TechWrite's Tips & Analysis - October 2006

Hi Everyone,

I chaired a meeting of the Consultants Network steering committee a couple of nights ago. During the conversation before the business portion of the meeting, I started a sentence with, "I feel like a traitor, but..." Then I continued to report that I had purchased a Mac over the summer. Now why should I open the sentence that way? It would make an interesting analysis. In the meantime, I'm still learning all the neat tools I can use on this machine, including a text editor called Taco HTML Edit. I want to simplify the publication process for Tips and Analysis, and Taco HTML can help with that. If you use a Mac, you should try it.

On to our meeting announcements for this month and next. The immediate event, on Wednesday, October 18, is Mike Hamilton's presentation on Flare for STC Boston. Help system developers have all been highly interested in Flare since RoboHelp's future became uncertain. Wednesday's presentation at The MathWorks in Natick is a chance to learn what's happening in the world of help authoring tools, and to learn about the latest technology on the market. Check the STC Boston program page for all the details.

Here are several other meetings of interest coming up in the next few weeks. Check the links for details, or contact me directly for more information. As always, if you have a meeting to announce, let me know and I can add it to the list in the next issue.

Wednesday, October 25, "Innovation and Leadership in Today's Multi-Generational Workforce," Sharon Wulf, Ph.D.

Wednesday, October 25, "Figuring Out What to Learn," Cheryl Landes.

Wednesday, November 1, "Incorporating Automated Testing in Your Web Accessibility Strategy," Dana Louise Simberkoff.

Thursday, November 2, "Making Word Templates Work," Steven Jong and Steven Greffenius. For a short article that preview's this topic, visit TechWrite's weblog.

Saturday, November 18, "Flare in a Day," Neil Perlin. Hear Mike Hamilton's presentation tonight, then become expert with Flare at Neil Perlin's hands-on workshop. Mark this one on your calendar.

That's enough for today. Please write to stay in touch.