Incoming President’s Message
Catherine Kerr introduces the rest of the chapter leadership team and outlines the goals that she’ll have in sight as chapter president between now and the end of May 2011
Published: August 2010 in
STC Carolina hosts webinar to discuss certification program
Tony Chung
The STC’s progress toward developing a certification program for technical communicators has been a hotly debated topic recently, most notably on the STC Notebook Blog and the Techwr-L mailing list.
As there have been so many questions as to the history and the process, the STC Carolina Chapter is hosting Steven Jong, Chair of the STC Certification Committee, in a presentation and webinar on August 19, 2010 from 6:00pm - 8pm EDT.
For more details and to register for this webinar, visit the STC Carolina Aug 19, 2010 Invitation
Published: August 2010 in Editor's Notes, Career Development, Features, Core Competencies
Commercial Drive Car-Free Day: There was Dancing in the Street
by Michelle Fredette, article and photos
Michelle Fredette, a technical writer and editor, believes we should back away from our computers, projects, and deadlines and engage with our community. Recently she took the opportunity to do just that, at Car-Free Day on Commercial Drive.
Published: July 2010 in Viewpoints
Technical writing and software design—is Agile development the way to go?
A report on the May 18, 2010 program meeting by Catherine Kerr, with photographs by Pam Drucker and Marika Piehler.
This program year, our final event coincidentally sustained the theme of teamwork strategy that Ben Hechter had explored the month before in his witty and wise talk about project scheduling. When an emergency forced our scheduled speaker to cancel, the day was saved by three experts on a different subject—the pros and cons of Agile development from a technical writer’s point of view.
Fishbowl format in action: David Drucker, Gabriel Gosselin, Eagranie Yuh, Helen Glavinas, Pam Drucker (Photo by Tony Chung)
After the panel introduced themselves and voiced their answers to the first question posed by moderator Lois Patterson, the panel went into fishbowl format. How does a fishbowl panel discussion work? Read the article to find out!
Published: June 2010 in Career Development, Meeting Reviews
Outgoing President’s Message
Eagranie Yuh
As days get longer and warmer, the STC CWC program year draws to a close—and I conclude my term as chapter president. It has been an eventful year, full of challenges and opportunities. I am humbled and honoured to have had the opportunity to serve you in this role.
Published: June 2010 in Message from the President
Thank you to—and from—Cyberscribe Solutions
Liessi Haussler
Last summer, Cyberscribe turned into an outbound call centre, hosting wave after wave of volunteers to write phone scripts, survey questions, gather contacts and get the word out about the competition. Although last summer’s project resulted in fewer submissions than what we had hoped for, I believe the unseen outcomes were the ones entirely worth the effort. As some of you may already know, our team reached out through direct calls, emails, news releases and a mini website to roughly 800 companies across BC, some of whom had technical writers who were learning of STC for the first time and many who had no idea that the materials they were producing were even considered technical publications. There were also several companies who were—unbelievable though it may seem to us—hearing of the concept of technical writing for the first time.
Published: June 2010 in Features
Thank you, STC CWC volunteers!
Eagranie Yuh
Each year, we take the time to recognize the incredible time and effort that the chapter volunteers donate so that we can continue to provide programming, professional development and resources to our members. STC CWC is an entirely volunteer-run organization, fueled by the sheer energy and passion that the volunteers bring to every task. We do our best to thank our volunteers, and that includes a mention at the May meeting, along with a small token of our appreciation. Last weekend, we also had the volunteer luncheon, which is a chance for incoming and outgoing volunteers to get to know each other and to celebrate another year gone by. These aren’t nearly enough to make up for the countless hours that most volunteers put in, but it’s our way of saying thank you.
Published: June 2010 in Features
SUMMIT@Click 2010 Special Advance Offer
Tony Chung
STC did not offer a separate purchase option for SUMMIT@Click 2010 while registrations for the Dallas conference were in process. However, due to the overwhelming response of the attendees that participated in the Summit, the recorded versions of the presentations will be available to those who wanted to attend but were unable to do so.
