|
STC Chicago // August At-a-Glance
|
Join fellow technical communicators for lunch at the following locations on Thursday, August 6. City Location Caffè Baci at 11:30 am - 12:30 pm 2 N LaSalle St building (entrance on Madison) Chicago, IL 60602 Noodles & Company at 11:30 am - 1:00 pm Lincolnshire Commons 900 Milwaukee Ave. Lincolnshire, IL 60069 Western Location DuPage Inn at 11:30 am - 1:00 pm 2410 Ogden Ave. Downers Grove, IL 60515 Northwestern Location Jason's Deli at 11:30 am - 1:00 pm 1530 McConnor Pkwy. (off Meacham, just south of 90) Schaumburg, IL 60173
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. |
Have you ever wanted to strike out on your own? Be your own boss? Ever wondered what goes into a contract negotiation or determining your rate? Do you have to be incorporated, have an LLC, something else?
Join us Thursday, August 27 in Oak Park to hear from three contractors who've done it all. They'll share their experiences - good and bad - from the contracting world. From starting out, to securing clients, to managing the business side of things, to determining your rate, our panelists will share their strategies and warn against common pitfalls they've encountered in their years of experience.
Whether you're new to the contracting world or you've been a contractor your whole professional life, there's something new to learn.
Program
Thursday, August 27
6:00 - 6:30 pm - Registration & Networking
6:30 - 7:30 pm - Dinner
7:30 - 8:30 pm - Program
Location
The Carleton Hotel
Foxboro Room
1110 Pleasant St
Oak Park IL 60302
The Carleton Hotel has a free parking lot. If traveling from downtown Chicago, the Carleton is two blocks from the Harlem Green line stop.
Meet the Panelists
Rebecca C. Hall - Rebecca C. Hall Consulting  Rebecca C. Hall is the owner of Rebecca C. Hall Consulting, and has been an independent consultant since 1995. A Fellow of the Society for Technical Communication (STC), she has presented at STC chapters and conferences. In the Chicago Chapter, Becky served on the Administrative Council as Secretary, Vice President, President, and Past President, was the Co-manager of the Independent Consulting SIG, and has served on the Bylaws committee and as a competition judge. Becky has over 25 years of technical communication experience.
Andi Dunn - Technical Communications Consulting, Inc. 
Andi Dunn, owner of Technical Communications Consulting, Inc., has been an independent technical writer since 2001. She has developed user guides, work process documentation, online help systems, and training courses for clients in many industries including telecommunications, medical devices, real estate, finance, and health care. Andi has been an active member of Chicago STC since the early '90s, having served as editor of Byline, co-chair of the Contracting and Independent Consultants Special Interest Group, Program Committee Chair, Nominating Committee member, and competition judge. Andi is passionate about the role that technical communications plays in helping people and organizations achieve their goals. She seeks opportunities, both as an STC member and as an independent consultant, to mentor others and foster in them the love and knowledge of technical communications.
Chris Hester - Independent Consultant
Chris Hester is an independent consultant who specializes in information design, knowledge management, and business process improvement. She was the conference chair for the 2014 and 2015 STC Summit, provided speaker coaching for the 2015 STC Summit, and has presented at events such as the Summit, LavaCon, and BigDesign.
The Moderator
Linda Jansak - Technical Communications Consultant, Purdue University Calumet, Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Linda Jansak is an emerging technologies consultant with roots in journalism and communications. She has helped small, medium, and multi-national companies improve their marketing strategies and bring focus to their brand stories. Linda also teaches technical communication in the Department of Computer and Electrical Engineering at Purdue University Calumet. She is one of the founding members of the Chicago eLearning & Technology Showcase, where she is on the Advisory Board and acts as host representative for STC Chicago. She has served as President of the Chicago chapter and has held a variety of roles on the Administrative Council, including Marketing/PR manager, competition judge, and member of the Bylaws and Nominating Committees.
|
 Introducing: STC Chicago's Wednesday Webinar Series
As a part of our continuous effort to improve our program offerings, STC Chicago is holding lunch-hour webinars on the second Wednesday of every month. The webinars will cover a wide range of topics and will be free to members ($5 for non-members). Register yourself and gather a group of coworkers to participate. We encourage you to treat these webinars as "lunch and learns" within your organization.
Our first webinar takes place Wednesday, September 9 from 12:00 - 1:00 pm CST.
Trends in Mobile User Assistance
By Joe Welinkse
 Smartphones have sparked a huge, new software segment - the mobile app. This creates an important pair of questions for user assistance professionals: What is our role going forward in mobile and how can we prepare to take that on? User Assistance does have a role in supporting mobile apps. As the mobile app market continues to soar, this is becoming the next frontier for user assistance professionals. This session provides an overview of current issues regarding design, writing, tools, and planning of your mobile UA.
