Benchmarking: A Practical Guide  

Using benchmarking, a company compares its processes with another best-practice company to improve the way it does business. The panelists, who have participated in several benchmarking projects, explain the benchmarking process and offer practical, real-world advice on how to do successful benchmarking.

Caldanaro, Regina M., Barbara Isa, and Lawrence D. Kunz. STC Proceedings (1994). Careers>Management>Project Management

Developing an Effective Online Marketing Plan  

A business plan is a basic strategic guide showing where your business should be going over the next one to five years. A marketing plan is a subset of the business plan. It lays out the goals and quantifiable objectives for all of your company’s marketing activities, such as TV, radio, print, or online. An online marketing plan is a subset of the marketing plan for all online activities. The center of the plan is the Web site, but the overall plan could include more than just the site. It could include e-mail, mail subscriptions or lists, newsgroups, online advertising, and even chat room participation. This paper discusses the elements of an online marketing plan, the strategy, tactics, and offers. It also briefly discusses an example project.

Caldanaro, Regina M. and Jodie Pait. STC Proceedings (2001). Careers>Management>Marketing

The Evolution of a Help System  

An industry-wide design standard for help systems does not exist. To develop a flexible and usable help system for our workstation-based product, we have evolved and changed our help system design. Over a five-year period our help system was influenced by several factors:

Caldanaro, Regina M. and Michelle Corbin Nichols. STC Proceedings (1995). Articles>Documentation>Online>Help

Neologisms, Part 1: Fun with Words

In our professional lives, business and technology are the main sources for many new words. In our personal lives, blame (I mean credit) goes to popular culture for new words. New words, or 'neologisms,' are defined in Merriam Webster as 'a new word, usage, or expression' and (and next is my preferred definition) as 'a meaningless word coined by a psychotic.'

Caldanaro, Regina M. Carolina Communique (1997). Articles>Language>Technology

Your Role in Supporting Sales-Force Automation  

When given a user manual to write or a Web site to put together, your role as a technical communicator is clear. But what is your role when supporting sales tools? How can you help your company market their technical products? The first step to understanding your role is to understand what a sales-force automation (SFA) solution could mean to your company. This workshop defines SFA and the potential benefits. Further discussion covers deciding on an information delivery method, determining data organization and management, and identifying audience needs.

Caldanaro, Regina M. and Jodie Pait. STC Proceedings (2000). Articles>Documentation>Writing>Technical Writing