#24347
Necessary Skills for Technical Communicators 
Under the direction of the U.S. Department of Labor, the Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) developed a list of key competencies. These competencies assure that students productively use resources, information, interpersonal skills, systems, and technology. The Commission also identified foundation skills focusing on basic skills, thinking skills, and personal qualities. Trends in labor, trends for technical communicators, and a description of skills set the stage for the development of the new Technical Communications curriculum at De Anza College, which now incorporates the skills industry demands.
Dowdney, Donna Lee. STC Proceedings (1998). Articles>TC>Professionalism
#24191
Technical communication is a broad field—its practitioners perform many different tasks in many different industries. Technical communicators may write technical documents, design multimedia presentations, create Web pages, or illustrate mechanical designs. And they may perform these tasks in industries such as aerospace, biotech, computer software, or agribusiness. To effectively network with your peers, you need to find your communities of practice.
Grice, Roger A. Intercom (2004). Articles>Collaboration>Professionalism
#19192
New Accessible Web Design Program at Northeastern University
Web accessibility is a hot topic, and now there is a brand new place to gain the knowledge and credentials you need to succeed in this increasingly important field. Northeastern University, in Boston, Massachusetts-- already well known for its technical writing program-- is now offering a graduate certificate program in Interactive Design. This new program, one of the first in its kind, focuses specifically on topics surrounding web accessibility and design for interactive media of all kinds.
Gardner, P.J. and Lori Gillen. Usability Interface (2003). Academic>Accessibility>Education
#26850
New Heuristics for Understanding Older Adults as Web Users 
This article reports on a study performed for AARP on the needs of older Web users. It defines a model of older users that includes four dimensions (age, ability, aptitude, and attitude). It defines 20 heuristics, as well as personas and tasks for reviewing Web sites, and a methodology for doing persona-based, task-based heuristic review that would allow us to evaluate many sites in a relatively short time in a highly realistic way. Finally, it reports the results of an analysis of 50 Web sites for general audiences that include older adults, using that methodology.
Chisnell, Dana E., Janice C. 'Ginny' Redish and Amy Lee. Technical Communication Online (2006). Articles>Web Design>Accessibility>Elderly
#26034
New Plasma Screens Fail London's Commuters
Although the new screens at Waterloo station use the latest screen technology and look very impressive, they have not been designed with the hassled and hurried commuter in mind.
Usability by Design (2005). Articles>User Interface>Accessibility>Usability
#27502
La norma di riferimento è la legge 1 marzo 2006, n. 67 pubblicata nella Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 54 del 6 marzo 2006. Tale norma è di iniziativa governativa (Ministro senza portafoglio per le Pari opportunità Stefania Prestigiacomo, Ministro del lavoro e politiche sociali Roberto Maroni di concerto con il Ministro della giustizia Roberto Castelli) e risale al 2 luglio 2003 - vale a dire sette giorni prima dell'emanazione del dlgs 216/2003.
Scano, Roberto. Webaccessibile.org (2005). (Italian) Articles>Accessibility>Legal>Standards
#20351
Le linee guida del W3C in materia di accessibilità dei siti web hanno avuto un forte impatto soprattutto nei paesi anglosassoni dove, per primi, i governi hanno recepito tali linee guida rendendole di fatto obbligatorie per la realizzazione dei siti internet delle amministrazioni pubbliche. In Europa esistono delle comunicazioni della Commissione Europea che sono state recepite dai vari paesi. In quest'area del nostro sito andremo ad esporre i documenti normativi delle varie nazionalità approfondendo l'analisi della normativa europea e italiana.
Bertini, Patrizia. IWA-HWG (2003). (Italian) Articles>Accessibility>Legal>Italy
#21372
Discussions of how we should label ourselves and define our work are like flu epidemics. They break out from time to time, follow a fairly predictable course, and often make us want to barf.
Rosenfeld, Louis. Boxes and Arrows (2003). Articles>Information Design>Professionalism
#19669
Numbering Headings in Microsoft Word: It Doesn't Have to Drive You Crazy
If you’re a longtime user of Microsoft Word, you’ve noticed that Word’s functionality has changed in countless little ways over the years. You’ll probably agree that most of the changes have been beneficial and have made our jobs easier. Unfortunately, some changes have been for the worse.
