Keeping the Edge, Or How I Spent My Spring Vacation is one of a series of blog posts, curated or new here, discussing key takeaways by individuals and STC Communities to Keep the Edge gained at Summit 2017. If you would like to contribute a post, please drop a note to the series editor, Ben.woelk@gmail.com.
This is the first in a series of sketch notes taken at the 2017 Summit by STC Senior Member Elizabeth Alley. Relive the magic of the Summit in a unique and dynamic way through Elizabeth’s sketches! You can see more of Elizabeth’s work at elizabethalley.com.
The Power of Reaching the Summit is the first of a series of blog posts, curated or new here, discussing key takeaways by individuals and STC Communities to Keep the Edge gained at Summit 2017. If you would like to contribute a post, please drop a note to the series editor, Ben.woelk@gmail.com.
The 2017 STC Summit closed Wednesday with a special event, a taping of a future episode of the YouTube show Fix My App, hosted by Richard Brevig with a team of UX experts: Lorelei Brown, Geoffrey Robertson, and Vera Rhoads.
Wednesday morning – the final day of the Summit – kicked off with another pair of Spotlight talks, today from Todd DeLuca and Ben Woelk. Todd spoke about the impact that the person providing service has. For example, he said, if you go out to dinner you’re most likely to remember your server rather than the chef and cooks. While technical communicators may be the chefs and cooks of the products we work on, Todd encouraged attendees to try to find ways to be involved with the service and delivery of products to customers. He said service is “COMP-limentary: Chemical, Opportunity, Memorable, and Personal. “I’ve gotten more credit being the deliverer of information that I ever did writing it,” he said.
The stars came out a little early Tuesday evening in Washington. D.C., as STC held its Honors Reception to shine a light on the best and brightest in our profession and in our community. Fellows and Associate Fellows shared the limelight with honorees for the Jay R. Gould Award and Ken Rainey Award. Publishing excellence came forward with the Frank R. Smith honorees as well as the Intercom awards for both article and guest-edited issue. And student honorees and winners of the International Summit Awards walked the metaphorical red carpet.
Tuesday’s afternoon sessions started with a pair of “Spotlight Talks,” shorter presentations paired together for one session. Chyrstal Mincey, in Know Your Client’s Language, spoke about the need as a government contractor to know your client in depth. “Client needs can vary from project to project and agency to agency,” she said. In addition to knowing the client, you almost must try to understand the full context: your client’s bosses, any conflicts of interest, goals, and expectations. She advised attendees to make sure they know the client’s guidelines and style guides and encouraged them to learn more about the client as a person and how they work.
How does a technical writer conceive, plan, create, and publish an app for both the web and mobile? That’s the lesson within the Tuesday morning session A Tech Writer, A Map, and an App, presented by Sarah Maddox. Sarah is the mind behind the app Tech Comm On a Map (see https://ffeathers.wordpress.com/tech-comm-on-a-map/), a repository of events of interest to technical communicators, from idea to coding to finished product.
The magic of social media, said Rahul Prabhakar in the first Monday afternoon session, Social Media Can Be Part of Your Set of Tech Comm Skills, is that you might never know just how many people you’re touching. That ability to touch untold numbers is part of what’s made social media the biggest and best way of acquiring customers today. And one way anyone can be a part of that is through influencer marketing.
A portion of the Board of Directors meeting on Wednesday, 10 May at the Summit is open to the public and will be in Camellia 3-4. The agenda for this public portion is as follows: