Summer 2005

Volume 45, Number 6

Tips from the Trenches

by Deb Lockwood

Summertime Resolutions…or How I'd Like to Spend My Summer Avocation

Summer is upon us. Instead of making a New Year's resolution this year, I decided to make a summer resolution. I resolve to spend some time this summer learning more about developing training materials.

I'm well on my way to making that resolution come true, having already done some research about available books and tools. I have acquired my reading material and have narrowed down to two the software demos I want to download. Now all I need is a tall glass of iced tea, my wireless laptop, and away I go!

Using our chapter's listserv, I queried STC RMC members, asking the following question: "Given the time to do so, if you were going to take some time this summer to learn a new software product, research tools, read a book, or do some other technical communications-related task, what would it be?" I received many excellent replies as follows:

Bill Thomas: "Given time, I would devote some effort to learning FrameMaker. I haven't used it much yet and would like to become somewhat proficient with it as FrameMaker seems to be the de-facto software tool of choice in the technical communications business at this time."

Laura J. Donovan: "I'd take a class in graphics editing tools, such as PhotoShop or Fireworks. Not because I want to be a graphics designer when I grow up, but because working with graphics is something I need to do fairly often and I'm utterly inept in that area. I want to learn the 'language' of graphics tools."

Frank Tagader: "I am trying to teach myself SchemaLogic Workshop this summer as a means of learning metadata modeling. Along with learning the tool, I will do research in hopes of gaining a better understanding of the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI), http://dublincore.org/."

Karen L. Kraft Miller: "I would learn how to create Web pages and learn how to write simple HTML code."

Susie Cone: "I would focus on learning more about:

• Information architecture, to structure content for maximum efficiency, reusability, and effectiveness to the content customer.
• Web information design trends and, in particular, the presentation of technical information provided to different audiences.
• Optimizing Web content for successful and precise search engine cataloging."

Marc Lee: "I would learn ActionScript, which is a part of Macromedia's Flash…the object-oriented programming language that is associated with Flash MX and MX 2004. It has recently become much more powerful and can do things far beyond the animations we normally associate with Flash."

Leslie Bateman: "Dreamweaver would be my first choice of something to learn."

Molly Malsam: "I would be interested in learning AuthorIT as well as investigate the career of user interface design."

Marella Colyvas: "If I WERE seriously wanting to deepen my career growth and planning to do something along the lines of what you suggest, I would definitely learn/practice on a new tool/concept because that is where I feel the weakest. If I were not personally so involved in other things, I would find some needy organization and help develop its Web site. I'd write some of the organization's content and work on setting up the site so it is useable. I would also consult with the organization on how best to structure is Web site so people can find things. I would also suggest ways the organization could best deploy its goods/services/content based on my experience with judging online communications. I'd consult with Laurie Lamar or other information architecture gurus and get insights on books to read and software tools to learn to make deploying Web sites easier."

Linda G. Gallagher: "Well, if I had time...

• I'd learn more about Structured FrameMaker, finish the Element Definition Document (EDD) I started, and convert a couple of books to it.
• I'd read more books. I recently started a list based on book reviews in the back of the last couple of issues of Technical Communication. Here are a few titles: Eats, Shoots & Leaves; Don't Make Me Think; Project Management JumpStart; and How to Become a Fulltime Freelance Writer.
• Well, if we are really being honest here I'd also take some time off."

Rita Braun: "I am looking for ways to get into Instructional Design, Information Architecture, and e-Learning, and am always on the lookout for learning opportunities in each of those areas."

Contributors: Leslie Bateman, Rita Braun, Marella Colyvas, Susie Cone, Laura J. Donovan, Linda G. Gallagher, Marc Lee, Molly Malsam, Karen L. Kraft Miller, Frank Tagader, and Bill Thomas.