The week after the Summit, I found myself in an interesting position. I have a freelance client for which I do editing exclusively. I also have a full-time contract gig where my job descriptors are writer, editor, designer, trainer, developer, project manager… But primarily, my deliverables are original content as a writer and editorial reviews of the original content of my writer-peers on a team of 2.5 persons.
Inside Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, the guide showed us the dining table and explained how it was used for more than just eating.
I am co-author of Web Services, Service-Oriented Architectures, and Cloud Computing: The Savvy Manager’s Guide. In the book, I describe how a Glass-type of device would be used for facial recognition, translating items in a menu, translation, and getting directions to a restaurant to name a few examples. At the time the book was written (2011 and 2012), a wearable technology was on the drawing board and not yet available to the public. Glass was the kind of technology you read about in Popular Science. Envisioning the possibilities for using Glass meant that nothing was impossible—everything was possible. The only limitation to what was possible was technology. Surprise—it’s here: Glass.
We introduce a new guest blogger today, Bill Leavitt of the Chicago Chapter. If you’ve been to an STC Summit you likely already know Bill. This year marks his 50th year as an STC member, so we asked Bill to provide some stories from his 50 years as a technical communicator. He’ll be blogging regularly under the title “Fifty Years with Bill” with thoughts, reminiscings, advice, and more.
My perspective this year was different since it was my second Summit. While there were some things I knew to expect, I had some new experiences, too. My anxieties about meeting people were lessened, as I knew a lot of attendees. I made an attempt to say at least a “hello” to everyone I knew. (If I missed you, I’m sorry! Next time!) I made new friends as well. From a social aspect, this year was easier because I had befriended so many people from last year’s Summit. I never had to be by myself, and there was always good conversation going on around me.
I’ve worked in technical communication for almost two decades. I’ve written user guides, online help, newsletters, tutorials, reference guides, API specifications, and user interface text. I’ve written the documentation for tax software, task-management software, science-lab hardware, and system-to-system technology used by the mortgage industry. I’ve even written humor columns and articles about technical communication.
A recent “One Big Happy” cartoon had the character Joe shooting a dart at what looks like the door to a laundry chute and saying “Bull’s eye!” A friend says, “There’s no target there!” and Joe’s little sister Ruthie (I never let anyone call me that, but you can see why I like the cartoon) responds: “Just wait, he hasn’t drawn it yet.”
Arriving in Phoenix as a student volunteer for the second time was less intimidating than my first go in Atlanta. For one, I knew what to expect. STC members embrace students, welcoming us into the fold. People are actually excited and thankful we are here. They want to share their wealth of information with us. They want us to succeed. Also, I meet other students from around the country, establishing long-lasting relationships among future colleagues early on in our budding careers. The Summit is an amazing gathering of people who take care of one another and the people that will follow in their footsteps.
I’m suffering from the Summit hangover. And I don’t mean a hangover from drinking too much at the Honors Banquet (I didn’t). I’m talking about the “high” you get from seeing so many friends that you only see once a year. There are several posts on my Facebook feed from STC friends who are feeling the same thing, the post-conference depression that settles in after you’ve hugged all your friends goodbye and flown (or driven) home. It’s hard, because you know that unless you attend other conferences or visit other communities, you won’t see many of those friends again until next June at the 2015 Summit.
This year’s Summit has a bunch of subtle changes that translate to significant improvements. There have been some years when the STC Summit was at convention centers and hotels where the individual sessions were spread across a wide area—sometimes on separate floors. I remember at times either showing up for a session that was standing room only and having my second choice being a bit of a jaunt. In past years there was only a 15-minute break between sessions, which of course made things complicated if you had to haul from one end of the venue to the other for your next session and no doubt truncated some of the after-session Q&A. One excellent change this year is that for the most part all the sessions are in one hallway in adjacent rooms.