Join us at The Harp Irish Pub for our annual holiday party. You’ll enjoy good food, games, and get to visit with other people in the industry. It’s always a blast to get to visit with your colleagues in a purely social environment. Just don’t forget to bring your business cards just in case you get a job lead, meet someone going through the same challenges as you, or just want to keep in touch.

Also, if you have a special holiday dessert you’d like to share, bring it. It adds to the sweetness of the event.

Food and non-alcoholic drinks are provided. The Pub will keep personal bar tabs.

Where: Harp Irish Pub, 1425 Market Blvd, Roswell (directions)

When: Monday, December 19, 6:30

Cost: Toys-for-Tots donation or $10

RSVP

Jen Collier
Atlanta STC

“Holiday Cats” (below) Source: http://thegloss.com/odds-and-ends/gallery-holiday-cats/

“Christmas Kitten” (headline image) Source: http://animalhospitalofmchenry.com/

Jeff Haas will present Cool Tools for Technical Writers. Once you’ve convinced an employer that you know how to write, can play well with others, and are curious about technology, you need to demonstrate your mastery of the authoring tools they require on the job. But which authoring tools should you master? Jeff Haas, past president of STC Atlanta, will discuss the tools that are currently in demand and the ones that are likely to be in demand in the very near future.

Jeff Haas is a Lead Technical Writer with ADP and an Associate Fellow with STC. As a full-time and contract technical writer in the Atlanta area since 1985, Jeff has mastered a wide variety of authoring  tools and is uniquely poised to share his perspective on where the technical communication profession has been and where it’s likely to go next.

Photo credit: KeystoneIT

Update: The awards banquet was a success. Thanks to everyone who came out to Mary Mac’s!

Get ready for some Southern food! This year’s awards banquet is at Mary Mac’s Tea Room. We’ll congratulate our competition award winners and recognize our chapter’s achievements from this year while we dine on fried green tomatoes, cornbread dressing, and more.

Join us to celebrate the great year our chapter has had, and help us look forward to the exciting events for next year. It’s called the “awards banquet,” but this time is for all of us. Come hang out and enjoy some good food and good company. See you there!

The Details

• When: Thursday, April 28, 2011
• Where: Mary Mac’s Tea Room, 224 Ponce De Leon Avenue Northeast, Atlanta, GA 30308
• Time: 6:30-9:00
• Price: $40/person

There will be a cash bar available.

Meeting Details
Tuesday, February 15th
6:30-8:00 PM
Free for members; $10 for non-members
GenOn (formerly Mirant),1155 Perimeter Center West, Atlanta, GA 30338

See you there!

Chris Snider
2nd VP, STC Atlanta
jcs1963@charter.net

“How Microsoft SharePoint Gives You a Realistic Approach to Content Management”

Whether you are a single author or part of a team, managing your content is an important practice that ensures efficiency in your work and accuracy in your documentation. Content management practices will help you route material through an approval or signature process, ensure that the right people work on it at the right time, facilitate quality assurance, allow you to track changes, and facilitate content reuse. The problem is that most content management systems are very expensive and require a large learning curve. In fact, many implementations fail because of the complexity.

Why not use Microsoft SharePoint? SharePoint has built-in document management features that you can begin using immediately without worrying about a costly implementation and learning cycle. Acquiring and implementing SharePoint is not a hard sell because most organizations already have it and, if not, there are free versions of SharePoint available. For these reasons, SharePoint is becoming the gold standard for many business activities, including content management.

This session will discuss why you should use SharePoint (or how it is much easier than people think) and what features you can take advantage of.  We will also spend a few minutes discussing Doc-To-Help and its integration with SharePoint.

Speaker Bio:

Brad has several years experience as a Documentation Product Consultant at ComponentOne. During his tenure at ComponentOne, Brad has trained and assisted thousands of authors and technical writers on best practices and emerging technologies. Brad travels the US and abroad as a frequent speaker at user groups, trade associations, and events and is a valued source to the help authoring community. He is also a published author.

Meeting Details
Tuesday, January 25th
6:30-8:00 PM
Free for members; $10 for non-members
GenOn (formerly Mirant),1155 Perimeter Center West, Atlanta, GA 30338

See you there!

