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

Nurture Your Inner Expert  

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

Older, Wiser, and Wired  

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

Online Help? Or Not!  

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

The Other ITC  

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

The Other Kind of Editing  

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

"Paper" Revisited  

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