| Grooming
Yourself and Your Staff for the Online Age Speaker:
Donna Timpone
Meeting notes by: Brenda Orbell
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The lure of a crisp fall night and a high tech presentation drew more than 60 members to STC-PMC's first meeting of the year. The guest speaker was Donna Timpone, president of UserEdge, an online documentation consulting firm in Clinton, NJ. Donna is an expert in human factors and computer support systems. She helps technical writers across the country learn the skills needed to develop effective documentation, and she consults with clients regarding all phases of online documentation design, development, and evaluation.
Donna's presentation addressed a topic of concern for the PMC crowd: What are companies looking for in online specialists and how do technical communicators develop a plan for acquiring those skills? Donna identified three areas of expertise: design, project management, and tools.
Online design
Online documentation must meet design demands different from traditional paper documentation. Online documentation specialists need to be able to design online documents that are task oriented and easily accessible. Donna warned against using a plain vanilla design and suggested that portfolio samples should include online documents that illustrate a high level of expertise. She encouraged writers to design online documents for their portfolios that show expertise in specific online design techniques, such as creating secondary windows.
Project management
It is important for online documentation specialists to develop online projects on time and within budget. Online documentation specialists need to know how to estimate the time and resources needed to plan and produce the document, and the cost and disk space needed to display the document.
Online documentation tools
Online documentation projects cover a broad range of documentation: WinHelp, Internet and Intranets, reference manuals, computer based training, multimedia, and expert systems. Writers need to learn how to use the tools required to produce these types of online documentation efficiently and effectively.
Motivation
Another factor equally important for those considering a career in online documentation is motivation, which includes confidence and the compatibility of the writer's attitude and career goals with a high-tech career in online documentation. Donna pointed out that the technology required for producing online documentation is always changing and writers need confidence and flexible attitudes to adjust to those changes.
A customized plan
Many of the writers in the audience were concerned about the catch-22 they experienced in trying to land online documentation jobs: how to get online jobs without online experience and how to get online experience without online jobs. Donna encouraged members to develop a customized plan for moving into a career as an online specialist. She encouraged individuals to attend seminars and workshops, national and local conferences, and to join a mentoring program. To build expertise in online documentation and a portfolio, Donna suggested spending one hour a day developing online documentation for an existing manual.
Donna concluded that online documentation is not for everyone. For those who are motivated by the challenges of online documentation, the move may be worth the investment in time and money. Online documentation specialists earn an estimated $10-15 more per hour than paper documentation specialists.
For more information on grooming yourself or your staff for online documentation, contact Donna at timpone@useredge.com.
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