcasting in the corporate world, also including a few examples of how podcasts are being used to deliver technical information.

Jerry will spend most of the presentation providing an overview and high-level tutorial on Audacity, the free audio editing software that has enabled many people both with and without technical backgrounds to engineer and produce their own podcasts.

About the presenter: Jerry Franklin is a freelance technical and marketing writer for a range of high-tech clients. Before becoming a freelancer, Jerry was the lone technical writer at Bricsnet, a small private software company in San Francisco. Prior to Bricsnet, Jerry worked at another small private software company, ZANTAZ, in Pleasanton. Prior to that, Jerry worked at PeopleSoft, where he managed content for www.peoplesoft.com before transitioning into technical writing elsewhere in the company.

Jerry became involved with podcasting when he began helping his wife build her business as a certified dog trainer. Their podcast, The Good Dog Show, may be found at www.dogworks.libsyn.com.

Jerry belongs to the STC, the IEEE Professional Communication Society, and the ACM SIGDOC. He lives in Alameda with his wife and, of course, two dogs. Contact Jerry at audacityguy@gmail.com.

A Panel Moderated by Barbara Giammona with Andrew Davis, Meryl Natchez, and Julia Cope

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

The San Francisco Chapter STC celebrates its 25th anniversary with a panel of past, present, and future chapter leaders speaking on future trends in technical communication, with insights from the past.

Come enjoy a lively discussion among our panelists: past presidents Andrew Davis and Meryl Natchez, current president, Julia Cope, and new chapter member, Barbara Giammona. Find out where they think technical communication is headed in the Bay Area and hear some tales of earlier times in our chapter. Bring your questions and be prepared to add your insights.

Zero-Search-Time Documentation: An Idea Whose Time Has Come by Peter Schorer

Wednesday, July 20, 2005

In this talk, Peter Schorer, author of How to Create Zero-Search-Time Computer Documentation, will outline the ZST method for producing documentation. ZST documentation allows users to find the information they want in less than 25 seconds at least 80% of the time. The method is technology independent, and thus can be applied to the creation of online and/or paper documentation.

Even at this late date, the fields of documentation (and human factors (computer-human interface [CHI] design) do not have a simple metric for the effectiveness of their products. And yet, measurement of results is a central requirement of any technical field.

How to Use a Portfolio to Ace a Job Interview by Jack Molisani

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

Have you ever interviewed for a job you wanted but didn't get?

If so, come to our June meeting and hear Jack Molisani lead an entertaining and informative session on how a portfolio is not just a sample of your work—it is an interviewing tool you can use to achieve the four critical steps needed to receive a job offer.

The presentation will include what to put in a portfolio, how to get things to put in your portfolio, and most importantly, how to use your portfolio to ace a job interview.

Jack is founder and president of ProSpring Inc., a technical communication staffing firm: www.prospring.net. He also is producing LavaCon: The Third Annual Conference on Technical Communication Management, September 25–28 in Honolulu, Hawaii: www.lavacon.org.

Network Security: Issues, Technology, and Management by Mark Kadrich

Wednesday, May 18, 2005

Mark Kadrich, Senior Scientist at Sygate Technologies, will speak about fundamental issues in network security, including emerging technologies, risks, and management. His presentation begins with a discussion of network security basics and then proceeds to a discussion of regulatory compliance. The second half of the presentation will analyze state of the art security technologies and solutions, with an emphasis on how enterprises can effectively manage network security.

Writing Content for the International Audience by Michael R. Cardenas

Wednesday, April 20, 2005

If you have been involved in authoring content in just one language, let's say English for North America, you will definitely agree that it is not a
cakewalk.

So what is different about authoring content that needs to be localized
into several languages? Are there any special issues we need to take into
consideration as technical communicators?

In his presentation, Michael will explore the special needs technical
localizers face when taking your English content to other cultures and
countries.

From Tutorials to Programmer's Guides by James Bisso

Wednesday, March 16, 2005

This presentation looks at sample applications, tutorials, and other kinds of instructional code that can be leveraged to write an API programmer's guide.

