Digital Architectures: SGML, HTML, Multimedia and the Structure of Electronic Documents  

With the use of online multimedia communication growing daily, online technologies have dramatically changed the ways we use and present information -- so much so, that we also need to have new theories and models for understanding how technology and content are related in this new communication environment. This paper presents a theory of digital architecture and explains how SGML, HTML, and Information Architecture are related in the creation of a new online literacy and rhetoric.

Heba, Gary M. STC Proceedings (1996). Design>Multimedia>Information Design

Games, Information Design, and New Technologies for Technical Communicators  

Developments in communication technologies such as video scriptwriting and interactive multimedia require that technical communicators develop the skills and literacies necessary for adapting to the demands of designing information for media other than print. This paper presents a semiotic theory and model of multimedia discourse which will help technical communicators conceptualize and produce texts in new media. The model operates on the premise that communication practices can be considered as language games. The model focuses on the rhetorical and semiotic features of multimedia language games, and how to manipulate them.

Heba, Gary M. STC Proceedings (1993). Presentations>Information Design>Multimedia>Games

An International Technical Communication Curriculum: The Value Added  

In the expanding global economy, the focus on international communication has largely been devoted to machine translation of technical documents, and in a world of online information it only makes sense to take advantage of the computer’s speed and relative accuracy in translating documents. However, with the emphasis on machine translation as the standard, we still need well-trained people to conduct international business intelligently and effectively. The prototype curriculum presented below outlines some of the objectives and components for a program which focuses on both the technological and cultural elements of international technical communication.

Heba, Gary M. STC Proceedings (1996). Articles>Education>TC>International

Multimedia Resources: A Selected Interdisciplinary Guide    

The guide below assembles and connects a selected interdisciplinary resource base for practitioners, educators, and researchers. The print and online sources it reviews cover a wide range of practical and theoretical information related to multimedia theory, design, development, and production from the past decade. Unlike other annotated bibliographies that review and critique the literature related to a single issue or thematic topic, the focus and scope of this guide is broader, and it is intended to be browsed. While not a comprehensive guide by any means, it constitutes a representative slice of the current research and resources available. Full bibliographic information is included for print items, and URLs are provided for online sources. For periodicals, I have included contact information for subscriptions.

Heba, Gary M. Technical Communication Online (1997). Resources>Multimedia

Multimedia Scripting: A Guide to the Process  

Beneath the glitz and glamour of multimedia technology is the need for well-written concepts and scripts to aid in the development and production process. Many who have written primarily for printed documents, however, often having difficulty adjusting to writing for a multimedia environment. To help make the transition clear, this workshop focuses on explaining the theory, concepts, and strategies for planning and writing multimedia scripts.

Heba, Gary M. STC Proceedings (1996). Design>Multimedia>Workflow

Particle Physics, Frank Lloyd Wright and Feng Shui: A Walking Tour Through Spatial Web Design  

Although the concept of the internet as a virtual space is not new, after nearly ten years of development, our understanding of web space still remains more textually based than spatial. Because the World Wide Web provides a new kind of information space, we need to understand it in both informational and spatial terms. As such, we can benefit from exploring the shape of cyberspace from an architectural perspective, just as we would other spaces and shapes in our experience. In this discussion I offer a model that views web site design from three architectural perspectives: motion, structure and flow.

Heba, Gary M. STC Proceedings (2001). Presentations>Web Design>Information Design

Principles and Guidelines for Multimedia Script Development  

This workshop is designed to provide some orientation and ground rules for practitioners who are beginning to think about developing multimedia projects. The objectives of the workshop are 1) to explain the technology and theory of multimedia communication; 2) to present an overview of multimedia script development; 3) to provide strategies for developing a concept and an information map; and 4) to show approaches to multimedia scripting. Workshop participants will be involved in hands-on activities to guide them through the preliminary stages of multimedia concept and script development.

Heba, Gary M. STC Proceedings (1995). Design>Multimedia>Management

Writing About Science For General Audiences  

As the pursuit of new scientific knowledge is exploding with discoveries in every scientific field, there also needs to be a similar explosion in scientific and technical communicators’ abilities to convey these new discoveries to the general public. Since the bulk of scientific information is contained in scholarly studies written in language for specialists, writing about science can be a daunting task for writers who are non-scientists. Using some techniques from journalism, the purpose of this presentation is to help writers learn how to decode important information from scientific studies and translate the information for general audiences.

Heba, Gary M. STC Proceedings (2000). Presentations>Scientific Communication