Chris Snider
2nd VP, STC Atlanta
jcs1963@charter.net

“Evaluating Content: Get a Grip on Your Research”

Data-driven is the mantra we often hear. But drowning in numbers doesn’t help us understand whether our content is getting results. Before we dive into digits, we need the right evaluation questions and the right research methods to answer those questions. And, we should never forget that people, not data, are responsible for content decisions. This presentation will offer a data-informed approach to evaluation based on the new book Clout: The Art and Science of Influential Web Content by Colleen Jones.

About the Presenters

Colleen Jones is the principal of Content Science. A veteran of the interactive industry, Colleen has guided or supported strategic initiatives for global brands, government agencies, boutique brands, and savvy startups. She has presented about content strategy, user experience, and interactive marketing around the world.

Jeff Chasin advises businesses about how to use web data to gain insights into customers and content. His experience spans websites of all sizes and brands including IBM. Jeff also serves on the Research Committee of the Web Analytics Association.

Join us at Harp Irish Pub for our holiday party. You’ll enjoy good food, games, and company. Plus, this year we’re adding to the fun with a silent auction.

• When:  December 14, 7:00
• Where: Harp Irish Pub, 1425 Market Blvd, Roswell
• Cost: Toys for Tots donation or $10

That’s right, it’s going… going… gone! At this year’s holiday party, we’ll be holding an auction.  It’ll be a blast and we’ll all have the opportunity to walk away with a few more items checked off our holiday shopping list. The money from the auction will go to support our chapter. We’ll use it to fund workshops, chapter meetings, competition, Currents, etc. If you have something to donate, please contact Jen Collier.

Items up for Auction

MadPak ML Suite The MadPak ML product suiteincludes seven powerful technical communication tools, designed to give technical writers everything they need to develop robust, professional documentation. Included in the suite is MadCap Flare for single-source, multi-channel publishing; X-Edit for subject matter expert contribution and review; Analyzer for project analysis and improvement; Mimic, Capture and Echo for multimedia elements; and MadCap Lingo, for translation and localization. Donated by MadCap Software MadCap sales info: Sales@MadCapSoftware.com (858) 320-0387 Estimated Value: $1,699 Starting Bid: $170

Doc-To-Help Best known as the all-in-one authoring and publishing solution, Doc-To-Helpis used to produce desktop, Web, or print deliverables. Its new integration with SharePoint allows Doc-To-Help users to take advantage of SharePoint’s Document Libraries and all its related content management features. Users can upload documents to a SharePoint Document Library and use Doc-To-Help as an interface to edit content, check files in/out, and ultimately publish deliverables. Alternatively, Doc-To-Help users can download existing documents from a library. Since these documents are stored in SharePoint, users can take advantage of SharePoint’s management features such as version control, workflows, and even translation management. Download a 30-day trial at www.doctohelp.com. For more information contact Do-To-Help at 412.681.4343 or sales@doctohelp.com Donated by the Doc-To-Help Team Estimated Value: $1,100 Starting Bid: $110

Camtasia Studio Every day, thousands of people around the world use Camtasia Studio to create videos that train, teach, sell, and more! It’s the easiest way to demonstrate a process, product, or idea. The new library comes stocked with professionally designed assets you can drag-and-drop into your video. It’s also the perfect place to store your callouts, title slides, and other assets for re-use and sharing. For additional information contact: Rachael Parker 517 381 2243 (direct line) or my email r.parker@techsmith.com Donated by TechSmith Estimated Value: $299 Starting Bid: $30

Camtasia for Mac Every day, thousands of people around the world use Camtasia Studio to create videos that train, teach, sell, and more! It’s the easiest way to demonstrate a process, product, or idea. The new library comes stocked with professionally designed assets you can drag-and-drop into your video. It’s also the perfect place to store your callouts, title slides, and other assets for re-use and sharing. For additional information contact: Rachael Parker 517 381 2243 (direct line) or my email r.parker@techsmith.com Donated by TechSmith Estimated Value: $99 Starting Bid: $10

