TechWhirl: Technical Communication Recap for December 14, 2012

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

*This week’s update on technical communication and the TechWhirl community
is supported by Platinum sponsor ComponentOne & their Doc-To-Help Help
Authoring Tool <http://goo.gl/QcMWA> | http://bit.ly/doc-to-help*



This is the time of year when many of us focus on how nice traditions are:
unwrapping one gift on Christmas Eve, cookie exchanges, Secret Santa,
caroling, Black Friday shopping trips, skiing for the holidays… you get the
idea. At TechWhirl we've managed to start a couple of soon-to-be traditions
(we’re thinking that almost two years of ownership doesn't qualify as
tradition, but we’re happy to consider otherwise). One of those nascent
traditions publishing our favorite technical writer letters to Santa.
While we don’t think the postal services have anything to fear in terms of
an onslaught, we have received a few that are worthy of a read.



But those of us who've been in technical communication for more than a
month or two can easily come up with a list of things that would make our
lives, if not perfect, then at least respectable. Our “Dear Santa, what I
REALLY want for
theholidays<http://techwhirl.com/journal/dear-santa-want-for-holidays-2012/>”
event would be, if not perfect, at least highly entertaining with your
contribution…


No minimums or maximums (although he’s liable to miss his 12/24
deliverables if you wax eloquently for more than 1000 words or so), and an
opportunity to be creative, funny, or alluring, and not fear for your
livelihood.  Submit your letter, a photo and a short bio by December 19th,
and we’ll work with the elves to get your missive before the masses.



We’ll be looking back at the big stuff, the little stuff and the cool stuff
that impacted technical communication, content strategy and user experience
in 2012.  We’ve seen some traditions in our professions begin to fall by
the wayside, and have to wonder about what new traditions and techniques
will break through and replace them.  And we’d love to hear from you about
your thoughts on trends and directions of technical communication.  Feel
free to post a comment here (new tradition) or start a thread on the email
discussion list (old tradition and quite hallowed, at that).



In the meantime, make room for the usual last-minute shopping, frenzy of
cooking and baking, and good times with friends and family… those are the
traditions worth keeping.



Have a great weekend!

-The gang at TechWhirl


In Case You Missed it: This Week @ TechWhirl

*New features and articles on http://TechWhirl.com <http://techwhirl.com/>**
:*


   - Tech Writer This Week for December 13, by Craig Cardimon |
   http://bit.ly/TaErZF
   - Product Review: MindTouch TCS Integrates Content with the User
   Experience, by Jacquie Samuels | http://bit.ly/VBAEmh
   - Technical Communication Poll: Stocking Stuffers| http://bit.ly/XLYD8S
   - Giving Customers What They Want: Integrating Content in the Customer
   Lifecycle, by Rachel Houghton | http://bit.ly/Ux8RF7
   - Dear Santa, What I REALLY Want for the Holidays this Year…Letters to
   Santa 2012 | http://bit.ly/TCuCFO

 *Technical Communication News on http://TechWhirl.com/News:*

·         tcworld and TWIN Announce tcworld India 2013 |
http://bit.ly/TNxAEk
Social Media and the Chance to Follow TechWhirl:

   - Our Google Plus Page – what’s happening behind the scenes |
   http://goo.gl/SO0R4
   - Will you be our Friend? Please, you know you want to click |
   http://goo.gl/tDrW7
   - Want all this TechWhirl goodness a few characters @ a time |
   http://goo.gl/itjDg
   - Updates from TechWhirl delivered to your email in box |
   http://bit.ly/tjshxU
   - Or, try our RSS feed (great on Flipboard) | http://goo.gl/msLzu

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*: Vancouver Island University <http://pr.viu.ca/techcomm/>


-- 

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