January 13 Mtg  

Acrolinx Demo

Scope Training Projects

STC Competition

Facebook

Kim Rosenlof

President

president@stc-phoenix.com

Anna Armas

Vice President

vp@stc-phoenix.com

Nathan Smith

Secretary/Treasurer

treasurer@stc-phoenix.com

Strategies for Scoping Training Projects 

February 21, 2015

Feb 9  Deadline

For details, see

http://notebook.stc.org/stc-international-summit-awards-2015-call-for-judges/#more-15662

You must renew by Jan 15 to be eligible to vote in the upcoming STC leadership elections.

When renewing, please designate the Phoenix chapter as your local tech comm community of professionals.

Be sure to register by January 31 to get the best pricing at Summit!

We kick off the new year with a program meeting at the offices of The Creative Group (TCG) located at 24th Street and Camelback. A division of the Robert Half company, TCG places technical and creative writers and illustrators in contract and permanent positions.

The Program

Selena Aphibal, TCG Account Executive, will lead a team of four TCG representatives in a lively discussion about how they've seen the technical communicator's role change as client requirements have changed over the years. Whether you're currently looking for a new position or just want to keep up with industry requirements for your next role, this is a presentation not to be missed!

Where: The Creative Group, 2375 E Camelback Road, Suite 290, Phoenix

map

When: Tuesday, January 13  6:00PM to 8:30 PM

Cost:  $5.00 per person will include a light dinner.

RSVP on the Metro-Phoenix Technical Communicators Meetup site.

Lisa Cormier, Business Development Specialist at Acrolinx will provide a live demonstration of Acrolinx's content optimization platform during a lunchtime webinar on January 21. Learn about how this XML-based tool can be used to manage content across an organization, ensuring content generators in different roles (business analysts, spec writers, tech writers, marketing personnel) who are using different authoring tools can create, access and share consistent, reusable content.

When: Wednesday, January  21 at noon MST

Cost:  FREE 

RSVP on the Metro-Phoenix Technical Communicators Meetup site.

Calling all instructional designers and training managers! Is there a large training project looming in your future? Are you wondering how to accurately scope the project to ensure your estimates of time, labor and materials are correct?

STC Phoenix Chapter will be sponsoring a workshop led by Paula Wittekind of CDQ Learning for Results, LLC on February 21 at the Tempe Public Library. This five hour workshop will outline an easy, yet detailed, approach to scoping training projects and provide tools to scope your own projects. Cost for this hands-on workshop will be $75 for STC Phoenix Chapter members and $125 for non-members. Look for details to be posted on our MPTC Meetup site soon!

For the first time in nearly ten years, the STC Phoenix Chapter will host a publications competition, now called an STC Community Competition. Following the guidelines set by the STC International Summit Awards(ISA), the 2015 STC Phoenix Chapter Community Competition will solicit entries in four categories of technical publications:  Informational Materials, Instructional Materials, Promotional Materials and User Support Materials. The materials can be in any print, online or mobile format. All entries will be peer judged using the ISA criteria and forms. Awards of Merit, Excellence and Distinction will be conferred on deserving entries based on judges' consensus, and the best entries will be forwarded to the International ISA competition.

Associate Fellow (and experienced ISA judge) Rachel Houghton has volunteered to be our Competitions Chairperson, and will be soliciting judges and entries in September 2015. As you are working on your best technical communications projects over the next several months, think about what you would like to enter in the competition. You'll receive great feedback on your work and may even win an award!

Did you know that STC Phoenix has a Facebook page? Actually, we have two! We have a regular Facebook page recently created and managed by Rachel Houghton and Anna Armas, and a public group page created in 2010 and managed by Jeanette Buenger. If you're on Facebook, search for STC Phoenix, then Like our page or join our group and let's get the conversation going!

And don't forget that we also have an active Twitter account managed by Gloria McConnell! @STC_Phoenix

And visit our LinkedIn group, too! We are social!

Feb Chapter Meeting 

Feb Webinar

March Workshop

Kim Rosenlof

President

president@stc-phoenix.com

Anna Armas

Vice President

vp@stc-phoenix.com

Nathan Smith

Secretary/Treasurer

treasurer@stc-phoenix.com

Sonya Daw

Joseph Flitner

Welcome aboard!

If you missed your chance to register for the Summit at the early bird rate of $875, you're in luck!  The deadline has been extended until Friday, February 13th at 3:00pm EST (GMT-5).  The Summit registration rate will increase to $1,075 after that time, so don't delay and register NOW!

When renewing or upgrading your membership, please designate the Phoenix chapter as your local tech comm community of professionals.

We are still looking for volunteers for the following positions:

• Secretary
• Membership Chairperson
• Public Relations
• Hospitality

For more information, please contact Kim Rosenlof at president@stc-phoenix.com

Feb 9  Deadline

For details, see

http://notebook.stc.org/stc-international-summit-awards-2015-call-for-judges/#more-15662

 at Intel Corporation

The technical writer's world is undergoing a dramatic metamorphosis. As technical communication organizations move towards a structured XML-based environment, the role of the technical writer becomes more complex and increasingly diverse.