Snagit for Mac and PC (2 copies) With Snagit’s capture, edit, organize and share technology… it’s easy to create engaging visuals that grab attention and keep it.  Let images do the talking for you. Use Snagit to capture any image you want straight off your computer screen.  Enhance with transparency, callouts, and other effects to turn a simple screen shot into an eye-grabbing visual.  Easily organize your images and use them again and again for other projects.  Then show off your Snagit creations to anyone.  Just add them to your documents and presentations… or share using your favorite applications. It doesn’t take much to explain a concept or an idea with Snagit.  The images you create do the talking.  And the more you use Snagit, the more ways you’ll find to use it! For additional information contact: Rachael Parker 517 381 2243 (direct line) or my email r.parker@techsmith.com Donated by TechSmith Estimated Value: $49.95 Starting Bid: $5

2-hour Coaching Session (2 sessions) MentorFactor, Inc helps individuals and organizations develop and implement transformational strategies to facilitate long-term sustainability and viability. Our services include: Vision development and strategic planning Business development Organizational development Change management Conflict management  Executive and entrepreneurial coaching Workshop facilitation For more information contact Judy Glick-Smith: judy@mentorfactorinc.com or go to www.mentorfactorinc.com Donated by MentorFactor, Inc. Estimated Value: $150 per session Starting Bid: $15

Mental Models (book), by Indi Young There is no single methodology for creating the perfect product—but you can increase your odds. One of the best ways is to understand users’ reasons for doing things. Mental Modelsgives you the tools to help you grasp, and design for, those reasons. For more information or to purchase a Rosenfeld publication contact www.rosenfeldmedia.com/contact/. For a 20% discount on Rosenfeld Media products purchased through Rosenfeld Media, enter the discount code: STCATLANTA Donated by Rosenfeld Media Retail Value: $39 Starting Bid: $4

Design is the Problem(book), by Nathan Shedroff Design makes a tremendous impact on the produced world in terms of usability, resources, understanding, and priorities. What we produce, how we serve customers and other stakeholders, and even how we understand how the world works is all affected by the design of models and solutions. Designers have an unprecedented opportunity to use their skills to make meaningful, sustainable change in the world—if they know how to focus their skills, time, and agendas. In Design is the Problem: The Future of Design Must be Sustainable,Nathan Shedroff examines how the endemic culture of design often creates unsustainable solutions, and shows how designers can bake sustainability into their design processes in order to produce more sustainable solutions. For more information or to purchase a Rosenfeld publication contact www.rosenfeldmedia.com/contact/. For a 20% discount on Rosenfeld Media products purchased through Rosenfeld Media, enter the discount code: STCATLANTA Donated by Rosenfeld Media Retail Value: $39 Starting Bid: $4

Card Sorting (book), by Donna Spencer Card sorting helps us understand how people think about content and categories. Armed with this knowledge, we can group information so that people can better find and understand it. In this book, Donna describes how to plan and run a card sort, then analyse the results and apply the outcomes to your project. For more information or to purchase a Rosenfeld publication contact www.rosenfeldmedia.com/contact/. For a 20% discount on Rosenfeld Media products purchased through Rosenfeld Media, enter the discount code: STCATLANTA Donated by Rosenfeld Media Retail Value: $39 Starting Bid: $4

Web Form Design(book), by Luke Wroblewski Forms make or break the most crucial online interactions: checkout (commerce), registration (community), data input (participation and sharing), and any task requiring information entry. In Web Form Design,Luke Wroblewski draws on original research, his considerable experience at Yahoo! and eBay, and the perspectives of many of the field’s leading designers to show you everything you need to know about designing effective and engaging Web forms. For more information or to purchase a Rosenfeld publication contact www.rosenfeldmedia.com/contact/. For a 20% discount on Rosenfeld Media products purchased through Rosenfeld Media, enter the discount code: STCATLANTA Donated by Rosenfeld Media Retail Value: $39 Starting Bid: $4

Prototyping(book), by Todd Kaki Warfel Prototyping is a great way to communicate the intent of a design both clearly and effectively. Prototypes help you to flesh out design ideas, test assumptions, and gather real-time feedback from users.With this book, Todd Zaki Warfel shows how prototypes are more than just a design tool by demonstrating how they can help you market a product, gain internal buy-in, and test feasibility with your development team. For more information or to purchase a Rosenfeld publication contact www.rosenfeldmedia.com/contact/. For a 20% discount on Rosenfeld Media products purchased through Rosenfeld Media, enter the discount code: STCATLANTA Donated by Rosenfeld Media Retail Value: $39 Starting Bid: $4

