All posts by Scott Prentice

Welcome!

Uncategorized

Welcome to the North Bay Communicators Network website! We are just getting things set up, so bear with us for now. You should be able to log in or register add new ideas to the “Ideas!” forum.

If you have an avatar registered with www.gravatar.com, that image will be used in your forum profile.

Over the coming days and weeks we will be adding more information to the website. Please do add your suggestions to the forum and volunteer to help out.

Announcements and information about this group will be sent to the NBCOMM Yahoo group. You can sign up for that mail list at .. groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/nbcomm/info.


STC NorthBay chapter is closing

STC NorthBay Blog

STC NorthBay members will likely have received an email indicating that STC headquarters is closing our chapter for “low activity.” We are sad to see the chapter come to an end, and value the networking and social time we’ve had together. We are hoping to have a final meeting (or two) as a chapter and you’re all invited at no charge. Proposed date is Oct. 24.

We encourage you to remain members of STC and affiliate yourselves with one of the other Bay Area chapters:

We are planning on starting a new group that’s independent of STC, a resource that will provide an opportunity for professionals involved in a wide range of writing and publishing fields to network and socialize. This group will be open to anyone (STC members or not) at no charge. Details of this new group will be sent out to this list, and you’ll have the opportunity to sign up for another mail list we’ll use to communicate within the group. We will formalize plans for this new group at the Oct. 24 meeting, so be sure to join us if you can!

Starting Your Own Business — Virtual Conference Preview!

Conferences, Meetings, STC NorthBay Blog

STC is offering a 3-day virtual conference on “Starting Your Own Business.” This online event will include presentations on all aspects of starting your own business or freelancing shop.

If you are a business owner, independent consultant, freelancer or trainer, you should definitely consider attending. Prices are very reasonable. For more details or to register, visit the virtual conference website ..
www.stc.org/virtual-conference.

Monique Semp, one of our STC NorthBay members, is one of many distinguished presenters at this conference. She is offering to give us a virtual preview of her 30 minute presentation!

Strategy First: Launching Successful Technical Communication Projects

You’ve decided to take the plunge and begin your new career as an independent consultant, but now what? You need a place to work! This session covers important topics such as location, computer hardware and software, furnishings (both immediate necessities and business/tax planning for future purchases), ergonomics, IT concerns (outlets, networks, backup methods, etc.), and building your reference library (both online and old-fashioned print books). You’ll receive checklists and references to help you create an office that you’ll not only want to spend time in, but that fosters productive (and lucrative) work.

This “preview” is scheduled for April 9, 2013, at 7pm. If you’d like to join us, please contact the STC NorthBay webmaster at <webmaster@stc-northbay.org> at least 24 hours in advance (Monday evening).

What’s a TC Camp?

Conferences, STC NorthBay Blog

TC Camp is an “unconference” focused on Technical Communications issues, skills, challenges, and the various applications used by technical communicators.

So, what’s an unconference? It’s an event where users suggest topics, get together and discuss them in detail. It’s even described in Wikipedia .. check it out.

The purpose of TC Camp is to provide a local bay area conference for technical communicators that is driven by the members of that community–writers, editors, designers, and the people who support them.

  • Date: Saturday, 26 January 2012
  • Time: 8:00 am to 6:00 pm
  • Venue: Silicon Valley Cloud Center, 222 Caspian Dr, Sunnyvale, CA
  • Cost: Workshops are $30, the rest of the day is FREE! (and if you use this code “SCOTTCAMPS”, the workshop is 50% off)

This looks to be a lot of fun and seems like a good opportunity to learn something new. Visit the website for details and registration .. www.tccamp.org/blog.

LavaCon 2010: Manage Your Online Brand (and support your local chapter!)

Conferences, STC NorthBay Blog

OK, you’re on Facebook and maybe Twitter. Now what?

Join other technical communicators at the LavaCon Conference on Digital Media and Content Strategies, Sept. 29–Oct. 2 in San Diego, CA and learn how to use social media to advance your tech comm career.

First, read Jack Molisani’s cover article on the June Intercom magazine to see if social networking is for you: http://intercom.stc.org/

Then go to http://lavacon.org to view the LavaCon program and register!

Note: Register by August 6th using the referral code STCCANB to support the STC-NorthBay chapter and to receive $50 off your conference tuition!

Introduction to DITA Workshop in Cupertino

STC NorthBay Blog, Training,

On August 7, 2010 at DeAnza College in Cupertino, the STC Silicon Valley chapter will have an “Introduction to DITA Workshop.” Some of the topics covered will be DITA concepts, tasks, references, DITA maps, tools and technologies (DITA Open Toolkit, XML Mind). There will also be hands-on examples so students will work on pieces they can include in their portfolios.

Register before July 25, 2010 and pay only $60 for STC Members and Full-Time Students and $75 for Non-members. Register after July 25, 2010 and the fee goes up to $75 for STC Members and Full-Time Students and $100 for Non-members.

