The Pitt Meadows Public Works Department is responsible for many types of work, including street sweeping and maintenance of streets, water mains, and sewer pipes. Margaret met often with the staff as they described processes, defined terms, and clarified policies.  Margaret made full use of Excel to manage completion of the individual manual sections and as a tool to measure progress.  The Department did not have a document template.  Accordingly, Margaret created one and as she wrote, she kept in mind the needs of both current and future Public Works staff and other city officials.  The completed manual is another example of a successful collaboration between subject matter experts and a thoughtful technical writer.

Margaret is a member of the British Columbia Branch of the Editors’ Association of Canada (EAC).

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. As most of Vancouver is whipped up in Olympic frenzy, we won’t be having a program meeting in February. We have something special in the works for March, so stay tuned.

Here’s an update for you about:
• STC Summit Grant
• Winners of the 2009-2010 Technical Publications Competition
• Storage Space and Meeting Space: Can You Help?
• STC Elections
• STC International Office

STC Summit Grant

STC CWC is pleased to announce the STC Summit Grant, which provides one grant of full conference registration to the 2010 STC Summit in Dallas, TX that takes place May 2–5, 2010. The registration deadline is 11:59 p.m. (PST) on March 8, 2010. Here’s more information about the STC Summit Grant.

Winners of the 2009-2010 Technical Publications Competition

At the January 2010 program meeting, we recognized the winners of the
2009–2010 Technical Publications Competition. The competition recognizes excellence in technical communication in a number of categories.

Congratulations to everyone who submitted work, and especially to our winners: Barry Shanko, Graham Masters, Jennifer Wiebe, Lisa Siddons, Chris Ninkovich and Louise Rousseau.

Thank you to the volunteers who contributed their time and expertise: Pam Drucker, Liessi Haussler, Heather Sommerville, Sharon Twiss and Marian Buechert.

Storage Space and Meeting Space: Can You Help?

The chapter needs to upgrade its storage space and meeting space. We have some preliminary options but are looking for your suggestions of affordable solutions. We’re looking for:
• Storage space for our records. The space must be locked and secure, accessible outside of office hours, and have space for approximately four banker’s boxes.

• Meeting space for our volunteer meetings. The space must be available on a weekday evening between 6:30–9:00 p.m. and have space for up to 12 people. The ability to have external catering/food delivery is preferred. Meetings take place once every 2–3 months.

If you have suggestions for storage space or meeting space (or both!), please email them to secretary (at) stcwestcoast (dot) ca.

STC Elections

STC Elections will take place from March 9, 2010 through April 8, 2010. You must renew your membership (and new members must join) by February 8, 2010 in order to be eligible to vote in the 2010 election. As STC International office (STC IO) recovers from a very difficult 2009, it’s clear that we need a strong team to lead. Find out more about the STC Elections.

The presidents of the Canadian chapters developed a list of Canadian-focused questions for the candidates. Fei-Min Lorente, president of STC Southwestern Ontario, provides more information on her chapter blog.

STC International Office

STC International Office (STC IO) has been going through tough times lately, but it looks like things are in recovery. If you’re not familiar with the situation, I provided a brief update in my last message.

Updates:
• STC CWC has developed a generous budget for the next two years that will allow the chapter to continue to bring program meetings, professional development seminars and scholarship opportunities. Based on this budget, we identified a $5,000 surplus. This surplus was sent to STC IO in support of the Society, and in good faith that STC IO will continue to represent and advocate for the work of technical communicators.

• STC IO used to support its chapters through regular pass-through funds of $25 per chapter member, per year. Since summer 2009, pass-through funds have been frozen and chapters have been operating without financial support from head office. In response to this, STC IO has formed a task force to consult the chapters about how to best provide support—financial and otherwise. Catherine Kerr (STC CWC vice-president) and Tracey Martinsen (STC CWC secretary) have graciously stepped forward to represent our chapter and, as it turns out, all Canadian chapters. I have every confidence that they’ll represent our needs to the task force, and thank them for taking this on.