Remote Research(book), by Nate Bolt & Tony Tulathimutte Remote studies allow you to recruit subjects quickly, cheaply, and immediately, and give you the opportunity to observe users as they behave naturally in their own environment. In Remote Research,Nate Bolt and Tony Tulathimutte teach you how to design and conduct remote research studies, top to bottom, with little more than a phone and a laptop. For more information or to purchase a Rosenfeld publication contact www.rosenfeldmedia.com/contact/. For a 20% discount on Rosenfeld Media products purchased through Rosenfeld Media, enter the discount code: STCATLANTA Donated by Rosenfeld Media Retail Value: $39 Starting Bid: $4

Storytelling for User Experience(book), by Whitney Quesenbery & Kevin Brooks We all tell stories. It’s one of the most natural ways to share information, as old as the human race. This book is not about a new technique, but how to use something we already know in a new way. Stories help us gather and communicate user research, put a human face on analytic data, communicate design ideas, encourage collaboration and innovation, and create a sense of shared history and purpose. This book looks across the full spectrum of user experience design to discover when and how to use stories to improve our products. Whether you are a researcher, designer, analyst or manager, you will find ideas and techniques you can put to use in your practice. For more information or to purchase a Rosenfeld publication contact www.rosenfeldmedia.com/contact/. For a 20% discount on Rosenfeld Media products purchased through Rosenfeld Media, enter the discount code: STCATLANTA Donated by Rosenfeld Media Retail Value: $39 Starting Bid: $4

The Compass (4 copies) These white papers introduce you to critical tools and technologies, including, structured authoring, Extensible Markup Language (XML), The Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) and the DITA Open Toolkit,  and user-generated content (blogs, wikis, and forums).  Donated by Scriptorium Estimated Value: $17.95 Started Bid: $2

Designing with the Mind in Mind, by Jeff Johnson (book) The first practical, all-in-one source for practitioners on user interface design rules and why, when and how to apply them. Provides just enough background into the reasoning behind interface design rules that practitioners can make informed decisions in every project. Gives practitioners the insight they need to make educated design decisions when confronted with tradeoffs, including competing design rules, time constrictions, or limited resources. Donated by Morgan Kaufmann Publishers For additional information: Web: www.mkp.com, Twitter: @morgan_kaufmann, Email: info@mkp.com   Estimated Value: $50 Starting Bid: $5

Usability Testing Essentials, by Carol Barnum (Book – 2 copies) Do you love your mobile phone? Your MP3 player? Your e-book reader? You laptop or tablet PC? There’s a reason for that. Usability. When usability testing is part of the design and development of products, the results are better products that users want and like. You may be doing testing now or want to help your company get started, but you may not have all the tools to know how to properly prepare, test, analyze, and measure the results across a multitude of cultures, generations, and countries. And you may be facing tight budgets and short timeframes for testing. If this is your situation, this essential handbook gives you a variety of options and strategies for testing in numerous situations. Donated by Morgan Kaufmann Publishers. For additional information: Web: www.mkp.com, Twitter: @morgan_kaufmann, Email: info@mkp.com Estimated Value: $50 Starting Bid: $5

Design to Thrive, by Tharon Howard (book) Provides essential tools to create thriving social networks, helping designers to avoid common pitfalls, avoid costly mistakes, and to ensure that communities meet client needs Contains real world stories from popular, well known communities to illustrate how the concepts work Features a companion online network that employs the techniques outlined in the book Donated by Morgan Kaufmann Publishers. For additional information: Web: www.mkp.com, Twitter: @morgan_kaufmann, Email: info@mkp.com  Estimated Value: $40 Starting Bid: $4

Smart Things: Ubiquitous Computing User Experience Design, by Mike Kuniavsky (book) Tackles design of products in the post-Web world where computers no longer have to be monolithic, expensive general-purpose devices Features broad frameworks and processes, practical advice to help approach specifics, and techniques for the unique design challenges Presents case studies that describe, in detail, how others have solved problems, managed trade-offs, and met successes For additional information: Web: www.mkp.com, Twitter: @morgan_kaufmann, Email: info@mkp.com  Donated by Morgan Kaufmann Publishers Estimated Value: $40 Starting Bid: $4