ISO Auditing for Technical Communicators: An Introduction by Kathy Stanley

Wednesday, February 16, 2005

Capitalize on your talent for communications by working in the ISO process.

Research and Preparation - Required for our books and help, the auditor needs to understand the business that they are measuring and prepare the right set of questions. The same analytical skills that let us read and understand an engineering spec transfer readily to understanding the ISO quality system components.

Interviewing - The interviewing skills required to develop technical
information can help us focus and control an audit. Our ability to take
notes and develop information from the responses comes in handy if you want to do ISO-related work.

Writing - Each audit requires a comprehensive report. Our ability to
communicate complex information in a simple, effective way is a natural
match for the type of writing required for an audit report.

Professional Growth and Networking - Being part of ISO will introduce you to people from all parts of the business world and different industries.

An Overview of Trends, Tools, and Technologies in Software User Assistance by Joe Welinske, President, WritersUA

Wednesday, January 19, 2005

The application of technical communication skills to the development of software user assistance has grown immensely in the past twenty years. This specialization is very fulfilling and challenging and technical communicators are finding their role in the software development process to be increasingly valued.

User assistance is much more than "Help." It encompasses a wide range of skills and technologies that are combined to improve the software user's experience. We contribute through wizards, tutorials, and web-based training.

Holiday Party.

Wednesday, December 15, 2004

A special holiday celebration with door prizes

The San Francisco STC is bringing the year to a rousing finale with a
special holiday party at the London Wine Bar in downtown San Francisco. The price of admission includes hors d'oeuvres and wine service for two hours. We will also have door prizes.

This will be our last meeting at the London Wine Bar. Come experience the ambience of the place we love so well one more time before we move to the Elephant and Castle.

Celebrate the end of another year. It's a great chance to renew
acquaintances with other technical communicators and to meet some new people. See details.

Information Architecture for Technical Communicators

Wednesday, November 17, 2004

How is being an "information architect" different from being a
"technical communicator"? Both consider audience needs, identify
information to be included, analyze existing content, determine
information structure and organization, and determine how to make
information "findable" for users. But for information architects, the
work often stops at describing the architecture, rather than developing
the content itself, and the deliverables may have names like site map,
wire frames, taxonomies, metadata, and controlled vocabularies. For
those who are new to IA, this may sound jargony and technical, but there are plenty of parallels in technical communication (think documentation plan, outline, sample topics, terminology list, index entries). more>>

Fitting WebWorks Publisher Into a Publications Workflow
Presenter: Steve Homer, Freelance Technical Writer

Wednesday, October 20, 2004

This session offers a brief overview of WebWorks Publisher Pro 2003 and describes how this tool fits into a publications workflow.

We will address the following questions:

• How do you choose the best help authoring tool for your situation?
• Are you doing "single-sourcing" if you use WebWorks?
• What types of publications workflows lend themselves to single-sourcing?
• What types of organizations will find single-sourcing irritating?
• How does the size of your organization affect how a help authoring tool fits into your workflow?
• What kinds of customizations can you make to WebWorks output?

Structured Authoring, XML and Single Sourcing: An Update
Presenter: David Knopf

Wednesday, September 15, 2004

Publishing technologies are evolving rapidly. To a large degree, the workflow and tools you choose will determine how easily and effectively you can create, manage, publish, and maintain content. Structured authoring, XML, and single sourcing are spreading throughout large information development organizations. Technical content is an important asset and should be managed accordingly. In this presentation, David Knopf will address recent trends and suggest which approaches work best for today's technical publishing organizations.

Developing a Healthy Response to Stress
Presenter: Richard Pinneau

Wednesday, August 18, 2004

Stress is pandemic and is seriously damaging health, productivity, and
creativity. The psychological and physiological responses of human beings under stress can be miraculously effective in the face of life-threatening physical threats but are severely maladaptive for long-term psychologically stressful conditions. Health, performance, and creativity all benefit from learning simple skills for defusing the effects of modern occupational pressures and challenges. Richard Pinneau, Ph.D., offers you some skills to begin using immediately and methods to instill them as automatic, healthy responses to stress.