The 2010 Summit offered more than 90 education sessions, with subjects touching on every area of technical communication. Over 80 of the sessions in the program have been captured and will be available starting this summer for those who did not attend in person.
Pre-purchase the 2010 edition of SUMMIT@aClick at the special preliminary rate of $149 for members or $299 for nonmembers. This discount rate is only available until 1 June 2010. After that date, the price will rise to $249 for members and $499 for nonmembers.
Published: May 2010 in Career Development, Features
Top 10 things not to do at an information interview!
Karen Rempel
Technical writing students can be expected to regard informational interviews as an important step in beginning their careers. Karen Rempel relates her recent experience with a student who demonstrated a startling lack of awareness at his interview.
Published: May 2010 in Career Development, Viewpoints
Tony Chung shares his Summit 2010 experience
Tony Chung
Kevin Cuddihy, assistant editor of STC publications, and the STC notebook blogger, asked me to share a few thoughts at the end of the summit. He offered me 30 seconds, and I gave him 2 minutes. Summit. Was. That. Good.
Published: May 2010 in Career Development, Viewpoints
Schedule Shortcuts - Tools, Tips & Tricks with Ben Hechter
Karen Rempel. Photographs by Pam Drucker.
Ben Hechter, principal of Objectives.ca (http://www.semitake.com) and coordinator of our chapter’s Consultants and Independent Contractors Special Interest Group, gave a very interesting, entertaining, and useful presentation on Tuesday, April 20. His “Simple Strategies for Meeting Documentation Schedules” not only covered planning, estimating, and prioritizing, but also included many practical tips for speeding up the documentation process, using innovative methods with the tools we are already familiar with such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Published: May 2010 in Career Development, Contracting & Consulting, Meeting Reviews
Birthing a language through conversation and community
Tony Chung
Erin McKean is the famous dictionary editor awarded an honorary fellow designation prior to presenting the keynote address at the 57th annual STC Technical Communication Summit in Dallas, on May 2, 2010. Her opening statements both credited the STC for successfully lobbying the Federal Bureau of Labor and Statistics (U.S.) to develop a special job classification for technical writers, and expressed regret that after all that, dictionary editors aren’t considered a distinct profession.
Somebody get her a microphone: This girl knows how to tell a story.
Published: May 2010 in Meeting Reviews
In a Dallas state of mind
Tony Chung
When I renewed my STC membership late last year, I contemplated purchasing an early bird Summit ticket because it was reasonably priced. As the conference committee released preliminary details of the conference topics, I knew this was my year to go. I had never been before, but I was won over by the topic list, and especially the keynote speaker.
Published: April 2010 in Editor's Notes, Viewpoints
On the roadshow: Topic-based authoring
Lois Patterson
Lois Patterson was awarded a free ticket to the MadCap Roadshow March 12, 2010. MadCap develops content management and help authoring tools that pack a lot of punch. Let’s see what she learned “on the road”.
Published: March 2010 in Meeting Reviews, Viewpoints
Interview with writer and editor, Margaret Shaw
Mary Metzger
Coquitlam-based writer and editor, Margaret Shaw, has many types of projects in the works, including technical writing assignments. Her most recent project involved creating a procedures manual for a municipal department.
Published: February 2010 in Contracting & Consulting, Viewpoints
President’s Message February 2010: Renewal, change and opportunities
Eagranie Yuh
Welcome to our new chapter members, and welcome back to renewing members.
As I write this, it’s the Year of the Tiger and the 2010 Winter Olympics have started in Vancouver. It’s a time of renewal, change and opportunities. Since my last message, we’ve held three well-attended program meetings, two excellent professional development workshops, and have been doing all kinds of work behind the scenes to continue to bring you value for your membership.
Here’s an update for you about what we’ve been up to.
Published: February 2010 in Message from the President
Have you updated your graphic skills lately?
Steve Bain
If you’re like most technical communicators, you likely take pride in your ability to use the written word to clarify life’s ambiguities. But words alone seldom communicate as effectively as visual elements do. Just ask any Egyptian historian. Pictures bridge communication barriers where words often fall short. The global reach of today’s communication makes adding images more important than ever.
