#22104
Review: Reshaping Technical Communication: New Directions and Challenges for the 21st Century 
Ever wonder about the relationship between academia and the corporate world? Or if you are on the corporate side (as I am), have you wondered why academia operates as it does? (And vice versa.) If so, Reshaping Technical Communication: New Directions and Challenges for the 21st Century offers great insights that may help you gain an understanding of how each world operates, why they operate as they do, and how the two worlds influence and can alter the future of technical communication.
Staples, Jeff. Technical Communication Online (2002). Articles>Reviews>TC>History
#19086
Resistance to Theory in Advanced Technical Communication Classes for Majors 
My focus will be on Resistance to theory as expressed by advanced tech writing students. My experience has been that the majority of these students do not enjoy reading nor discussing an assigned theoretical article, such as Carolyn Miller’s 'What’s Practical about Technical Writing?'
Jobst, Jack W. CPTSC Proceedings (2000). Articles>Education>TC>Theory
#18641
A Response to the Special Issue on Ethics 
Whatever one claims to have said in oneï¿s narrative, whether ethical explication or narrative self-building, is not always under the selfï¿s control. The practice of self-knowledge argued for here is more accurately self-formation, a will to power over the self. What these authors propose is a valuable and powerful act of self-making through representation. This formation of narrative self-representation connects actions with identity, forging identity from fragmented memory. It requires an attempt to tell oneï¿s story as honestly as possible, and to resist narrating oneï¿s self as one desires to be seen. In the process, these authors assert, our self learns how to see itself through the lens of retrospection.
Salvo, Michael J. Technical Communication Quarterly (2001). Articles>TC>Ethics
#23404
Recommends that INTECOM set up a working group to further research technical communicators' preferences and then establish guidelines.
Blicq, Ronald S. TC-FORUM (2000). Articles>TC>Standards
#29209
Results of a Survey of ATTW Members, 2003
This article presents the results of an April 2003 electronic survey of ATTW members. Results and interpretations are categorized as follows: a professional profile of respondents; member observations about ATTW and its activities (member participation, appraisal of benefits, and preferred topics for TCQ); and current issues and views of the field's future.
Dayton, David and Stephen A. Bernhardt. Technical Communication Quarterly (2004). Articles>TC>Academic>Surveys
#31087
Rethinking Plagiarism for Technical Communication
This article proposes that technical and professional communication instructors reconsider the treatment of the concept of plagiarism in current curriculum. I begin by examining existing approaches to teaching technical communication students about plagiarism and explaining the need for rethinking plagiarism in light of contemporary technical communication practices. The second section suggests several preliminary steps for addressing these issues, including revisions to plagiarism policies, classroom practices, and the treatment of plagiarism in textbooks. I conclude with a call for increased industry-academic dialog on the dissonance between the treatment of plagiarism in the classroom and in workplace practices.
Reyman, Jessica. Technical Communication Online (2008). Articles>Education>TC>Plagiarism
#20040
Ever wonder about the relationship between academia and the corporate world? Or, maybe if you are on the corporate side (as I am), have you wondered why academia operates as it does? (And vice versa.) If so, Reshaping technical communication: New directions and challenges for the 21st century offers great insights that might help you gain an understanding of how each world operates, why they operate as they do, and how the two worlds affect and can alter the future of technical communication.
Staples, Jeff. Usability Interface (2003). Articles>Reviews>TC
#21509
Current focus on creating a National Information Infrastructure by increasing the capacity of the Internet computer network will have direct implications for companies who produce technical products and services. More and more organizations are already using the Internet to talk with customers, assess user needs, and provide product information. Yet corporations may not be familiar with the communication style of computer networks. A protest in 1990 over a Lotus Development Corporation product illustrates how the traditional fact-driven corporate communication style might clash with the more emotional and informal style often assumed on computer networks.
Gurak, Laura J. STC Proceedings (1994). Articles>Technology>TC>Online
#31085
The Role for Technical Communicators in Open-Source Software Development
Although it claims to adhere to user-centered design principles of participatory design and democratized technology, open-source software often fails to effectively address the usability needs of typical software users. In many cases, it embodies a system-centered design approach facilitated by the efforts of developer-users. In addition to the existing participation in open-source projects in the classroom, technical communicators should actively critique open-source software and promote user-centered design principles in open-source software projects.