To register visit http://stcsv.wufoo.com/forms/intro-to-dita-workshop/

APIs and SDKs: Breaking into and Succeeding in a Specialty Market

STC NorthBay Blog, Training, , ,

Seminar presented by API/SDK documentation expert Ed Marshall, Marshall Documentation Consulting in Boston.

Cost: $195 per person (includes breakfast and lunch)
When: Saturday, August 28, 2010, 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Where: Best Western Pony Soldier Inn, 9901 NE Sandy Blvd., Portland, OR

Since the early 1990s, the demand for application programming interface (API) and software development kit (SDK) documentation for developers has grown rapidly and shows no signs of declining. At the same time, there’s a shortage of writers in this niche. They enjoy a steady income, higher hourly rates, and often the luxury of telecommuting.

Contrary to some perceptions, API/SDK writers are typically not computer programmers. They’re technical writers who are detail oriented, who know how to glean information for documentation by reading developers’ code and communicating well with developers. Although having familiarity with one or more programming languages is important, technical writers can leverage skills they already have to add value to API/SDK documentation, such as the ability to organize information, recognizing where important gaps in the content exist, and providing consistency in content and use of terms.

How do you enter and succeed in this market? Join Ed Marshall, a nationally recognized expert in API/SDK writing, for an introduction to this world of writing documentation for software developers on Saturday, August 28. During this all-day, hands-on workshop, you will learn:

  • What APIs and SDKs are and the similarities and differences between them.
  • Who uses APIs and SDKs and why.
  • The benefits and drawbacks of API/SDK writing.
  • How to gather information, primarily by reading the software code. For example, which files do you read? Which programming keywords are important?
  • What information you can get from the source code and what to look for. What information you can’t get from reading the source code.
  • Hands-on exercises using Doxygen and Javadoc to generate typical online documentation from a set of C and Java source code files.
  • The skills you need to succeed, including common programming concepts, software applications used for creating these documents, and tips for adding value based on your technical knowledge.
  • Where to find training.

Ed will also show examples of typical API/SDK documents and demonstrate the software tools used to generate documentation from the developers’ source code. He will allocate ample time for participants to practice with these tools. Laptops are needed to complete the hands-on exercises. All the software needed will be provided by the instructor for installing on your laptop.

About the Instructor

Ed Marshall is an independent technical writing consultant and sole proprietor of Marshall Documentation Consulting, with more than 22 years of experience. He specializes in APIs/SDKs (application programming interfaces/software development kits), Web services products, and other types of documentation aimed at developers. Throughout his career, Ed has developed expertise in using tools to “let the computer do the work,” such as advanced tools for editing files, comparing files, and searching and replacing text in files.

Ed is a popular speaker at a variety of professional development conferences, locally and nationwide. His previous appearances include events sponsored by the Society for Technical Communication (STC), WritersUA, and DocTrain.

For more details and to register, see www.tabbycatco.coml.

2010 STC Summit in Dallas

Conferences, STC NorthBay Blog, , , ,

The 2010 STC Technical Communication Summit was held in Dallas this year on May 2-5. Our chapter was represented by two members, Monique Semp and myself (Scott Prentice). We estimate that we may have had the greatest percentage of chapter attendance, a whopping 20% (2 of the 10 “official” chapter members)! Let’s shoot for at least 50% next year in Sacramento .. no excuses!

This was my 7th Summit, and it was as interesting and informative as ever. I gave a presentation on AIR Help, which seemed to go reasonably well. I attended a number of sessions that provided me with new ideas and got me thinking about things in a new way. I was also able to meet a few new online friends in person, as well as the usual crew of colleagues and conference-goers. From a business perspective, it was good to meet some clients who I’d only interacted with via the phone or email, and made contacts with a few potential future customers. I also attended the Awards Banquet for the first time this year (needed to borrow a tie), which was a lot of fun and it was great to see so many people’s hard work recognized.

My trip was a bit shorter than I like, so wasn’t able to explore Dallas at all, but I hear that those that did had a good time in the museums, shopping, and local sights. When in a new city, I will typically take the train or light rail from the airport if that’s available, but unfortunately the train system from the DFW airport doesn’t run on Sundays (hmm .. I guess people don’t travel on Sundays?).

One big announcement this year was that the US Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its newest Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) in December and, as STC announced in April, “Technical Writer” has its own chapter for the very first time. This is a huge boost to the profession of technical communicators, and is completely due to the efforts of the STC. For more information on this effort, check out the stc.org website. If you want to read the official document, you’ll find it here .. www.bls.gov/oco/ocos319.htm.

Meeting: Spring Networking Social at Maguire’s Pub in Petaluma

Meetings, STC NorthBay Blog, , ,

A good time was had by all at our spring networking social at Maguire’s on May 20. We had a good turnout, and discussed all sort of interesting topics. The officers discussed some of the proposed changes to the chapter website as well as the new meeting style, which will be a mix of virtual and in-person meetings to encourage attendance by those people too far away to attend in person. Monique and I spoke about our experiences at the STC Summit, and Linda won the drawing for the free license of DITA-FMx (for enhanced DITA authoring in FrameMaker).

I hope to see everyone at the next social!