I have enjoyed creating this newsletter for the past year or so, but due to the ups and downs of my current job I have been unable to publish the newsletter in time. The position of editor-in-chief will be handed over to Nick Ducharme. He will take over for the February issue.
It has been a great experience and this transition will allow me to focus on my other position as secretary for the Orlando chapter STC.
Thank you for this wonderful opportunity!
In the meantime, here are some live webinars you can attend from January through March…
AN INTROVERT’S JOURNEY TO LEADERSHIP
Ben Woelk, Rochester Institute of Technology
Wednesday, 21 January 2015 | 2:00–3:00 PM EST (GMT-5)
Many of us would agree that Western society lauds extroverted leaders and their accomplishments. However, introverts have made great contributions as well and can be effective leaders in their own right. Have you wondered how to empower yourself and leverage your innate skills to become a leader? Join Ben Woelk as he shares his personal insights and path to leadership with you.
RAPID PROFESSIONAL VIDEO CREATION WITH ADOBE CAPTIVATE 8
Anita Horsley, CALEX Learning Consultants, LLC
Wednesday, 28 January 2015 | 2:00–3:00 PM EST (GMT-5)
If you need to show a quick lesson on your computer, using Adobe Captivate’s Video Mode is one of the fastest and most compelling ways to create eLearning. You can insert assets such as images and text captions, as well as easily take advantage of other cool features such as pan/zoom and transitions. Not only that, but you can make your eLearning demos interactive by developing it right inside a regular Captivate project. In this workshop, get ready to learn how to create rapid, professional, engaging video demos within your Adobe Captivate eLearning course.
SEEING STORY EVERYWHERE: STORY CRAFT IN TECHNICAL WRITING
Elisa R. Sawyer, Independent Consultant
Wednesday, 4 February 2015 | 2:00–3:00 PM EST (GMT-5)
Do classes in creative writing improve our skills as communicators in technical fields? The presenter says yes! Even for writing reference material, the use of story craft as taught in creative writing affords us a set of skills that are uniquely valuable. Learn what is taught in master classes on story and how using these skills can improve what we offer to our audiences as technical writers.
PART 1 IN API SERIES: INTRODUCTION TO API TECHNICAL WRITING
Sarah Maddox, Google
Wednesday, 11 February 2015 | 2:00–3:00 PM EST (GMT-5)
Have you ever wondered what API technical writers do and how they go about it? Perhaps you’d like to move into developer-focused documentation yourself and just need some tips on getting started. Join Sarah Maddox as she discusses what an API is and demonstrates some easy-to-use APIs that you can play with later yourself. Examine examples of API documentation and gather some ideas on getting started in this field. It’s an exciting and rewarding area of technical communication!
Toni Ressaire, Publisher, Route 11 Publications
Wednesday, 18 February 2015 | 2:00–3:00 PM EST (GMT-5)
Your users are buying tablets and e-readers, and they are reading electronic documents easily on portable devices with reading apps, on computers or e-readers. A January 2014 Pew study reported that over 50 percent of Americans have a tablet or reading device and that 32 percent have a dedicated reading device. Whether you want to leverage this document format for users, clients, or to write your own tech book, this webinar will introduce you to the tools and processes for creating ebooks for reading on portable devices.
PART 2 IN API SERIES: DOCUMENTING JAVA AND C++ APIS
Ed Marshall, Marshall Documentation Consulting
Wednesday, 25 February 2015 | 2:00–3:00 PM EST (GMT-5)
Want to increase your technical communicator pay by 30 to 40%? You can by documenting application programming interfaces (APIs) and software development kits (SDKs). This market has a demand that constantly exceeds the supply of writers who have the required skills. In this webinar, Ed Marshall introduces you to the world of API/SDK documentation and the two most common tools you need to know to be successful: Doxygen and Javadoc.
PART 3 IN API SERIES: HELPING THE CODE TELL THE STORY: HOW TO PRESENT EFFECTIVE CODE SAMPLES
Joe Malin, EXO U USA, Inc.
Wednesday, 18 March 2015 | 2:00–3:00 PM EDT (GMT-4)
Even if you don’t know how to code, you can deliver effective code samples to your readers, and even improve how your SMEs write code. Effective code samples are clear, concise, easy to follow, and easy to read, so as a writer, you know more about writing good code samples than some engineers. Tune in to this webinar to learn how you can apply what you already know to delivering good code samples.
REPORT FROM 20 YEARS IN THE SELF-EMPLOYMENT TRENCHES
Thea Teich, Owner and Principal, Teich Technical and Marketing Communications
Wednesday, 25 March 2015 | 2:00–3:00 PM EDT (GMT-4)
After her first 20 years as a technical communicator with nonprofits, government agencies, and corporations, Thea Teich “went out on her own,” working as an independent. In 2015, she will have worked 20 years this way. This webinar describes her myriad experiences: why and how clients came and went; how to deal with inconsistent workloads, work flows, and payments; how to handle the hassles that take much more time than they should, and why you should embrace the fact that cats will get on the keyboard—among other things. Despite all this, Thea has no desire to ever be a “captive employee” again. Come to this session if you think you might like to work this way.
Please take advantage of these great webinars.
R.D. Sharninghouse
Secretary and Editor, Memo 2 Members Newsletter
rdsharninghouse@gmail.com