Welcome to STC San Diego!
The San Diego chapter of the Society for Technical Communication welcomes you. If you're interested in technical communication, you'll find what you're looking for here.
What's on this page
February chapter meeting
XML Workshop
Kindle raffle
Orange County STC kick-off meeting
Spotlight awards banquet
Book review
February Chapter Meeting
Trends, Tools, and Technologies in Software User Assistance
Please join us on Wednesday, Feburary 10 when Joe Welinske will discuss the application of technical communication skills to the development of software user assistance .
The application of technical communication skills to the development of software user assistance has grown immensely in the past twenty years. This specialization is very fulfilling and challenging and technical communicators are finding their role in the software development process to be increasingly valued. User assistance is much more than "Help." It encompasses a wide range of skills and technologies that are combined to improve the software user's experience. We contribute through wizards, tutorials, and web-based training. We develop and populate knowledge bases and content management systems. Printed manuals and their PDF equivalents are still an important element of our documentation sets.
Many of us are now embedding helpful content directly into the user interface. We are involved with usability testing, localization, testing, quality assurance, and branding. This presentation provides a cutting-edge overview of the latest trends in software user assistance, defines the key terminology, highlights the most important technologies, and offers predictions on future directions of our field. The seventy-five minute session should be of interest to technical communicators of all backgrounds and experience levels.
Joe Welinske Bio
Joe Welinske is the president of WritersUA ( http://www.writersua.com), a company devoted to providing training and information for user assistance professionals. The WritersUA/WinWriters Conference draws hundreds of attendees each year from around the world to share the latest in user assistance design and implementation. The free content on the WritersUA web site attracts over 20,000 visitors each month. Joe has been involved with software documentation development since 1984. Together with Scott Boggan and David Farkas, Joe authored two editions of the popular and pioneering book Developing Online Help for Windows. He has also taught online Help courses at the University of Washington, UC Santa Cruz, and Bellevue Community College. Joe received a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Illinois in 1981, and a M.S. in Adult Instructional Management from Loyola University in 1987. Joe was the President of STC Puget Sound Chapter from 2006-2008 and is now in charge of sponsorships. He is also serving as the Membership Director of UPA Puget Sound.
The February chapter meeting will be held at our usual location: The Marriott Courtyard in Kearny Mesa 8651 Spectrum Center Blvd San Diego, CA 92123.
TIME: Wednesday, February 10. Sign-in and networking: 5:30. Dinner: 6:15. Chapter business: 6:45. Speaker: 7:15.
NOTE: In order to encourage a high attendance at this meeting, we are providing a special price for those who choose the presentation-only option. All STC San Diego chapter members can attend the presentation (without dinner) for only $5; and for non-members, the presentation-only option is just $10. The registration will reflect this reduced amount; however, we will be collecting the new amount at the door for those who don't prepay.
Members: $5
Non-Members: $10
Students: $10
Workshop: XML for Documentation
Jeff Freeman
STC SD President
Our San Diego STC chapter is offering members and non-members an all-day workshop on how to use XML for documentation. XML is now required for many documents, and it is also helpful to know XML when learning Structured FrameMaker.
Normally, an all-day class that includes books to keep, plus lunch, would cost over $400. However, with the San Diego chapter subsidizing the cost, the price for participants will be only $230. A comprehensive set of materials including course notes and examples will provided at no additional charge. You will also get a one-year access to Webucator's online reference library, which includes hundreds of the most current electronic technology books (normally $150 for the year).
In addition to the curriculum, a certified Webucator instructor will conduct a discussion of topics directly related to technical writers.
| When: | Saturday, March 13, 2010 from 9 am to 5 pm. Check in with continental breakfast at 8:30 am. |
| Where: | The workshop will be in the hotel where we hold our monthly meetings: The Marriott Courtyard in Kearny Mesa 8651 Spectrum Center Blvd San Diego, CA 92123 |
| Price: | The price, which includes books and lunch, is $230 per person. Payment must be received by February 13, 2010. Send your checks payable to "STC San Diego" to the following address:
PayPal is not accepted for this workshop. |
| What to Bring: | Bring your laptop. One will be provided if you don't have one. |
| RSVP: | Register to reserve a seat. Pay by February 13, 2010. |
Advance payment is not required until February 6, 2010; but please let us know whether you think you might come by registering as soon as possible so we can determine if there is enough interest. We need at least 12 people to make this work.
