BMC Communities Banner

Write On: Exploring New Directions in Technical Communications

3 Posts tagged with the stc tag

Award-winning documentation

Posted by mmarques Nov 6, 2009

- By Michele Marques, Lead Information Developer, ITSM

 

It's that time of year, when local chapters of the Society for Technical Communication (STC) hold competitions. Every year, local chapters hold competitions for print and online documentation. Then, the best of the local entries move on to the society-level international competition.
In 2007 I entered the BMC Remedy IT Service Management Data Management Administrator's Guide in the Toronto chapter competition. This guide describes how to install and use the data management tool for BMC Remedy IT Service Management.

 

I entered the competition because:

  • This was a new manual - everything good (or bad) about this manual was my responsibility. Many times, I work on manuals that have other contributors - or that originated with previous authors.
  • I wanted to find out how my documentation held up to international standards.
  • I wanted to get feedback from technical writers outside my organization.

 

I ended up winning a merit award. It felt great to get award and feel validated for my work. But the feedback was especially helpful. People from outside my organization had a different take on what works and what could be improved. Today the guide is better than ever.

 

I'm fortunate to work with a team of writers and editors, but for a lone writer, the competition might be your best opportunity to get feedback from experienced technical communicators.

 

The postings in this blog are my own and don't necessarily represent BMC's opinion or position.

| More
0 Comments Permalink Tags: stc, documentation, competition, itsm

- By Michele Marques, Lead Information Developer, ITSM

 

I'm writing this post from Lavacon in New Orleans.It's a really great conference, but this year's conference attendance is significantly lower than 2 years ago. It's no secret that conferences are having lots of problems getting enough participants this year. Since last year's economic meltdown, travel to conferences has been cut from many corporate budgets.

 

Some conferences offer virtual options. For example, the STC recorded all the sessions from their 2009 conference, and you can buy virtual attendance. You won't get to ask questions.... but you can attend all the sessions, and it doesn't matter if they were concurrent.

 

BMC is hosting a virtual conference.This conference is a live event, which means that you can ask questions and mingle with other participants. But, because it's virtual, you don't have to travel.

 

The postings in this blog are my own and don't necessarily represent BMC's opinion or position.
| More
0 Comments Permalink Tags: bmc_software, stc, lavacon, conferences
- By Michele Marques, Lead Information Developer, ITSM

Today is Thanksgiving in Canada. As in the U.S., it's a time to gather together with extended family, eat a big turkey dinner, and renew acquaintance with people you don't always see so often. My family celebrated yesterday. Today, with my belly still full of turkey and sweet potato, I think about how October will be like a month-long professional Thanksgiving.

 

This month, I'll be renewing acquaintances with technical communications professionals, and meeting more people in the communications family. It will be a time to fill my head with new ideas, and to have meaty conversation.

 

DITA

On October 9, I'll attend the monthly meeting of the Toronto chapter of the Society for Technical Communications (STC). Michael Priestley, will be speaking about the adoption of DITA in a wide range of contexts, and about DITA 1.1. I've heard Michael Priestley about the basics of DITA. I'm interested to find out how various organizations are adapting DITA to their needs.

 

Social Media Club

About a month or so ago, Ynema Magnum invited me (along with other talk.bmc bloggers) to a meeting of the Social Media Club. Unfortunately, I couldn't attend, as the meeting was in Austin, but Ynema pointed out that there are chapters of the Social Media Club all over. The Toronto chapter hasn't taken off yet, but we do have a mailing list. Robin (one of the other members of the mailing list) and I are planning a meeting later this month, to help get the Toronto chapter started. By the way, if you're in Toronto and interested in social media (such as blogging, and social networks, such as LinkedIn and Facebook), consider joining the mailing list, so that you can find out about the October and future meetings.

 

Advanced technical communication and project management

At the end of this month, I'll head out to New Orleans for Lavacon, the conference for advanced technical communication and project management. I'm looking forward to meeting in-person with technical communications professionals whom I've mostly dealt with on-line, and sharing great ideas on managing technical communications projects.

 

What about you?

If you'll be at any of these events, please do say hello. I love meeting people in the professional communications family. If these events don't work for you:

 

The postings in this blog are my own and don't necessarily represent BMC's opinion or position.
| More
0 Comments Permalink Tags: bmc_userworld, stc, social_media_club, communication, dita, facebook, linkedin, social_media
mmarques

mmarques

 Member since: Sep 10, 2007

At BMC Software, I'm a Lead Information Developer for ITSM. In this blog, I explore ideas about communication, especially regarding software documentation. Please leave a comment to add your thoughts to the discussion.

View mmarques's profile

Actions

Popular Blog Posts