Opening with a keynote address by Cheryl Lockett Zuback, the conference offered sessions in two tracks, one focused on finding a new job, the other on maintaining and growing work skills. Representatives from direct employers, technical writing companies, and agencies were available throughout the day to discuss current and potential job openings.

Recognized world-wide as an expert in online help systems, Cheri's keynote described her vision of "What's in Our Future-Today." She began by cautioning the audience that what she was presenting was her own vision, one that could change tomorrow-and cited her experience of publishing Designing Windows 95 Help: A Guide to Creating Online Documents (co-authored with Mary Deaton) just before Microsoft announced the demise of WinHelp in favor of HTMLHelp.

Two kinds of futures
Cheri reminded the attendees that there are two kinds of futures: the ones that open for us and the ones we create for ourselves.

The "really big secret," as Cheri sees it, is that the future is online. The explosion of the World Wide Web in the last few years has come much faster than was predicted or than we were emotionally prepared for. Many surveys show continued growth not just of the Internet; intranets are growing even faster and are likely to become even bigger in total.

Technical communicators must face many issues as they move to the web. Technology issues such as bandwidth, security, and browser deployment must be resolved. Authors are selecting and learning new authoring tools and are beginning to focus on web-oriented design. Most people are scrambling to convert to the web and have not yet started planning the new models and contexts that will be needed in the web future.

But the web has great potential. It offers the opportunity for information that is both richer and more current than traditional paper-based documents. It allows links between information and people, such as hyperlinks in a help file that go directly to technical support or discussion groups. It may also lead to better quality of information, given the signs that web users are becoming more selective in the sites they visit.

The bigger secret
The "bigger secret" is that the future is not just online. Hard copy will remain, to satisfy those who "just want my user's guide, dammit" and to meet those situations where an online document isn't appropriate. The need for documentation in general will decrease as product design improves. Some documentation will be in the form of "electronic hard copy," using technologies such as Adobe Acrobat to put the images of printed documents online.

Cheri warned those who are not working online not to be complacent. The job opportunities-and the earnings-will be greatest for those who can work in both the online and the traditional print worlds.

An integrated future
In the future, corporations will recognize the benefits of integrating document development into the product development process, with writers and developers collaborating to create integrated products and user assistance. Content will move into the product interface.

Performance-centered design and other approaches will lead to new models that identify what assistance users really need at a given moment. HTML will become the easiest means of embedding information into products.

In her conclusion, Cheri encouraged everyone to experiment, to take risks, and above all, to start now!

Distinguished Chapter Service Award
Bev Bruns, PMC president, presented a Distinguished Chapter Service Award to Cheri at the beginning of the keynote session. The award recognizes Cheri's many contributions to PMC through the years, with special notice for instituting the chapter's online competition.