STC Chicago | September At-a-Glance

To help us try to ensure seating for everyone, please email the site contact (listed above for each location) and let him or her know you're coming. Drop-ins are always welcome, but reservations are recommended. Questions? See Thursdays @ STC Chicago.

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

September Chapter Meeting

Do Humans Dream of Electric Sheep? Join us September 20 and see how digital information is poised to change the world!

With the advent of smart devices and cloud synchronization services, the dividing line between the physical world and online information is blurring. Eventually, people will no longer choose what information needs to be available to them at all times, but simply assume all information is available. And in the not-as-distant-as-you-think future, people will be connected online constantly and will expect the same for any information they seek.

Our speaker is Andrew Thomas, the Director of Product Marketing for Structured Content Technologies at SDL.

For more information about the meeting, see our website or register today.

Thurs, Sept 20 | RAM Restaurant & Brewhouse | 9520 W Higgings Rd | Rosemont, IL 60018

STC Chicago Technical Communication Competition

This year's Technical Communication Competition opened August 27th. We're looking for many diverse entries this year; will you be one of them? As a reminder, you don't need to be a member of STC to submit an entry to our competition. Pass this information on to any co-workers, acquaintances, or friends that may not belong to STC but do create some form of:

Training Materials
Informational Materials
Promotional Materials
User Support Materials

We're now accepting entries with a deadline on October 19, 2012.

All dates and links to the forms for entry and for judging are posted on the Competitions page of our website. Email Cheri Noble with questions.

Why You Should Volunteer as a Judge for This Year's Competition

Are you considering volunteering as a judge at this year's STC Chicago Technical Communication Competition? You're in luck! To help you make your decision, we've developed this list of reasons you should join us and take on the role of judge.

Gain Insight: You'll have an opportunity to learn from your peers and see new techniques and styles.

Collaborate with Others: Judges work in teams of three to reach a consensus on award levels.

Enjoy a Modest Workload: Depending on the number of submissions, you will receive three to four entries to evaluate.

Review Entries from Clearly Defined Categories: Most judges review Informational, Instructional, Promotional, and/or User Support materials.

Receive Training on Judges' Orientation Day: You'll be given formal guidelines to help you judge purpose, usability, media presentation, writing, and information design of the entries.

Network with Others: Judging is a great opportunity to meet and get to know other STC members.

Acquire Valuable Experience: Judges consistently comment on the value of this experience to their own work.

Consider the possibilities, won't you? Become a judge and help the chapter create a meaningful and rewarding activity for all involved. Sign up using the form on our website.

WebVisions Design Conference

WebVisions Chicago explores the future of web and mobile design, technology, user experience, and business strategy with an all-star lineup of visionary speakers, including Kelly Goto and Steve Portigal, Nathan Shedroff (author of Make it So), Jared Spool, Maria Guidice of Hot Studio, and more!

The event kicks off with Studio Tours, a Hackathon for Social Good and networking parties. And of course, two days of sessions, keynotes, and panels followed by a full day of workshops.

STC members receive a 25% discount. To learn the discount code, visit our website.

For more information about WebVisions and details about the conference, visit WebVisions' website.

WEBVISIONS CHICAGO

Sept. 26-29, 2012

Siskel Film Center &

Harrington College of Design

STC Chicago Blog

Linda Bracken, CEO of YTJ Solutions, guest blogged about why proximity counts when it comes to IT in a post titled Call Me Maybe.
Tech Comm Friday continues with a list of the most talked-about articles and news in the industry from the week of July 28.
Our August chapter meeting took place on August 22 and we recapped the event here.
In an effort to share more about WebVisions, we posted Five Reasons You Should Attend WebVisions Chicago.
Interested in judging a technical communication competition? We'd love to have you.
And finally, the August Byline was published last month and posted on the STC Chicago website.

Chicago eLearning & Technology Showcase | Conference Materials Available

The official program (PDF), session descriptions, and speaker bios are available on the Showcase website. At this year's event, attendees had access to a morning keynote and over 30 speakers presenting 24 breakout sessions in 7 different tracks.

Photos from this year's event are available at the Showcase Flickr site. If you have photos you'd like to share, send them to the Showcase organizers. They'll add them to their online collection.

Speaker presentations are available at the SlideShare site. Please check back soon for more.

Videos taken at the event will be available at the Showcase's new YouTube site. Videos include attendee interviews, messages from organization chapter presidents, and more.

And as always, stay in touch with the Showcase by following along on Twitter and Facebook.

General Announcements

The STC Chicago Administrative Council meets once a month to discuss chapter business, and now those meeting minutes are archived on our website. We'll update the page every month. August's meeting minutes are available now.

"Like" STC Chicago on Facebook. We're talking about a lot of exciting things on Facebook, and one of the best ways to stay up-to-date with the chapter is to follow along and join the conversation. Plus, you won't want to miss our new banner image.

Submit your proposal for the STC Summit by Sept 10. Summit 2013 takes place next May, but the deadline for submitting a proposal is fast-approaching. Read more at the Summit website.

STC is running a promotion for organization membership. Invite your friends to join and they receive a significant discount on this year and next year's membership fee. Read more about STC Tryout.

STC Webinars

Wednesday, September 5 | 12:00-1:00 pm CDT

Launching Your Tech Comm Business: The Company Perspective

Presented by Judith Shenouda

Tuesday, September 11 | 9:00-10:00 am CDT

Disciplined Agile Team

Presented by Andy Painter

Wednesday, September 12 | 12:00-1:00 pm CDT

Making Sense of It All: Analyzing Qualitative Data

Presented by George Hayhoe and James Conklin

Tuesday, September 18 | 9:00-10:00 am CDT

Wireframing 101: From Ideas to Communication

Presented by Joe Sokohl

Wednesday, September 19 | 12:00-1:00 pm CDT

Heuristic Evaluation: How to Report Results

Presented by Carol Barnum

Tuesday, September 25 | 9:00-10:00 am CDT

Understanding Web Technologies

Presented by Alan Houser

Wednesday, September 26 | 12:00-1:00 pm CDT

Communication Culture: Resolving Conflict and Leveraging Feedback

Presented by Barrie Byron and Ann Grove

Thursday, September 27 | 3:00-4:00 pm CDT

Intelligent Content Strategies

Presented by Joe Gollner

At-a-Glance Photo Contest

Hopefully the header image doesn't have you scratching your head too hard. This painting (and many more!) are part of what famous exhibit that just ended yesterday at the Art Institute of Chicago?

Send your answer to pr@stc-chicago.com. The first person to reply correctly will win a $20 gift card to Amazon.com. Check our blog for news of a winner.

Contestants are eligible to win only one prize within any 12-month period. We notify the winner via email.

STC Chicago Social Networks

STC Community of Distinction

2011 STC Community of the Year

www.stc-chicago.com