Upcoming Chapter Events

by Peter Szabo, Program Manager

There's only one month to go before we welcome in a new calendar year. Of course, we're not even half way through the STC year, so there are still lots of neat things planned for 2005 including our annual Wine and Cheese networking event in March, another general meeting in Guelph, and lots more. By the way, to give us all a chance to recover from the holidays and adapt to the return to work, there's no General Meeting in January.

Oh, and to give you lots of advance notice, please note that the General Meeting in February will take place on a Wednesday night, instead of the usual Tuesday night. Hopefully, this change will enable those who have regular Tuesday commitments to come out to a meeting.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's look at what's happening in December.

December 7, 2004: General Meeting
Technical Writing vs. Marketing Writing

I'm excited about introducing the topic of marketing writing to our general meetings, because I think every technical writer will at least be asked to write marketing materials at some time in their career. And, for some technical communicators, that may be an uncomfortable prospect. I know there are a lot of shared aspects to writing in the two styles, so we'll have a short presentation that discusses the goals and skills of the two writing styles. Then we'll ask a panel of three communicators, who have successfully bridged the gap between technical and marketing writing, to share their tips and experiences.

Time: 7:00 p.m., doors open 6:30 p.m.

Location: University of Waterloo (U of W), Davis Centre, Room 1304 [map].

Cost: FREE for all

December 8, 2004: STC Remote Seminar
Highlighting Hazards: Mastering Warnings and Error Messages

Host: Leah Guren

Are you hiding the hazard notifications in your user documents? Do you know when and where you should include hazard notes? What about the difference between Danger, Warning, and Caution? What kind of text and graphic labels work best? Should hazard notifications be used the same way in hardware and software documentation? Do color and placement influence user compliance to hazard notifications? Do hazard notes change for localization projects? And do users even notice hazard notifications?

Learn the theory, standards, and usability of hazards notifications in one short session.

Time: 1:00-2:30 p.m. EDT (Doors open at 12:30)

Location: CheckFree i-Solutions, 455 Phillip Street, Waterloo (for both seminars) [455 Phillip Street, Waterloo].

Cost: FREE for members and $35 for non-members.

January 2005: No General Meeting

January 12, 2005: STC Remote Seminar
Preemptive Project Planning

Host: John Hedtke

No one likes surprises, especially if those surprises mean more work. This presentation will teach you how to spot upcoming projects before they sneak up on you. You’ll learn to prepare for these projects, avoid those nerve-wracking schedule crunches, and look like a hero in the process!

Time: 1:00-2:30 p.m. EDT (Doors open at 12:30)

Location: CheckFree i-Solutions, 455 Phillip Street, Waterloo (for both seminars) [455 Phillip Street, Waterloo].

Cost: FREE for members and $35 for non-members.

January 18, 2005: Council Meeting

Time:6:30-8:30 p.m.

Location: CheckFree i-Solutions, 455 Phillip Street, Waterloo

All members welcome—help your chapter by becoming a volunteer!

RSVP to Opal Gamble by January 17

January 19, 2005: Networking Meeting

Host: Opal Gamble

Here's a great opportunity to meet other technical communicators and just chat. It's an informal gathering, so there are no formal RSVPs (though a note to say you are planning to attend is appreciated). Just wander in and say hello.

Time: 7:00-9:00 p.m.

Location: Café Aquarius in Guelph

WEDNESDAY, February 2, 2005: Single-Sourcing and E-Learning

When people say "single-sourcing" they usually mean creating a user guide and online help from a single document. But what about adding e-learning to the mix? Join Louis Beauregard as he describes ways to create compelling, media-rich, e-learning content—without breaking the bank. Louis will discuss the implications of e-learning as they relate to data modeling, instructional design, content creation, and production automation.

Time: 7:00 p.m., doors open 6:30 p.m.

Location: University of Waterloo (U of W), Davis Centre, Room 1304 [map].

Cost: FREE for all

If you have any questions about upcoming chapter events, or if you have a suggestion for a meeting topic, feel free to e-mail Peter Szabo (Program Manager).

For details about our chapter's events for the rest of the year, as well as last minute updates or additions to the schedule, be sure to check our local STC chapter calendar.

About Peter Szabo

Peter has been a technical writer in one form or another for ten years. For the past five years, Peter has worked for CheckFree i-Solutions, a software firm in Waterloo, and is currently the Manager of Technical Publications. Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Peter moved to Guelph in 1997, where he currently lives with his wife, Irene, and six-year-old son, Taylor. He is working on his first feature-length screenplay.