Published: February 2010 in Viewpoints
2009-2010 Technical Publications Competition
Pam Drucker
The finalists for the chapter’s 2009-2010 technical publications competition are announced.
Published: February 2010 in Features
January Program Meeting - Yoga, MOSAIC, and a raffle
Pam Drucker
The January program meeting featured yoga, a brief talk on mentorship, and a conference raffle winner.
Published: February 2010 in Meeting Reviews
Elections for National STC Officers
Mary Metzger
Elections for STC officers begin on 9 March 2010. Members will be selecting the Secretary, three Directors, and two members for the Nominating Committee. Members whose dues are paid by 28 February 2010 may vote.
Published: January 2010 in Features
Linking to media articles
Mary Metzger
Wondering how to link to a web page when it may disappear? Searching via “WebCite” can provide the path.
Published: December 2009 in Technologies
Cloud Computing - The New Wave of the Future?
Karen Cooper
Cloud Computing stores data remotely so that it is accessible from any computer. Security and privacy safeguards, software documentation, and technical issues need to be addressed but Cloud Computing holds great possibilities for technical communicators.
Published: December 2009 in Technologies, Information Architecture, Viewpoints
Our Chapter Makes Its Case at the 2009 Writing Matters Conference
Rob Hughes
Rob Hughes discusses the 2009 Writing Matters Conference held at Douglas College. The day’s events included a presentation by STC West Coast chapter president Eagranie Yuh who highlighted the chapter’s professional development, learning, and networking opportunities.
Published: November 2009 in Features
November Program Meeting: Doug Burns “Having It All”
Mary Metzger
The November 2009 program meeting featured Doug Burns, life and business coach, who presented “Having It All,” a guide to achieving personal and professional goals.
Published: November 2009 in Meeting Reviews
Google Wave
Mary Metzger
Google Wave is an open source program that operates on your browser and enables synchronous communication among users. It was announced on September 30, 2009 and includes a variety of applications. A large-scale launch is anticipated in March, 2010. Google Wave could significantly enhance the work of technical communicators.
Published: November 2009 in Technologies, Up and Coming Corner, Viewpoints
Interview with Doug Burns
Karen Cooper
In an interview with STC Canada West Coast member Karen Cooper, Doug Burns discusses his midlife career shift to personal development coaching and the affirmation it provides for clients. Doug will bring his ideas and strategies for Having it All to STC CWC members.
Published: October 2009 in Career Development, Viewpoints
September Program Meeting: Social Media
Mary Metzger
Social media marketing consultant Darren Barefoot introduced principles to keep in mind for companies using social media and networking. There are pitfalls as well as advantages.
Published: October 2009 in Meeting Reviews
Chris Ninkovich: Profile of a Technical Communicator
Florence van der Meer
Technical writer and educator Chris Ninkovich has been observing and leading innovation in technical communication since 1994. Chris has advice for newcomers to the field. His insights provide perspective on trends in technical communication and on the need to stay aware of user preferences.
Published: September 2009 in Career Development, Contracting & Consulting, Viewpoints
STC Canada West Coast Looks Forward
Takuro Ishikawa
People are still energized by STC Canada West Coast chapter events that took place in the 2008-09 schedule. An equally exciting roster of events is coming up. Members are encouraged to get involved. Volunteers help make Chapter events successful.
Published: September 2009 in Viewpoints
STC Summit 2010 Call for Proposals Closes Oct 5 2009
The Society advances the theory and practice of technical communication across all user abilities and all media. Consequently, the core content of the Summit’s education program will be based on tracks that span the profession. Those tracks are detailed in this call for proposals. The work you are doing and have done is an important element in the education process, and we invite you to share it with Summit attendees.
Published: September 2009 in Society News
Building Community and Weathering Tough Times
Eagranie Yuh
Welcome to another exciting year with STC CWC. Allow me to introduce myself, the executive team, and some of the chapter’s goals for the year.
Published: September 2009 in Message from the President
New STC SIG: Content Strategy
STC Fellow Rahel Anne Bailie is pleased to announce the newly established Content Strategy SIG, which will be the home to STC members practising as content strategists or wanting to learn more about this emerging field.
