tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327885022011-08-31T08:53:58.389-05:00Are you a technical communicator? Let the Four Lakes Chapter of the STC be your link to the local community of technical communication professionals. Our Chapter has been providing technical communicators living or working in the Dane County area with valuable networking opportunities and educational resources since 1991. The Four Lakes Chapter is a forum for learning about the latest trends in the technical communication field.STC Four Lakes Chapternoreply@blogger.comBlogger221100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32788502.post-61993232692987720672007-04-10T11:30:00.000-05:002007-04-10T12:05:55.698-05:00

When? Friday, April 20, 2007 (Noon to 1:30pm) (Networking @ 11:30am)Where? The Great Dane, 2980 Cahill Main in FitchburgWho? All STC 4 Lakes members (and potential new members that want to check out STC and a local chapter meeting.)This meeting will be a joint meeting between our STC 4 Lakes chapter and the ARMA; the meeting will consist of a panel discussion on enterprise content management

STC Four Lakes Chapternoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32788502.post-57924181705318826902007-04-06T08:55:00.000-05:002007-04-06T09:01:26.479-05:00

You've all heard me babble about this before, but the big technology companies are fully embracing Web 2.0 concepts. Here's what John Chambers from Cisco had to say this week:http://www.crn.com/networking/198800672"Web 2.0 is here, and it's going to change the way we all do business, according to Cisco Systems Chairman and CEO John Chambers.In several appearances at the Cisco Partner Summit this

STC Four Lakes Chapternoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32788502.post-32526079186901041742007-02-28T08:42:00.000-06:002007-02-28T08:46:23.536-06:00

Hi everyone,If you haven't heard about STC's initiative to broaden the definition of the "Technical Writing" profession, I encourage you to check out this article.http://www.stc-cdx.org/newsnotes/2007/02/a2I certainly feel it's a necessary step, and more accurately defines the nature of the job.Here's how STC would like the Government to define our career:Develop and design instructional and

STC Four Lakes Chapternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32788502.post-60719228971027009142007-02-28T08:41:00.000-06:002007-02-28T08:42:23.962-06:00

Certainly nice to see this:http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bestjobs/snapshots/13.htmlKeith Hoffman

STC Four Lakes Chapternoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32788502.post-1168976000602651172007-01-16T13:18:00.000-06:002007-01-16T13:36:58.643-06:00

FREE Lunch and parking!!!Epic Documentation 101; Join us to hear Maria Herro discuss the processes for producing administrator's guides for Epic's software, including creation of content, review processes, and publication. Future plans for improvement and moving into the global marketplace will also be included.Maria Herro works on the Content Management Tools team at Epic Systems Corporation.

STC Four Lakes Chapternoreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32788502.post-1164827708969377542006-11-29T13:14:00.000-06:002006-12-01T11:00:35.513-06:00

Four Lakes President Keith Hoffman interviews STC Executive Director Susan BurtonListen by clicking the link above. No iPod required. Susan discusses the big things happening with STC, gives an overview of the annual conference in Minneapolis, and shares her view on the future of the technical communication profession.

STC Four Lakes Chapternoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32788502.post-1163453367386632802006-11-13T15:23:00.000-06:002006-11-13T15:29:27.843-06:00

Several new jobs have been posted to the STC 4 Lakes web site employment section. Codeworks Inc is looking for up to 3 technical writers for a client on the West Side of Madison. Also, Sylantro Systems out of the Bay area is looking for a technical writer - this is a telecommute position.Thanks!Chad BeerySTC 4 Lakes Board MemberIBM - Rational Software

STC Four Lakes Chapternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32788502.post-1162496068365868102006-11-02T13:32:00.000-06:002006-11-02T13:34:30.183-06:00

STC 4 Lakes Podcast SeriesPodcast - Interview with Traci Kelly from UW 11/02/2006My interview with Traci Kelly from the University of Wisconsin Technical Communication certificate program.Listen in by clicking the link above. No iPod required. Traci is helping the studens organize their own technical communication organization, which will eventually be affiliated with STC, and is also looking for

STC Four Lakes Chapternoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32788502.post-1161799670302135992006-10-25T13:06:00.000-05:002006-10-27T15:32:25.356-05:00

Hi everyone. It's taken a while, but I wanted to post links to the software that makes up my podcasting tool kit, as I mentioned in my Writing Web 2.0 presentation last month. So, here they are.http://www.skype.com/. Skype is free Internet telephony software. It has a conference feature, and calling from Skype to landlines is free until the end of this year. A great way to setup interviews at no

STC Four Lakes Chapternoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32788502.post-1161799021341406312006-10-25T12:54:00.000-05:002006-10-25T12:57:01.740-05:00

If you're looking for a great way to create demos and how-to videos by recording your screen, you could do a lot worse than CamStudio. It's a free alternative to Camtasia, and provides a lot of great features. Check it out:http://www.camstudio.org/

STC Four Lakes Chapternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32788502.post-1161009237615187432006-10-16T09:33:00.000-05:002006-10-16T09:33:57.626-05:00

http://www.knupp-watson.com/ama/We've invited hundreds of members from Madison organizations like Ad Fed, Public Relations Society of America, Association for Women in Communication, Sales & Marketing Executives, and Design Madison so you can really amplify your networking and mingle with some of the best marketing contacts in the area.The theme for our October event naturally is Oktoberfest! So

