Communication in International Virtual Offices  

Advances in communication technologies mean that colleagues from different parts of the world can work together in the same online space. In some cases, that space is an e-mail exchange, text messaging, or a shared corporate intranet site; in other cases, it is an electronic bulletin board or chat room related to a project. These shared online work spaces—or international virtual offices (IVOs)—provide a level of interaction that can reduce production costs and shorten production cycles.

St. Amant, Kirk R. Intercom (2003). Careers>Telecommuting>Collaboration>Workplace

Review: Culture, Technology, Communication: Towards an Intercultural Global Village  

The Internet is continually changing how we think about "the office." Online media now allow us to exchange information with overseas colleagues almost as quickly and as easily as we can with coworkers located across the hallway from our workstations. This new degree of access, however, means that cultural differences could affect workplace interactions.

St. Amant, Kirk R. Technical Communication Online (2004). Articles>Reviews>Collaboration>International

Review: CyberRegs: A Business Guide to Web Property, Privacy, and Patents  

By providing excellent and easy-to-read overviews of certain legal developments, CyberRegs helps readers understand the ever-changing challenges of regulating cyberspace interactions. By including listings of online resources on specific legal topics, the author also provides a method for augmenting what one learns in the book itself. For these reasons, CyberRegs is a resource that can continue to prove useful even after the laws it examines have changed.

St. Amant, Kirk R. Technical Communication Online (2004). Articles>Reviews>Intellectual Property>Online

Designing Web Sites for International Audiences  

International online access is growing at an amazing rate. In China alone, the number of individuals with Internet access grew from roughly 2 million users in 1999 to over 25 million users today. As a result of various international programs in both the public and private sectors, online access is now poised to expand rapidly throughout the world. For technical communicators, this projected growth means an increasing international client base that can use online media to access technical materials. As international clients and co-workers gain online access, technical communicators will need to devise design strategies for effective online materials for this audience.

St. Amant, Kirk R. Intercom (2003). Design>Web Design>Globalization

Expanding Internships to Enhance Academic-Industry Relations: A Perspective in Stakeholder Education    

To improve technical communication education, educators and internship providers need to find ways to revise internship experiences so that educators, internship providers, and students/interns can use internship experiences in a way that benefits all three parties. This article uses a stakeholder education approach to propose two new kinds of internship processes to benefit all three groups. The first approach--colloquia--allows all three parties to interact via the same scheduled event. The second approach--student publications groups--shifts internship from a workplace to a school activity. By including such approaches into their curricula, technical communication programs can both improve their relationships with local internship providers and improve the training received by their students.

St. Amant, Kirk R. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication (2003). Careers>Internships>Industry and Academy

Humor, Credibility, and International Online Exchanges  

St. Amant examines the problematic effects of humor on international online communication.

St. Amant, Kirk R. Intercom (2001). Articles>Writing>International

Identity and International Online Communication  

St.Amant discusses the tendency of online communication to obscure a person's identity and suggests ways people can ensure clear communication with individuals of other cultures.

St. Amant, Kirk R. Intercom (2001). Articles>Collaboration>International>Online

Internationalizing Online Training  

Online training is becoming increasingly popular; however, geographic and cultural distance can work to your disadvantage. St.Amant outlines how to set up a training program that both attracts and benefits communicators in locations around the globe.

St. Amant, Kirk R. Intercom (2006). Articles>Education>Online>Localization

Review: Knowledge and Information Technology Management: Human and Social Perspectives  

As the information technology sector continues to grow, an understanding of KM practices will become increasingly essential to organizational success. Because technical communicators are creators and managers of content/knowledge, they will need to understand KM practices to anticipate how their jobs may change to meet KM needs. The collection Knowledge and information technology management: Human and social perspectives provides technical communicators with both an overview of KM practices and insights into the future development of KM as a field. For this reason, the book is a valuable resource that technical communicators should read to better prepare themselves for future developments in the field.

St. Amant, Kirk R. Technical Communication Online (2004). Articles>Reviews>Knowledge Management

An Online Approach to Teaching International Outsourcing in Technical Communication Classes    

The growth of international online access has given rise to a new production method--international outsourcing--that has important implications for technical communication practices. Successful interactions within international outsourcing require individuals to understand how cultural factors could affect online interactions. Today's technical communication students therefore need to understand how factors of culture and media could affect the success with which they operate in international outsourcing activities. This article provides technical communication instructors with a series of Web-based exercises they can use to familiarize students with different aspects that can affect intercultural online interactions. It also provides a series of online resources students can use to enhance their understanding of cross-cultural communication in cyberspace.

St. Amant, Kirk R. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication (2005). Articles>TC>Outsourcing>Education

A Prototype Theory Approach to International Website Analysis and Design    

As global online access grows, Web site designers find themselves creating materials for an increasing international audience. Cultural groups, however, can have different expectations of what constitutes acceptable Web site design. This article examines how prototype theory can serve as a methodology for analyzing Web sites designed for users from different cultures. Such analyses, in turn, can help individuals create more effective online materials for international audiences.

St. Amant, Kirk R. Technical Communication Quarterly (2005). Design>Web Design>Methods>International

A Prototype Theory Approach to Website Localization: An Analytical Method for Technical Communicators    

As global online access grows, Web site designers find themselves creating materials for an increasingly international audience. Cultural groups, however, can have different expectations of what constitutes acceptable Web site design. This article examines how prototype theory can serve as a methodology for analyzing Web sites designed for users from different cultures. Such analyses, in turn, can help individuals create more effective online materials for international audiences.

St. Amant, Kirk R. IEEE PCS (2005). Articles>Web Design>Localization>Cultural Theory

Resources and Strategies for Successful International Communication  

Offers tips to technical communicators on how to communicate effectively with people from other cultures.

St. Amant, Kirk R. Intercom (2000). Articles>Collaboration>International

The Ten Commandments of Effective Portfolios  

Offers ten suggestions on how job candidates can assemble a winning portfolio.

St. Amant, Kirk R. Intercom (2002). Careers>Portfolios

Review: Translating the World: Science and Language  

Technical communication is often compared with translation. In both cases, practitioners modify messages created by one culture so the meaning of such messages can be understood by the members of another culture. For translators, the cultures involve different languages, while technical communicators focus on bridging the differences between professional cultures (for example, engineers versus more general audiences).

St. Amant, Kirk R. Technical Communication Online (2003). Articles>Reviews>Localization

Ukraine: A Technical Communication Perspective  

Discusses Ukrainian communication practices and explains why the country could become an important region in the world economy.

St. Amant, Kirk R. Intercom (2002). Articles>TC>Regional>Ukraine

When Cultures and Computers Collide: Rethinking Computer-Mediated Communication According to International and Intercultural Communication Expectations    

Online communication technology makes intercultural communication faster and more direct than was ever before possible, but, in doing so, it may also amplify cultural rhetoricaldifferences. Communication scholars, therefore, need to begin examining potentialareas of conflict in international cyberspace to anticipate and to resolve potential cross-culturalmisunderstandings related to online exchanges. This commentary proposesthat researchers need to compare the communication patterns noted in the computer-mediatedcommunication (CMC) literature and in the intercultural communication literatureto see where these communication patterns collide.

St. Amant, Kirk R. Journal of Business and Technical Communication (2002). Articles>Communication>International