Block, Barbara M. Intercom (2003). Articles>Word Processing>Software>Microsoft Word
#28632
The home of the Office Users Group, built to provide some very unique help for users of the Office applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access. We've built the site to be independent and a constant source of up-to-date information and assistance.
OfficeUsers.org (2007). Resources>Software>Word Processing>Microsoft Word
#21032
A February 2003 Harris Poll indicates that nearly half of those over age fifty in the United States—approximately 36 million adults—are online. While international statistics vary; the implication is clear: Designing usable Web sites that serve the needs and preferences of older adults will be a requirement, not a nicety, for the future.
Mazur, Beth and Amy Lee. Intercom (2003). Design>Web Design>Accessibility>Elderly
#23417
All over the world professional organizations advertise the technical communication profession. My personal impression is this: Many of these activities address students of higher schools (which is basically fine), while others address professionals already working in the field (which only makes sense if the objective is to sell memberships or training). What I have not seen up to now are activities to address young people in the early process of planning their higher education and professional careers. The following thoughts contain some ideas for those trying to make our profession known to young people and to encourage them to consider a career in technical communication.
Schilliger, Reto. TC-FORUM (1999). Articles>TC>Professionalism
#30557
One Reason Why Section 508 Isn't Working
The article underscores one of the key weaknesses in Section 508 today: the lack of self-regulation and commitment to Section 508 by federal agencies. Since Section 508 was released in June 2001, the primary enforcement focus has been on industry's role and responsibility. The pervasive thinking was that compliance could be better achieved by ensuring that industry designed, developed, and delivered accessible electronic and information technology for agency procurement. And there seems to be merit to this way of thinking. But if federal contracting and procurement officers do not include the 508 requirements as part of their procurement request documentation, industry has no motivation to invest money and resources required to enhance their products for accessibility.
Paciello, Mike. Paciello Group, The (2007). Design>Web Design>Accessibility>Section 508
#18605
Online Universal Design and Evaluation Tool
A major project of the Trace Center is the development of an on-line design and evaluation tool to assist product developers in creating better and more usable products. The design tool will lead designers through a process that encourages them to ask questions about their design and provides them with information about aspects or features of their product that might pose access barriers. A listing of possible strategies and ideas they might use to address the accessibility issues or to make their product more generally usable is provided. Specific examples, audio and video clips, copies of reference documents and studies, and resources they can contact or refer to will all be included over time.
University of Wisconsin. Design>Usability>Accessibility>Universal Usability
#26116
OOo Off the Wall: My Objects All Sublime
All of the contents in an OpenOffice.org Writer document is one of three things: text characters, fields or objects. Objects is a large category that includes formulas, drawing objects and so-called OLE Objects, but it is represented most often by graphics. All objects are added to Writer using a frame, and most of the time, it is the frame that you are editing. The object itself sits sublimely above your changes, its appearance in the document altering but not the object itself.
Byfield, Bruce. Linux Journal (2005). Articles>Word Processing>Software>OpenOffice
#19528
Opening Up to OpenOffice: Finding an Alternative to Microsoft Word 
When OpenOffice reached version 1.0 in May 2002, I did my journalistic duty and had a look. It wasn't what I expected. Aside from a few minor disappointments, I liked what I saw. I quickly became convinced that OpenOffice.org's Writer (OOo Writer) is a practical alternative to MS Word. Thirteen months of use has only cemented that impression. Four minor releases have been made since I started using OpenOffice.org, and, with each one, the program has become quicker and more stable.
Byfield, Bruce. TECHWR-L (2003). Articles>Word Processing>Software>Microsoft Word
#26101
Opening Up to OpenOffice.org: Finding an Alternative to Microsoft Word
When OpenOffice.org (www.openoffice.org) reached version 1.0 in May 2002, I did my journalistic duty and had a look. It wasn't what I expected. At times, the duplication of MS Word in OpenOffice.org seemed to extend to the faults, but the first impression is misleading. While MS Word users can be comfortable in OpenOffice.org within minutes, OpenOffice.org's interface is by far the tidier. More importantly, OpenOffice.org not only matches MS Word almost feature for feature, but often exceeds it, and provides working versions of features that have been broken or overdue for overhaul in MS Word for several releases.
