Contents
ISTC News
Announcing the launch of our new online digital platform
Earlier this month we announced the release of our new international online platform (article website), the International Journal of Technical Communication (IJTC). This website is the culmination of over a year of planning and collaboration with our technical communicator colleagues in the Australian Society for Technical Communication (ASTC) and the Technical Communicators Association of New Zealand (TechCommNZ) .
Key benefits of the new website:
- New content gets pushed to your email account – so you can read the articles on your mobile phone, while on the go, without needing to log in to a website. If you don’t want to receive email messages, you can switch off this functionality and read the articles online.
- International flavour – with contributors and readers from both Northern and Southern hemispheres.
- Features a range of online articles, book reviews, video and other types of content, organised by categories.
- Searchable content – for members looking for information on specific topics
- Members can post comments on articles and rate articles.
- Content is exclusive to members of the ISTC, ASTC and TechCommNZ. Only members of IJTC can view all the articles!
- Reflects the needs of our advertisers, who want to be able to advertise online and reach a wider audience.
This new website offers the benefit of a wider audience reach, a more international feel and flavour to the content, plus cost savings, as the website hosting and administration costs are shared between three member organisations.
What’s happening with Communicator?
There are no planned changes to Communicator for 2024-2025. Our members will continue to receive two printed copies in the post and four PDF copies per year to their email account of this award winning journal.
How is the IJTC run and managed?
We have appointed Mike Mee as our new IJTC editor and website administrator. Members can email the editor at: editor@ijtc.net but please direct subscriber queries to the ISTC email address below.
How to subscribe to the IJTC?
You will need to opt-in first, before we can add you as a subscriber. You can unsubscribe at any stage and switch off email comms if you prefer not to receive content via email.
Currently, out of the 340+ members of IJTC (as of 1st June 2024), ~40% is made up of ISTC members. Contact istc@istc.org.uk with your request to join IJTC.
IJTC Social Media links:
The IJTC can be contacted via the following, however, subscriber/access queries should be directed via the ISTC address above.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/IjtcDotNet
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ijtcdotnet/
UKTC Awards
Hurry! Hurry!
Entries are still open for 2024 through the ISTC website: Please note: the submission deadline is 30 June 2024. Please check here for details. Then fill out the entry form to nominate yourself, your team or someone else. Go on, you and your team deserve it! If you need any help with your online submission, contact us at istc@istc.org.uk.
Please note for the UK Technical Communication Awards 2024 we are retaining the established guidelines. The awards are open to any individual or team, whether employed, self-employed, contracting, volunteering, permanent, temporary, full-time, or part-time. We continue to encourage entries of all types, from traditional documentation to those demonstrating technical innovation.
Advertise in InfoPlus
Get your company or products noticed in the TechComms community! We are offering new opportunities for advertising in our monthly InfoPlus newsletter.
These adverts are banners to be positioned as you choose. Placement examples are included in this PDF, which also contains all the necessary steps and costs involved to place an advert in future editions of InfoPlus.
If you would like to advertise with us please contact Chantel Sankey – istc@istc.org.uk.
ISTC Community
Become more involved in the professional community through the ISTC Area Groups, join us online at one of our monthly ISTC Meets events, and find us on social media (links at bottom of page). Members also have access to the ISTC Discussion Forums (login required).
Area Groups
If you wish to start your own Area Group, contact istc@istc.org.uk.
Online meet-up with Cambridge Area Group
Open to anyone involved in communication from any location, the Cambridge Area Group hosts a regular, free Zoom meeting. It is the second Thursday of the month at 6pm for approximately 40 minutes. Contact cambridge_areagroup@istc.org.uk
for more information.
London Area Group
Dr Vladimir Izmalkov MISTC says that the Thursday 19th June will be the date for the next London Area Group meetup. The location is, by default, The Southbank Centre – Royal Festival Hall.
However, for any last-minute updates and coordination, there is a WhatsApp chat for the group.
What’s coming in Communicator
‘The Summer ’24 issue of Communicator touches upon Education and Training. You will find resources about how to best develop learning materials, the importance of content design, why constant training never gets old, and much more!