Yeats, Dave. Technical Communication Online (2008). Articles>TC>Programming>Open Source
#14910
The Role of the Professional Technical Communicator
To meet the challenge of addressing the needs of subject matter experts (SME) and non-experts, alleviating fears, and keeping the public informed requires knowledge of communication theory, subject-matter expertise, and adherence to a code of ethics. A model illustrating the professional technical communicator's knowledge base and relationship with the SME and non-expert is presented.
Gilliland, Gail. Orange Journal, The (2002). Articles>TC>Professionalism>SMEs
#19923
Roles and Skills for Technical Communicators in User-Centered Design 
This paper discusses how technical communicators fit into the over all user-centered design (UCD) process, and how technical communicators can start applying user-centered design principles to their work. UCD principles can help technical communicators add value to the design of information, as well as to the overall design of a product. The paper addresses both the traditional and new skills that technical communicators need to acquire to become effective members of a UCD team.
Fisher, Lori H. STC Proceedings (1996). Articles>User Centered Design>TC
#29682
Same Methods, Different Disciplines: The Historian and Linguist as Technical Communicators
Can a liberal arts degree be parlayed into a career in technical communication? The presenters explain how they did precisely that, applying the overarching principle: 'Same method, different discipline.' This paper provides examples of how a history major (lead author Maureen Hogg) and an English major (co-author Dan Voss) drew upon the skills they honed as undergraduates in their respective majors to advance their careers as technical communicators at Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corporation in Boulder, CO, and Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control in Orlando, FL, respectively. In Part 1, Hogg takes several principles of historiography and shows how she applied them in developing a series of information products on Ball Aerospace's landmark Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) program. In Part 2, Voss shows how principles of rhetorical analysis he learned in a course on linguistics became the linchpin in a year-long integrated strategic communication campaign that helped Lockheed Martin land a major contract to build the next-generation air-to-ground missile system for the U.S. Army, Navy, and Marine Corps.
Hogg, Maureen and Daniel W. Voss. STC Proceedings (2005). Articles>TC>Linguistics>History
#31356
Schemas in Intercultural Communication
Raju demonstrates the importance of understanding cultural schemas—models providing patterns for understanding ideas or objects in a cultural context—when dealing with international technical communication.
Raju, Rita. Intercom (2008). Articles>TC>International>Cultural Theory
#31082
Screencasting: the Future of Technical Communication?
Screencasting has numerous advantages for software training: the added realism of the screen versus paper-based or static online screens, ease of use, and low cost. Archee reviews two popular programs.
Archee, Raymond K. Intercom (2008). Articles>TC>Video>Screencasting
#26462
On the morning of 29 August, Hurricane Katrina battered the Gulf Coast of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama with winds clocked at 140 miles (225 km) per hour and more than a foot (30 cm) of rain. Although the hurricane spared New Orleans, the major population center of the area, a direct blow, the storm surge caused several of the cityï¿s levees to fail, flooding 80% of the city with up to 20 feet (6 m) of water fouled by sewage, oil, and other pollutants. It will be many years before the coastal areas of southeast Asia and the U.S. Gulf Coast have rebuilt and recovered from this year's disasters. Likewise, it will take time for us to create better disaster plans and disseminate them to the public, and for the value of those plans to be perceived. Neither of these facts makes the rebuilding, recovery, and planning any less necessary. We must do all we can to ensure that they happen as quickly as possible. We should see clearly that we can't afford to do any less.
Hayhoe, George F. Technical Communication Online (2005). Articles>TC>Risk Communication>Southern US
#15191
September 1, 1999, through November 30, 1999
This report covers specifications, standards, and amendments received from September 1, 1999, through November 30, 1999. Special emphasis has been placed on documentation in the category Technical Manual Specification & Standards (TMSS); however, other documents with widespread appeal are also included.
Bach, Claudia. Intercom (2000). Articles>History>TC
#15192
September 1, 2000 through November 30, 2000
This report covers specifications, standards, and amendments received from September 1, 2000, through November 30, 2000.
