Plasma Screens: The Dynamic New Wave in Internal Communications  

Informing an organization's employees about key messages is essential to creating and maintaining an efficient and effective work force. To help your employees stay informed, consider broadcasting your organization’s news on plasma screens that are accessible to all employees.

Sacharen, Chani H. and Ettie Gilead. Intercom (2006). Articles>TC>Workplace>Workflow

Portfolios for Technical Communicators: Worth the Work  

Scott describes a professional portfolio and examines common items every portfolio should contain. She clarifies the difference between portfolios for experienced professionals and those for students. The article includes some employers' recommendations for successful portfolios.

Scott, Julie S. Intercom (2000). Careers>Portfolios

Portfolios: Tools for Acing the Interview  

Molisani explains how technical communicators can use their portfolios to take charge of an interview.

Molisani, Jack. Intercom (2003). Careers>Portfolios>Interviewing

The Power of Quiddity  

Morris demonstrates a method of editing that reveals the essence of a communication without distorting it.

Morris, M.D. Intercom (2001). Articles>Editing>Methods

PowerPoint Presentations: A Speaker's Guide  

Vinton Cerf, one of the founders of the Internet, reportedly parodied the well-known quote about the cost of attaining power, observing that if power corrupts, 'PowerPointcorrupts absolutely.' Pointed though Cerf’s statement is, it places far too much blame on the software. After all, speakers must take some responsibility for their presentations. As in any other form of communication, you must decide what you’re going to say and how you plan to say it. But once that’s done, you need to use all the skills at your disposal to make the chosen medium work for you.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. Intercom (2004). Articles>Presentations>Rhetoric>Microsoft PowerPoint

Practical and Effective Metrics  

Discusses several issues involved in developing metrics that measure performance and identify specific problems affecting performance.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. Intercom (2004). Careers>Management>Assessment

Practical Tips for Improving Web Site and Intranet Usability  

There's a large body of theory available to guide Web and intranet design, but concentrating too much on theory sometimes leads designers to overlook basic things they can do to improve the usability of sites. This article presents, in no particular order, seven simple ways to make your Web site or intranet more usable.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. Intercom (2003). Design>Web Design>Intranets>Usability

Practical Tips for Working with Global Teams  

Save team members time and conduct meetings and other steps in the project process effectively by integrating these tips for working with team members scattered in various locations.

Nesbitt, Pamela and Elizabeth Bagley-Woodward. Intercom (2006). Articles>Project Management>Collaboration>International

Prepare Your Site for the Global Market    

Are you looking for ways to maximize your company's global Web presence? Look no further, as the authors have laid out a step-by-step plan for creating and designing a multilingual site.

Deschamps-Potter, Catherine M. and Amy Plant. Intercom (2008). Articles>Web Design>Localization>Language

Preparing Your Staff for Content Management  

Few changes are as potentially uncomfortable for technical communicators than implementing a content management system. Freeman explains why, and offers advice to managers on how to address writers' concerns.

Freeman, Bret. Intercom (2005). Articles>Content Management>Collaboration

Process Documentation: The New Blueprint for Web Development  

Fifield and Davis describe a way to apply process documentation--a set of documents that defines the development process by providing a management structure for a project--to Web development.

Fifield, Mary M. Intercom (2001). Articles>Documentation

The Professional Editors Network  

Bush reports on a meeting of the San Diego Professional Editors Network, at which several experienced editors discussed their relationships with authors, offered tips for finding jobs, and emphasized the importance of content editing.

Bush, Donald W. Intercom (2002). Articles>Editing

A Programming Primer  

The easiest way to gain the respect of programmers is to learn to speak their language. If you can do that, they’ll inevitably recognize the effort you've invested in learning to appreciate their work and will treat you as an equal thereafter. With that goal in mind, I present this glossary of key programming terms you should master.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. Intercom (2004). Articles>Language>Programming>Glossary

Proper Introductions  

Describes how teachers can begin their courses on a positive note by properly introducing students to the course material and to each other.

Doumont, Jean-luc. Intercom (2002). Articles>Education

Protect Your Web Site from Legal Land Mines  

This article explains how regular legal audits can keep your company Web site on the right side of the law.

Juillet, Christopher. Intercom (2004). Articles>Web Design>Legal

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

Prove Your Worth!  

Describes ten arguments technical writers can use to demonstrate their importance to their employers.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. Intercom (2001). Careers>Workplace>Assessment

Publishing XML Content with XSL    

How do you convert your application-neutral, vendor-neutral, unformatted XML content into paginated content (such as PDF) or HTML? O'Keefe introduces one solution: the Extensible Stylesheet Language, a programming language for processing XML.

O'Keefe, Sarah S. Intercom (2008). Articles>Information Design>XML>XSL

Putting the "Technical" in "Technical Writer"  

Owens explains how technical writers can bolster their credentials as technically knowledgeable employees. He provides brief introductions to technologies that technical writers are most likely to encounter on the job: programming languages, databases, and Web server technologies.

Owens, David. Intercom (2003). Articles>Writing>Information Design>Technical Writing

Quality and the Consumer Experience: Methods of Collecting Data  

Smart reviews several user-centered methods technical communicators can use to gather information for designing and improving customers' experience with documentation.

Smart, Karl L. Intercom (2002). Articles>User Centered Design>Methods

Quality Resources on the Web  

Karl Smart highlights several Web sites about quality and quality issues that technical communicators may want to browse.

Smart, Karl L. Intercom (2000). Articles>Information Design>Quality>Assessment

Quality Systems in Higher Education  

Wiley shares the components of a quality system in higher education and offers examples of quality-management efforts undertaken by institutions of higher education.

Wiley, Ann L. Intercom (2007). Articles>Education>Assessment

Quality Time: How Good Documentation Cuts Development Costs  

Discusses several ways project managers can control the sometimes-chaotic process of documentation development.

Woodcock, Gill. Intercom (2001). Articles>Management>Documentation

A Quick Look Inside Standards for Technical Communication  

Learn about different types of standards and STC's role in producing and promoting standards for technical communication.

Reilly, Annette D. Intercom (2006). Articles>TC>Standards

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