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The e-mail part of the newsletter consists of the News and Events section. All links to other articles below will take you to our website. News and Events: February Meeting Report: Selling Technical Communication Emphasis on Success A Writer's World: Interviewing and Dating: A Single Source Solution Becoming a Technical Writer in Germany The Wandering Eye: Framescript Training the Ones Who Train Us
About the STC: The Society for Technical Communication is an individual membership organization dedicated to advancing the arts and sciences of technical communication. It is the largest organization of its type in the world. Its 25,000 members include technical writers and editors, content developers, documentation specialists, technical illustrators, instructional designers, academics, information architects, usability and human factors professionals, visual designers, Web designers and developers, and translators - anyone whose work makes technical information available to those who need it. The STC Toronto Chapter was founded in 1959 (then the Society of Technical Writers) and is the largest chapter in Canada. About this Newsletter: This newsletter is produced monthly by the STC Toronto Chapter and is sent to all registered members. If you have any feedback or ideas, please e-mail editor Philip Kahn at: newsletter@stctoronto.org Our mailing list comes directly from the STC, so if you want to receive the newsletter at another address you will need to login to their members profile section and update your information. The STC Toronto Chapter will not share nor sell our address list and will only send e-mails with information we believe to be useful and relevant to our members. |
News and Events:
Single-Sourcing SIG Meeting on March 17: Michael Priestley presents a DITA Update
The Toronto chapter is pleased to announce that Michael Priestley will once again be joining us to discuss ongoing progress and recent successes with DITA (Darwin Information Typing Architecture). DITA is an XML-based architecture used to develop technical information as topics for single-sourcing. DITA has been in place at IBM for several years and is now under review with OASIS to move it into the public domain. Tools, templates and stylesheets are being developed to support DITA through Arbortext Epic Editor and FrameMaker that will move it quickly into the mainstream of technical communications. Michael Priestley is one of the XML architects of DITA, with specific focus on its specialization and map architectures. He has written numerous papers on information design, architecture, single-sourcing, and information development processes. He has chaired the program committee for two ACM SIGDOC conferences, and is the current ACM SIGDOC Vice-Chair. Seating is limited, so please register early. All are welcome to attend this chapter-sponsored event. Please RSVP to Rob Hanna: When: Where: Nominations Wanted for the Rennie Charles Award Is there an STC member who has made an outstanding contribution to the Toronto Chapter? The Rennie Charles Award recognizes one member who has made an outstanding contribution to the Toronto Chapter in the current year or over the past several years. This is the Toronto chapter's most prestigious award and is not necessarily given every year. Every member is eligible for consideration, except those who have already won. Rennie Charles is remembered with great fondness by many of our senior STC members. He was cherished for the "ideas, support, patience, advice and mirth" he shared with the Toronto technical writing community. This award is given to honour and recognize those Toronto chapter members whose leadership and support follow in the tradition of Rennie Charles. Click here to send your suggestions to Recognitions Manager Liz Pilgrim.
Rochester STC Conference in April Spectrum 2005, the annual educational conference sponsored by the Rochester Chapter of the Society for Technical Communication, will be held on April 8, 2005, at the RIT Inn and Conference Center. Now in its 46th year, the conference is the longest running STC chapter conference. This year’s conference offers 16 presentations in four tracks. Leading experts, academics, and practitioners will offer exciting presentations on a variety of topics including social computing and its impact on business, managing terminological assets, learning theory, visual communication, digital printing, and more. Program details are available at www.stcrochester.org. Contact Linda Beattie, Registrar (585)247-6742/(585) 588-5212. The fee for members is US$110.00. Register by March 18 to qualify for the early registration rate of US$85.00.
New Certification in Editing The Editors' Association of Canada (EAC) is planning to offer a program for professional certification, starting in the fall of 2006. Primarily for editors with at least two years' experience, the certification tests will cover the four core editing areas outlined in EAC's Professional Editorial Standards. - Structural and stylistic editing Candidates can become certified in one or more of the four core editing areas. The candidates who write and pass all four tests will obtain the full credential of Certified Professional Editor. The tests will be open to EAC members and non-members (although non-members will pay a higher fee). EAC will publish a certification study guide this year. This guide will include more details about the tests as well as sample tests and markers' comments. Order forms will soon be available on EAC's web site. Local EAC branches are already holding information sessions about certification. Some branches are also planning study groups to prepare editors for the certification tests. Click here to find the nearest branch. For more information, please see "Looking Ahead to Certification," which answers many Frequently Asked Questions about certification. You can also visit the Certification section of EAC's web site.
CIHR Fosters Science Communications Prospects for Fifth Year CIHR's Health Research Communication Awards (formerly Graduate Science Writer Scholarship), will help burgeoning Canadian science communicators develop their careers. The purpose of this Request for Applications is to increase the number of Canadian writers engaged in communicating the findings and implications of health research. It is expected that this targeted investment will lead to more effective communication of health research in Canada. These opportunities are available to those who are enrolled in journalism or communication programs with human health and/or science backgrounds. Program details, eligibility criteria and application deadlines are listed here.
Contact Information:
Denise Aubin For questions about this initiative and research objectives contact:
Important Reminder to Renewing STC Members Don’t forget, the STC has new membership categories for 2005 - when you get your renewal notice, be sure to select the Classic, E-Membership, or Student option, and select the Toronto Chapter as your chapter affiliation. This will ensure that you continue to have access to services that are only available to STC Toronto members.
Front Runner Publishing Solutions Inc. continue to be a valued supporter of the STC Toronto chapter. They are offering a number of courses by software and publishing experts which could be of interest to members ... see their site for more details and contact information. And don't miss Lilli Dailide's article in this month's newsletter. |
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