At this STC Phoenix Chapter program meeting, Intel’s Steve Ballard examines the XML-based publication environment and its impact on technical writers. The second in a series of DITA-related seminars, Steve's presentation will discuss:

• How XML-based technical communications groups are structured
• The roles and responsibilities within an XML-based group
• The interaction of each of these roles in the concept-to-publication workflow
• The skills and education writers need to be competitive in this environment

The Meeting

This meeting will be held at Intel Corporation's west Chandler campus on the southeast corner of Chandler Blvd. and Beck Avenue, about one mile east of I-10. Park on the NORTH side of building (closest to Chandler Blvd). Enter via the WEST Lobby (closest to Beck St) and receive a temporary access badge. After the meeting, we will exit from the EAST lobby (West Lobby will be closed).

Agenda:

6:00 - 6:30 Sign in, dinner and networking
6:30 - 6:50 Short business meeting
7:00 - 8:00 Presentation by Steve Ballard

Where: Intel Corporation

6505 W Chandler Blvd, Chandler, AZ Map

When: Tuesday, February 10  6:00PM to 8:00 PM

Cost:  $5.00 per person (includes a light dinner)

RSVP on the Metro-Phoenix Technical Communicators Meetup site.

Agile is a rapidly growing method for the development of software. It emphasizes rapid iteration and adaptability. But Agile is no longer just about software, agile is being used to improve translation processes. Agile translation results in shorter timelines, decreased costs, improved quality, increased ability to address global requirements, and greater flexibility in web, mobile and print delivery.

The Webinar

This webinar will provide an understanding of the methodology for moving to Agile, how to address the challenges of change, and best practices for Agile translation.

About the Presenter:

STC Fellow Ann Rockley is one of Canada's foremost experts in organizing and presenting information online. She is the founder and President of The Rockley Group, based in the greater Toronto Area. She regularly presents papers and workshops on subjects involving the efficient creation, management and delivery of content for organizations in North America and Europe. She was the lead analyst for The XML & Component Content Management Report on Content Management Systems Watch.

Please RSVP to this webinar by Monday, February 26 at 5 pm. The GoToMeeting invitations for this webinar will be sent out by email on Tuesday morning.

Where: Online Webinar

When: Tuesday, February 24th  5:30PM to 6:30 PM

Cost:  $5.00 per person

Please RSVP to this webinar by Monday, February 26 at 5 pm on the Metro-Phoenix Technical Communicators Meetup site.  The GoToMeeting invitations for this webinar will be sent out by email on Tuesday morning.

Learn a practical method that can be used to develop accurate training project scope estimates. STC Phoenix Chapter is partnering with Paula Wittekind of CDQ Learning to present a half-day workshop on how to scope training projects.

This method for scoping a training project takes you through the steps of identifying project and content requirements, and shows you strategies for developing schedule and cost estimates. At this application-based workshop, you will use simple templates to guide you through the project scoping process.

How You Will Benefit
• Learn an easy, yet detailed approach to scoping training projects
• Gain new insight into how to “pin” a development number to projects you scope
• Customize what you learn to meet your own individual training development process and organization
• Use the tools provided to scope your own projects

What You Will Cover
In this workshop, you will learn to use a process, templates, and strategies to scope a training project that results in accurate schedule and cost estimates.

Lesson 1
• The scoping formula
• Project scoping goals and behaviors for success
Lesson 2
• Gathering project requirement information
• Importance of identifying the potential project risks and unknowns
Lesson 3
• Documenting content requirements for scoping purposes
• Selecting delivery formats and impact to project scope estimates
Lesson 4
• Developing item counts to determine total project development hours
• Using your development process to complete your scope estimates
• Finalizing your schedule and cost estimates

Who Should Attend
Project Managers, Stakeholders, Consultants, Instructional Designers, Persons who develop their own training programs, Anyone who provides critical input to training development estimates

Where: Pyle Adult Recreation Center

655 East Southern Avenue, Tempe, AZ Map

When: Saturday, March 21st  9:30AM to 3:0 PM

Cost: $75 for STC Phoenix Chapter members and PAID MPTC members (refund given at workshop); $125 for non-members. This includes workshop materials, light lunch and snacks.

Please email [masked] for any questions or if you want to pay other than by PayPal. Credit card payments can be made at the workshop. Discounts for multiple employees of the same company are also available.

March - Workshop 

March - Happy Hour at Village Tavern

April - Lunch at Four Peaks Brewery

Kim Rosenlof

President

president@stc-phoenix.com

Anna Armas

Vice President

vp@stc-phoenix.com

Nathan Smith

Secretary/Treasurer

treasurer@stc-phoenix.com

If you haven't yet done so, now is the time to renew your STC membership for 2015.  Also, be aware that failure to renew will also cause senior level members to lose their senior level status.  To renew your membership, follow this link:  Join/Renew STC Membership

The deadline for the summit registration rate with a $300 discount is May 31st.  So if you haven't already done so, make sure to register soon!  To register, follow this link:  2015 STC Summit Registration

When renewing or upgrading your membership, please designate the Phoenix chapter as your local tech comm community of professionals.