Rest assured, our local chapter is thriving and strong. We will continue to bring you opportunities for professional development, networking and building your community. We’re a volunteer-run organization and we’re always looking for new blood. If you’d like to get involved, email Heather at volunteer (at) stcwestcoast (dot) ca.

What can we do to bring more value to your membership? Leave your comments in this forum thread or email me at president (at) stcwestcoast (dot) ca.

Best wishes,
Eagranie Yuh

President, STC CWC
president (at) stcwestcoast (dot) ca

Although today’s digital tools eliminate much of the heavy lifting, it does take a certain degree of drawing know-how and technique to create great visuals. While bitmap editors provide tools for photo manipulation, vector graphic programs are perfect for creating the intricate detail needed for complex mechanical plans or content-rich diagrams.

For many technical communicators, producing effective graphics may not come naturally. Often the only way to develop these skills is to make the investment and learn the tools and techniques. However, the efforts you make virtually guarantee that your professional marketability will increase and your business opportunities will broaden.
You don’t need to be Rembrandt or Picasso to produce information graphics that communicate effectively. In fact, you don’t need to be an artist at all. From a creative perspective, it simply helps to be well-organized and have a clear strategy in mind to produce an effective graphic. Knowing a few basic drawing techniques for livening up dull, flat graphics can also help.

Most simple techniques typically include:

• Adding perspective, depth, and dimension to simple shapes
• Emulate lighting, shadow, and reflection effects for interest
• Use color for emphasis, balance, interest, and visual organization
• Apply advanced graphic effects such as blending and transparency for realism

Graphic applications can liberate you from the clumsiness of WordArt and elevate you beyond those little colored circles and squares. You’ll find everything from free downloadable programs to high-priced pro-level illustration programs. At the free end of the spectrum, Inkscape leads the open source graphics movement with sophisticated features. The moderately priced CorelDRAW Graphics Suite bundle includes bitmap, vector, and capturing software and is highly intuitive. Adobe Illustrator tips the scale as the highest-priced vector graphics tool with a complex toolset and interface. Their ease-of-use and learning curves vary as widely as their price.

When it comes to upgrading or adding new drawing skills, your zero-to-hero learning curve will depend largely on your motivation. Having new skills will improve your versatility as a technical writer, communicator, trainer, or business professional. As a technical communicator, your ability to wear multiple hats will help you accomplish your tasks more effectively. In fact, most potential employers or clients will expect you to have multiple communications skills and knowledge of the latest digital tools.

So, what does it take to learn to communicate graphically? You have a range of options to choose from. Most do-it-yourself or trial-by-error strategies mean it may take you years to master your graphics toolset and there’s no guarantee you’ll achieve your learning objectives. Books can help, but require good study habits and a certain degree of self discipline.

Instructor-led, hands-on courses are always a good choice. Learning in a classroom environment will give you the benefit of guided learning from an experienced user. If you’re looking to ramp up quickly or update existing skills, workshops often take less time and teach on many levels.

Regardless of whether you need to create block diagrams or photo-realistic architectural renderings, having the skills to communicate using both text and graphics will greatly improve your competitive edge and puts you a step ahead of those who don’t. The investment is well worth your time and effort.

STC technical publication awards are among the highest accolades conferred on work produced by professional technical communicators.

The spirit of the competition aims to inspire communication excellence by acknowledging technical communicators who produce award-winning work. So in this spirit, the STC CWC chapter proudly acknowledges our peers who have achieved a standard of excellence through technical communication.

Winners

  * In the category for Online Tutorials/Training; Award of Merit - Barry Shanko for Network Simplicity Software Workbook Planning for MRM

  * In the category for Technical Art Promotional & Informational Materials Design; Award of Excellence - Graham Masters, Jennifer Wiebe, Lisa Siddons for SpeedLine Solutions Strategic Plan 2009-2011
  * In the category for Technical Publication Reference Materials; Award of Excellence - Lisa Siddons, Chris Ninkovich, Louise Rousseau for SpeedLine Solutions for Terminal Quick Reference

Judges
Lead judge - Heather Sommerville and remote judges Sharon Twiss and Marian Buechert evaluated and chose winning entries by consensus.