Published: September 2009 in Content Management, Features, Society News, Technologies
Help the STC Revamp the Annual Competition
STC CWC Editorial Team
With a desire to better align with current technical communication trends, a task team is in the process of revamping the process. So far they have realigned the divisions and categories, and are now looking for help revising the judging forms.
If you have five or more years as technical communicator and one or more years of experience judging at local or international competitions and are interested in providing approximately 2 to 4 hours over the next few weeks, send an email to Jane Smith of JEM Communications at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Published: September 2009 in Career Development, Usability, Viewpoints
Outgoing Chapter President’s Message
Karen Rempel
Activities and events during the STC Canada West Coast Chapter’s 2008-09 year were varied, interesting, and always fun. Outgoing President Karen Rempel reflects on a successful year and describes some of the plans for the coming year.
Published: July 2009 in Message from the President
President’s Goodbye Message
Published: July 2009 in Message from the President
May Program Meeting: Agile Documentation and Chapter Awards
Karen Rempel
Karen Rempel reviews the May program meeting which included a presentation by Susan Patch on Agile development and Chapter awards.
Published: June 2009 in Features, Meeting Reviews
Green Walls and Green “Rooves”
Michelle Fredette, Technical Editor
Architects and developers are increasingly focusing on sustainability, constructing buildings that use less energy and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) – carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide. The technical writer’s lexicon will expand to contain words and acronyms that describe new processes, ideas, and products aligned to the new ways of conducting business.
Published: May 2009 in Viewpoints
Five Sketches: Design by collaboration
Liessi Haussler
Jerome Ryckborst shared his innovative—and fun—Five Sketches™ methodology with STC Canada West Coast at the April 2008 program meeting. It was a reminder that technical communicators are awesome user champions, and as such, can offer unique perspectives on process and design.
Published: May 2009 in Features, Usability, Reviews
Community Status Report April 10, 2009
Karen Rempel, STC CWC Chapter President 2008-2009
Karen Rempel shares some highlights of our chapter’s accomplishments during the past three months, excerpted from the April Leadership Community Report sent to the STC International.
This report features some of the highlights for this past quarter, including meeting reviews, general news, and other membership activity.
Published: April 2009 in Message from the President
Rahel Anne Bailie’s Contributions to the Profession of Technical Communication
Karen Rempel, President, STC CWC 2008-2009
We are pleased that a member of our chapter, Rahel Anne Bailie, has been awarded the richly deserved designation of fellow of the STC. For 30 years, through her contributions to the field of technical communication, Rahel has been living our chapter’s current theme of making a difference.
The rank of fellow is conferred only upon associate fellows who have attained such eminence in the field of technical communication that the board of the STC deems them worthy of being singled out as one of the select few who have distinguished the Society and the profession. Only 1% of members of the STC hold a fellow designation.
In this article, Karen Rempel, STC CWC Chapter president, reflects further on Rahel’s contributions to the field of technical communication overall, and her impact on our chapter through the years.
Published: April 2009 in Career Development, Features
Program Meeting Mar 17 2009 Pecha Kucha
Coast Lines Editorial
On March 17, 2009, the STC Canada West Coast Chapter held its first Pecha Kucha event, featuring a variety of presentations intended to reflect on and encourage personal and professional growth. This article was live blogged during the event, and will develop organically as we edit for clarity, and add photos and presenter slides.
Published: March 2009 in Features, Meeting Reviews
Technical Writing Education Opportunities
Coast Lines Educational Supplement
We asked local educational institutions to tell us about their technical writing programs and any updates to their offerings. This article features responses from the following lower mainland schools who responded: Simon Fraser University (SFU), Vancouver Community College (VCC), British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT).
Published: March 2009 in Career Development, Networking, Student View Articles, Viewpoints
Feb 2009 Program Meeting Review: Leading Edge User Assistance
Lois Patterson. Photographs by Marika Piehler.
Joe Welinske, of WritersUA.com, spoke to the STC West Coast chapter on February 17. He described how opporutnities for technical communicators exist, even in the midst of an economic recession. Taking advantage of these opportunities requires the right mindset and the development of new skills.