If the workshop canceled after you pay, you will receive a refund of your ENTIRE amount.
Orange County 2010 Kick-Off Meeting
The Orange County chapter of the Society of Technical Communication would like to invite you and members of your chapter to join us for our 2010 kick-off meeting, Saturday morning, January 23rd, 9:00 am at the DoubleTree Club Hotel in Santa Ana.
Our speaker, Thomas Cutting, Project Management Professional, will be addressing "Grabbing Authority." Whether you have the title of Project Manager, or simply manage your own projects, this should be an informative and helpful presentation. In addition, networking opportunities will abound!
We will begin at 9:00 am and breakfast will be served. Details and a link to the reservation form are available at http://ocstc.org/topic.asp. Your members may register at the member price of $26 by including your organization name in the Notes or Comments section at the end of the registration form.
Suzanne Madison
Co-1st VP, Programs, OCSTC
Help Kindle our STC Chapter Library
The San Diego STC chapter will be raffling off a Kindle to raise money for our newly reactivated chapter library. The raffle will take place during our February 2010 chapter meeting, allowing everyone plenty of time to buy tickets. Unlike the drawings for our regular meeting door prizes, you will not have to be present at the raffle drawing to win. The winner will be notified, and the number for the winning ticket will be posted on the website.
You may purchase raffle tickets at our regular STC meetings, or through Pay Pal on our San Diego STC Website. You do not need to sign-up for a chapter meeting to buy raffle tickets on online. Simply fill out the online form with your name and e-mail address, and we will e-mail you your ticket numbers. You may buy as many tickets as you like, in $5 increments, with the minimum purchase being $5. And the more tickets you buy at one time, the more tickets you receive.
The following shows the ticket breakdown by dollar amount:
- 5 tickets for $5
- 11 tickets for $10
- 18 tickets for $15
- 26 tickets for $20
In addition to the grand prize, two other lucky winners will receive San Dollars for free chapter dinner meetings.
This raffle is a true win win. By buying tickets you can support our chapter library and get a chance to win your very own Kindle!
NOTE: We are giving people a special price in February to encouage them to attend the Raffle meeting where they might buy more raffle tickets. The reduced fee for the month applies to everyone signing up. The registration will reflect this reduced amount.. However, we will be collecting the new amount at the door for those who don't prepay.
Members: $5
Non-Members: $10
Students: $10
Click here to purchase tickets.
2010 Spotlight Awards Banquet
STC Southern California Technical Communication Competition
By: Carrie Damschroder, Public Relations Manager
The documents and help files have been received. The judges have reviewed and critiqued all of the entries. Now it’s time to celebrate the STC Spotlight Awards Technical Communication Competition participants and winners at the 2010 Spotlight Awards Banquet!
If you entered the competition, if you’d like to see who entered and what they entered, if you volunteered, or if you judged competition entries, you’re invited to attend the banquet on Saturday, March 6, in San Juan Capistrano, CA. The evening will feature a presentation of all of the award-winning entries while we honor the technical communicators who created them. The evening will begin with some friendly mingling and, of course, a cash bar! Then we will sit down for a delicious dinner and the awards presentation. After the presentation, we’ll open the floor to a discussion about the competition. There will also be plenty of time for viewing the winning entries. The evening promises to be a lively event that you won’t want to miss!