Bach, Claudia. Intercom (2001). Articles>History>TC
#19945
Serving Special Needs in Technical Communication
Some 43 million Americans have disabilities, under the definitions provided in the American Disabilities Act. Only one fourth of working-age Americans with disabilities who are capable of fully productive employment have jobs. Grim statistical realities like these prompted the Society for Technical Communication to form a Special Needs Committee (SNC) to address the needs of its members (as well as its end users) who have disabilities. This article provides a brief history of the SNC, outlines its goals and objectives, and introduces some of its members. The SNC welcomes the development of a “sister” group within the American Translators Association (ATA), and would like to pool resources to help fellow professionals whose careers—and lives—have been derailed by disabilities.
Voss, Daniel W. STC Proceedings (2001). Articles>Accessibility>TC
#14414
The Seven Deadly Assumptions of Technical Communication
Years ago, as a young programmer/analyst on a project leader’s course, I made an assumption during a team exercise. Not a crucial mistake, you would think. I assumed that I had all the information I needed to complete the exercise. I also assumed that the exercise was about interviewing a potential employee. In fact, the exercise was actually about the danger of not identifying and confirming assumptions before blindly rushing on with the task at hand. In this article, I identify seven areas in the field of technical communication where unconfirmed assumptions can lead to a waste of time and money and also undermine your credibility.
Moss, Stephen R. WilliamRice.com (2001). Articles>TC
#24555
Finding a method to determine terrestrial longitude was critical in the early seventeenth century as countries attempted to establish territorial boundaries. The magistrate and natural philosopher Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc (1580-1637) spent much of his life working on a solution to this problem. As an early technical communicator, he was concerned with the criteria of acceptable observations, the standardization of materials and methods, and the communication of results. He refined a variety of strategies to obtain these observations and ensure their accuracy. He persuaded missionary priests to make observations throughout the Levant by promising patronage and gifts or stressing practical applications in the solution to the problem of longitude and church calendar reform. Although Peiresc did not resolve the issue of determining longitude, his efforts did provide the basis for work by later astronomers.
Tolbert, Jane T. Journal of Business and Technical Communication (2001). Articles>TC>History
#22883
Ethical conflicts often defy black-and-white solutions. But gray can be slippery. This workshop demonstrates how to use value analysis to clarify ethical conflicts in technical communication. The presenters identify 10 core values that underlie technical communication and show how these values can be used to support objective analysis and resolve ethical conflicts. Participants explore ethical dilemmas 'hands-on' through small-group discussions and role-playing vignettes on selected conflict scenarios. This session follows up the 'Grayscale' workshop conducted at the 43rd STC conference-with all new scenarios!
Voss, Daniel W. and Lori A. Allen. STC Proceedings (1997). Articles>TC>Ethics
#10425
Shaping the Future of Our Profession
This article examines the implications of greater professionalism for the future directions of technical communication and the role of academic programs and professional societies in shaping the future of the profession.
Davis, Marjorie T. Technical Communication Online (2001). Articles>TC>Professionalism
#22877
Shaping the Future of Technical Communication: Improving the Marriage Between Academia and Industry
The future of technical communication lies in our ability to collaboratively define who we are, what we do, what we should research, and how that research should be used to develop the field. Since technical communication remains a relatively new subject area, we must carefully compete with older, well-established fields for precious resources. The continued development of our field requires a progressively dynamic research agenda developed from a productive and ongoing dialogue between academia and industry. Without such introspective collaboration, our struggle for legitimacy summons an exhibition of rhetorical blundering, which for an emerging field like technical communication, could be fatal.
Carver, Michael. STC Proceedings (1997). Articles>Research>TC
#31851
Showcase Your Talents in STC: Reflections from a Leadership Day 2008 Panel
Once you prioritize time for involvement in STC activities, you have good opportunities to show your talents to your peers. Yes, it is scary. The technical communication community is a very difficult audience. But isn't that a fantastic learning opportunity?
Mardahl, Karen. Tieline (2008). Articles>TC>Community Building>STC
#28164
A SIG Transformation: Past, Present, and Future
A recent discussion about the STC's Technical Editing Special Interest Group (TE SIG) provided insights into the evolving role of communities of interest in the Society. At a meeting of the Carolina Chapter's local TE SIG, Diane Feldman, who is the manager of the Society-level SIG, provided members with an update on SIG activities.
Brautman, Heather. Carolina Communique (2005). Articles>TC>Technical Editing>STC
