by Louise Tincher

STC SWO will again have a booth at Tech Fest, Feb. 13 and 14 in Dayton. Tech Fest is a program dedicated to introducing kids to science, technology, engineering, medicine and math (STEM).

The program includes hands-on, interactive exhibits staffed with volunteer professionals from societies, companies, museums, universities and other technology organizations. It will be held at the Sinclair Community College.In 2008, 2600 youths were registered during the two-day program. This program is free to all with free parking under the Ponitz Center at Sinclair.

The SWO Booth: Kids, Winners, and OREOs!

In our booth, we will display the winning entries from the STC International Publications and Online Competition. If you were at the Cedarville Conference in November, you got a chance to see the entries there, too. We will also have an activity for the kids – write up how to eat an Oreo. We will have actual Oreos on hand (along with paper and pens), and some candy to give the kids.

You Can Help…

I need two types of help:

• Volunteers to staff the booth (2 or 3 people at all times)
• A total of 5 laptops to display the winning online entries (I have two already.)

I would personally take all the laptops home between Saturday and Sunday (I would not leave them at Sinclair overnight).

Tech Fest hours are:

• Fri, Feb. 13 – set up in evening (Just one or two additional people would be nice)
• Sat, Feb. 14 – 10 a.m. – 6 p.m
• Sun, Feb. 15 – 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.

…And Have FUN!

I’ve staffed the booth before, and I loved it! If you like talking to kids, or if you’d like to talk about tech communication to them and their parents, then please come! It’s designed to be FUN, for us and for them! And this year we have Oreos! Yum, yum!

One suggestion – if you?re a grandparent/aunt/uncle/neighbor, see if you can get your grandkids/nieces/nephews/neighbors to come with their parent during your volunteer shift. I bet they will have a BLAST. When you’re done at our booth, you can then enjoy the fest with them.

So Sign Up Now

Please contact Jean Fudge if you can volunteer for ANY amount of time: 513-477-7873 (Jean’s cell phone) or jaf529@earthlink.net. Web sites for Tech Fest, and directions, are:

• http://www.ascdayton.org/TechFest2009/
• directions http://www.ascdayton.org/TechFest2009/directions.htm

by Louise Tincher

When Judy told me one of the themes for this month’s newsletter—The Three Rs—I thought “Reading, Writing and Arithmetic”? Why do we need that here?

"No," she said, “Rest, Relaxation and Renewal”—three things we all need that are very important for busy professionals at a busy time of year." Judy was right on track as usual.

You’ll have to forgive me, as incoming president for the 2008-2009 program year, I have found it all a little crazy-making. After one year as chapter president, Judy signed up for her second year as newsletter editor, so you’ll understand if I questioned her wisdom (or sanity).

Actually most of the SWO-STC chapter leaders this year are repeat offenders. We have seven Administrative Council returnees (myself, Jean Fudge, Judy Harper, Mindy Hoffbauer, Sylvia Miller, Karen Rokich and Thea Teich), five past chapter presidents (Jean Fudge, Judy Harper, Mindy Hoffbauer, Sylvia Miller, and Thea Teich) and one past president of STC International (Thea Teich). So why do we do this? We talked about that at one of our Administrative Council meetings.

Why are we active STC members? As we talked, our reasons fell into several categories:
•    Camaraderie
•    Education and training opportunities
•    Insights into the local job market
•    Mentoring
•    Networking contacts
•    Professional development
In other words, we do it for the benefits. We get benefits from actively participating in our chapter.

This year I have challenged the council to share these benefits with our members by telling their personal stories, as well as by mentoring and training new chapter leaders. I am also challenging you—our members—to reap those benefits for yourselves. Tell us why you joined STC and what you want from the organization. Call, email (president@stc-swo.org), stop by and chat at a meeting. SWO-STC offers you a wealth of professional knowledge and resources. Use them!

We will do our best to help you actively meet your needs. Notice that I used the word “active”? You will get the most value from your membership by actively participating in STC. That means attending meetings and seminars, as well as taking on volunteer duties, to build your professional network and skills. Some days it is a lot like work, but it pays dividends in career and personal development.

So how does SWO-STC tie in to the three Rs? Well, I can’t promise you much rest, but I can promise you lots of relaxation and renewal. At SWO-STC you’ll find friends who understand the challenges you face at work, mentors to guide your professional growth, and a roadmap to STC International resources. Last but not least, you’ll find like-minded people who actually laugh at your jokes. I don’t know about you, but some days I need that.

by Louise Tincher

Writing for the web has become a fundamental task in today’s world of technical communication. At our March 19^th meeting, STC Associate Fellow Pam Ecker spoke on the latest trends and standard principles in writing for the web. Pam is director of the Technical and Professional Writing program, and chair of the Multimedia Design department at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College.  Pam teaches courses in informational and persuasive writing for print, Web, broadcast and other media, as well as technical editing and usability assessment.

