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

Reaching Global Audiences: Doing More with Less  

Discusses several low-budget techniques for preparing material for a global market.

Bailie, Rahel Anne and Jerome Ryckborst. Intercom (2002). Articles>Writing>International

Reader-Centered Documentation Provides the Necessary Context    

A features-based approach to documentation is appropriate for reference manuals, where the goal is to provide information on something the reader already knows. This article explores how to meet the needs of the reader when providing documentation for user manuals.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. Intercom (2007). Articles>Documentation>User Centered Design

Reading Your Audience  

Discusses ways that public speakers can adjust to the body language and visual cues of their audiences.

Walinskas, Karl. Intercom (2001). Articles>Rhetoric>Presentations

Recognizing Quality Achievement  

Smart summarizes the history and purpose of the Malcolm Baldridge Award. Given annually by the National Institute for Standards and Technology, the Baldridge Award recognizes companies that show an organization-wide concern for improving quality.

Smart, Karl L. Intercom (2001). Articles>TC>Quality

Recruiting Strategies That Get Results  

Offers five suggestions for recruiting strong job candidates in a tight labor market.

Tucker, Robert B. Intercom (2001). Careers>Management>Recruiting

Register Your Site for Free  

Since the failure of banner advertising as a revenue source, the search engine and directory industry has changed drastically. Most search engines now require payment to include sites in their databases. But there are still a lot of search engines that allow you to register your site for free.

Leonard-Wilkinson, Theresa A. Intercom (2003). Design>Web Design>Search

Reinventing Yourself As a Marcom Writer  

Lange, a marketing writer who spent four years as a technical writer, compares the two disciplines and discusses how technical writers can move into marcom.

Lange, Penny L. Intercom (2002). Careers>Writing>Marketing

Requirements for Total Quality Leadership  

Describes Total Quality Leadership, an approach to organization management that focuses on providing top value to customers by building excellence into every facet of the business. To give customers the products and services they value, TQL studies and improves the processes companies use for purchasing, production, testing, accounting, and so on.

Jaehn, A.H. Intercom (2000). Careers>Management

Resources and Strategies for Successful International Communication  

Offers tips to technical communicators on how to communicate effectively with people from other cultures.

St. Amant, Kirk R. Intercom (2000). Articles>Collaboration>International

Responses to "Alienation"  

In the April 2003 issue, Intercom printed a hypothetical dilemma by John G. Bryan entitled 'Alienation.' A summary of this story appears in the box on this page; reader responses appear below. The responses do not reflect the views of STC's ethics committee and may have been edited for length.

Bryan, John G. Intercom (2003). Articles>Workplace>Ethics>Security

Responses to 'Following the Doctor's Orders'  

This article presents reader responses to a hypothetical dilemma published in the February 2000 issue of Intercom.

Intercom (2000). Articles>Workplace>Ethics

Responses to 'In the Company of Lawyers'  

This article presents reader responses to an ethics case published in the March 2002 issue of Intercom.

Bryan, John G. Intercom (2002). Articles>Workplace>Ethics

Responses to 'In the Gyres'  

In the September/October 2000 issue, Intercom printed a hypothetical dilemma entitled 'In the Gyres.' A summary of this story is reproduced, followed by reader responses.

Bryan, John G. Intercom (2000). Articles>Workplace>Ethics

Responses to 'Who's Policing the Policy Makers?'  

This article features reader responses to a hypothetical dilemma printed in the April 2001 issue of Intercom.

Wiles, Debbie. Intercom (2001). Articles>Workplace>Ethics

Responsive—and Responsible—Web Site Design for Disabled Users  

Urges professors of technical communication to teach their students how to design Web sites that accommodate disabled users.

Hawkes, Lory. Intercom (2004). Design>Web Design>Accessibility>Education

Restructuring Your User Information  

Details a process for improving the usability, consistency, and organization of user information within businesses that maintain medium to large documentation libraries.

Richards, Charles. Intercom (2003). Articles>Content Management>Documentation>Usability

Resumes: You Can't Escape  

Lists ten common mistakes in resumes and ten suggestions for improvement based on his experience as a hiring manager. The article includes a sidebar on how to write effective cover letters.

Le Vie, Donald S., Jr. Intercom (2000). Careers>Resumes