Attend the PeachPit Web Conference

Meet the people who feed the chapter’s book habit at Peachpit’s annual confab. Our Voices That Matter:  Web Design Conference will be back in San Francisco from April 27-30, at the Grand Hyatt. Web design authors Steve Krug, Marty Neumeier, Jared Spool, and Jesse James Garrett (among others) will lead interactive discussions with the Web designers in attendance, answering questions, sharing experiences and helping you find new inspiration. Visit www.voicesthatmatter.com/webdesign2009 for a complete list of speakers.

 You can take advantage of an exclusive user group discount. Save $200 when you register by using the User Group Priority Code WBVSGNS! If you sign up before March 12, you can get the Early Bird discount in addition to this special user group discount!

More Conference Opportunities

• PMA, an annual photo imaging event:
  March 3-5, 2009, Ls Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV
• SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST
  March -17, 2009, Austin Convention Center, Austin,TX
• PHOTOSHOP WORLD CONFERENCE AND EXPO
  March 25-27, 2009, John B. Hynes Convention Center, Boston, MA
• SOCIETY FOR PHOTOGRAPHIC EDUCATION
  March 26-29, 2009, Fairmont Dallas Hotel, Dallas, TX

The Answer Depends on Whom You Ask

On February 14 and 15, some of us learned a lot about technical communication from a fictional space alien, a carton of Oreos, and five hundred kids. The Tech-Fest Refresher Course in Technical Communication was a rechcomm worshop that showcased at least five cardinal rules to follow when writing procedures.

The task: write a set of procedures telling someone (specifically a space alien named Al) how to eat an Oreo. The response: dozens of kid-written procedures that illustrate some basic technical writing principles.

1. Know your audience.
   The kids never forgot they were talking to aliens. Look at this example:

   You bring the tentacle with the Oreo to your mouth. Put the Oreo in your mouth and collide your top and bottom row of teeth to crush the Oreo…
   Then put it in your mouth. Your mouth is located under your three eyes and above your chin..

2. Help your readers get work done.
   The would-be tech writers made sure their procedures provided instructions for managers as well as workers, as in this example:

   Take a cookie, show it to them…split it in half, eat one half, give the other to them, and tell them that they must work for you to pay for the cookie.

3. Describe the choices that are available.
   Our young Tech-Fest attendees knew that It’s always important to give readers alternatives, as they did in this example:

   1. Open cookie up.
   2. Hold the cookie in your hand.
   3. Lick icing off both halves.
   4. Put cookie halves back together.
   5. Eat the cookie (chew and swallow.)
       or
   1. Stick the whole thing in your mouth.
   2. Chew.
   3. Swallow.

4. Provide details that a novice might not know.
   Techcomm professionals write procedures that help newbies perform their tasks like experts. The kids who visited our exhibit did the same thing:
   

   1. Hold the cookie next to your mouth.
   2.Take a bite from your cookie.
   3. Wipe your mouth with a napkin.
   4.Finish eating your cookie with your mouth and teeth. (Don’t forget to swallow.)

5. Don’t make assumptions.
   Many of the TechFest procedures accounted for the fact that their alien readers might not know things that were obvious to non-aliens. For example:

   You are supposed to eat cookie and not step on cookie…

Working technical communicators might do well to write procedures with these principles in mind.

Perks and Gifts for Book Buyers

When you buy a book online, you have to wait for a shipping company to deliver it to your doorstep. But if you buy a book from Peachpit.com and that book is also available in Safari Books Online, you are entitled to 45 days of  instant, free, online access to the book via Safari. So you can read the book immediately …without waiting for the postal service!

