Tag Archives: STC

We’re gonna do this together with Viqui Dill – Content Content podcast

Viqui Dill, Senior Technical Writer at American Woodmark in Virginia, talks to Ed Marsh how everyone is a project manager in some form, life in the (literal) hardware industry, her day of 500 hugs, what is just-in-time documentation, and more.

Viqui is also an accomplished “bad-ass bass player’ and a self-proclaimed techcomm evangelist.

Viqui Dill – 2017 STC Technical Communication Summit

Mentioned during this episode:

Continue reading We’re gonna do this together with Viqui Dill – Content Content podcast

From competitors to colleagues: STC as community

I considered everyone else in my field the competition early in my career. I had to fight them for jobs; they were the enemy. I didn’t really get the value of professional memberships or conferences. I didn’t join STC, the Society for Technical Communication, until I was laid off from my first job, after 12 years in the field that I fell into.

I went to my first STC NY Metro chapter meeting, and right away someone said ‘you look just like Bernard [Aschwanden]’. I had no idea who Bernard was. Now, he’s a good friend and twin. Several years and several meetings later, I connected with someone who got me my current position, which I’ve now held for over six years.

Ed Marsh and Bernard Aschwanden at STC Philadelphia Metro Conduit 2016
Ed Marsh and Bernard Aschwanden meet at STC Philadelphia Metro Conduit 2016

Continue reading From competitors to colleagues: STC as community

My social media presentation for STC’s NY Metro chapter

I gave my first-ever talk at the STC NY Metro chapter on Thursday, Nov. 12, about the benefits of social media for technical communicators. The audience was enthusiastic and engaged, and I think everyone learned something and had a good time (including me!).

We covered popular social media sites such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook, as well as the benefits of having your own blog and/or web site. The Content Content podcast was also a topic of discussion and more than a few questions.

I’d love to get some feedback, or answer any questions, in the comments! I’d also be happy to present it again at other chapters.

More on Security and Google Tips from @benwoelk and @careersherpa #stcpmc13

At the excellent STC Mid-Atlantic conference sponsored by the Philadephia Metro chapter, security expert Ben Woelk suggested to the audience that they set up a Google alert for their name, so they know of any possible breaches or security issues. I did this awhile back, purely for security reasons (yeah, let’s go with that). Career Sherpa Hannah Morgan also noted at the conference that it’s important to search for yourself to see where and how you come up when prospective employers search for you. Afterward, I found that Google actually makes it easy for you to search for yourself on an ad-hoc basis. You can do this right now:

  1. Log in to your Google account at google.com/settings.
  2. Expand the Account section on the left, and select Me on the Web.
  3. Click Search Now.

On the same page, you can also have Google send you alerts when new information about your name or email address appears online.

Ben also spoke about the phishing emails that frequently look like they come from financial institutions or other businesses, whose goal is to get your account information and passwords. Many of these emails can look quite convincing.

I’ve found that an easy way to check if email is legitimate is simply to drag or move the email to your spam or junk mail folder. These folders turn hyperlinks into text, so you can see where exactly the email is coming from, and the sites to which they are linking. If the Web address doesn’t look obvious, such as bankofamerica.com, then don’t click on it.

Have additional security tips? Let us know in the comments.