Thursdays @ STC Chicago | August 4

Chicago eLearning & Technology Showcase: More Reasons to Attend

STC Chicago | FREE Webinar: Smartdocs for Content Management and Content Reuse
Chapter Meeting | All about Content: From Building the Case to Optimizing for Reuse

The STC Summit is Coming to Chicago
STC Webinars

At-a-Glance Photo Contest

STC Chicago Social Networks

Join fellow technical communicators for lunch on August 4 at the following locations:
 

Caffé Baci at 11:30 am - 12:30 pm

2 N. LaSalle Street (entrance on Madison)

Chicago, IL 60602

Northern Location (New!)

Flatlander's Restaurant and Brewery begins at 5:00 pm

200 Village Green

Lincolnshire, IL 60069

DuPage Inn at 11:30 am - 1:00 pm

2410 Ogden Ave.

Downers Grove, IL 60515

L'Olivo Pizza 11:30 am - 1:00 pm

1602 E Algonquin Rd (at Meacham Rd)

Schaumburg, IL 60173

Want to start a group of your own? Contact thursdays@stc-chicago.org to learn how.

The fourth annual Chicago eLearning & Technology Showcase will take place on Tuesday, August 16, 2011, at the Union League Club of Chicago. Join hosts STC Chicago, CCASTD, and CISPI for a cutting-edge exploration of new media and interactive elearning tools. Our speakers will explore all aspects of elearning -- instructional design, development tools, media resources, virtual classrooms, social and interactive applications, mobile learning, rapid elearning, and more.

If you are registered for the eLearning Showcase by 7:00 pm CDT Tuesday, August 9, you could win a copy of Articulate's Quizmaker '09! Everyone registered by this deadline will be eligible to win a free license for this elearning software, compliments of Articulate, the rapid elearning company.

If you register before August 9, you'll also have a chance to win a complimentary registration to ASTD's eLearning Instructional Design Certificate Program courtesy of Allen Interactions, custom learning solutions provider and creator of the new authoring system, ZebraZapps.

Online registration will remain open through Monday, August 15 -- if we don't sell out sooner -- but if you want a chance to win your own copy of Articulate's Quizmaker '09 or FREE registration for ASTD's eLearning Instructional Design Certificate Program, be sure your spot is reserved by 7:00 pm CDT on Tuesday, August 9. Don't Miss Out!

Join us on August 11, 2011, at noon, for a free 1-hr product demo of SmartDocs presented by Lisa Pietrangeli, Director of Client Solutions and Bryan Lynn, Director of Technology at ThirtySix Software.

SmartDocs is a content management solution for Microsoft Word that integrates powerful content reuse, conditional text, and document assembly capabilities into your MS Word authoring environment. In this webinar, learn how SmartDocs can help your organization optimize content reuse directly in Word. SmartDocs will allow your company to save time, save money, and generate higher quality documentation.

Join us for our first program meeting of the year as we discuss all things content!

Whether you are working in an unstructured Word environment, directly in XML or anything in between, there are measures you can take during content development that will allow your company to maximize content (and translation) reuse. This two-part session will be presented by Lisa Pietrangeli, Director of Client Solutions and Bryan Lynn, Director of Technology at ThirtySix Software.

Time: 6:30 pm - 830 pm (CDT) 
Registration Rate: $20 for STC members, $30 for non-members, $15 for students

As you may know, next year's Technical Communication Summit takes place in Rosemont, Illinois. Planning is already underway at STC Chicago for this important event. For those of you who are new to the region, Rosemont is a mere 20-minute drive from the Chicago Loop. Public transportation is readily available. All events will take place at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare.

 

The Chicago Chapter Host Committee is planning activities, including networking opportunities, trips to local hot spots, and other activities to make Rosemont-Chicago Summit an unforgettable experience. Anyone interested in working on the Committee and/or volunteering their time at the Summit next May should contact stc2012@stc-chicago.org for more information.

Check out this month's live webinars from STC:

TechComm 2020: Get Vision, Be Ready
Instructor: Tristan Bishop
Wednesday, 3 August

Putting Your Best Font Forward
Michael Opsteegh
Wednesday, 10 August

Cut the Fluff (A Diet for Text-Bloated Docs)
Instructor: Leah Guren
Wednesday, 17 August

We Are All Content Strategists Now
Instructor: Karen McGrane
Wednesday, 24 August

HTML5: The Next Internet Gold Rush
Instructor: Peter Lubbers
Wednesday, 31 August

Registration Rate: $79 for Members, $149 for Non-members, and $29 for Student Members

>> Additional Details

This month's photo contest contains a Jeopardy! twist. Yes, we mean Jeopardy!, the long-running quiz show hosted by Alex Trebek. Take another look at the photo featured at the top of this newsletter. The category? "Famous Harbors for $20." Now, the clue: The Chicago skyline as seen from this famous Chicago harbor. (Remember to state your answer in the form of a question!) Please send your answers to contest@stc-chicago.org and check our website for news of a winner. Good luck!

Contestants are eligible to win only one prize within any one 12-month period. We will notify the winner via email. Additional information about the photo will be posted on our blog.