If It's Free, Is It Worth Downloading?

by Lisa Carbaugh

The Southwestern Ohio Chapter of STC opened the 2007-2008 program schedule on September 19 at Tom Katz Dining and Spirits Dining in Springboro. After the summer break, sixteen STC members and guests enjoyed rekindling old friendships and making new ones over a casual dinner.

Welcome and Introductions

Jean Fudge, Chapter President, kicked off the new year with a warm welcome. She introduced Chapter Secretary Karen Stille; Program committee members Sylvia Miller, Kathryn Reynolds, and Thea Teich; Employment Lead Louise Tincher; and Newsletter Editor Judy Harper.

Additional Chapter volunteers are still needed:

• Membership Coordinator
• Watchdog for job postings in The Cincinnati Enquirer and Dayton Daily News
• HTML guru assistance for the Chapter's Web site

Judy Harper, editor of Between the Lines, asked members to submit articles and photos as well as ideas and suggestions for the Chapter's online newsletter.

Judy also highlighted a need for judges in this year's High School Technical Writing Competition. She asked members to support their local high school's involvement and share the Web address (www.stc-swo.org/make-it-clear) for competition, entry, and judging information. Let's encourage the next generation of technical communicators!

Program: Cool Tools for Technical Communicators

Jean led the evening's presentation. She and Tom Staubitz compiled information about freeware, shareware, and low-cost software applications and utilities that perform tasks like printing, word processing, graphics, and screen capture.

Citing personal examples and responding to questions and feedback from attendees, Jean discussed more than a dozen Web sites worth checking out for tools that can make professional and personal work more productive at minimal cost.

Review the summary handout (with software descriptions and links) and evaluate the "cool tools" for yourself.

Coming Attractions

Jean announced that the SWO STC calendar for the remainder of 2007 has several dates to save.

• The October 17 program will address an issue responsible for many an editor's sleepless night: When Did Google Become a Verb? The Changing Nature of the English Language.
• November 14 is a panel discussion: Survival Skills for Technical Communicators.
• December 12 is a special treat. Chapter members and guests can enjoy dinner and a musical at La Comedia in Springboro, where Irving Berlin's White Christmas will put all in the holiday spirit. (Die-hard communication Scrooges can examine and discuss over coffee the main character's inability to communicate effectively.) RSVP deadline for this special event is November 5, so be sure to register soon.