I have to say that I didn't see any sessions on writing a resume or finding a job in a crummy market this year. :-)
What was nice is that they had session tracks - related sessions that related to a particular topic. See http://www.stc.org/54thConf/sessions/search01.asp and click on the Session Track Search dropdown to see the various tracks offered. I was particularly interested in XML, CMS, and localization, so I could focus most of my efforts on the classes offered under those tracks. On Wednesday, I sat in the "Looking Forward" session which talked about next year's conference and proposals and such. They are certainly trying to address the issues of tired old subjects. One thing they stressed is the quality of the proposals, and requiring more research on the submitter's part to reduce/eliminate redundancy with previously offered sessions. That includes checking past sessions that were offered, previous STC publications, and class offerings. If you've got a topic that's already been covered in some fashion, then you'd better have a different twist to it as to a specific problem, solution, or issue, or your proposal won't be accepted. The proposal manager wanted to have to pick between a number of really good proposals, and have to turn some of them down, instead of settling for a handful of really good proposals, and filling the rest of the sessions with just "ok" ones. As to the variety offered, here's the session titles offered just for Monday this year: Tips and tricks for roboHelp users Cross-culturl virtual teams and distance education Modular writing and reusability Electronically stored information, the law, and you Automated web globalization How to design anything Estimating and tracking project costs Incorporating usability into content management Web 2.0 and its impact on tech comm Dita, design patterns, and the real world Responsible authoriing to reduce translation cost How to create lean documents Making sense of the Frame/XML alphabet soup Developing non-software-based eLearning with Captivate Participatory design Interview with usability expert Jared Spool Effect page layout for the nonartist Myths and trends in the changing English language Why the old technical communicator ain't no more Quality localization begins at the source Interaction design in language design Beyond the basics of project management Know your "business numbers" and why they're important It's not my aunt's online help anymore! The history and future of free and open source software SDL AuthorAssistant - empowering authors to write Minimalist documentation and cohesiveness of documents Using research to better your practice The future of XML publishing Conducting a user-centered expert review Progressions of STC's instructional design and learning community Web form design best practices What technical communicators need to know Ask the experts panel Road Signs: finding your way in the visual world Learn how your department funding affects your success Strategic plannign for new publishing technology Podcasting production 101 Streamline your global content lifecycle All in all, I really enjoyed the conference, this having been my first one. Oh, and since Donna's too modest (hah!) to mention it...our company had two documents which moved on to the Int'l Competition, and both of them took Distinguished Awards at that level, which shocked the daylights out of us. Donna was the primary writer on both docs, and I got to claim second-billing as editor on one of them. I'm still in a "wow" frame of mind. -Carla - CONFIDENTIAL- This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential, and may also be legally privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, you may not review, use, copy, or distribute this message. If you receive this email in error, please notify the sender immediately by reply email and then delete this email. ______________________________________________ Author Help files and create printed documentation with Doc-To-Help. New release adds Team Authoring Support, enhanced Web-based help technology and PDF output. Learn more at www.doctohelp.com/tcp. DOCUMENTATION & TRAINING WEST 07: THE USER EXPERIENCE April 18-21, 2007 ~ Vancouver BC ~ Marriott Pinnacle ~ free city tour 40+ sessions * free workshops * free iPod offer * www.doctrain.com _______________________________________________ Technical Communication Professionals Post a message to the list: email [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, unsubscribe, archives, account options, list info: http://techcommpros.com/mailman/listinfo/tcp_techcommpros.com Subscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Need help? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] Get the TCP whole experience! http://www.techcommpros.com
