Intercom: December 2008

To discuss Intercom articles on the STC Forum, please visit: http://stcforum.org/viewforum.php?id=51

Intercom, the magazine of the Society for Technical Communication, is published to provide examples and applications of technical communication that will promote its readers' professional development.

No theme this issue.

Full Download

The Complete December 2008 Issue

Feature Articles

Eclipse: Don't Get Left in the Dark [ FREE! ]: Lorente offers a detailed look at Eclipse—an open-source integrated development environment—and also discusses why it is becoming increasingly important to technical communicators in the software industry.
Information Management and Hazard Analysis: As a technical communicator, how can you “stay in the loop” throughout the life of a project? Frampton discusses the ways in which TCs can contribute their expertise from the very beginning.
Moving Toward a Content Reuse Strategy, Slowly and Carefully: The authors of this article use their own experience in implementing a content reuse strategy to assist the reader in effectively making the changes necessary while minimizing the effect on the departments or the company as a whole.
How to Correctly Initiate a New Localization Project: Undertaking a localization project is a multi-step process. Freij offers a step-by-step guide to localization that makes the project seem less daunting.

Departments

Cut & Paste
Cut & Paste: Check out the four interesting tidbits covered in this month's Cut & Paste, including a nod to blogs by STC members and the details from a new study on writing conducted at Princeton University.
F.Y.I.
F.Y.I.: Check here for upcoming events of interest to technical communicators.
My Job
Up on Two Wheels: What a Wild Ride!: Technical communicators can be a wild bunch! Read about Pat Hunkin's exciting job working for the Harley-Davidson Motor Company—he even had the opportunity to attend Daytona Bike Week!

Society Pages

Society Pages: In December's Society Pages, STC member Sara C. McCorkendale has written an article entitled “Atlanta: A Harmony of Beauty and History”—a guide to the site of STC's 2009 Technical Communication Summit.“STC's Academic Programs Database,” by member Sally Henschel, is also included in this month's Society Pages, as well as information about the Marian Norby scholarship, the conference Preliminary Program, and an article entitled “Good Year for Member Benefits.”

Columns

The XML Strategist
What Do Movable Type and XML Have in Common?: O'Keefe compares Gutenberg's invention of the movable type to the creation of XML. But where movable type changed the “economics of a mechanical process,” XML changed the “economics of content authoring, formatting, and customization.”
Business Matters
The Best Job I Never Took [ FREE! ]: For Bette Frick, “selectivity as a business strategy” has become a significant part of her career. Find out how passing on certain jobs can often lead to more success in the business world.
Information Design
Typography 101B: The Role of White Space in Making Words Readable: Hart continues his dissection of typography in this second installment, in which he discusses the important of spacing for the readability of words and sentences.