Intercom: September/October 2009

Intercom, the magazine of the Society for Technical Communication, is published to provide examples and applications of technical communication that will promote its readers' professional development.

No theme this issue.

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The Complete September/October 2009 Issue

Feature Articles

Foundation Books: A Lone Writer’s Annotated List [ FREE! ]

By: David Kowalsky, Senior Member

Kowalsky provides a compilation of suggested foundation books for technical communicators. He includes books on style, management, editing, design and presentation, writing for the web, and DITA and HTML.

Addressing Implicit Age Discrimination in Your Job Search Activities

By: Saul Carliner, Fellow

In this update of a 2003 Intercom article, Carliner offers suggestions on how older workers can assert their value during a job search. While companies value older workers, Carliner suggests there may be implicit challenges a job seeker will face and he provides a blueprint for highlighting successes to overcome those challenges.

Statecraft: Applying the Science of Politics to Office Politics

By: Geoffrey J. S. Hart, Fellow

Understanding how office politics works can be crucial to survival for a working professional. Using examples from studies and his own career, Hart demonstrates methods you can use to build trust, move others toward your point of view, and create consensus in the workplace.

E-Learning Without Borders: Tips for Designing E-learning Modules with Translation in Mind

By: Myriam Siftar, Member

With companies increasingly setting up operations worldwide and moving their products into foreign markets, language barriers exist in multiple places—including training and e-learning. Siftar discusses how to provide technical writing and design with an eye toward eventual translation to allow for an easier, faster, and cheaper process.

Writing to Persuade: Why Technical Communicators Can Move Into Marketing Writing

By: Ben Hardesty, Senior Member

Hardesty discusses why technical communicators may be ideally suited to pursue a career in marketing writing based on their current skills and job function. The article includes a sidebar titled, "What Marketing Writing Looks Like."

Departments

F.Y.I.

F.Y.I.

Check here for upcoming events of interest to technical communicators.

My Job

Saving Lives as a Technical Writer

By: Laura Carpenter, Member

In her position as a technical writer for the Blood Bank of Alaska, Carpenter has the critical job of writing the documentation for procedures that can help save people’s lives.

Society Pages

Society Pages [ FREE! ]

Read about the 2009 LCR Volunteer of the Year, 2009 Outstanding SIG Volunteer of the Year, and 2009 Distinguished SIG Service Award. The section includes details on the 2010 conference hotel and deadlines for applications for fellows, recommendations for associate fellows, and applications for Sigma Tau Chi and Alpha Sigma.

Columns

Advancing Your Career

Avoiding Job Application Black Holes

By: Jack Molisani, Associate Fellow

In the first installment of his column, Molisani provides useful tips on how to stand out above other people participating in the job search, including using contacts, seeking out the right HR people, and other creative tips on getting your resume seen.

The XML Strategist

The ABCs of XML

By: Sarah O’Keefe, Associate Fellow

With the knowledge of XML quickly becoming part of the required skill set for technical communicators, O’Keefe discusses the three most important reasons to learn XML.

The Academic Conversation

Conversation in Research

By: Thomas Barker, Fellow

Conversations are an important part of sharing knowledge and exchanging ideas. In this column, Barker examines what conversation means to technical communicators, in research, in practice, and in the classroom.

Social Media Insights

On Twittering [ FREE! ]

By: Rich Maggiani, Fellow

For those who have yet to become acquainted with the Twitter phenomenon, Maggiani breaks it down into the basics and provides tips, websites, and ideas to help in sending out your first of many tweets.

Information Design

Attention Deficits

By: Geoffrey J. S. Hart, Fellow

People are not always good at noticing things around them. Hart discusses the importance of taking this into account when designing websites, doing page layouts, and documenting user interface.