Published: March 2009 in Features, Meeting Reviews
Sticking out the recession: how the STC can help
Eagranie Yuh
We’re all tightening our wallets, but your STC membership will be invaluable in navigating through these challenging times. Nearly 70% of jobs are never advertised, and positions are filled by word of mouth and by referral. More than anything, your local STC chapter is an important networking resource. We’ve made it even easier than ever to stay connected through our forum, through remote access to program meetings, and through a variety of social networks. Regardless of where you live, you can still be part of the STC community.
Published: March 2009 in Features, Networking, Viewpoints
Firefox Book Sprint: From Zero to Book in Two Days
Scott Abel, The Content Wrangler, is looking for technical writers to participate in a remote activity - Firefox Book Sprint: From Zero to Book in Two Days - a FLOSS Manuals project in which writers will donate time, talent and skill to produce documentation for Firefox (Mozilla) using the FLOSS Manuals toolkit.
Published: March 2009 in Editor's Notes, Features, Networking, Technologies
Renew your STC Membership for a chance to win prizes
Dawn Stewart, Membership Coordinator
Thinking of renewing? In addition to the usual benefits of membership, you could win fabulous prizes! Seriously. The STC is having a membership drive.
Published: February 2009 in Networking, Society News
Central Storage Place for Chapter Materials
Spring cleaning? Do you have any STC CWC documents, archival materials, equipment, etc. lying around your house or office? Need a place to store them? Liessi Häussler of Cyberscribe has very kindly offered to give us storage space to keep them and we’d like to have all chapter materials in one place.
Published: February 2009 in Society News
Leadership Community Report 2008-2009
Karen Rempel
The STC International office requests a report on chapter activities three times a year. These are the results I submitted to the STC head office at the beginning of January, 2009. Our membership might also be interested in hearing about what the chapter has accomplished during Fall 2008, so I am delighted to share these highlights with you.
Published: February 2009 in Message from the President
Yoga for the Office – The STC CWC January Meeting
Marika Piehler. Photographs by Stephen Arthur.
In January, Karen Rempel, our chapter president, taught participants a variety of yoga techniques that can be performed at the office. She presented four different mini yoga routines suitable for doing at the office during a short coffee or lunch break, and don’t require special clothing or props. These poses were chosen specifically to target the areas that tend to become tense from typical office work: the shoulders, neck, back, eyes, and wrists.
Published: February 2009 in Features, Meeting Reviews
Consultant or Contractor: A pragmatic distinction
Rahel Anne Bailie, STC Associate Fellow
Someone once explained the difference between contractors and consultants by declaring that contractors were paid “to do” and consultants were paid “to think”. I believe that is an oversimplification. In the world of technical communication, the distinction between the designations is often ambiguous.
Published: December 2008 in Contracting & Consulting, Features
Jack Molisani: Presentation Worth Six Figures
Tony Chung
On November the 18th, about 100 technical communicators from all levels of experience watched in awe as Jack Molisani, executive director of Prospring Staffing Network and the LavaCon conference, unleashed the secret to earning a six figure income in spite of the harsh realities of the technical communication field, and hurled Hershey’s kisses into the crowd en masse.
Published: December 2008 in Career Development, Features, Meeting Reviews
Trendspotting: The comic as a technical communication tool
Eagranie Yuh
Google’s Chrome comic got me thinking about this topic. I’ve yet to use Chrome but it sure was fun learning about where it came from. Now, I’m geekier than most, but I probably wouldn’t have sat down to read a general white paper about the latest toy from Google. But read a comic from Google? Well, sure. That’s not the only place that the comic book format has been a useful form of technical communication. Most people are likely to read a comic because it’s more fun to read than a page swimming in text.
Published: December 2008 in Case Studies, Usability, Information Architecture, Viewpoints
Virtual program meeting: from a distance
Clara Johnson
Reprinting a forum post by Clara Johnson that provides an alternate view of our first stab at adding high-tech to our high-touch.
