Take a look at our chapter website for all the details: www.stc4lakes.org. Thanks!
June 16, 2009
June 4, 2009
Wanted: One Technical Writing Internship
A new STC 4 Lakes chapter member is looking for a tehnical writing internship. See below for details.
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I am currently a writing tutor/associate lecturer at UW-Baraboo/Sauk County looking for a technical writing internship. I have a particular interest in the environmental and biological sciences and would like the opportunity to spend some time at an organization that keeps writers within these focus areas on staff. I am not looking for paid work at this point, just experience. In the past (2004-2006), I worked at an engineering firm in Milwaukee as a digital librarian (I have a master’s degree in library and information science) and then had the opportunity to serve as primary technical editor for the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District’s 2020 Facilities Plan and also as an editor for a storm water management plan proposal. I would be happy to send a resume to anyone who may be interested. Thanks!
Christina Skasa
cskasa@gmail.com
(608) 393-8494
May 18, 2009
Feedback from the 2009 Technical Communication Summit
by Jennifer Walker, STC Four Lakes President
I’ve been replaying the annual summit over in my mind for nearly two weeks now, excited by the information I took home and eager to put it into practice. I’ve also been looking forward to sharing this information with you!
I attended events, spoke with vendors, and networked with fellow technical communicators with three interests in mind: myself, my employer, and each and every member of the Four Lakes chapter.
The Four Lakes board has provided surveys at chapter meetings to find out what topics you’re interested in. With the topics you’ve mentioned in mind, I attended sessions on DITA, job hunting and resume building, single sourcing, and content management. I also spoke with several vendors about their products, ranging from content management systems to translation to screen capturing and recording. I plan to bring vendor materials to the next chapter meeting (May 20) to share with you, so if you haven’t already, please sign up for the event by commenting on the Next Chapter Meeting post!
DITA
While I do not use DITA, I attended a session about putting it into practice. Mark E. Wallis of IBM walked us through the steps of DITA implementation. Several factors contribute to successful DITA implementation, including management support, the right opportunity, a content plan, effective architecture, layered deliverables, a DITA toolkit, proof of concept, etc.
Have you thought about implementing DITA, or have you already begun to do so? Stay tuned! The Four Lakes chapter is working with neighboring chapters to plan a “3M” (Madison, Milwaukee, and Minnesota) DITA tour this summer. Dates, times, costs are all to be worked out, but we’re hoping to provide three seminars, including DITA in a Day, Modeling (marking up content), and Production (application, next steps) in Wisconsin and Minnesota, led by Leigh White. If this topic interests you, let me know! Comment on this post, or send me an email at jwalker@glhec.org.
Job Hunting and Resume Building
Here are a few great tips from Jack Molisani at ProSpring Technical Staffing:
- Follow submission instructions!
- Don’t apply for a position when you’re not even remotely qualified.
- Make sure there are no errors (typos, grammatical/punctuation mistakes) in your resume.
- Highlight your strengths, minimize your weaknesses.
- People will not read your resume; they’ll scan it.
Single Sourcing & Content Management
The session I attended provided information from people who responded to the survey who use/do not use single sourcing and/or content management.
Some respondents noted that screenshots are problematic when using content management systems/single sourcing due to translation costs.
The biggest noted driver for use of a content management system/single sourcing was speeding the development cycle.
Respondents who use content management systems and/or single sourcing noted these problems: bugs and glitches, awkward production, difficult or slow transition, learning curve, team member resistance, slower production, tech support issues.
Keynote Speaker
Without a doubt, my favorite part of the summit was the keynote speaker. David Pogue, author of Macs for Dummies (and other Dummies books), was extraordinary. Pogue focused most of his presentation on simplicity of design and talked about several gadgets (cell phones and video cameras, for instance) and their design/navigation complexity. A few pointers: “Easy is hard,” and “it’s not what to add, it’s what to leave out.” By providing the right amount of humor and information in his speech, he captivated the audience, just as STC promised he would.
Conclusion
While STC did their best to keep costs down for the event, the airfare, hotel, conference, and meal expenses were simply out of the realm of possibility for most Four Lakes members, particularly as fewer employers are paying for STC memberships and are limiting costs, like for professional development, in this challenging economy. Only three Four Lakes members were able to attend the summit this year. I have asked the other two members to share their experiences with you by commenting on this post.
I feel very fortunate that I was able to attend the 2009 summit. This was my first summit, but it’s hopefully not my last. The summit will be in Dallas, TX in 2010, and I look forward to finding ways for more Four Lakes members to attend the event next year. Have ideas? Post your comments here, or send me an email at jwalker@glhec.org.