The publishing industry is in turmoil. Pam quoted from authorities, including Thad McIlroy, Nader Dareshori and Lee Wilson, on the current state of publishing. The picture they paint is confusing. More written material is being produced, but profits from traditional print publications are down. Digital publishing and the internet are making old business models obsolete. The future of publishing lies in disseminating ideas, rather than printing.

What does this mean for technical communicators? Industry experts project continued high demand for workers in technical communications and related fields. U.S. News & World Report’s Best Careers for a Changing Job Landscape (2008) lists curriculum/training specialist, editor, ghostwriter, librarian, systems analyst and usability/user experience specialist as high-potential careers for the present and near future.

However, writing for digital media, requires a different approach than writing for printed media. Readers of digital media use a “satisficing” strategy, scanning pages quickly for cues to the content they seek. Herbert Simon coined the term “satisfice”—a combination of the words “satisfy” and “suffice”—to describe solutions that are not perfect, but good enough. These are frequently the solutions that we use in the real world.

Usability experts Steve Krug, Lance Loveday, Sandra Niehaus, Jakob Nielsen and Janice Redish offer tips on how to write for digital media. First, use fewer words; readers typically do not linger over a web page as they would over a novel or poem. Tone is critical, use a more conversational tone than you would in print. Provide structure to guide the reader; digital media do not have the assumed (linear) structure of print media. Use design to reinforce information and enhance the user experience. Finally, think about how readers will use technology (e.g. search engines, bots, PDAs, cell phones) to access the information.

Change is inevitable and technical communication will continue to evolve. In our lifetimes we (well some of us, anyway) have seen the migration from typewriters to word processors to desktop publishers. The growth of the Internet brought us e-mail, web sites, blogs and wikis. While technology changes, the basic principals of technical communication remain the same. Content is king. The media and the technical communicator are only the means to deliver content to the user. To that end, technical communicators must know their audience. In the end, we are still delivering factual information to human beings.

Looking for more information? Try these links:

• Cincinnati State Technical and Community College:  www.cincinnatistate.edu
• Thad McIlroy, The Future of Publishing: http://www.thefutureofpublishing.com/
• Lee Wilson, The Education Business Blog: http://www.educationbusinessblog.com/
• U.S. News & World Report, Best Careers 2008:  http://www.usnews.com/features/business/best-careers/best-careers-2008.html
• Jakob Nielsen on Usability and Web Design: http://www.useit.com/
• Steve Krug, Advanced Common Sense: http://www.sensible.com/
• Pew Internet and American Life Project: http://www.pewinternet.org/
• EEI Communications, The Elements of Internet Style: http://www.eeicom.com/press/eis/index.html
• Lance Loveday & Sandra Niehaus: Web Design for ROI: http://www.wd4roi.com/home.html
• Janice Redish, Letting Go of the Words: http://www.redish.net/writingfortheweb/
• Herb Simeon, Satisfice: http://web.uvic.ca/akeller/pw408/r_satisfice.html

by Louise Tincher

On January 17, the Southwestern Ohio chapter met in the Brethren Hall at the Beavercreek Church of the Brethren. The program was a Job Progression, where speakers at different tables made short presentations about job topics, and chapter members switched tables and topics every 15-20 minutes.

Resumes
Rebecca Forrest, Forrest Design LLC

Rebecca Forrest owns Forrest Design LLC, providing services in communication and instruction services. She has more than 20 years’ experience in technical communication, with emphasis on information structure and design, proofreading and editing, customized training, policy documentation, procedures writing, technical reports, software documentation, and proposals. She has worked primarily for the high-tech, GIS, and DOD industries but also has experience editing textbooks. Her skill has been recognized by a dozen publication awards and standing-room-only audiences at national, regional, and local conferences and workshops.

• Handout: Resumes for Success, her resume as an example
• Notes: Proof-read, proof-read, proof-read again. Invest the time and effort to develop a killer resume. Make every word count. Make it letter perfect. A single mistake could put your resume in the reject pile.

Cover and Thank You Letters
Mark Sisson, University of Dayton

Mark Sisson is Associate Director for Career Advising at the University of Dayton. In addition to career advising for undergrads, graduate students, and alumni, Mark works extensively with first-year students. He acts as a liaison to the Counseling Center, International Programs, and many Arts and Sciences majors. Before coming to UD, he was a secondary social studies teacher and is an active musician.

• Handouts: Sample Cover Letters
• Notes: Keep cover letters to one page. Omit the salutation if you don’t have a specific addressee name. Focus on the job requirements. Include any personal links to the company. Mention something about the company that is not in the job ad. Always send individual thank you notes to each interviewer. These can be handwritten notes or formal letters. Reiterate your qualifications and interest; include anything that you left out of the interview.

Interviewing Skills
Bob Miller, O’Neil and Associates

Bob Miller is a long-time employee of O’Neil and Associates, a Dayton company that employs approximately 100 technical writers. Bob is the Manager of Human Resources for the company and has extensive experiences in reviewing resumes, selecting candidates, and interviewing them.