Monthly Book Selections from Peachpit.com

• Design/Layout
  • QuarkXPress 8: Essential Skills for Page Layout and Web Design, By Kelly Kordes Anton and John Cruise
    List Price: $29.99
  • Real World Adobe InDesign CS4
    By Olav Martin Kvern and David Blatner
    List Price: $54.99

•  Image Editing
  • Getting Started with Camera Raw: How to Make Better Pictures Using Photoshop and Photoshop Elements, Second Edition
    By Ben Long
    List Price: $39.99
  • Real World Compositing with Adobe Photoshop CS4
    By Dan Moughamian and Scott Valentine
    List Price: $44.99

•  Social Networking
  • Facebook Me! A Guide to Having Fun with Your Friends and Promoting Your Projects on Facebook
    By Dave Awl
    List Price: $19.99
• Web Design & Development/Programming
  • Information Architecture: Blueprints for the Web, Second Edition
    By Christina Wodtke and Austin Govella
    List Price: $45.00
  • Styling Web Pages with CSS: Visual QuickProject Guide
    By Tom Negrino and Dori Smith
    List Price: $19.99

Please visit Peachpit.com within the next two weeks to select your free monthly book.

1. Select the operating state for your group and click Submit.
   NOTE: Groups outside the United States and Canada should select OTHER as their operating state. It’s found in the O section as opposed to at the end of the list).
2. Select your group name from the pull-down menu and fill in ALL the required fields that follow.
3. Please do not forget to include your phone number as this is now required for shipping.
   NOTE: Incomplete requests will not be processed.

If you experience any problems with the form, you can submit your monthly book selection directly to usergroups@peachpit.com.

Take Advantasge of the Group Coupon Code 

As SWO-STC members, you are eligible for a 35% discount off the list of any Peachpit book. At checkout, right before entering your credit card information, enter the user group coupon code UE-23AA-PEUF (case-sensitive).

This coupon code is an exclusive offer that may not be used in conjunction with any other coupon codes.

Writing for Business and Success

The Southwestern Ohio chapter of the Society for Technical Communication — in conjunction with the Mad Anthony Writers’ Conference and Book Festival — presents

A Technical Communication Workshop Series

This is for all you non-members out there. Have you always wondered what technical communication really is? Are you pondering a new career in technical communication? Do you wonder how technical communication can help you reach your business goals? Please join us for an informative half-day introduction to technical communication.

Sessions will include:

Introduction to Technical Communication
What is technical communication? Who are technical communicators? What do they do and how do learn to do it? Sandra Harner of Cedarville University provides an introduction for those considering careers in technical communication.

Technical Communication and Your Bottom Line
What role do technical communicators play in business? What are their key functions? How do they contribute to the bottom line? Sylvia Miller provides an overview of how technical communicators impact government and industry.

Panel Discussion: Technical Communication as a Profession
What is it like to work in technical communication? What skills, training and personal characteristics do you need to succeed? Where could you end up working? Hear from Thea Teich, Sylvia Miller, Louise Tincher, and Judith Harper — professionals with more than 50 years of combined experience working in technical communication for local employers.

Also includes the STC Traveling Exhibits. Online and printed examples of the winning entries from the STC International 2007 competitions. The exhibits provide examples of high-quality technical communications.

Sandra Harner developed the Technical and Professional Communication program at Cedarville University in 1984, transforming it from a minor in the English department to a full-blown major by 1992. She was named a Fellow by the Society of Technical Communication in 2001 and served on their Board of Directors as assistant to the president for academic and research programs for eight years. She is currently part of a team defining the Body of Knowledge essential to the profession of technical communication.

Sylvia Miller has worked in technical communication for 18 years. Starting out as an English teacher, she discovered technical writing while pursuing a Master’s at UD. She fell in love with the field and has never looked back. Sylvia has earned numerous awards for her work and contributions to the profession. She is an STC Associate Fellow and served as Instructional Design and Learning Special Interest Group membership and scholarship manager. She currently serves on the board of Cedarville University’s Technical and Professional Communication program.

After 20 years working for major industries, government agencies, and non-profits, Thea Teich started Teich Technical and Marketing Communications in 1995. TTMC offers technical and marketing communications services, including Web content and report development, editing, writing, indexing, and marketing consultation to clients in the software, manufacturing, financial services, publishing, pharmaceutical, and marketing research industries. Thea is a Society of Technical Communication Fellow and served on the STC Board of Directors from 1998 to 2004, including a year as president of the Society (2003-2004).