Published: October 2008 in Meeting Reviews, Viewpoints
October 2008
Tony Chung
Our fall program meeting was the highlight that kicked off the 2008-2009 season. Be sure to read the reviews by new volunteer Michelle Fredette, as well as the forum post by Clara Johnson, reprinted with her permission. It was great to receive this much feedback, both positive and negative. We can only grow better from this experience.
Published: October 2008 in Welcome
Virtual program meeting: up close and personal
Michelle Fredette
New volunteer Michelle Fredette reviews the September 16 2008 STC Canada West Coast program meeting from the perspective of a live meeting attendee.
Published: October 2008 in Meeting Reviews, Viewpoints
SFU course on Creating Structured Content for CM being offered in November
News Briefs
You asked for it, and SFU provided it – a course in created XML structured content. Offered over 3 Saturdays in November, students will learn best practices for creating structured content, and have a chance to practice with an XML authoring tool and a CMS. Taught by our chapter’s Rahel Bailie, this is a low-cost way to figure out the benefits and mechanics of creating semantic content.
Published: September 2008 in Content Management, Features, Student View Articles
Introducing our 2008/2009 volunteers
Coast Lines Editorial Team
Running a local chapter takes a lot of work, and every year we are excited for the number of volunteers who step up to the plate and fill much needed roles. What does it take to volunteer with the STC CWC? Each volunteer profiled below will answer differently, but in common they are all self-motivated, with a lot of initiative, a desire to facilitate change, and above all, a heart to serve.
Would you like to add your name to the list? We can always make room for one more.
Published: September 2008 in Editor's Notes, Features
Ushering in a year of transformation 2008-2009
Karen Rempel, STC CWC President 2008-2009
2008-2009 is a year of transformation, in which we will continue to offer up to five programs and additional networking events for people to meet in person, and at the same time we are going to provide support for the membership to take the initiative in holding events for specific interest groups and in areas outside of the Lower Mainland. Clearly there are many tools and venues for providing programs, professional development, and networking events to a virtual community. The membership as a whole has access to these tools (assuming that each of you has a computer). The chapter will provide support for individuals and groups to initiate events that are of interest to you.
Published: September 2008 in Message from the President
The High-Tech Communicators’ Exchange
Eagranie Yuh
Founded in 2001 by Catherine Ducharme, the High-Tech Communicators’ Exchange provides an accessible and informal forum to connect communicators in the high-tech sector. While membership is primarily made up of marketing communicators, the HTCE also attracts technical writers, public relations specialists, and graphic designers. Approximately half of HTCE members work as contractors or consultants, while the other half work in-house with companies or agencies.
Published: September 2008 in Networking, Viewpoints
September 2008
Tony Chung
Published: September 2008 in Welcome
Reach out and connect to our remote members
Tony Chung
RJ Jácquez is a Senior Product Evangelist at Adobe, and he is very excited to demonstrate the Adobe’s upgrades to the Technical Communications Suite since his last presentation to our group at DocTrain West 2008 in May. However, a discussion of FrameMaker, Robohelp, Captivate, and Acrobat may possibly be completely overshadowed by Adobe’s Acrobat Connect web conferencing system built on the AIR platform.
Published: September 2008 in Features, Technologies
Reviews of Communication Programs in Vancouver
Paul Tyson, Tony Chung, Erin Lemky
This article reviews the communication programs in Vancouver, from three different viewpoints.
Published: May 2008 in Core Competencies, Viewpoints
I Wondered What It’d Be Like When I Got Here
John Hedtke, R7 Director
Our parting Region 7 director reminisces about the STC’s transformations during his three-year term. Restructuring from a regional model to operate strategically based on services was only part of it. Other changes to the organization, its technology, and the services provided by the STC, are still forthcoming. What an exciting time for our organization.
Published: May 2008 in Society News, Viewpoints
STC CWC Sponsors the Drupal Camp Vancouver
Theresa Putkey
Drupal is an open source content management software and the event is meant for both programmers and non-programmers. As a group interested in content management, the STC CWC is happy to sponsor a local group putting on a local event to further help the communities of practice.