We are still looking for volunteers for the following positions:

• Secretary
• Membership Chairperson
• Public Relations
• Hospitality

For more information, please contact Kim Rosenlof at president@stc-phoenix.com

April - Marketing Yourself

April - Lunch at Four Peaks Brewery

May - Self-Publishing

Kim Rosenlof

President

president@stc-phoenix.com

Anna Armas

Vice President

vp@stc-phoenix.com

Nathan Smith

Secretary/Treasurer

treasurer@stc-phoenix.com

We would like to extend a warm welcome to the newest Phoenix Chapter members for 2015:

Sheri Oyler

Sonya Daw

Kristin Winet

Janet O'Connor

Julie Anderson

Melodie Lake

Kirien Chen

Welcome aboard!

Classic Membership is currently discounted 10% to $202.50. For more information and to join or renew your membership, click the following link:  Join/Renew STC Membership 

STC is pleased to offer a brand new members-only benefit: your personalized education report card, showing all education (including the Summit!) you've taken with STC in the past three years. To access this information, click the following link:

Education Report Card

If you haven't already voted, please take the time to cast your ballot. Voting will close April 6th at 5:00PM EDT (GMT-4). To vote, follow this link:  2015 Election

The deadline for the summit registration rate with a $300 discount is May 31st.  So if you haven't already done so, make sure to register soon!  To register, follow this link:  2015 STC Summit Registration

When renewing or upgrading your membership, please designate the Phoenix chapter as your local tech comm community of professionals.

We are still looking for volunteers for the following positions:

• Secretary
• Membership Chairperson
• Public Relations
• Hospitality

For more information, please contact Kim Rosenlof at president@stc-phoenix.com

Prospective employers are increasingly asking candidates to provide writing samples. Are you prepared to send in a writing sample? What does your writing sample say about you and the work that you do? In the third installment of our "Careers" series, technical recruiter Stephanie Long of TEEMA will be discussing various ways that job seekers (and those with jobs just looking for new opportunities) can market themselves using their resumes, the occasional cover letter and the increasingly important writing sample. She will discuss the biggest mistakes that she has seen candidates make in person, during phone interviews and on resumes/writing samples that have cost those candidates their opportunities.

This meeting is FREE to STC members and current students. Non-members are asked to pay $5 to help cover the cost of the room and meeting expenses. Dinner and/or drinks are up to you.

Bring along a couple of copies of your resume, sample cover letter and writing samples, and Stephanie will provide a critique!

6:00PM - 6:30PM  Networking and dinner

6:30PM - 6:45PM  Short business meeting

7:00PM - 8:30PM  Presentation

Where: Old Spaghetti Factory

1418 N. Central Ave. Phoenix, AZ Map

When: Tuesday, April 14th from 5:45PM to 8:30 PM

Cost: Free for STC members and current students, $5.00 for non-members

RSVP on the Metro-Phoenix Technical Communicators Meetup site.

Change up your schedule and use your whole lunch hour!  Meet with other technical writers (STC members and non-members welcome) for lunch at Four Peaks Brewery in Scottsdale (NOT the Tempe location).

Where: Four Peaks Brewery

15745 N. Hayden Rd. Scottsdale, AZ Map

When: Thursday, April 23rd at 11:30AM

RSVP on the Metro-Phoenix Technical Communicators Meetup site.

Are you writing the great American novel and don't want to go through traditional channels to see it published? Do you have a great idea for a technical book, but don't know how to get it onto mobile media?

Richard Hamilton, founder of XML Press, will be presenting tips for self-publishing using XML. The format will be webinar based, so you can attend from your own home, office, etc., or you can join us at the Pyle Center in Tempe to attend the webinar in person. The webinar will start at 7:00PM, but we'll meet at the Pyle Center at 6:00PM for dinner and networking.

Where: Pyle Adult Recreation Center

655 E. Southern Ave. Tempe, AZ Map

When: Tuesday, May 12th from 6:00PM - 8:00PM

Cost: $15.00

RSVP on the Metro-Phoenix Technical Communicators Meetup site.

Are you feeling lucky? STC is giving away one free webinar registration. All you need to do is register for a webinar between now and Monday, April 13th 11:59PM EDT and you'll automatically be entered to win a FREE webinar registration to the webinar of your choice! Even better, if you register for more than one webinar, you'll have multiple chances to win. Register for two?  That's two entries! Three? That's three chances to win! The winner will be notified on Tuesday, April 14th.  Good luck!

It's time to start your engines, shift your recruitment strategies into high gear and begin the 2015 Chapter and SIG new and renewal member race!

STC continually increases the value of membership through new programs (like the Certified Technical Communications Professional certification) and services (like the Education Scorecard). As we stay ahead of this ever-changing world of technical communication, we're asking you as a member to reach out and spread the word about how STC has helped you in your career.

Grow your community and get rewarded for your efforts! Your recruits will also get rewarded with a free 2015 community membership. It's a win-win for everyone!