Competition Manager Liessi Häussler of Cyberscribe Solutions Inc. generously provided an office and interns to kickstart the competition.

We couldn’t have done it without you!
Thanks to all judges and volunteers who gave their time and expertise to make the chapter’s competition a success!

Karen teaches this course in workplaces around the city. And she has taught yoga and meditation to young adults in prison. We practiced yoga poses called “the bear”, “carnival ride”, and cat hands. Most exercises could be done sitting or standing and required no special clothing or equipment.

The new program year kicked off with some fun lessons in flexibility, breathing, and even finger coordination.

Find out about upcoming wilderness programs and visit Karen’s blog at Monkey Valley Retreat Centre.

Readers can see great meeting photos posted at the Coast Lines Gallery, courtesy of our photographer, Marika Piehler.

Also at the meeting, Astarte Sands, an outreach worker from MOSAIC presented a short talk on “Workplace Connections: Why mentors matter”. MOSAIC matches skilled immigrants with Canadian professionals who volunteer as mentors. The goal is to help newcomers adjust to workplace culture such as how to send resumes, why it’s important to proofread, and what kinds of interview questions to expect.

In turn, we can describe what it’s like working in a large city, and for different industries, and the job skills needed to make and maintain our own connections. Mentoring a newcomer is not meant to help the person find a job but rather help them navigate the process.

The winner of the conference registration prize goes to Helen Glavina to attend the Conference for Software User Assistance, courtesy of Joe Welinske of WritersUA. The event takes place in Seattle from March 21-24 and features more than 80 topics about software user assistance. The value of the registration is over $1000.

A full copy of the revised bylaws is posted at Bylaws.

STC Canada West Coast does not endorse any of the candidates and information about them is provided as a service to members.  Complete information about the election is available at Candidates.

Candidates on the slate for the 2010 STC election are:
For Secretary:

  * Rachel Houghton
  * Steven Jong

For Director (three positions to be elected, each for two-year terms)*:

  * Nicky Bleiel
  * Al Hood
  * Tricia Spayer
  * Makarand (Mak) Pandit
  * W.C. Wiese

*Lisa Pappas resigned from the STC Board effective 23 November 2009, which creates an additional position for someone to serve the one year remaining in her term. For the 2010 election, STC members will elect three directors-at-large, with the top two winners serving the two-year terms and the third winner serving the remaining year of Lisa’s term.
For Nominating Committee (two positions to be elected):

  * Lory Hawkes
  * Nathaniel Lim
  * Linda Mikkelsen
  * Preeti Mathur

The 2010 Society election is scheduled to begin 9 March and end 8 April 2010 at noon EDT (GMT-4). Please watch the STC website for detailed information about the candidates.

Messages from two candidates follow:
From William C. Wiese, candidate for Director:
2009 was a horrendous year. Crippling economic issues had unparalleled impact on the society and widened the gap between society leadership and STC communities. Distasteful but heroic efforts probably have not solved the problems and our profession continues to struggle as a result of the economy.
2010 will be another year of course correction, with a disproportionately high impact on technical communicators. 

That’s why this year’s elections are so important. Please encourage your members to renew their membership by 28 February, discuss qualifications of the many qualified candidates, and to cast their votes.
 
I thank you for continued service to your STC community and support for this year’s election.

From Nathaniel Lim, Candidate for Nominating Committee
When you tell your friends and family that you are a technical writer, what is their reaction? To me, they say that it sounds like an important job and probably isn’t easy. When I tell them I write online help as part of my job, they often tell me that Help does not help. Unfortunately, this is sad but true. People get frustrated when they read poorly written documents and cannot find the information they need.
This is why I am running for STC Nominating Committee. I want to make a difference.  I am reliable, a critical thinker, and an innovator.

You can also get to know me at LinkedIn (Nathaniel Lim) and Facebook (search nathaniel lim impac).

Thanks for your consideration.

Cloud computing, also known as utility computing or rack computing, has been around for several years. The terminology differs, but the idea is simple. 