Jewelry Collection in a Purple Metallic Bowl Purple Beaded Necklace Set of clear, silver, pearl beaded earrings Set of black, orange, silver beaded earrings Set of pink and blue beaded earrings Donated by Ludlow & Robinson Decor Estimated Value: $50 Starting Bid: $5

Wine Gift Basket Pretty flowered Box to hold all the goodies Bottle of Wine Set of 4 hand-painted wine glasses with glass beaded wine charms (painted by Claudia) Pair of green enameled candlestick holders and candles Decorative napkins Handmade Wine Stopper (made by Claudia) Pretty China Asian candy dish Godiva Chocolate Gems Assorted Mil Chocolate Truffles Godiva Chocolate Gems Peppermint Truffles Tin of Crème Filled Chocolate Hazelnut Pirouette Rolled Wafer Cookies Donated by Ludlow & Robinson Decor Estimated Value: $65 Starting Bid: $7

Picture Frame Hand-painted 4×6 picture frame. Donated by Linda Camp Estimated Value: $30 Starting Bid: $3

Puffin in the Rain (18.5 x 13 photograph) Artist Notes: Machias Seal Island is home to the largest Atlantic Puffin colony on the coast of Maine. Each year, beginning in May and ending in October, these otherwise solitary “Northern Penguins” gather on the small rocky islands like this one to mate and raise their young. On this particular day, we arrived at the shore early in the morning to meet Captain Andrew who is one of the very few tour operators that is licensed to actually land us on the island. We had planned the trip for months and the pouring rain wasn’t going to discourage us from taking this rare opportunity to photograph these amazing birds in their natural habitat. In fact, as you see in this image, the weather actually added a lot of atmosphere to the scene that would otherwise have not been achievable and I think the foggy background and rain really helped make the Puffin’s somewhat sad-eyed expression all that more poignant. Go to www.KennethRossPhotography.com to see additional photos. Contact Ken at ken@KennethRossPhotography.com for more details. Donated by Ken Ross Estimated Value: $150 Starting Bid: $15

Bread maker  This dual bread maker will make some scrumptious bread for the holidays. Donated by Liz Woroniecki Estimated Value: $100 Starting Bid: $10

Hand-made Decorative Pillow This is a one-of-a-kind decorative pillow by Leisa Rich, visual artist and art educator (www.monaleisa.com.) Other items might be available the day of the auction. Donated by Leisa Rich. Estimated Value: $50 Starting Bid: $5

Tiger Lily on Fire (5 x 7 photograph) A vibrant, full color, close up picture of a tiger lily. This 5 x7 photograph would look get in the office or at home. To see more photos, go to www.logicalinks.smugmug.com. Contact Cheryl at ctotty@logicalinks.com to purchase prints. Donated by Cheryl Totty Estimated Value: $20 Starting Bid: $2

Gigi’s Cupcakes A gift certificate for 6 fabulous cupcakes. With every flavor from Banana Cream Pie to Midnight Magic, you’re sure to find a cupcake that will satisfy your sweet tooth.  http://www.gigiscupcakesusa.com/home Donated by Gigi’s Cupcakes – Sandy Springs Location Estimated Value: $18 Starting Bid: $2

*Bids start at 10% of the item’s estimated or retail value.
Photo Credit: e.t.

The October meeting will include information about competitions, followed by an article discussion.

Meeting Details
Tuesday, October 19th
6:30-8:00
Free for members; $10 for non-members
Mirant,1155 Perimeter Center West, Atlanta, GA 30338
RSVP

Information Session: Competitions (15 minutes)

At the next meeting, 1st VP Rachel Peters will briefly talk to us about STC competitions. There are significant changes to how competitions work this year, so don’t miss this talk if you’re interested in participating.

Article Discussion (30 minutes)

After the competitions discussion, we’re trying something new – an article discussion. Here’s how it works:

Before the meeting

1. Read the three articles listed below.

2. Consider your answers to the discussion questions listed for each (and write your own questions if you have them).

At the meeting

There will be three tables – one for each article. We’ll split into three groups and spend 10 minutes at each table discussing the points made in the article.