STC Four Lakes Chapternoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32788502.post-1159896908364254912006-10-03T12:25:00.000-05:002006-10-03T12:44:02.576-05:00

I was just reading this article posted at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel web site and it highlighted some interesting statistics. A new report released on Monday states that written communication ranked highest of all deficiencies among new employees. More than 80% of the respondents said the high school graduates they hired had insufficient writing skills, compared with 47% for two-year and

STC Four Lakes Chapternoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32788502.post-1159541900789236412006-09-29T09:55:00.000-05:002006-09-29T10:00:32.400-05:00

We've added yet another new job posting on the STC 4 Lakes web site."As a member of a dedicated GE Healthcare documentation team, you will be generating materials and manuals pertaining to medical life support devices and will be involved in all phases of specific technical writing projects. This role will compose text for, organize, coordinate, and direct specifically assigned technical writing

STC Four Lakes Chapternoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32788502.post-1159541664413563212006-09-29T09:45:00.000-05:002006-09-29T10:01:04.650-05:00

We've added a new job posting on the STC 4 Lakes web site."Phillips Plastics Corporation, a custom injection molder of plastic and metal, is seeking a Technical Writer at our facility in Menomonie, Wisconsin. This will be a three month contract with 20 to 30 hours per week."For additional information on this job, as well as instructions on how to apply, visit the Employment page of the STC 4

STC Four Lakes Chapternoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32788502.post-1158079667133250852006-09-12T11:39:00.000-05:002006-09-12T11:47:47.143-05:00

Looking for a great way to network? Try the September High Tech Happy Hour held on Thursday, September 21st. Take a look at the link for details!Chad BeerySTC Board Member

STC Four Lakes Chapternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32788502.post-1157730586814616742006-09-08T10:35:00.000-05:002006-09-08T10:49:46.823-05:00

Looking for a job in the software industry?I'm not, but I stumbled upon a really nice job board on a well-known blog I read: Joel on Software. I've noticed several job openings around Madison, as well as regional cities such as Milwaukee, St. Paul, and Chicago.The job board is simple to use and contains RSS feeds. Take a look!Are there any other job boards/sites that you'd recommend?Chad BeeryIBM

STC Four Lakes Chapternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32788502.post-1157482512965987372006-09-05T13:40:00.000-05:002006-09-05T14:49:24.283-05:00

September Chapter Meeting DetailsFREE Lunch and parking!!!Come join us to hear chapter president Keith Hoffman discuss Web 2.0 and the implications it has on content developers.When? Wednesday, September, 27th 2006 (11:30am to 1:00pm)Where? Monona Terrace (in the Hall of Fame room)Who? All STC 4 Lakes members (and potential new members that want to check out STC and a local chapter meeting.)

STC Four Lakes Chapternoreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32788502.post-1157037063375522692006-08-31T10:03:00.000-05:002006-08-31T10:11:03.383-05:00

The August 2006 Technicalities Newsletter is now online! Thanks Michelle for all your hard work on the newsletter.You can view it here.Chad BeerySTC Four Lakes webmaster

STC Four Lakes Chapternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32788502.post-1156965390109768662006-08-30T14:08:00.000-05:002006-08-30T16:09:49.083-05:00

On Kathy Sierra's Creating Passionate Users Blog, she wonders why it is that big budgets are spent on marketing to the customer up front, but not much is spent on marketing to existing customers via user manuals. It's a very valid question, and one technical writers have wondered for years. However, the comments lead me to believe that some of the blame is being placed on technical writers, who

STC Four Lakes Chapternoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32788502.post-1156180940220967732006-08-21T12:16:00.000-05:002006-08-21T12:24:06.223-05:00

Technical Writer makes list of ten surprising six-figure jobsSo, I had a friend of mine email me today asking how it is that I make six figures as a technical writer. I laughed, then went to read the link he sent me. You can see for yourself on forbes.com. After laughing, I then went to check out last year's STC Salary Survey. There was a smattering of six figure salaries there, but most were

STC Four Lakes Chapternoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32788502.post-1155742516463267352006-08-16T10:34:00.000-05:002006-08-16T11:05:41.716-05:00

The Future of Technical Communication. Sounds like a pretty heady topic doesn't it? The most recent issue of Technical Communication dives head first into trends that will shape the profession, and what the academic community is doing to rethink how they prepare the next generation of technical communicators.In my personal experience, one thing is becoming very clear. The traditional idea of a "

STC Four Lakes Chapternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32788502.post-1155668220099341172006-08-15T13:55:00.000-05:002006-08-15T14:50:50.933-05:00

Welcome to the STC Four Lakes Blog. I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome you all back to another year of excitement.The Four Lakes Board has been actively discussing program ideas for the 2006-2007 program year, and we're always open to hear your suggestions for topics. If you have any ideas, please email me at keith.hoffman@berbee.com, as I'd love to discuss them with you.Along with this

STC Four Lakes Chapternoreply@blogger.com0