Your Writing Samples Portfolio: A Personal Sales Kit & Career History
Presenter: Lu Rehling

Wednesday, July 21, 2004

A writing samples portfolio is a critical tool for career advancement. No technical communicator's resume and/or cover letter is complete without promising that the job (or promotion) seeker has a portfolio of writing samples available. Which means that every technical communicator needs to decide what to include, how to pull everything together, how to present the resulting portfolio well, and how to efficiently and effectively update it over time. Presentation Evaluation Checklist

Increase Your Job Satisfaction and Your Value to Your Company by Improving Your Project Management Skills
Presenter: Tim Bombosch PhD, PMP

Wednesday, June 16, 2004

When I ask technical communicators to describe themselves, they almost always identify their writing, tool, design or technology skills. But, when I ask them why projects succeed or fail, effective or ineffective project management practices lead the list of reasons they give.

Technical communicators have a unique set of skills to be effective
project managers. By improving your project management skills, you can advance your career, improve the quality of your work, and increase your job satisfaction. Presentation

Stay Motivated and Thrive!
Presenter: Howard Miller

Wednesday, May 19, 2004

Technical Communication has changed a lot in the last few years and will continue this way. How do you stay current and continue to grow in an ever changing environment? This interactive presentation will explore how you can create the most success in your career and in your life! Howard Miller, the presenter, is a professional Life Coach who is passionate about developing and coaching people to be the best they can be. In this program Howard will combine lecture and exercises to help each person get more motivated and excited to pursue enhancing their careers. Presentation
Howard Miller: Supplying capability for action.

Non-Fatal Errors: Creating Usable, Effective Error Messages
Presenter: Emily Wilska

Wednesday, April 21, 2004

"Memory requests for some applications may be denied." "Error 404: File Not Found." "Error on page." "Invalid entry. Please check your info and resubmit." "Fatal error. Procedure aborted."

It's often easy to identify what kinds of error messages don't help users, but it can be tricky to avoid them, and even more of a challenge to create the opposite: error messages that give users a clear indication of the problem, offer information to help them fix it, and provide tips on how to avoid the same situation in the future.

In this workshop, we'll explore what makes many error messages so bad, simple steps to make them better, and how good error messages can help make technical communicators' jobs easier. In addition, we'll look at ways of communicating to managers and executives the value of good error messages-in terms of reduced support costs, happier customers, and better products. Presentation

White Papers In Your Future
Presenter: Beau Cain

Wednesday, March 17, 2004

How do white papers help managers, engineers, governments, and consumers justify decisions in today's lean economy? How do technical or marketing communications writers know what type of white paper will do the job best? (Hint: There are ten types of white papers.)

Join us for a session exploring this most versatile and misunderstood of all business and engineering document types. We'll discover the difference between a white paper and a whitewash, and learn how white papers can be excellent tools for insinuating technical publications departments into the planning phases of product development. Presentation

The Changing UI of Technical Communication: Transforming Your Career and Moving from Commodity to Strategic Contributor
Presenter: Andrea L. Ames

February 18, 2004

The economy's taken a downturn, and you know that many companies lay off cost centers, like technical publications and training, first. Perhaps you've already been laid off--or you're concerned you might be. You've heard that many companies are "offshoring" technical writing for fees as low as $5/hour--effectively commoditizing the writing and Help development skills you've relied on for years. You're ready to take the next steps in your career.

Join Andrea L. Ames for a brief look at the state of the industry and how you can progress in your career. She'll discuss the characteristics of commoditized technical writing, what you can do to contribute to product profitability and company strategy, and how you can demonstrate your additional value to your company or clients. Presentation

Re-purposing Technical Communications
Presenter: Mick Renner

January 21, 2004

As technical communicators, we have developed skills that are useful to the wider community. For example, the insight and understanding you use to create a chart for a technical manager can translate into the skills necessary for creating a chart for a traffic-control meeting, a fact sheet for your local animal shelter, or a diagram for a fundraising effort at your child's school.

We all have the power to make wider use of our knowledge and experience. By doing so, we can provide benefits for others and gain a deep sense of personal and professional satisfaction.

In this session, we'll examine the various ways we have made such contributions and suggest new ways of benefiting our communities.