Published: May 2008 in Content Management, Networking
STC CWC Chapter - Call for Change
Theresa Putkey
The chapter must change, these are the proposed changes. I’m suggesting that we set the pace again. To be able to form a “sustainable” community that works in good and bad economic times, we need to lighten the overhead of the chapter while still providing value to each other.
Published: April 2008 in Message from the President
Chapter President the Key Pointe of Podcast Interviews
Tony Chung
What does it feel like to make the move from technical writing into a specialist field like usability consulting? How do you even begin when faced with an online help project that contains 2500 topics? And above all, why would anyone leave Sacramento for Vancouver?
Last month, Tom Johnson, of I’d Rather Be Writing, (a popular technical writing–focused blog), interviewed Theresa Putkey, owner of Key Pointe Usability Consulting, Inc., and 2007/2008 STC CWC Chapter President, who answered those questions and more in an interview featured in two parts on his podcast, Tech Writer Voices.
Published: April 2008 in Networking, Technologies, Information Architecture, Viewpoints
Documentation and Training West 2008: Web 2.0 and Its Impact on Communication.
Tony Chung
Web 2.0 is the focus of Documentation and Training West 2008, taking place at the Marriott Pinnacle from May 6 to 9. Scott Abel, Program Manager, explained that while technical communicators respond to specific words like: XML, single sourcing, information architecture, and, of course, DITA, it is always a challenge to feature presenters who can serve these topics in fresh ways, without rehashing old material.
Published: April 2008 in Career Development, Content Management, Meeting Reviews, Networking
January Program Meeting: DITA authoring with XMetaL and xDocs
Tony Chung
The program meeting to open 2008 was a special presentation about tools to author and store XML content that conforms to the DITA specification. On January 15, Jim Tivy, CTO of Bluestream Database Software, presented “Authoring and Publishing with DITA”, using Bluestream xDocs and JustSystems XMetaL.
This article features a summary and video podcast of the event.
Published: February 2008 in Content Management, Meeting Reviews, Technologies
Welcome new STC Canada West Coast Members
Membership to the STC and to the Canada West Coast chapter keeps technical communicators in touch with the large community of professionals both here in British Columbia and around the globe. It helps communications professionals like us become more valuable in our places of work and aids in pushing our careers forward.
Published: January 2008 in Message from the President
January Announcement from the President
Happy New Year to everyone! I hope you enjoyed your holidays and don’t find
these post-holidays to be too dark. Myself, I decided to get up when the sun
comes up, do it the natural way, only the sun never comes up…
Here are some items you might be interested in:
Published: January 2008 in Message from the President
Writing.Wise: Why Technical Communicators Should Attend
Tony Chung
When I first read about this event I wondered about the relevance of this type of panel to our work as technical communications professionals. This event is meant to inspire this other side of our writing lives, and provide a forum to “Meet a diverse panel of writers and engage in a lively discussion about stories and narrative in games, comic books, new media, books (fiction and non fiction), and song.” Writing tends to be a lonesome sport. As we play in isolation, few understand the problems we solve on a day-to-day basis, and fewer still appreciate our use of well-placed sentence fragments. Like this one. We need community to help keep the fire alive, and this is why we should consider joint events of this type as being important to us and our careers.
Published: November 2007 in Career Development, Networking, Up and Coming Corner
STC Int’l Changes Its Chapter Funding Model
Theresa Putkey
The int’l STC body has changed its funding model to the chapters, distributing a bit more money to each chapter based on member numbers…
Published: September 2007 in Message from the President, Society News
Our chapter stats
Theresa Putkey
Looking at the member counts, I was impressed…
Published: September 2007 in Message from the President
Another Year Begins
Theresa Putkey
Another year kicks off at the STC Canada West Coast chapter in September. Is everyone ready?
Published: August 2007 in Message from the President
Back to Basics
- Dalyce Epp
2007 has been extremely busy for this Coast Lines editor! There are times when I (almost) wish I could clone myself.
Published: April 2007 in Editor's Notes
Awards Speech
- Pam Drucker
Pam Drucker announced the winners of the 2006 Canada West Coast technical publications competition at the STC Winter Party, which took place at Chill Winston on February 15, 2007.
