Note to Contractors: Expose Your Writing Tasks 
Some contractors short-change themselves by failing to reveal in cost proposals all of the tasks they perform. Argues that full disclosure can improve a contractor's bottom line.
Hall, Mark D. Intercom (2004). Careers>Freelance>Proposals>Writing
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
Teich, STC's second vice president, advises technical communicators to develop in their professions by continuously setting goals and pursuing knowledge.
Teich, Thea. Intercom (2002). Careers>Education>Continuing
Obtaining User Feedback: How Useful Are Your Online Help Systems? 
Surveys or questions posed to users may not be entirely useful when determining whether a user's experience with the help feature was successful or not. The author provides instructions on implementing a tool that will provide this kind of feedback.
Webb, Jeremy. Intercom (2006). Articles>Documentation>Online>Assessment
October 15, 2001, through January 15, 2002 
This report covers specifications, standards, and amendments received from October 15, 2001, through January 15, 2002.
Bach, Claudia. Intercom (2002). Articles>History>TC
Offshoring: What Does It Mean for Us? 
Summarizes a discussion about offshoring held at the Philadelphia Metro chapter's annual conference during which panelists suggested ways that technical communicators based in the United States can make their positions more secure.
Rosenberg, Nad. Intercom (2004). Careers>TC>Outsourcing>Offshoring
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
Online Editing: Minimizing Your Turnaround Time 
Outlines an editing process that minimizes turnaround time by making the most of word processor technology.
Petersen, Judy H. Intercom (2000). Articles>Editing>Online
Online Help: Beyond Error Messages 
Knoth-Weber describes how her company developed an efficient means to collect customer feedback about system errors and publish solutions on their Web help page.
Knoth-Weber, Lieselotte. Intercom (2002). Design>Documentation>Help
Calls on technical communicators to suggest a new term for modular documentation accessible via a tri-pane interface.
Carmel, Patricia A. Intercom (2005). Articles>Documentation>Online>Help
Online Intercultural Communication 
Most professionals would agree that the Internet enables us to communicate more effectively with our colleagues, both locally and internationally. The ease, speed, and convenience of e-mail, bulletin boards, chat systems, and instant messaging have revolutionized our professional practice. But we often overlook one area of computer-mediated communication (CMC): How do cultural differences affect successful online communication?
Archee, Raymond K. Intercom (2003). Articles>Communication>Online>Community
Online Job Searching: Clicking Your Way to Employment 
Bloch offers advice for technical communicators who wish to make job search Web sites part of their job-seeking strategy.
Bloch, Janel M. Intercom (2003). Careers>Job Listings>Online
Online Teaching Opportunities for Technical Communicators

Supplement your income and provide students with real-world knowledge and experience. Learn what kinds of online teaching opportunities are out there for technical communicators.
Petit, Angela. Intercom (2008). Articles>Education>TC>Online
Technical communication flows across borders. Talking about 'international technical communication' makes about as much sense as talking about a 'flying airplane.'
Martin, Maurice. Intercom (2004). Articles>TC>International
Bush offers suggestions for editing professional journals, rather than technical manuals and proposals.
Bush, Donald W. Intercom (2000). Articles>Editing
Page Design: Directing the Reader's Eye 
Sevilla discusses principles of effective page design and techniques that ensure consistent document layout.
Sevilla, Christine. Intercom (2002). Articles>Document Design>Visual Rhetoric
Introduces new technologies intended to lessen office reliance on paper and discusses their potential effects on technical documentation.
Perlin, Neil E. Intercom (2001). Articles>Collaboration>Online
Patients, Medicines, and Information 
Van der Waarde summarizes the reasons why medicinal information provided to patients is often confusing and describes a method for evaluating its effectiveness.
van der Waarde, Karel. Intercom (2004). Articles>TC>Biomedical>Scientific Communication
Perceptions of Technical Communication: A New Study 
O'Briant analyzes the responses to a new survey conducted by STC on perceptions of technical communication. She includes comments by several leaders in the field.
O'Briant, Sally M. Intercom (2000). Articles>TC
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
Personas: Matching a Design to the Users' Goals 
Perfetti discusses the use of personas--profiles of archetypal users synthesized from interviews with real people--in product design.
Perfetti, Christine. Intercom (2002). Articles>Usability
Phone Interviews: New Skills Required 
Suggests how technical communicators can excel at the increasingly common practice of interviewing by phone.
Ford, Donna A. Intercom (2002). Articles>Interviewing
Picture Perfect: Selecting Graphics for Instruction 
Discusses some principles for choosing appropriate graphics for instructional materials.
Lyons, Chopeta C. Intercom (1995). Articles>Education>Presentations>Visual Rhetoric
Piecing Together Your Audience 
Technical writers live by the commandment 'Know thy audience.' While the best approaches to fulfilling this commandment include conducting site visits and user surveys, we must often turn to other sources for information when deadlines loom or budgets are slashed. Individually, these resources provide anecdotal snapshots of users, but taken together they offer an understanding of our audience necessary for quality documentation.
Hower, Sean. Intercom (2003). Articles>Writing>Rhetoric
Planning a Web Site Redesign in Six Steps 
True Web site redesigns focus on much more than visuals. Brink and Regenold's redesign process will help technical communicators rethink a site from the ground up.
Brink, Marcia and Michele Regenold. Intercom (2004). Articles>Web Design>Redesign>Project Management
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