Byfield, Bruce. TECHWR-L (2003). Articles>Word Processing>Software>OpenOffice
#26102
OpenOffice.org and Me: An Introduction
When I first tried OOo, it was at around version 1.0.0 or 1.0.1. The help files were pathetic in those days; I described them at the time as 'badly written, badly organized, badly indexed, and frequently wrong.' To be fair, the help has improved a great deal since then, though the indexing still needs a lot of improvement.
Weber, Jean Hollis. O'Reilly and Associates (2004). Articles>Word Processing>Software>OpenOffice
#24077
OpenOffice.org Off the Wall: It's Numbering, But Not as We Know It
Like any word processor, OpenOffice.org's Writer automatically adds numbers and bullets to paragraphs for you. Unlike typical word processors, however, Writer does not make lists a part of paragraph styles. Instead, lists have styles of their own. These styles are called numbering styles. Separating list styles from paragraph styles gives list options more room for custom settings without burying them deep in the menus.
Byfield, Bruce. Linux Journal (2004). Articles>Word Processing>Software>OpenOffice
#25985
OpenOffice.org Writer vs. Microsoft Word
OOo Writer scores most of its victories in features that make the creation and maintenance of highly formatted or long documents easier. This pattern is not accidental. According to Elizabeth Mathias of Sun Microsystems, the documentation of OpenOffice.org has a long history of being written in Writer itself. As a result, the program's developers had the incentive to include the tools they needed. This legacy continues to give Writer advantages over competitors like Word.
Byfield, Bruce. NewsForge (2005). Articles>Word Processing>Software>OpenOffice
#26103
OpenOffice.org XML File Format
All OpenOffice.org applications use XML-based file formats. All applications (except Math) use the same format as defined in the specification. The Math component uses the package structure and format, but uses MathML inside the package.
Cover Pages (2005). Articles>Word Processing>XML>OpenOffice
#18741
Optimización de Páginas Web Para Su Impresión
Los usuarios odian leer en pantalla, por lo que muchas veces preferirán imprimir los documentos web para que su lectura les resulte menos tediosa. En este trabajo comentaré tres posibles técnicas de optimización para la correcta impresión de documentos web, indicando las ventajas e inconvenientes de cada una.
Hassan Montero, Yusef. Nosolousabilidad.com (2003). (Spanish) Design>Web Design>Accessibility>Bandwidth
#23741
Our SIG’s “e-Lifelines”: Tapping Online Resources to Help Meet Special Needs
The Special Needs SIG’s 'e-Lifelines' come in four categories: (1) a comprehensive Web site, (2) a dynamic and data-rich online newsletter, (3) a robust listserv, and (4) specialized e-mail distributions. This paper will take a quick look at each of these 4. More details will be provided in Session UID 8E, “From Disabled to Enabled: Meeting Special Needs to Ensure Accessibility.” During the freeform part of the progression, attendees will have an opportunity to locate areas of specific interest to them, ask questions, and give suggestions and feedback to the facilitators that will help make the Special Needs Web site even more effective and valuable. Attendees will receive a copy of the SIG newsletter and a current list of disabilityrelated Web resources.
Lockley, Cynthia A. and Mike Murray. STC Proceedings (2003). Articles>Accessibility>Online
#31630
Overcoming Environmental Barriers
On May 3, 2008, something extraordinary happened: the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities went into effect. The goals of the Convention are lofty: it insists that all persons with all types of disabilities must enjoy all human rights and fundamental freedoms and sets out eight guiding principles and obligations to meet them.
Quesenbery, Whitney. Usability Professionals Association (2008). Articles>Usability>Accessibility>International
#18631
Overview of the Web Accessibility Initiative
An online presentation explaining why Web accessibility is important and what the Web Accessibility Initiative does.
Brewer, Judy. W3C (2003). Presentations>Slideshows>Accessibility