Thanks,
Jennifer Walker
May 13, 2009
Next Chapter Meeting: May 20th, 2009; UW-Madison Campus
Join us for a Best Practices in Table Design webinar! This event is free to all STC chapter members, UW Students, and individuals interested in learning more about the STC 4 Lakes chapter. Please bring your lunch and join us for networking and the online presentation on table design.
For more information on the webinar, take a look here.
Where? Research Auditorium, located in the Engineering Centers Building (ECB). The address is: 1550 Engineering Drive, Madison, WI 53706. There is A LOT of construction around the ECB – please use this map for directions on where to park, etc. Thanks!
When? Wednesday, May 20th: 11:00-Noon for Networking/Lunch; Noon to 1:30 for the webinar.
How do I RSVP? Simply post a comment to this very blog entry (click the “Comments” text in the lower, right-hand corner of this blog entry) by Tuesday, May 19th. When you RSVP, just provide your first name. We need to let the UW staff know how many tables and chairs we need. Thanks!
May 1, 2009
Upcoming minimalism workshop in Madison
Philips Medical Systems will be hosting a Comtech (Joann Hackos’ company) workshop at their office in Fitchburg.
Minimalism: Creating Manuals People Can Use
August 11-12, 2009
Philips Medical Systems
5520 Nobel Drive
Fitchburg, WI 53711
Read more about the workshop and register on the Comtech Web site.
April 24, 2009
New Job Posting – Urban Ecology Center – Grant Proposal Writing and Submission
For complete details, see this PDF file.
April 23, 2009
Attending the Summit in Atlanta?
Are you going to be in Atlanta for the annual STC Summit? Interested in getting together with other Four Lakes members while you’re there? If so, please comment on this post. Jennifer Walker, your Four Lakes President, will be attending the summit and would be happy to coordinate a Four Lakes gathering!
March 12, 2009
New podcast: Creating Online Portfolios
An audio recording of last week’s presentation by Mollye Barrett is now available on our Web site. Have a listen! No iPod required.
February 10, 2009
Next Chapter Meeting: Friday, March 6th 11:00 – 1:00 pm
Please join us for our next Four Lakes chapter meeting on Friday, March 6 from 11:00 – 1:00 pm. Mollye Barrett of ClearPath, LLC (http://www.clearpath.cc/) will share information about creating your ideal online portfolio – how to get started and what to include. Networking from 11am to noon, with the presentation and lunch from noon to 1pm
The STC 4 Lakes chapter will continue to cover the lunch cost for all STC Four Lakes Chapter members. Non-members are more than welcome to attend but are required to pay a small fee (only $10!) to cover the cost of the meal. If you are a student in the Technical Communications program at UW or another school, you only pay $5. You can easily pay before the meeting using the PayPal link found on the STC Four Lakes website. Please be sure to pay no later than Wednesday, March 4.
Who: All Four Lakes STC members and non-members interested in joining our chapter.
What: Chapter event, including a brief introduction by our new Four Lakes board, and featuring a portfolio presentation by Mollye Barrett of ClearPath, LLC.
Where: The Great Dane – Fitchburg (2980 Cahill Main, Fitchburg, WI 53711)
When: March 6, 2009 11:00 – 1:00 pm (networking from11-12/presentation (and lunch) 12-1)
How do I RSVP? Simply post a comment to this very blog entry (click the “Comments” text in the lower, right-hand corner of this blog entry) by Wednesday, March 4. When you RSVP, please indicate the following:
- Your first name
- One of the following meal selections:
- Salad (Mandarin Chicken Salad – Mixed greens tossed with Tangy Ginger dressing then topped with hoisin BBQ chicken, mandarin wedges, peanuts, carrots, snow peas, roma tomatoes and crisp wonton strips.)
- Vegetarian (Paoli Portobello Sandwith – Grilled mushroom caps filled with spinach, artichole, roasted red peppers and fresh mozzarella. Served on fresh Ciabatta bread brushed with garlic oil and a side of basil aioli.)
- Burger (Dane Burger – One-third pound of choice beef broiled to perfection. Topped with lettuce, tomato, pickles, Bermuda onions and our famous artichoke dip.)
- Fish (New London Bridge Fish Fry – Three-ounce haddock fillets hand-dipped in our Pilsner batter then crisp-fried and served with homemade tarter sauce, lemon, Kohl slaw and pub fries.)
January 17, 2009
New podcast on our Web site
A recording of the panel discussion held on November 21, 2008, has been posted to our Web site. Have a listen! No iPod required.
