KC/STC March Program Update

[Audrey Choden <AChoden -at- AOL -dot- COM>]

Last December, I posted the following message on TECHWR-L:

>I'm planning a program for the Kansas City STC chapter in March >titled
"What's Online for Technical Writers?" The program is >intended to inform the
members about online resources that can >help them in their jobs and careers.
This mailing list will be listed as >one of those resources. I would also
like to include more information >about this list such as how it has helped th
e people who have used >it and what they find most valuable about it.

I received several replies to my post and have summarized them below.
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Most of the replies focused on information that subscribers obtained from the
list.

David Johns wrote:

Through the TECHWR-L list, I have received helpful information on the
following topics:
 --Reference materials (books) for writing documentation (paper and on-line)
 --Salary ranges for technical writers
 --PC software for producing on-line help
 --Indexing procedures
 --Verbs to describe actions performed by the user of a Windows-based
software program
 --Career options for technical writers

In addition, I have contributed information on the following topics:
 --Terminology for documentation about object-oriented programming
 --Discretionary indexing with Doc-To-Help
 --A sequential approach to learning programming lanugages
(BASIC->Pascal->C++)
 --Shareware for capturing screen images

Sherri Hall replied:

In order from most valuable to less (not least) valuable:
1.  citings of reference materials, online Web resources, etc.
2.  the personal responses I receive when I ask a specific question
about a specific issue I'm dealing with here at work.
3.  hearing from peers in the trenches (that I wouldn't otherwise         hear
from) about their struggles and victories, questions and answers.

Jan Boomsliter wrote:

 I'm learning about nets; this list is providing me with titles to
 read, as well as general stuff I glean from people's comments.  Also,
 at least one person has offered to help me by answering questions.

Same with what equipment to buy for home setup.

The subscribers to this list are very generous. I know that I have only
to ask, and many people will offer answers to any question I ask.
(It's up to me to sift and winnow ....)

Some subscribers mentioned how they found jobs on the list serv.

Michael Andrew Uhl wrote:

I have posted several resumes to TECHWR-L from chapter members
looking for work in the Research Triangle Park area. I have also
begun to monitor the USENET newsgroup Triangle.Jobs by way of my America
Online account. Perhaps there is a similar newsgroup for your area. I relay
job information from TECHWR-L to members
qualified and looking for the kind of work described.

Ellen Adams replied:

I think a really good online resource is the E Span Job Search
database available through America Online. As an America Online
subscriber, you can go to keyword Classified and you can plug in the
phrase Tech Writing and the database will produce opportunities
available across the country. I have gotten many contract jobs
this way myself.

I got my present job by responding to a listing on the TECHWR-L
list.

Karen Kay wrote:

I've gotten one job and 2 other job prospects from the list.  The other two
prospects, one didn't pan out (they decided not to hire anyone) and the other
is still pending. The second two happened because people had seen me post and
had some idea of what I do.

Some responses referred to other resources found on the Internet.

Michael Andrew Uhl added:

I access the TECHWR-L, WINHLP-L (Windows Help), and WORD-PC (MS Word for
Windows) listservers.

Nancy Lavigne suggested:

You may also want to include a list of STC chapters online - we have
gopher and ftp sites at std.com for the Boston chapter.  To gopher, you can
gopher gopher.std.com; to ftp you can anonymously ftp to std.com, and then cd
to nonprofits.

Karen Kay wrote:

I'd also include the copyediting list--copyediting-l -at- cornell -dot- edu (sign up
through listproc -at- cornell -dot- edu).

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I would like to include these ideas in an article for the March issue of
Heartland Tech News. If I've quoted you, please send me an e-mail by 2/24 givi
ng permission to reprint. Thanks!

I will post a message summarizing the meeting and the handouts after March
21.

Audrey Choden
Training by Design
Voice: (913) 432-7414
Fax: (913) 432-8744
E-mail:
Achoden -at- aol -dot- com
70471 -dot- 3700 -at- compuserve -dot- com