Serifs, the Feet that Guide Our Eyes  

Bush's column sheds light on the history of serifs, the beginnings of sans serif fonts, and tests for legibility that aid in determining the effectiveness of serif versus sans serif type.

Bush, Donald W. Intercom (2006). Design>Typography

Serving the Electronic Reader  

Everyone’s rushed in today’s electronic culture. Convenience is measured in kilobytes per second. A reader’s attention hangs on the click of a mouse. For many people, the Internet has become the preferred mode of communication. To tempt this audience, your Web site must provide a menu precisely attuned to your readers’ new tastes.

Moore, Linda E. Intercom (2003). Design>Web Design>Usability

Setting the Stage  

Many teachers and instructors now recognize the importance of interaction. They know that their students learn from interacting with the material, with each other, and with them. Moving away from ex cathedra lecturing, instructors increasingly build their courses on hands-on practice, group exercises, and discussion sessions. Surprisingly, this change in methodology is not reflected in the classroom layout. Teachers often take their assigned rooms as they come, and while schools rush to fit classrooms with the latest technology, they seldom invest similar effort in designing more flexible or useful classroom layouts. By and large, the classic classroom is still setting the rules.

Doumont, Jean-luc. Intercom (2003). Articles>Education>Interactive

Seven Habits of Highly Effective STC Members  

Much has been said about Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Successful People since its publication over a decade ago. Corporations buy the book for their managers, and everyone from politicians to authors to CEOs to entertainers sings its praises. Recently, a colleague sent me an article—'Seven Habits of Highly Effective Writers,' by Kathryn Riley—that provides an insightful interpretation of Covey’s seven habits as they apply to writers. Riley’s article has inspired me in turn to create my own seven habits of highly effective STC members. Following are seven sure-fire ways to get the most out of your STC activity (and the key word is activity).

Taylor, Rebecca S. Intercom (2003). Careers>TC

Seven Simple Steps to Persuasive Writing  

Almost all technical writing benefits from the technique of persuasion. Grants and proposals must have persuasive elements to be effective; operating instructions should convince customers that they have bought the best product for the job; hospital literature should assure patients that they have chosen the most well-equipped place to recover from surgery; research results should leave no doubt in the reader’s mind about the data’s validity. This article will describe simple ways to add subtle persuasion to your writing, to make your company or organization the frontrunner in the minds of its clients.

Fryer, Elizabeth Evans. Intercom (2004). Articles>Writing>Rhetoric

Shakespearean Technical Writing  

Shows how technical writers can make better use of literary devices such as metaphor and foreshadowing to produce better, and more enjoyable, documentation.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. Intercom (2001). Articles>Writing>Rhetoric>Tropes

Should We Be Writing Strategy Guides?  

Argues that printed strategy guides are a necessary, performance-enhancing supplement to the online documentation for computer software. He defines strategy guides as documentation that gives users the minimum amount of information needed to carry out simple tasks.

Houser, Rob. Intercom (2000). Articles>Writing

Simple Gifts for the User  

Bush suggests how technical writers can improve the accessibility of their manuals by reducing wordiness, varying syntax, and improving indexes.

Bush, Donald W. Intercom (2000). Design>User Centered Design

Simplified Technical English: STC Should Take the Lead  

Proposes that STC become involved in brainstorming ideas about Simplified Technical English, thus leading the way for clear, correct documentation.

Lester, Larry. Intercom (2006). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing>Minimalism

Single Sourcing with RoboHelp and Word  

Details a nine-step process for single sourcing with eHelp's RoboHelp and Microsoft Word.

Barefoot, Darren K. Intercom (2001). Articles>Single Sourcing>Microsoft Word>Adobe RoboHelp

Six Tips for Consulting Success    

How do you get on a consulting agency's 'call-me-first' list? The tips provided in this article are a good place to start.

Gotsill, Gina. Intercom (2007). Careers>Consulting

Sixteen Suggestions for Successful Videoconferences  

Offers protocols, procedures, and rules of etiquette for conducting videoconferences.

Smith, Gary M. Intercom (2000). Articles>Collaboration>Teleconferencing>Videoconferencing

Skills for New Leaders  

Hemmi discusses the demands facing technical communicators who have recently moved into leadership positions.

Hemmi, Jane A. Intercom (2001). Careers>Management

The Society's First Members  

In this article, two original members of the Association of Technical Writers and Editors (TWE), a parent organization of the Society for Technical Communication, discuss how the profession and the Society have changed since TWE's inception.

Rutkowski, Ed. Intercom (2002). Articles>TC>History

Some Strategies for Managing the Contract Workforce  

Williams suggests ways that managers can use independent contractors as part of a comprehensive staffing plan.

Williams, Sean D. Intercom (2003). Careers>Management>Collaboration

Spacing After Punctuation  

Alroy, Intercom's advice columnist, weighs in on how many spaces to place after a period, and counsels a manager whose company is unable to pay top dollar for consultants.

Alroy, Faye. Intercom (2002). Articles>Editing

Spam on the 'Net: An Ethical Dilemma  

Archee examines the ethical and practical problems associated with receiving and sending unsolicited e-mail.

Archee, Raymond K. Intercom (2001). Articles>Workplace>Ethics>Email

Speaking in Tongues: Dealing with Word's Dictionaries  

Word has powerful language tools, but if you don't understand how they work, even a simple spellcheck can pose problems. In this article, I'll discuss how to take full advantage of Word's language settings.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. Intercom (2004). Articles>Word Processing>Software>Microsoft Word

Special Needs: Editing Tables and Graphics  

Hart explains the difficulties of editing tables and graphics on-screen.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. Intercom (2002). Articles>Editing

Spelling and Grammar Checkers  

Provides a few suggestions about how writers and editors can use spelling and grammar checkers more effectively.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. Intercom (2001). Articles>Word Processing>Software

Stalking the User: Practical Field Research  

Describes how technical communicators can use field research--observing people in their workplaces, homes, and schools--to gain a better understanding of user behavior.

Rosenbaum, Stephanie L. Intercom (2003). Articles>Usability>Methods>User Centered Design

Standard Operating Procedures and the Technical Writer  

Standard operating procedures (SOPs) are sequences of steps for workers to follow to complete tasks. Owing to industry standards and government regulations, SOPs are increasingly in demand. The pharmaceutical sector is a case in point: Companies are expected to conform to GxP (good practices in manufacturing, testing, and other areas). A big part of GxP is the standardization and documentation of production tasks. The ISO 9000 conventions used in other industries have similar requirements. SOPs are typically required for activities such as operating or calibrating a machine, backing up data, testing samples, and requesting approvals of changes in systems.

Edelman, Mark. Intercom (2003). Careers>Workplace>Policies and Procedures>ISO 9000

Standards in an Uncertain World    

Today, Help authors take HTML for granted. But XML is starting to displace HTML, bringing with it new technologies like DITA and Web 2.0, as well as the potential for disruption. Perlin examines how to prepare for the change through adhering to standards.

Perlin, Neil E. Intercom (2008). Articles>Documentation>Standards>Help

Starting Your Business: Costs, Structures, and Pitfalls  

Sheds light on choosing a business structure and paying business taxes--and just may save you money and headaches.

Butow, Eric. Intercom (2004). Careers>Management

STC and the W3C  

As technologies like XML, content management software (CMS), and single sourcing continue to seep into technical communication, they bring demands for cost-effective development, faster time-to-market, and automation. Meeting these demands will require standards for coding, language, metadata, and other such elements. The good old days of 'winging it' in documentation are coming to an end.

Perlin, Neil E. Intercom (2004). Design>Web Design>Content Management>Standards