Category: Guest Blogger

May 04

Talking Usability: It’s Not Your Fault!

Spring in Washington, D.C. welcomes cherry blossoms, mild temperatures, and a few three-day holidays. Washington, D.C. has plenty of reasons to attract visitors: the best museums anywhere, renowned restaurants, and plenty of historical sites. Getting around the city is easy: walk, bicycle, or take the metro. Those who take the metro (i.e., subway) must cope with tired children and bewildered parents, baseball fans commuting to the stadium, and people commuting home from day at the office. Tourists are swept up in the hustle and bustle, which causes them to become confused and disoriented, and all they want to do is to get home.

Mar 17

What is happening at the #STC15 Leadership Program?

The Leadership Program at the STC 2015 Summit http://summit.stc.org/ will be Sunday, 21 June, from 8:00 AM to noon EDT. The program offers an opportunity for STC community leaders past, present, and future to get together for sharing and learning. This year’s program will be a little different and for good reason.

Mar 10

Talking Usability: The 80:20 Rule and Product Design

What percentage of features and functions do you think you use on your smartphone or any application on your PC? If you are like most people, you probably use only 20%. Jim Bird published an article called “Applying the 80:20 Rule in Software Development” in which he applied the Pareto principle to software and concluded that 80% of the users use 20% of the features. His theory made me think about my own observations of people and products.

Jan 28

Linda’s Lessons: STC and Me – How I Got Here Part II (How STC Supported and Embraced Me)

After that first STC conference in 1984, and through the years, I have served on many committees: Academic/Industry Liaison, Conferences, Research, Publicity, and others. The first two in that list became part of who I am today and have run in and out of my STC/professional life for more than 30 years. Sometime in the mid-1980s, after helping to develop and teach a 40-hour class to scientists and engineers, through STC connections, I began teaching technical writing at San Diego Community Colleges. That beginning has lasted: I still balance my regular job with teaching part time!

Dec 02

Discovering Columbus

When STC announced the location of the 2015 Technical Communication Summit, there were mixed reactions. Columbus, Ohio. “What? Where?” people asked. I get it. I only discovered Columbus, Ohio when I traveled to the city for a job interview with Battelle last year. I was hired for the job and, although I am located in Battelle’s Arlington, Virginia office, I have spent a good amount of time traveling to Battelle’s Columbus-based headquarters over the past year. I can tell you that I have been pleasantly surprised by Columbus. I asked some Battelle colleagues working there to share what they find interesting and unique about Columbus.

Nov 26

Publishing Perspectives: Editing

I knew I needed a break when I looked at a fortune cookie and the first thing I saw was a comma splice. Instead of reading the fortune, I immediately started looking for superstar word wielder Marcia Riefer Johnston to get a second opinion (we were both at Information Development World). Once my assessment was confirmed – she also said “comma splice” before making any other comment – I started thinking about editing and how to identify good editing.

Nov 19

STC International Summit Awards 2015 Call for Judges

Where can you get a professional development opportunity that is unlike any other and free of charge? From STC, of course! Volunteering your time and expertise to judge in the International Summit Awards gives you valuable experience that you just can’t get anywhere else. Past judges often comment on how rewarding the judging experience was for them, even as it stretched their abilities and introduced them to new ways of thinking about technical communication. But it’s not for everybody. If you think you have what it takes and are ready to take what it gives, I’m pleased to invite you to apply to be a judge.