The Goal: To increase community membership

The Offer: Free 2015 community membership to any renewing or new STC member

Campaign Details

Each chapter and SIG member is asked to recruit at least one renewing or new member now through June 1. Members who join or renew during this time will receive a free 2015 membership in the referring chapter (PHOENIX!) or SIG. When recruiting a member, please ask them not to sign up or pay for the chapter, but to include the name of the chapter or SIG who referred them on the online application. The referral fields can be found under the Membership tab of the online application. STC will be responsible for signing the member up for that particular chapter or SIG free of charge. The community must be listed online to receive credit.

The chapters and SIGs with the highest percentage of new or renewing members are entered to win prizes to be raffled to your members at the end of the campaign.

The prizes for the chapter or SIG with the highest percentage of new and/or renewing members include new members, plus:

• Two upgrades to Gold Membership
• One $500 registration credit toward STC's 2016 Summit
• One Community Roundtable with Chris Lyons, STC's Chief Executive Officer
• One Society Pages article in Intercom Magazine
• One community spotlight post on the STC Notebook blog

Scoring: Classic, New TC Professional, Student, and Gold Value Package members are all worth one point. Also, new 2015 Corporate Value Package (CVP) members may be recruited and are worth one point per individual. For example, if five new members join (as a CVP from one company), your community will receive five points.

So help us build membership and get recruiting! And if you haven't renewed yet, please do so now and get your membership in the STC Phoenix Chapter for free!

Self-Publishing Webinar 

Lunch at Perfect Pear

CAA - Distinction

Associate Fellows

Recruiting Drive

Kim Rosenlof

President

president@stc-phoenix.com

Anna Armas

Vice President

vp@stc-phoenix.com

Nathan Smith

Secretary/Treasurer

treasurer@stc-phoenix.com

We would like to extend a warm welcome to the newest Phoenix Chapter member for 2015:

Glen Michaels

Welcome aboard!

The deadline for the summit registration rate with a $300 discount is May 31st.  So if you haven't already done so, make sure to register soon!  To register, follow this link:  2015 STC Summit Registration

When renewing or upgrading your membership, please designate the Phoenix chapter as your local tech comm community of professionals.

We are still looking for volunteers for the following positions:

• Secretary
• Membership Chairperson
• Public Relations
• Hospitality

For more information, please contact Kim Rosenlof at president@stc-phoenix.com

Are you writing the great American novel and don't want to go through traditional channels to see it published? Do you have a great idea for a technical book, but don't know how to get it onto mobile media?

Richard Hamilton, founder of XML Press, will be presenting tips for self-publishing using XML. The format will be webinar based, so you can attend from your own home, office, etc., or you can join us at the Pyle Center in Tempe to attend the webinar in person. The webinar will start at 7:00PM, but we'll meet at the Pyle Center at 6:00PM for dinner and networking.

Where: Pyle Adult Recreation Center

655 E. Southern Ave. Tempe, AZ Map

When: Tuesday, May 12th from 6:00PM - 8:00PM

Cost: $15.00

RSVP on the Metro-Phoenix Technical Communicators Meetup site.

Let's have lunch in Tempe! Located at the NE corner of Priest and Ray in South Tempe (just a mile east of I-10), the Perfect Pear offers both inside and patio seating, "perfect" for a gathering of technical communication professionals! Let's talk shop (or not!) over focaccia brushetta, soup and salad, or Mediterranian mac & cheese.

Where: Perfect Pear Bistro

9845 S. Priest Dr. Tempe, AZ Map

When: Wednesday, May 20th from 11:45AM - 1:15PM

RSVP on the Metro-Phoenix Technical Communicators Meetup site.

The STC Phoenix Chapter was recently informed that we have earned the Community of Distinction award! Our community will be recognized during the Leadership Program and Communities Reception at the Summit in Columbus, Ohio where we will receive the Community Achievement Award (CAA) certificate. Congratulations and thank you to everyone who worked hard to make this possible! Let's continue to make STC Phoenix one of the most vibrant communities within STC!

If you're a Senior Member of STC who has also been in the technical communications field for 15 years, and performed service in STC or in the field, it's time to start thinking about applying for the rank of Associate Fellow.

An STC Associate Fellow is a Senior Member who has been formally recognized by the Society for having attained distinction in the field of technical communication.

Associate Fellows have accomplished one or more of the following:

·         Been responsible for important work in the field of technical communication.

·         Done notable original work that has contributed to the advancement of technical communication.

·         Made significant contributions to the Society (or one of its Chapters or SIGs) and helped to tell STC’s powerful story.

The STC Phoenix Chapter encourages all senior members to apply for the rank of Associate Fellow. The application isn't due until October, but it's not too early to start! Interested applicants should contact Kim Rosenlof at president@stc-phoenix.com.

It's time to start your engines, shift your recruitment strategies into high gear and begin the 2015 Chapter and SIG new and renewal member race!

STC continually increases the value of membership through new programs (like the Certified Technical Communications Professional certification) and services (like the Education Scorecard). As we stay ahead of this ever-changing world of technical communication, we're asking you as a member to reach out and spread the word about how STC has helped you in your career.

Grow your community and get rewarded for your efforts! Your recruits will also get rewarded with a free 2015 community membership. It's a win-win for everyone!