Cloud computing is an offsite bank of computing resources , data centers, and servers that you or your business can tie into.  No need for costly software purchases and upgrades. The Cloud will take care of that. Other computers can tie into the same information that you are working on in real time.  No need to worry about lost data due to computer crashes or corrupt programs. All data is utilized by the latest versions of software on the market.

Cloud computing is all about data—using it, storing it, and having instant access to it from computers anywhere in the world.  Our need for multiple access points to the same data, accurate data, and instantly available data is the driving force behind Cloud Technology.  It is said that businesses can improve agility and lower their operating and capital costs with the Cloud—and gain a competitive edge.

Of course, security and privacy are key concerns.  The various companies that are hosting Cloud Technologies feature expos and symposia on this issues.

How will Cloud Technology affect us as technical communicators?  It’s another avenue to explore in the confusing maze of streets and alleys out there now.  Software still needs to be documented; technical issues still need to be communicated.  For now, I am keeping an eye on Cloud Technology to see which local companies jump on this new wave.

Spearheaded by Print Futures: Professional Writing program coordinator Maureen Nicholson, the conference takes a generalist approach—much like the Print Futures program itself—in presenting sessions from all fields of professional communication. Many of the attendees are current Print Futures students, but for established writers the conference offers the chance to talk to other writers and bask in the wisdom of fellow professionals.

This year’s conference was held Saturday, November 7. Our chapter was featured most prominently at the “Finding the Right Professional Association” session. This was a panel with representatives of the Editors’ Association of Canada, the Canadian Public Relations Society, International Association of Business Communicators, and the STC. Chapter President Eagranie Yuh touted the benefits of joining the STC (which, as we all know, includes professional development, learning, and networking with other technical communicators). She also took audience questions about the profession itself, and did an excellent job of enlightening attendees as to the wide scope of technical communication. Well done, Eagranie!

The day featured a number of other highlights. Alan Twigg of BC Bookworld talked about the history of independent publishing in BC and the challenges facing independent publishers after recent cuts to arts funding. Print Futures instructor Diana Wegner presented her paper on “Community Activism and Rhetorical Strategy”. Another session explored the relationship between writer and editor via a lively discussion between alive! magazine editor Ellen Niemer and freelance writer Jenn Farrell.

With other sessions featuring topics such as social media marketing for writers, travel writing, and starting your own communications company, attendees were truly spoiled for choice. The only bad thing about the day was the classic conference dilemma: not being able to be in three places at once.

Chapter members are advised to watch out for the next Writing Matters call for proposals and start brainstorming. The conference is ideal for informal, fun sessions that emphasize the basics. If being a presenter isn’t your thing, then you’re strongly encouraged just to attend. The conference consistently provides a bracing shot of inspiration during the gloom of autumn.

Photos- courtesy of Maureen Nicholson:
Top: Conference audience between sessions Bottom: Chapter President Eagranie Yuh represented the STC at the professional associations panel.
                 

First, Doug clarified that “having it all” does not mean trying to do everything.  In fact, he encourages delegating, letting skilled people tackle tasks that require professional expertise.  By focusing tasks and goals, people have a better opportunity to achieve balance in their lives.  What areas?  Doug listed many, including career; money management, fun and recreation, personal growth, and health.  If one piece needs attention, priorities can be shifted to address the need. 

A first step for finding a balance, Doug suggests, “is to assess where you are and then figure out where you want to be.”  The process begins with defining values and then setting goals that align with those values.  Doug acknowledged that it’s often hard to set work boundaries.  Establishing boundaries begins with creating daily and weekly schedules and as much as possible, sticking to them.  This frees up time to focus on constructive tasks so that they don’t turn into crises.  Additionally, if some commitments can be delegated, we can carve out time for recreation and exercise and for friends and family.

Finally, Doug commented that he reminds his clients to cultivate a sense of gratitude and sense of perspective.  Every day won’t be perfect, but a better balance can develop over time.  Doug’s presentation was supportive and positive and left audience members looking toward “having it all.”