• Handout: Traditional Interview vs. Behavioral Interview,
  Interview Questions
• Notes: Preparation is the key to a successful interview. Do your homework on the company and the interviewer(s). Use company websites, the Internet and business news for research. Show interest through knowledge of the company that is not included in the job description and pre-interview materials. Establish rapport through common links (friends, co-workers, schools, interests). Let interviewers know that you are a person they want on their team.

Portfolios
Sandi Harner, Cedarville University

Sandi Harner is Professor of Technical and Professional Communication (TPC) at Cedarville University. She developed the TPC program in 1984 and has since served as its director. In 2001, the Society of Technical Communication (STC) named her a Fellow, and in 1996, she received STC’s Jay R. Gould Award for Excellence in Teaching Technical Communication. Professor Harner served for eight years on the STC Board of Directors as the Assistant to the President for Academic and Research Programs. She currently serves on STC’s Industry/Academic Leadership Summit, where she is helping to create the Body of Knowledge for the profession of technical communication. She co- authored Technical Marketing Communication published by Allyn & Bacon/Longman in 2002.

• Handout: None
• Notes: Sandi and several of her students reviewed their portfolios for us. (I’m sure that Sandi can provide their names.) They were very impressive. The work addressed fictional and real-world technical communication assignments. It ranged from marketing pieces to user manuals.

Job Search Techniques and Skills
Chris Wiley, University of Dayton

Chris Wiley has been with Career Services at the University of Dayton since 1994 and is the Associate Director for Employer Relations and IT. She acts as liaison to the School of Engineering and Alumni Relations. She has also served on the Leadership UD Development Team and continues to facilitate workshops for Leadership UD. With Mark Sisson, she has conducted research and made presentations on the use of Facebook software by students and employers.

• Handout: Job Strategy Guide
• Notes: UD’s Career Services Office has seen an increase in employer queries for experienced candidates. Employers want to avoid the avalanche of resumes they receive from Internet job ads. The alumni connection provides candidates with credibility. Start your job search at your alma mater. If they are not local, ask about reciprocal alumni services with area schools. Many colleges and universities have reciprocal agreements for providing alumni career services.

This STC-sponsored webinar was held on September 26, 2007 at 11:00 p.m. EST. Jane Smith was the featured presenter.

Presenter Background

Jane Smith is Past Manager of the Society for Technical Communication (STC) Instructional Design and Learning (IDL) Special Interest Group (SIG). Jane has been an instructional designer for over 20 years. She has taught at the high school and community college levels, as well as presented workshops and conference sessions.

Seminar Summary

This live seminar covered steps, tips and tricks for putting on a successful live web seminar, including the planning steps and stages for developing and publicizing an effective training webinar. The presenter also demonstrated how to use the functions of the Genesys web casting tool to engage attendees in interactive learning.

Software Tool

Genesys Meeting Center by Genesys Conferencing (www.genesys.com). Genesys has been a leading provider of converged collaboration and communication services for 20 years to thousands of organizations worldwide, including more than 200 of the Fortune Global 500. Genesys Conferencing offers the industry’s most advanced and comprehensive portfolio of virtual communication and collaboration services.

Tool Functionality

Web casting functions include on screen polling, testing, desktop applications, presentations, chat, audio and recording. Web casting can be used for training, meetings between individuals at remote sites and recording presentations/meetings for future use.

• Pop-up polling allows the presenter to take quick surveys of participants. Polling was used to establish the background experience of the attendees (e.g. previous web cast attendance) and goals. It could also be used for votes, or to guide an instructor.
• Pop-up quizzes allowed only binary responses (e.g. yes/no) and did not work well in this demonstration.
• Desktop applications appear live on screen, allowing real time demonstrations and updates. The presenter can pass control to a participant, although there were some issues with this function. Updating embedded objects – in this instance an Excel chart in a PowerPoint file – was a problem.
• Presentations, such as PowerPoint are straightforward. Animations were not used; bandwidth constraints may slow animations and limit their usefulness.
• Live chat appeared in a separate panel along the right-hand side of the screen, allowing interactive exchanges between the participants and presenter during the entire session. Participants can scroll through the entire session chat, as well as toggle the panel off/on.
• Audio can be two-way (presenter and participants), or the presenter/moderator can mute the participants. When audio is muted, participants can signal the presenter via their key pads, the presenter can then unmute the individual and/or the group.
• Recording and/or accessing a recorded session was not demonstrated. Participants can listen in via computer audio and/or dial-in teleconferencing.

Administrative Information

Lloyd Tucker, STC Director of Education explained the details of using Genesys Meeting Center through STC. The tool will handle up to 125 users at $.05 per minute per user/site. The chapter president must email Lloyd with contact information for the session moderator. Lloyd will then respond with an account number and PIN. Genesys will bill Lloyd and he will forward the bill to the registered user/chapter (this was not clear).

Lessons Learned

Web casting looks like a terrific cost-effective tool for remote meetings and training. It is critical to plan and rehearse your web cast in advance to ensure that the presentation goes as planned.