You'll learn:
- About contemporary design for user assistance in mobile apps.
- Why traditional desktop UA translates poorly to the small screen.
- What techniques are particularly useful to employ.
|
 We want to hear from you! We sent a community interest survey last week with questions about programs. If you haven't already, complete the survey so we can plan relevant and engaging programs this year.
|
STC Chicago's Administrative Council meets once a month to discuss chapter business and to plan upcoming events. All AC meetings are open to the public. August's meeting takes place:
Saturday, August 15
9:30 am
Panera Bread
39 South Northwest Highway
Park Ridge, IL 60068
|
 STC Webinars
STC is offering the following webinars this month:
Wednesday, August 5 | 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm CDT
Presented by Andrew McQuinn
Wednesday, August 12 | 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm CDT
Presented by Mark Kleinsmith
Wednesday, August 19 | 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm CDT
Presented by Mark Baker
Wednesday, August 26 | 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm CDT
Presented by Alyssa Fox
________________________
Information Modeling Workshop
Indianapolis, IN
October 12-13, 2015
Are you responsible for your organization's Information Architecture? Do you need to understand how to create that architecture and capture the plans and principles in an Information Model?
This workshop is the very best starting point for your implementation of DITA and XML topic-based authoring. We will cover all aspects of the Information Model, which is the set of principles that define your information architecture. Learn how to build an Information Model for your organization. Learn how to define your information types, the content units they contain, your standard document structures, as well as your metadata schema, file and graphic naming conventions, and folder structure. You will have an opportunity to apply the principles to your own content. You will analyze your organization's potential for content reuse and begin to define a reuse strategy.
Learn more and register here.
|
Last Chance to Register: eLearning & Technology Showcase
On August 18, join STC Chicago and our fellow host organizations - Chicago ISPI and ATDChi - at the eight annual Chicago eLearning & Technology Showcase for a fascinating look at the field of eLearning. We'll focus on best practices in online learning and instructional design, and examine a wide variety of development tools, media resources, virtual classrooms, rapid eLearning projects, and mobile, social, and interactive applications. You'll return to work with a portfolio of tools, techniques, and resources to make your organization's eLearning projects more effective.
Hurry! This is the last chance to register for this popular event!
Sessions and Speakers
Check out description of all the sessions and their speakers on the website.
Keynote Speaker Announced: Trish Uhl
Trish is founder of Owl's Ledge, has been involved with instructional technologies for more than 20 years. She started as a Senior Application Specialist in the 1990s and helped Xerox launch its first Distance Learning & Education Center. For more information about Trish and the keynote sessions, website.
|
 In 2014 we launched the PIP informational interview service for those considering a change in career, students, and recent graduates interested in the field of technical communication. Once they request an interview, we match them with a senior technical communicator in our Chicago chapter for a 30 to 60-minute in-person or phone interview. Learn more about the program here. Would you like to be interviewed? Could you answer questions about what this work is like, what skills are needed, and more? We're looking to add some more interviewees to our roster of volunteers. Volunteer today! Send an email to interview@stc-chicago.com.
|
Get ready for the 44th Annual STC Chicago Technical Communication Competition! The Call for Entries goes out on August 18th. Entering the competition offers many benefits: peer reviews, feedback from another perspective, recommended improvements, and more.
STC Members and non-members are welcome to enter the competition. Additionally, you do not need to be a member of the Chicago Chapter to enter.
New this Year
Entrants who volunteer as a judge will receive a discount on a single entry - additional details to follow. Email competition@stc-chicago.com for more information.
|
ATD, Chicago ISPI, STC Chicago
Tuesday, August 18
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
ODN Chicago
Thursday, August 13
6:00 pm dinner, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm program
Be sure to check out the Alliance website for additional details and other upcoming events across Chicago!
|
Chicago is full of unique art installations in the city - even in the airports. At O'Hare, travelers walking to and from the United terminal can enjoy a neon walkway entitled, Sky's the Limit.
What is the name of the Canadian artist who created Sky's the Limit?
Send your answer to pr@stc-chicago.com. The first person to respond with the correct answer wins a $20 giftcard 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. |
2015 is STC Chicago's 60th year as a chapter of the Society for Technical Communication. Thank you to our generous sponsors!  
 
|
Society for Technical Communication
2015 STC Community of Distincation
2014 STC Community of Distinction 2013 STC Community of Excellence 2012 STC Community of Distinction
2011 STC Community of the Year
|
|
|