The Goal: To increase community membership

The Offer: Free 2015 community membership to any renewing or new STC member

Campaign Details

Each chapter and SIG member is asked to recruit at least one renewing or new member now through June 1. Members who join or renew during this time will receive a free 2015 membership in the referring chapter (PHOENIX!) or SIG. When recruiting a member, please ask them not to pay for the chapter, but to include the name of the chapter that referred them on the online application (Phoenix). The referral fields can be found under the Membership tab of the online application. STC will be responsible for signing the member up for that particular chapter free of charge.

The chapters and SIGs with the highest percentage of new or renewing members are entered to win prizes to be raffled to your members at the end of the campaign.

So help us build membership and get recruiting! And if you haven't renewed yet, please do so now and get your membership in the STC Phoenix Chapter for free!

HTML5 Webinar 

Summit Recap

Lunch at George & Sons

Associate Fellows

Kim Rosenlof

President

president@stc-phoenix.com

Anna Armas

Vice President

vp@stc-phoenix.com

Nathan Smith

Secretary/Treasurer

treasurer@stc-phoenix.com

We would like to extend a warm welcome to the newest Phoenix Chapter members for 2015:

Ninoksa Andrade

Susan Kells

Welcome aboard!

When renewing or upgrading your membership, please designate the Phoenix chapter as your local tech comm community of professionals.

We are still looking for volunteers for the following positions:

• Secretary
• Membership Chairperson
• Public Relations
• Hospitality

For more information, please contact Kim Rosenlof at president@stc-phoenix.com

 July 2015 Newsletter

Peter Lubbers, Director of Documentation and Training at Kaazing and co-author of "Pro-HTML5 Programming," presents an introduction to HTML5 in this one-hour archived webinar.

Recorded at the 2012 STC Technical Communication Summit, this webinar presents an overview of HTML5 features most relevant to technical communicators and provides practical tools, tips and tricks to allow you to start using HTML5 immediately in your technical communication projects.

The STC Phoenix Chapter will host the webinar via GoToMeeting software. Details for logging into the webinar will be sent via email to RSVP'd participants in the morning of Tuesday, June 16th.

Where: webinar (online)

When: Tuesday, June 16th at 7:00pm

Cost: FREE to STC Phoenix Chapter members, $5 for non-members

RSVP on the Metro-Phoenix Technical Communicators Meetup site.

Learn key themes and findings from the 2015 STC Summit. Our own Kim Rosenlof and Rachel Houghton will be sharing about their experience at the STC Summit in Columbus, Ohio.

Come with questions about specific topics and find out how other technical communicators addressed those very issues at Summit.

Total Wine will provide free wine tasting at the event. You are welcome to partake, but it's not required.

Where: TO BE DETERMINED. Our venue was cancelled at the last moment. If your office has a conference room that we can use, please email vp@stc-phoenix.com. 

When: Tuesday, July 14th at 7:00PM

RSVP on the Metro-Phoenix Technical Communicators Meetup site.

It's time for lunch up in North Phoenix! We'll meet for lunch at George and Sons Asian Cuisine, rated one of the top Chinese restaurants in Phoenix according to Yelp and Trip Advisor. Bring a TechComm topic to talk about over egg drop soup and Kung Pao Chicken!

NOTE: This is the I-17 and Loop 101 location, not the Scottsdale location. The restaurant is located on the west end of the Deer Valley Towne Center near the AMC Theater, and is closest to 31st Ave.

Where: George and Sons Asian Cuisine

3049 W. Agua Fria Fwy. Phoenix, AZ Map

When: Wednesday, July 29th at 11:30AM - 1:00PM

RSVP on the Metro-Phoenix Technical Communicators Meetup site.

If you're a Senior Member of STC who has also been in the technical communications field for 15 years, and performed service in STC or in the field, it's time to start thinking about applying for the rank of Associate Fellow.

An STC Associate Fellow is a Senior Member who has been formally recognized by the Society for having attained distinction in the field of technical communication.

Associate Fellows have accomplished one or more of the following:

·         Been responsible for important work in the field of technical communication.

·         Done notable original work that has contributed to the advancement of technical communication.

·         Made significant contributions to the Society (or one of its Chapters or SIGs) and helped to tell STC’s powerful story.

The STC Phoenix Chapter encourages all senior members to apply for the rank of Associate Fellow. The application isn't due until October, but it's not too early to start! Interested applicants should contact Kim Rosenlof at president@stc-phoenix.com.

InDesign for Technical Communication

Neil Perlin Workshop Event

Summit Playback

STC Membership Discount

Kim Rosenlof

President

president@stc-phoenix.com

Anna Armas

Vice President

vp@stc-phoenix.com

Nathan Smith

Secretary/Treasurer

treasurer@stc-phoenix.com

When renewing or upgrading your membership, please designate the Phoenix chapter as your local tech comm community of professionals.

We are still looking for volunteers for the following positions:

• Secretary
• Membership Chairperson
• Public Relations
• Hospitality

For more information, please contact Kim Rosenlof at president@stc-phoenix.com

Dean Colston

Joe Connolly

Maria Hostetler

WELCOME!