The event’s details are listed below.
| What: | 2010 Spotlight Awards Banquet |
| When: | Saturday, March 6, 2010, 6:00pm–9:00pm |
| Cuisine: | Your choice of a meat, chicken, seafood, or vegetarian entrée, which includes a salad, coffee, tea, iced tea, and your choice of one of two desserts. |
| Where: | Sarducci's Capistrano Depot 26701 Verdugo St. San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675 (949) 493.9593 http://www.capistranodepot.com/index.html |
| Dress: | Business or semi-formal attire |
| Cost: | During these difficult economic times, this year only we are offering reduced pricing. $35/person with early bird reservations by February 14 Please pay by cash, check (payable to STC Spotlight Awards), or PayPal. No credit cards will be accepted at the door. To pay by credit card, pre-pay using PayPal when you register online. |
| RSVP: | By Sunday, February 14, for early bird rates or Monday, March 1, at http://www.stcspotlightawards.org/banquet_res.html. Winners, contributors, volunteers, and judges may invite guests. |
Driving Directions
- From Interstate 5, exit Ortega Hwy. (exit 82), and turn West.
- Follow Ortega Hwy. about ½ mile to Camino Capistrano (last light) and turn left (South).
- At the first light (Verdugo St.), turn right (West).
- At the first alley way, turn right (North) into the free parking lot.
- Park in the Plaza or along the area by the railway tracks. Sarducci's is the brick building to the left of the railway cars.
Train schedules
Because the restaurant is actually in the train station, consider making your commute easier by riding the train to and from the banquet!
Train schedules from the north (Los Angeles, Orange County):
Amtrak 582 arrives in San Juan Capistrano at 5:23 PM
Amtrak 595 departs San Juan Capistrano at 9:41 PM
Train schedules from the south (San Diego):
Amtrak 785 arrives in San Juan Capistrano at 5:26 PM
Amtrak 592 departs San Juan Capistrano at 9:48 PM
For more information and to RSVP, go to http://www.stcspotlightawards.org/banquet_res.html.
We’ll see you in the spotlight!
Book Review
DITA Basics: DITA 101 by Ann Rockley, Steve Manning and Charles Cooper
Reviewed by Walter Hanig
Are you wondering what the buzz about DITA is all about? Or, wondering just what DITA is and whether you should care? If so, DITA 101: Fundamentals of DITA for Authors and Managers was written for you.
The book begins with some background on the origins of DITA and then proceeds to cover the rationale for structured content, reuse best practices, DITA building blocks, an overview of the implementation process from outline to content development, planning for DITA, metadata use, and tools considerations.
The authors, who are well-known in the content management community, assume that the reader knows nothing about DITA, XML, content management, or structured content. The writing style is familiar and informal; the examples used to illustrate many concepts are based on recipes.
The book reflects the overlapping nature of its audience, authors and managers. Some topics, such as those relating benefits of DITA, will be of interest to both groups. The sections on DITA topic types, metadata, and attributes, for example, will appeal more to authors. “Planning for DITA” is more relevant for managers and DITA evangelists.
The book is definitely not a guide to implementing content using DITA; Introduction to DITA: A Guide to the Darwin Information Typing Architecture by Jennifer Linton and Kylene Bruski is a more appropriate book if that’s what you need.
The pre-publication draft I reviewed contained a surprising number of style and grammar issues that may be addressed by final publication. These may be distracting to technical writers, but they don’t diminish the value of the content.
DITA 101 achieves its goal of providing a glimpse into why managers and authors should know something about DITA. It’s a useful starting point, and some sections (rationale for structure, planning for DITA, considerations for specializing) are more comprehensive and useful. Using recipes as examples is effective in demonstrating concepts.
The book’s value as a starting point could have been enhanced by providing references to more additional resources for readers wanting or needing to learn more about various justification, planning, or implementation considerations.
Price is $9.95 (US) for PDF download, $24.95 (US) for trade paperback available from www.lulu.com. Contact The Rockley Group, www.rockley.com for non-US pricing.
Walter Hanig is a documentation project manager at Teradata, a vendor of enterprise-scale relational database software and parallel processing hardware. He’s a past president and treasurer, and still-active member, of the San Diego STC chapter.
