Starting with the May 2011 issue, we’ll be posting the Intercom “Note From the Editor” here on STC’s Notebook. You can read it below. In addition, due to the overwhelming response of the April issue being open, we decided to make the May issue of the magazine open to the public as well. Please share with interested colleagues, and be sure to invite them to join STC so they can get this kind of quality publication all year long!
One of Intercom’s purposes is to provide readers with articles that promote professional development. This issue in particular attempts to address this goal by examining some related industries to technical communication. For example, Keith Hopper and Wei Sun’s article shows how technical communicators’ skills are appropriate for the field of instructional design (maximizing the effectiveness, efficiency, and appeal of instruction or other learning experiences). They use an example of teaching soldiers to use hand grenades, which is the reference to which the cover image refers. Catherine Deschamps-Potter focuses on the translation industry—another sister field—and the multimedia content evolution going on at her company, International Communication by Design. She emphasizes technical communication’s increasing focus on multimedia rather than just text, and she notes the challenges that multimedia content presents, not only for translation and localization providers, but also for all information developers.
The other two articles in this issue develop an interesting metaphor of technical communication as a complex system that combines data, information, knowledge, and technical skills to produce products that are more efficient, reliable, and safe. In “The Technical Communicator’s Machine,” Daniel Maddux shows how a technical communicator’s work turns complex data into productivity, or a “machine.” He examines the machine’s cover (a project’s organization), the motor (clear communication), the wiring (accuracy), and the switch (letting users apply the information). Karl Darr also uses this machine metaphor in his discussion of user-defined content’s emphasis on metadata. Both articles compare technical communication and engineering to show that technical documentation teams are “confronted with the product’s complete and comprehensive complexity.” In other words, technical communicators have to document not only the mechanical aspects of a product but also the functional processes and all other product information as its context arises. Properly addressing this challenge is required to deliver a single-source information management system that is capable of automatically generating and delivering product information in the required form, format, quality, and language needed.
This issue also launches a new column, coauthored by Andrea Ames and Alyson Riley, on information architecture. The column emphasizes the strategic aspects of information architecture and the required tools to equip information architects for success. Topics will address the business, strategy, user experience, and implementation of strategic information architecture, including organizational, content management, and tactical considerations. Ames and Riley will also guest edit the January 2012 issue of Intercom and have asked to publish a Call for Proposals, which has been posted on the Intercom website.
I hope readers will take an opportunity to contribute to Intercom in one of its many venues, because in writing for Intercom, you are also promoting your professional development. Consider authoring an article, contributing to a column topic, or writing a My Job or Off Hours piece. Share knowledge with your profession and get published!