Louise Tincher has more than 10 years experience as a writer and editor supporting engineering and technology organizations. After eight years in technology sales and a serious career assessment, she switched tracks to technical communications. Louise draws on her varied background to help companies achieve their goals through more effective communications. She employs a structured approach to document development, using standard templates, processes and procedures to improve quality while reducing costs. She is current president of SWO-STC.

The beautifully restored historic YWCA of Hamilton
244 Dayton Street
Hamilton, Ohio

Date: Saturday, March 14, 2009

Time: 8:30am – 12:30pm

Registration:

• Adults: $25 / $30 at the door
• Students: $20 / $25 at the door
• Register at www.madanthonycbf.org or call the YWCA at 513-856-9800

All proceeds benefit the YWCA Family Literacy Program.

Cookies, Kids, and Technical Communication

by Jean Fudge

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 was held Feb. 14 and 15 at Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio.

Members of the Southwest Ohio (SWO) chapter of the Society for Technical Communication (STC) challenged children to explain to an outer space alien how to eat a cookie. More than 500 children accepted the challenge, taking the time to write the procedure on handouts distributed by SWO STC. Each child also was offered an Oreo to sweeten the deal – and to serve as a visual aid.

Children were quick to grasp the basics:

1. Grab cookie.
2. Place in mouth.
3. Chew.
4. Swallow.

Some offered extras, such as audience analysis.

“Does the alien have hands?”
“Are cookies poison to the alien?”
“Does the alien understand English?”

One young lady exhibited thorough comprehension of the process, adding:

5. Digest.
6. Go to bathroom.

All told, nearly 600 Oreos were distributed. Students completed roughly 500 handouts while standing at the booth.

Children and their parents also viewed winning entries from the STC international competition. SWO STC got a helping hand from Sinclair Community College, whose multimedia department loaned the five laptops used to display the  online competition winners.

Many thanks to the STC members who volunteered to help make the event a success for SWO STC! Thanks to:

• Thea Teich
• Jackie Watkins
• Tom Milligan
• Cheryl Drake
• Cheryl Stewart
• Doug Boatman
• Crystal Dunson
• Stephen Daugherty
• Craig Kupras
• Maggie Prince
• Karen Rokich
• Louise Tincher
• Jean Fudge
• Judy Harper

Finding the Perfect Fit

by Karen Rokich

An accidental technical writer, Lisa Colon didn’t know what to expect when she entered Cedarville University’s Professional Writing (since renamed as Technical and Professional Communication) program in the winter of 2000. What she did know was this: writing and editing were her strengths, and she needed for her talent to become alive.

That program was her introduction to the world of technical communication and it was, she says, "a perfect fit!"

After graduating from Cedarville, Lisa worked as a public relations intern, a loan officer, and a church secretary while searching for her first technical writing job. She found that job at Avery Dennison (formerly Paxar and before that Monarch Marking) in Miamisburg, OH, where she has been working as a Technical Writer for the past four years.

Lisa’s job involves writing and editing manuals for end users, system administrators, programmers, and service repair technicians. Working under the umbrella of the engineering department, she provides a user’s perspective on new product designs and product improvement projects. She works with two cross-functional teams and is lead writer for two different product lines.

Lisa works closely with the service department to respond to customer documentation needs based on feedback through support representatives. She also has the opportunity to do some HTML design and develop online help projects.

Lisa resides in Huber Heights, Ohio with her husband, stepson, and two lovable dogs.

Learning Instructional Design?

Photo by rj43214

Are you currently pursuing an undergraduate degree, graduate degree, or certificate in the area of Instructional Design? If so, apply for the 2009 STC Instructional Design & Learning SIG Scholarship today! We will award:

• One (1) $500 scholarship for undergraduate students
• One (1) $1,000 scholarship for graduate students

Visit www.stcidlsig.org and click Scholarships. From there, follow the instructions for downloading, completing, and submitting the scholarship application.

