New Managers Must Find Balance Between Tech and Management Duties  

It's tempting to fill your early days as an IT manager by focusing on problems in your comfort zone: the technical side. But to be effective, you'll have to learn to balance managing your team and attending to technical problems.

Watson, Steven A. TechRepublic (2003). Careers>Management>Technology

New Media Technology II

Two collaborative presentations about the status and factors that influence technology adoption within research in technical communication programs.

Amidon, Stevens R., Stuart Blythe, Libby Allison, Miriam Williams and Meloni McMichael. CPTSC (2005). Presentations>Multimedia>Technology

New Prompters Open New Presentation Opportunities

Using a prompting system is not something reserved for just Presidents and CEOs. Many people have avoided using prompting because they felt these systems were too ugly and distractive to have at a presentation or perhaps too heavy to take on the road. Whether in the field or on stage, many people objected to using prompters because they made the speaker's presentation style too constrained and contrived. The new generation of LCD (Liquid Crystal Display)-based prompting systems have changed all that!

Fink, Lorin. Presenters University (2002). Articles>Presentations>Technology

The Next Development Platform

Technology is not stable. It changes over time; it is a moving target. In contrast, humans are quite stable. Each human might not be stable, but as a whole, humans are very constant. Stability and predictability are good things. Therefore, development and design should be based on humans. Specifically, development should be based on a human platform not a technological platform. 

Rhodes, John S. WebWord (2001). Articles>Technology

On the Relationship Between Old and New Technologies  

The author argues for complicating current views of writing technology, specifically views of the relationship between old and new literacy technologies. Using a Vygotskian theory and a grounded theory methodology, the author explores the uses of old and new technologies of three contemporary work sites to ground claims that a) competing visions of what technology is and what it can do are operative in contemporary workplaces, b) multiple literacy technologies are copresent in the conduct of work, and c) more advanced literacy technologies are not necessarily the most powerful within work cultures. The case studies are also interpreted through the lens of Bijker's theory of sociotechnical change.

Haas, Christina. Computers and Composition (1999). Articles>Technology>Writing

Operating at the Edge of Technology    

This article was originally going to discuss design issues for online documentation and help to be displayed on handheld devices like personal digital assistants (PDAs) and Web-enabled cell phones. The tiny screens and limited or nonexistent storage and processing would make design a challenge. However, by the time I began writing for this special section of Technical communication, the industry had changed so much that the original article was no longer relevant. Instead, I will look at those industry changes to examine the risk of operating at the edge of technology. Note that this article is a not a traditional journal article. Instead, it's a practitioner's commentary based on 4 years of working with handheld devices, giving presentations, and developing multiple WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) programming courses.

Perlin, Neil E. Technical Communication Online (2003). Articles>Technology>TC

Participatory Decision Making, Technology, and the Environment: Overview  

Technical communication is increasingly identified with high tech and particularly with documentation. This affiliation and the issues that technology raises have spurred the field to grow not just in numbers but also in knowledge. For example, the concepts of users and usability offer rich ways to look at documents and their development and implementation.

Rude, Carolyn D. STC Proceedings (2001). Presentations>Collaboration>Technology

Review: PC Annoyances, Second Edition

It's impossible to have the answers to all the problems you encounter on a PC, but Bass touches on a bit of everything.

Evans, Meryl K. Meryl.net (2005). Articles>Reviews>Technology

Perfect vs. Good Enough: Writing Quality in the Online Age  

Perlin discusses how new technologies are changing the definition of quality in technical writing and suggests a response.

Perlin, Neil E. Intercom (2002). Articles>Technology

Perspicacious Priyadarshi

A blog to inspire greenhorns, support underdogs, and empower the have-nots.

Tripathy, Priyadarshi. WordPress (2007). Resources>Business Communication>Technology>Blogs

Presentation Pointers  

This site provides tips on how to deliver a good technical presentation, both for the presenter him/herself, as well as for the content matter of the presentation. For the presenter, the note about the three Vs (Visual, Vocal and Verbal) are a must-read, and whether it is a PowerPoint presentation or a demo, the tips on how the presentation matter needs to be structured will be greatly apppreciated by any amateur/ experienced presenter.