Graphic Designer Marcy Burgis will be presenting on using Adobe InDesign to single-source large technical documents for print, interactive PDF, and ePUB distribution. She will discuss certain features key to good technical documentation such as using various paragraph and object styles, the power of the InDesign cross-references feature, how to use InDesign's bounding boxes to set and crop graphics, and creating custom TOC, LOF and LOTs.

A self-employed graphic designer, Marcy has used InDesign to create several publications, most recently creating graphics and laying out aviation training manuals for AeroInk Incorporated.

If you've never used InDesign for technical communications, take this opportunity to check out Adobe's "other" page layout program. Come prepared with questions about InDesign and how you can use this in your own work.

The cost is $15 and includes a light dinner.

6:00PM - 6:30PM:  Networking and Dinner

6:30PM - 6:50PM:  Short STC Business Meeting

6:50PM - 7:00PM:  Break

7:00PM - 8:30PM:  Presentation

Where: Pyle Adult Recreation Center

655 E. Southern Ave. Chandler, AZ Map

When: Tuesday, September 8th at 6:00PM

RSVP on the Metro-Phoenix Technical Communicators Meetup site.

As part of Arizona Technical Communication Week October 18-24, consultant Neil Perlin, president of Hyper/Word Services in Massachusetts, will be joining us for a two-part event. On Friday, October 23, we'll meet for an end-of-week happy hour where Neil will discuss "Preparing Legacy Help Projects for Responsive Design."  This happy hour meeting will take place at North Mountain Brewery on Dunlap in Phoenix. Hang out, unwind, and enjoy the company of other technical writers while learning tips for your help projects.

Then on Saturday morning we'll reconvene for an exciting workshop presented by Neil and hosted by Intel Corporation in Chandler. During Neil's full-day workshop on "Creating Mobile Apps Without Coding," attendees will build a simple but fully functional app that can run on both Android and iOS devices.

When: Friday, October 23rd at 6:00PM to Saturday, October 24th at 4:30PM

RSVP on the Metro-Phoenix Technical Communicators Meetup site.

Do you wonder why the STC Phoenix Chapter does what it does? Do you wish we would offer different meeting types, topics, and benefits for members? Do you have ideas for making the chapter better for all members?

If so, we invite you to step forward and volunteer for an officer position for 2016. All of our officer positions are open for 2016, and we need at least two people to volunteer to run the chapter. Kim Rosenlof will provide guidance as Immediate Past President, but we need (at minimum) a president and a secretary/treasurer. Without these leadship positions filled, the chapter may cease to exist.

Please consider volunteering your time to keep the chapter going. Email president@stc-phoenix.com for information on any officer position.

Summit Playback (formerly Summit@aClick) is an online collection of the conference's content with audio and Powerpoint synched. The 2015 Summit Playback includes nearly 80 sessions in seven tracks.

Everyone who was a FULL conference registrant in 2015 can receive complimentary access to Summit Playback through 31 March 2016. If you were a full conference registrant, look for an email from MultiView for free access information.

All STC members who did not attend Summit 2015 can access Summit Playback for a discounted rate of $199. Log into the Summit Playback site at http://stc.sclivelearningcenter.com using the My Account menu. Use your preferred STC email address as the username and your last name as the password. For more information, visit stc.org and select Education/Summit Playback. Non-members' cost for Summit Playback access until March 2016 is $499.

Last month's newsletter published incorrect membership dues discount information. The information from last month listed adjusted dues, which pertain only to people in certain countries, but not for the United States. This month's article presents the correct information.

STC membership is currently discounted to the lowest rate of the year at only $157.50 for Classic Membership and only $52.50 for Student Membership!  If you're not yet a member or know a fellow technical communicator who isn't, now is the perfect time to join!

Membership in STC offers numerous benefits, including:

• Networking
• Communities
• Body of Knowledge
• Publications (Intercom, Technical Communicator, and more)
• Member-only discounts on education and our annual Summit
• Access to over 140 free, on-demand webinars
• Job Bank (Get 14-day advance access to the newest employment opportunities)
• Annual Salary Database
• Corporate Value Program
• Affinity Program
• And more!

And of course, please remember to designate the Phoenix Chapter as your local tech comm community of professionals!

Follow this link to join or renew your membership:  Join or Renew Now

Happy Hour with Neil Perlin

Workshop by Neil Perlin

Leaders Needed for 2016

Summit Playback

Kim Rosenlof

President

president@stc-phoenix.com

Anna Armas

Vice President

vp@stc-phoenix.com

Nathan Smith

Secretary/Treasurer

treasurer@stc-phoenix.com

When renewing or upgrading your membership, please designate the Phoenix chapter as your local tech comm community of professionals.

We are still looking for volunteers for the following positions:

• Secretary
• Membership Chairperson
• Public Relations
• Hospitality

For more information, please contact Kim Rosenlof at president@stc-phoenix.com

Joseph Ryan

Roberta Jansmann

WELCOME!

