TechWhirl: Technical Communications Recap for April 20, 2012

[TechWhirl Admin <admin -at- techwhirl -dot- com>]

*This week’s update on technical communications and the TechWhirl community
is supported by Platinum sponsor Madcap & their Ultimate Communications
Suite, MadPak <http://goo.gl/eO3ls> | http://bit.ly/zBI0Uj*



In TechWhirl this week, we found ourselves deep into discussions about
community--or lack thereof.  Over on the email discussion list, whirlers
are debating the usual assortment of word usage, punctuation, and tool
issues. But they're also talking documentation in agile environments; the
value of student interviews of professionals to get a handle on breaking
into this community; and what constitutes great swag at conferences.



On Tech Writer Today <http://techwhirl.com/>, we brought you a classic
humor piece from Lisa Higgins, on the risks and rewards of telecommuting--a
sort of tribute to the "anti-community," an interesting poll question on
the other professional communities we engage in to help us accomplish our
goals, and a helpful review of ways to deal with Subject Matter Experts
(SMEs) in our organizational communities.



Part of what makes the TechWhirl community special is the depth and breadth
of feedback.  We want to hear from you, so please feel free to post a
comment or start a thread on the discussion list.  Or, if you're thinking
about continuing contributions to the community, the Special Writers Unit
(SWU) will welcome you with open arms (virtually, at least), to research
and write articles, curate content, develop graphics, or assist with
editing. Feel free to write us directly <admin -at- techwhirl -dot- com> if that
appeals to you, or if you have a compliment or complaint.



Above all, enjoy your weekend.

-The gang at TechWhirl
In Case You Missed it: This Week  @ TechWhirl

*New features and articles on Tech Writer Today
(http://TechWhirl.com<http://techwhirl.com/>
)**:*


   - Classic Technical Writing Humor: The Sidelines View of Telecommuting,
   by Lisa Higgins| http://bit.ly/HQm5Wy
   - Technical Communications Poll: Are You Active in Other Professional
   Communities? | http://bit.ly/ILajAW
   - Dealing with SMEs in Technical Communications and User Assistance, by
   Julie Grady | http://bit.ly/HZjRDs



Tech Comm News on http://News.TechWhirl.com <http://news.techwhirl.com/>


   - JustSystems Offers XMetaL Author Enterprise 7.0 with DITA 1.2 Support
   | http://bit.ly/JOUF38
   - Tech Writer This Week for April 19, 2012 | http://bit.ly/IpCRj9
   - iFixit Launches Dozuki to Modernize Business Documentation |
   http://bit.ly/IIjOM0
   - TechPubs Global Adds Two Technology Veterans to Executive Team |
   http://bit.ly/J66yXi
   - Lexaltyics Powers Reputation Monitoring in Bitly Enterprise 2.0 |
   http://bit.ly/IRjnks
   - Lingoport Releases Internationalization Software Globalyzer 4.0 |
   http://bit.ly/JjKGCt

Social Media and the Chance to Follow TechWhirl:

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SPONSOR-Luv

We want to send a very special “thank you” to our sponsors for their
support.



*Platinum*: Adobe Systems
Incorporated<http://www.runaware.com/clients/adobe/techsuite/>

*Gold: *ComponentOne Software <http://bit.ly/doc-to-help>,* *Madcap
Software<http://www.madcapsoftware.com/products/flare/overview.aspx#whatsnew>
**

*Silver*: Society for Technical Communication (STC)
<http://www.stc.org/>, Vancouver
Island University <http://pr.viu.ca/techcomm/>




-- 



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