Presentation Pointers (2000). Presentations>Technology>Communication>Business Communication

Principle-Centered Leadership for IT

The IT revolution has been a much-needed boon for India. It has not only changed the fiscal reserves ($), ushered a new economy and created numerous job opportunities but also caused worldwide recognition of Indian talent. The revolution has been slow, but never a result of chance accidents. In earlier revolutions, Indians missed the bus and became followers, but the IT revolution is different as we have taken the lead and demonstrated our capabilities in the software sector to the world.

Pathak, A.K. Indus (2003). Articles>Management>Technology

Protecting Yourself Against Viruses and Hackers  

Discusses how business owners can protect themselves from computer viruses and hackers. The article includes a sidebar listing anti-virus resources.

Fugate, Alice E. Intercom (2002). Articles>Technology>Security>Viruses

Rating Electronic Mail Clients: Convenience or Security?  

Archee assesses the security of several e-mail clients.

Archee, Raymond K. Intercom (2002). Articles>Technology>Software>Email

Re-Negotiating with Technology: Training Towards More Sustainable Technical Communication    

Technical communicators have often defined their relationship with technology using a metaphor of 'technology as tool,' an outlook that reinforces perceptions of practitioners as 'tool jockeys,' threatens the sustainability of the field, and isolates academics and practitioners alike from design and business decision-making and from better intellectual connections with other fields. We suggest that one potential solution is a new approach to training; if technical communicators can conduct technology training in ways that shift this metaphorical focus, they can not only better connect academics with practitioners but also create new connections with other fields, outlooks, and theories, becoming the sort of profession that survives global economic shifts and succeeds in both academic departments and industry.

Clark, Dave and Rebekka Andersen. Technical Communication Online (2005). Articles>Technology>Theory>Tropes

"Read the Manual!" What Manual?

How can I read the documentation when there is no documentation?

Manes, Stephen. InfoWorld (2001). Articles>Documentation>Technology

"Read the Manual!" What Manual?

Customer service shouldn't begin when you have a problem. It should start when a product is built, so that you don't have to futz around on the Web or wait on hold to get answers. One form of that service is good product design. Another is a great manual.

Manes, Stephen. PC World (2001). Articles>Documentation>Technology

Research and Technology Stem Overview  

It's always interesting looking back at the evolution of a profession. By reviewing the past, you can gain new and important insight for the future. how to plan for multinational considerations, from document translation to user interfaces.

See, Edward J.P. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>Technology>Research

Research Opportunities in the US Patent Record    

Although scarcely explored to date, US patent records provide numerous opportunities for research in technical and scientific communication. This article reviews disciplinary research that taps this rich archive of information, describes ways in which patents act as moral and social barometers to technological change, and provides readers with a brief guide to basic information needed to initiate research using patent records.

Durack, Katherine T. Journal of Business and Technical Communication (2001). Articles>Research>Technology

Retronyms: Looking Back on Progress

Technology changes the way we live. It also affects the way we speak. As the gadgets we make and use grow more complex, we’re sneaking in complexities into the words we use too. Like ‘printed book’. What was always called just a ‘book’ (hard cover or paperback) is now called a printed book, simply because now we have e-books. What was once simply a guitar is now an acoustic guitar, because of the growing popularity of electric guitars.

Dalvi, Meghashri. Indus (2003). Articles>Language>Technology

Revisiting the Webcam  

Considers the current state of webcam technology.

Archee, Raymond K. Intercom (2004). Articles>Technology>Telecommuting>Video

The Rhetoric Of Technology Transfer  

Socializing technology is the rhetorical goal of technology transfer. Specialists from many walks of the technical communication profession can participate in this goal by involving themselves in key processes such as developing market awareness, creating inreach and outreach programs, and facilitating collaborative ventures. Similarly, those communicators involved in designing databases, electronic networks, and information architectures are well positioned to make important contributions to the technology transfer industry.

Roberts, Suzanne S. STC Proceedings (1994). Presentations>Technology

Rhetoric, Technology, and the Internet: What Corporations Can Learn From the Case of Lotus Market Place  

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