STC's 2016 membership enrollment is now open! For a limited time, you can renew your Classic Membership for 2016 at a discounted, early renewal rate of just $195 (reg. $225)! Follow this link to renew your membership now and take advantage of this limited time offer:

Renew

Preparing Legacy Help Projects for Responsive Design

Do you have legacy help projects whose content is still valid and that you’d like to make responsive? The latest releases of popular help authoring tools make it easy to make legacy projects responsive with just a few mouse clicks. Unfortunately, legacy projects were often designed and created in ways that break responsive design. For example, many legacy projects use “hidden” tables to lay out images, an approach that was wrong but worked, until responsive design came along. What do you need to do to fix those problems?

In this practical session, we’ll look at:

• The concept of the “un-desktop” and its effect on design.
• A quick review of the technical concepts of responsive design.
• The need to eliminate local formatting in favor of styles and a CSS and how to do so.
• The use of often unfamiliar CSS features - relative sizing for fonts and images and the use of the img float property to create fluid layout grids - and new features in CSS3 - media queries and breakpoint designation.
• Effect of scaling on images, deciding when to include or exclude images, and the effect of excluding images on text that reference those images.
• Effect of scaling on image maps.
• Automating wording customization – from “click” to “tap” automatically.
• And more.

At the end of this session, you’ll know how to deal with the most common responsive design problems in legacy help projects. And many of the solutions will improve the coding of your projects even if you never make those projects responsive.

About the Speaker

Neil Perlin is an internationally-known online content consultant for companies from F100 to startups. He helps clients create efficient, flexible content for delivery in forms from paper to online to mobile. Neil is a columnist for STC Intercom, a popular speaker for STC, MadWorld, Lavacon, and other conferences, the creator of the Beyond the Bleeding Edge sessions at the STC summits from 1999 to 2014, and a 2010 STC Fellow.

Neil is MadCap-certified in Flare and Mimic, Adobe-certified in RoboHelp, and Viziapps-certified for the Viziapps app development platform. He provides training, consulting, troubleshooting, and development for online help, mobile, apps, and related areas through Hyper/Word Services of Tewksbury, MA. You can contact him at his web site atwww.hyperword.com.

Schedule

6:00PM - 6:30PM Happy Hour and Networking

6:30PM - 6:50PM Short Business Meeting

7:00PM - 8:30PM Presentation and Questions

Cost

$15 includes one drink and appetizers. Dinner is on your dime.

Where: North Mountain Brewing Co

522 E. Dunlap Ave. Phoenix, AZ Map

When: Friday, October 23rd from 6:00PM - 8:30PM

RSVP on the Metro-Phoenix Technical Communicators Meetup site.

Responsive design allows us to port online help to mobile devices. But what if you need more features than help authoring tools can create, such as help that knows where it’s located and automatically revises itself accordingly? Or a help system for the general public that can sell tools and support services to users as part of the help? Or a help system with a built-in camera that can take a photo and send it to tech support? Help authoring tools can’t easily create such features; app development tools can. And app development tools are becoming as usable as help authoring tools.

In this workshop, you’ll build a simple but fully functional app that can run on both iPhones and Android phones. You’ll do this using the app equivalent of Flare or RoboHelp. You’ll:

·  Get an overview of app concepts and differences between hybrid and web apps.

·  Get an overview of app design concepts and principles.

·  Create a simple app that can send an email, access an external web

page, and let the user add and recall data from a simple database. The result could be truly interactive user assistance or even true apps.

When you finish, you’ll have a simple but functional app to display back home in your company.

NOTE: You will need to bring your own laptop to fully participate in this workshop.

Schedule

This is an all-day workshop and includes lunch and snacks.

This workshop will be held at Intel Corporation's west Chandler campus on the southeast corner of Chandler Blvd. and Beck Avenue, about one mile east of I-10. Park on the NORTH side of building (closest to Chandler Blvd). Enter via the WEST Lobby (closest to Beck St) and receive a temporary access badge.

Register

Cost: $45 General Public, $40 STC member non-affiliated with Phoenix Chapter, $30 STC Phoenix Chapter member, $15 student

Use this link to pay online for this workshop:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/creating-mobile-apps-without-coding-workshop-by-neil-perlin-tickets-18464726494

If you plan to pay at the door, RSVP on Meetup before noon on October 22 so we can plan for lunch and the Intel security list.

Where: Intel Corporation

6505 W. Chandler Blvd. Chandler, AZ Map

When: Saturday, October 24th from 9:30AM to 5:00PM

RSVP on the Metro-Phoenix Technical Communicators Meetup site.

Do you wonder why the STC Phoenix Chapter does what it does? Do you wish we would offer different meeting types, topics, and benefits for members? Do you have ideas for making the chapter better for all members?

If so, we invite you to step forward and volunteer for an officer position for 2016. All of our officer positions are open for 2016, and we need at least two people to volunteer to run the chapter. Kim Rosenlof will provide guidance as Immediate Past President, but we need (at minimum) a president and a secretary/treasurer. Without these leadership positions filled, the chapter may cease to exist.

Please consider volunteering your time to keep the chapter going. Email president@stc-phoenix.com for information on any officer position.