Published: April 2007 in Society News
March 2007
Published: April 2007 in Welcome
Writing Structured Content - A Core Competence for Technical Communicators
- Gene Mattis
Gene Mattis explains the uses and benefits of structured content.
Published: March 2007 in Core Competencies
Writing for an Audience
- Julian Worker
Julian Worker shares some pointers on the single most important aspect of writing – considering your audience.
Published: March 2007 in Core Competencies, Usability
What Does an Editor Do?
- Heather Sommerville
Heather Sommerville tackles the challenge of explaining what an editor is…or does.
Published: March 2007 in Viewpoints
STC Director Candidate Nicky Bleiel
This article was submitted by candidate Nicky Bleiel and has been published in its original form.
Voting closes April 12, 2007.
Published: March 2007 in Society News
STC Director Candidate Mollye Barrett
This article was submitted by candidate Mollye Barrett and has been published in its original form.
Voting closes April 12, 2007.
Published: March 2007 in Society News
STC Second Vice President Candidate Cindy Currie
This article was submitted by candidate Cindy Currie and is published in its original form.
Published: March 2007 in Society News
Information Design for PDAs
- Poornima Padmanabhan
Published: March 2007 in Online Help & Embedded Assistance, Viewpoints
Core Competencies in Technical Communications
Published: March 2007 in Career Development, Core Competencies, Student View Articles
New Senior Members
- Odile Morrison
STC Canada West Coast congratulates those who achieved the status of senior member in February, 2007.
Published: March 2007 in Message from the President
2007 Student Scholarships
Published: January 2007 in Society News
Send us your thoughts, please
Published: January 2007 in Society News
Chapter launches free series of ‘Tools & Technologies’ events
- Odile Morrison
At the annual strategic planning session, topics around tools and technology appear frequently on the list of events suggested for the coming season. So, this year the chapter will present a new series of free, vendor-sponsored chapter events under the broad banner of “Tools and Technologies”.
Published: January 2007 in Message from the President
January 2007
Published: January 2007 in Welcome
Business addressing challenge of e-accessibility, expert tells UN panel
This UN press release was issued following the 2006 International Day of the Disabled Persons and discusses the results of the Global Accessibility Audit.
Published: January 2007 in Usability
January Notes
- Dalyce Epp, Coast Lines Editor
Published: January 2007 in Editor's Notes
January Program Meeting: Legal Issues in Technical Communication
- Tracey Martinsen
If you missed the January program meeting, make sure you don’t miss Tracey Martinsen’s recap of it.
Published: January 2007 in Meeting Reviews, Reviews
WIKIs and the Capture of Knowledge
- Susan Patch
The WIKI horizon keeps expanding…
Published: January 2007 in Career Development, Technologies
December Meeting Review: Cognitive Edge: Making Sense of Complexity
- Theresa Putkey
Theresa Putkey summarizes key points from this presentation.
Published: January 2007 in Meeting Reviews, Reviews
Up and Coming - When You’re A Lone
- Mark Gates
Mark Gates provides solid advice on being a lone writer. But, he cautions, “individual results may vary”.
Published: January 2007 in Career Development, Student View Articles
Re-architecting Information Flows: A Case Study
- Tamara Chapman
Keeping up with technology starts here. Tamara Chapman examines the way the STC West Coast Chapter has evolved while managing information flows.
Published: January 2007 in Information Architecture
A Publication in Transition: The Changing Face of Coast Lines
- Tamara Chapman
Tamara Chapman shows us where we’ve been: Coast Lines then, and now.
Published: January 2007 in Viewpoints
Creating a Low-Cost Video Web Seminar
- Guy Ball
Guy Ball describes what it takes to create a high-quality web seminar without having to have a big production team.
Published: January 2007 in Technologies
It’s a Web World
- Keith Soltys
Published: January 2007 in Technologies
The Marion Norby Fund provides 150 subsidized STC memberships for those members affected by the economic recession. STC will award up to 100 Full Recovery Packages and up to 50 Subsidy Recovery Packages.