Articles and Discussion Questions

Are you asking questions right?” by Kai Weber

• What strategies do you employ to communicate problems to colleagues and managers?

“The Big Red Word vs. the Little Green Man: The international war over exit signs.” by Julia Turner

• What kinds of images do you use in your documentation? Are those images clear to all audiences?
• As tech writers, what considerations should we have when creating and using images (screenshots, icons, etc.) in our documentation?
• Just for fun: Should the US switch to the green man exit sign?

“The Discipline of Content Strategy” by Kristina Halvorson

• While this article focuses on content strategy for websites, there are still components that apply to technical documentation as well. Does your company currently have a content strategy. How does the documentation you create fit into your company’s content strategy (or how would it fit if there was a strategy)?
• Many companies don’t have a titled “Content Strategist.” Instead, the role falls to a group of people or to one person as part of their current job. How can you, as a technical writer, help develop a content strategy for your company? Should tech writers contribute to the content strategy? Why or why not?

Volunteer!

If you’d like to volunteer to head up one of the three discussion sessions, email Chris Snider.  We’ve only got three slots, so don’t delay.  See you there!

Meeting Details
Tuesday, September 21st
6:30-8:00 PM
Free for members; $10 for non-members
Mirant,1155 Perimeter Center West, Atlanta, GA 30338

See you there!

Chris Snider
2nd VP, STC Atlanta
jcs1963@charter.net

“Expose Yourself: Promoting Yourself and Your Department”

Presented by STC Atlanta chapter president Jen Collier.

Come discover ways to promote yourself and your department. Find out what has worked for other departments and how they can work for you. Then we’ll have an open forum where you can share what you have done to market your department’s products.

• Doc and Donuts (Documentation Open House)
• Potty Training (Quick Reads in the bathroom stalls)
• Scavenger Hunt (Find the answers in the docs)
• Direct Contact with your audience through casual e-mail or BETA testing
• E-mail announcements to your company about updated or new docs/training
• Articles in the company newsletter

Meeting Details
Tuesday, August 24th
6:30-8:00 PM
Free for members; $10 for non-members
Mirant,1155 Perimeter Center West, Atlanta, GA 30338

See you there!

Chris Snider
2nd VP, STC Atlanta
jcs1963@charter.net

“Moving from Tech Writing into Training Development”

Many jobs in technical communications involve some aspect of training, instructional design, or development of training materials.  How can you upgrade your skills in these areas to provide more value to your organization?   How easy is it to make the transition from tech writer to trainer or instructional designer?  A panel of former tech writers who have happily morphed into successful training developers will share what they learned when making this transition.

Topics covered will include:

· How training development is similar to and different from tech writing
· An overview of the training profession
· Basic principles of instructional design and e-learning
· Skills you need to become a trainer
· Tools used in training and e-learning
· Recent trends in the training profession
· Resources for those who want to learn more

About the Presenters:

Holly Harkness is the Technical Communications Manager at Mirant Corporation, an independent power company.  In additional to technical writing, her department designs e-learning and instructor-led training.   Her e-learning courses have won awards from STC and the Atlanta chapter of the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD).  She’s a former president of the Atlanta STC Chapter and currently serves as chapter membership manager.

Jack Massa is principal of Guidance Communications, Inc., where his mission is making complex information clear.  Since 1984, Jack has written and edited training, documentation, marketing copy and articles covering all kinds of technology.  He’s designed and developed e-learning, web sites, help systems, multimedia projects, and online libraries; taught workshops to corporate clients and at industry conferences; and managed teams for large and small companies.  Jack has an MFA in English/Creative Writing and certificates in Learning Design and Computer Programming.  Jack is an Associate Fellow of STC and currently serves as Vice President of Technology for the Greater Atlanta Chapter of ASTD.

Holly Mullins has performed technical writing as an employee or consultant for organizations in Atlanta such as Advanced Control Systems, MCI Systemhouse, Datex-Ohmeda, the Georgia Institute of Technology, and Mirant Corporation.  Most of her work involves writing and developing technical training publications, typically for IT projects.  She creates training guides for instructor-led training and e-learning tutorials for Web-based and computer-based training. Holly is a member of STC, the American Medical Writers Association, and the Atlanta chapter of ASTD.  She currently does consulting work as the owner and president of Instructive Media.