Summit Playback (formerly Summit@aClick) is an online collection of the conference's content with audio and Powerpoint synched. The 2015 Summit Playback includes nearly 80 sessions in seven tracks.

Everyone who was a FULL conference registrant in 2015 can receive complimentary access to Summit Playback through 31 March 2016. If you were a full conference registrant, look for an email from MultiView for free access information.

All STC members who did not attend Summit 2015 can access Summit Playback for a discounted rate of $199. Log into the Summit Playback site at http://stc.sclivelearningcenter.com using the My Account menu. Use your preferred STC email address as the username and your last name as the password. For more information, visit stc.org and select Education/Summit Playback. Non-members' cost for Summit Playback access until March 2016 is $499.

The Phoenix chapters of IABC and PRSA are teaming up to host renowned presentation coach Pam Chambers who will deliver a three-hour workshop titled Business Etiquette: Presenting Yourself with Compelling Confidenceon Wednesday, Oct. 14. Pam will cover business etiquette, tips for networking and how to be your best when presenting before a large audience.

For more information about this event and to purchase tickets, follow this link: Business Etiquette: Presenting Yourself with Compelling Confidence

Holiday Party at The Old Spaghetti Factory

FREE webinar

2016 Officer Election Candidates

Kim Rosenlof

President

president@stc-phoenix.com

Anna Armas

Vice President

vp@stc-phoenix.com

Nathan Smith

Secretary/Treasurer

treasurer@stc-phoenix.com

When renewing or upgrading your membership, please designate the Phoenix chapter as your local tech comm community of professionals.

We are still looking for volunteers for the following positions:

• Secretary
• Membership Chairperson
• Public Relations
• Hospitality

For more information, please contact Kim Rosenlof at president@stc-phoenix.com

Peggy Darnell

Peter Farness

Alisa Sever

WELCOME!

It's that time of year again to get in the holiday spirit and celebrate another successful year in technical communication! Join us at The Old Spaghetti Factory on Central Avenue in Phoenix for the final STC Phoenix Chapter meeting for 2015 for some good food, libations, camaraderie, an award ceremony, and more! Bring a wrapped gift valued at $25 or less for the White Elephant gift exchange (optional). We hope to see you all there!

Cost: $15 fee includes your first drink and various appetizers

Where: The Old Spaghetti Factory

1418 N. Central Avenue. Phoenix, AZ Map

When: Tuesday, December 8th from 6:00PM to 8:00PM

RSVP on the Metro-Phoenix Technical Communicators Meetup site.

STC will be offering a free chapter/SIG member-only webinar on December 8th. Below is a brief overview of the upcoming free webinar and how to register.

Webinar: Major Trends Shaping the Future in Technical Communication, presented by Abhishek, Jain, Product Manager, Adobe Systems, India.

Overview: The Technical Communication industry is constantly evolving. It is changing due to the changing demands and preferences from the important stakeholders that a technical communicator works with on a day to day basis. In some case, the changes are now mainstream and a significant number of content professionals have adapted to the changes. In other cases, changes are happening, but it is still early days and these changes will shape the role of the future.

When: Tuesday, December 8th from 2:00PM to 3:00PM EST (GMT-5)

To register for this free webinar, click here.

The following STC Phoenix Chapter members have volunteered to serve as officers in 2016:

• Lou Kummerer (President)
• Barry Maid (Vice President)
• Alisa Sever (Treasurer)

According to the chapter bylaws, these individuals must still be elected to their positions, so ballot will be sent out to the membership via email in early December. Please fill out and return the ballot before the December 8 deadline.

We're still looking for a chapter Secretary, so if you're interested, please email president@stc-phoenix.com as soon as possible to appear on the ballot.

Summit Playback (formerly Summit@aClick) is an online collection of the conference's content with audio and Powerpoint synched. The 2015 Summit Playback includes nearly 80 sessions in seven tracks.

Everyone who was a FULL conference registrant in 2015 can receive complimentary access to Summit Playback through 31 March 2016. If you were a full conference registrant, look for an email from MultiView for free access information.

All STC members who did not attend Summit 2015 can access Summit Playback for a discounted rate of $199. Log into the Summit Playback site at http://stc.sclivelearningcenter.com using the My Account menu. Use your preferred STC email address as the username and your last name as the password. For more information, visit stc.org and select Education/Summit Playback. Non-members' cost for Summit Playback access until March 2016 is $499.

This is just a reminder to everyone that the STC Phoenix Chapter website is currently down. We are working hard to get the new, improved website up and running as quickly as possible. In the meantime, please check us out at our Meetup site for the latest news and information:

http://www.meetup.com/Metro-Phoenix-Technical-Communicators/

Thanks to all of the STC members who have already renewed for 2016 and added the STC Phoenix Chapter to their membership. If you still need to renew, be sure to renew before December 31 to take advantage of discounts. Use the promo code STC2016 when you renew to receive $20 off of the Classic membership. Also, Gold memberships are now on sale for $395 (normal price: $425).

When you renew, don't forget to add STC Phoenix Chapter to your membership!

Click here to join STC or renew your membership.