The application deadline has been EXTENDED to March 25, 2009 at 11:59PM CST. Get your application ready TODAY!

Anagrams and Other Puzzles

by Harold Fox

Last time I left you with the following teaser from one of the websites from Richard Lederer’s list of language sites:

The letters of the phrase CORRECT ANSWERS can be rearranged to make two words, each of which names a vegetable you might find in the produce section of a supermarket. What are they?

The answer is CORN and WATERCRESS (from Puzzability: Teaser of the Week for January 5–11, 2009.  This teaser is one example of the type of word game called "anagram(s)." In other words, CORN WATERCRESS is an anagram of CORRECT ANSWERS.

 The word "anagram" comes from the Greek "anagramma," meaning "letters written anew." (Wikipedia) An anagram is the result of rearranging the letters of a word, phrase, sentence, (or even more) to form a new word, phrase, or sentence, using the same letters, each once only. Examples given by Wikipedia include the following:

orchestra = carthorse
eleven plus two = twelve plus one
a decimal point = I’m a dot in place

In the example I used for the puzzler above, CORN WATERCRESS is an anagram of the subject CORRECT ANSWERS. The construction of anagrams is a very old form of wordplay, probably dating from the classical Greeks. (Ibid.)

If you google the word "anagram," you will find hits, in addition to the Wikipedia entry "Anagram", that let you sample this ancient amusement in a variety of ways. There are sites that will provide you with one or more anagrams for any subject you supply. One such is Internet Anagram Server, an anagram of which is "I, rearrangement server." When I asked it for anagrams of the subject "Harold Fox," it returned 36 anagrams, the most flattering of which is "Ha, Lord Fox." I invite you to sample one or more of these anagram providers for yourself, to find anagrams of your name or any other subject you choose.

If you would prefer to be a more serious player at anagrams, you can attempt "to produce anagrams that, in some way, reflect or comment on the subject," as the Wikipedia entry puts it. (Op. cit.). Note these examples from the Wikipedia entry:

George Bush = He bugs Gore
Madonna Louise Ciccone = Occasional nude income
William Shakespeare = I am a weakish speller

At whatever level you may involve yourself, anagrams can provide entertainment, distraction, challenge, or all of the above. Enjoy!

I should not leave the subject of anagrams without noting that all semordnilaps are anagrams. I have discussed semordnilaps at some length in earlier numbers of this column, but in case you did not happen to see that I shall briefly recap what that odd word means. Begin with something that is probably more familiar to you. A palindrome is a word, phrase, sentence, or number that is the same when read backward. Simple examples are "bob," "noon," "radar," "2002," and "Madam, I’m Adam." You might regard a semordnilap as the opposite of a palindrome. Instead of reading the same backward and forward, a semordnilap is a word that makes a new word when read backward. For example, a word I used a few lines above is one. "Recap," when read backward is "pacer." You may have noticed that "semordnilap" is "palindromes" read backward. I know, there is a discordance of number there, but things are rough all over. Semordnilaps are like peanuts, you can’t have just one. If you have one, you have two, by definition. I have been collecting English semordnilaps for a few years now, and I have chosen to represent them in their paired state, as in "recap – pacer." My collection now numbers an even 400, including "are – era," "fires – serif," "newer – renew," and "redrawer – rewarder." I hereby renew the offer I made in the column that dealt with semordnilaps. If you are curious and/or interested enough to request the list, I will be happy to e-mail it to you in a Word document. Just e-mail me your request to the address below.

Let’s end this episode with a stumper from Will Shortz, the Puzzlemaster. I shall provide the solution and citation of the source in the next number of "Calling All Verbivores."

Take the word SURE. If we asked you to add two pairs of doubled letters to it to make an eight-letter word, you would add P’s and S’s [sic] to make SUPPRESS. Can you add two pairs of doubled letters to RATE to make a common eight-letter word?

Until next time, send me your solutions (or suggestions or complaints or stumpers) at hfox@juno.com or 2005 Burroughs Drive, Dayton, Ohio 45406.