ISTC Meets
June 2024 Meet
Join us online each month, as we have a speaker offering a presentation on a topic related to technical communication, along with a chance to ask questions and join in a discussion about the topic – all in just one hour!
Tuesday 18th June 2024 @ 13:00 – A Fireside Chat with Rahel Anne Bailie.
Rahel Bailie shares wisdom from her decades of experience as a content strategist. If you have a question about how to use content to solve business problems and further organisational goals, or about the tools and processes that deliver greater automation and efficiency, send it to meets@istc.org.uk.
This session is suitable for anyone struggling to deliver complex multi-channel technical content, or who’s thinking ‘there must be a better way to do this…’
Click here to join in via Zoom.
Future Meets
July – 12th July 2024 @ 13:00 – Judith Fellowes – Tech writing and accessibility
For more information on all future ISTC Meets, please visit our website.
Social Media
Community Forums
The forums are available to all ISTC Members once you have logged into the ISTC website.
Having fun with AI?
For a series of articles I’m (Mike Mee) planning to put onto IJTC, I decided to have a play around with some of “not quite technical communication”-based AI tools. One such tool was Suno AI, which will generate a minute-long song and lyrics for you.
So “write me a song about technical authors in the style of the Blues” was entered and the following lyrics were generated.
Sittin’ at my desk
Words goin’ through my head
Tryna write some docs
But feelin’ lost instead
I’m a technical author
Tryna make sense of the code
But the words on the screen
They just overload
Feelin’ like a troubleshooter
Got my pen and my pad
Tryna explain the software
But it’s drivin’ me mad
I’m breakin’ it down
In a language they don’t see
But these tech terms and jargon
Ain’t nothin’ but a mystery
Every line I write
Tryna make it plain
But the complexity of systems
Drivin’ me insane
I’m spinnin’ in circles
Tryna find the right words
But these manuals I’m makin’
They’re like whisperin’ to herds.
And Adobe Firefly thought this was me about to perform the above…
It’s OK. You can stop scrolling now. It’s all over and done with … for this month’s issue at least 🙂
Upcoming Events
Evolution of Tech Comms
Would you like to expand and deepen your knowledge in the field of software documentation? Members of tekom and tekom Europe additionally benefit from a discounted price of 140 Euros for both days.
On 4th–5th, June 2024, our international expert speakers will cover topics such as
- GenAI
- ChatGPT
- Visual Design
- Cloud-native Docs
- Translation … and many more.
Evolution of TC is the ideal platform to exchange knowledge and grow your network – don’t miss the chance to be part of it!
Adobe DITAWorld
This is a free online event hosted by Adobe. It’s spread over 3 days and full of talks on all things DITA.
Tuesday, June 11th – Thursday 13th June 2024.
For more details, see the Adobe DITAWorld website.
ISTC Accredited Training Courses
Accredited courses have been reviewed by a professional panel of experienced ISTC members. A course listed as “ISTC Accredited” means that the panel believes the course meets its stated objectives and is suitable for its intended audience.
Course providers have to apply for renewal of accreditation every 2 years, which helps to ensure the courses reflect current best practice.
Armada
The Armada course (run over 5 days) is available either online or via an in-person classroom-based course. The next two dates are:
- Reading – Classroom-based & Online – 10th-14th June 2024.
- Bristol – Classroom-based & Online – 23rd-27th September 2024
There are also classses available at their Birmingham / Bromsgrove, Cardiff, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Nottingham and Sheffield Training Centres. These would need to be arranged upon request.
For further details, see www.armada.co.uk/course/tatp.
Cherryleaf
The Cherryleaf course is available online and can be booked for single tech comm people or as a group.
https://cherryleaf.teachable.com/p/technical-writer-induction-course
ESTON Technical/Commercial Authorship
This course run by Eston is online-only and is available any time. A discount is offered to ISTC members.
ESTON Technical/Commercial Authorship (Premier)
TCTrainNet – tekom Certificate training in Technical Communication
There are two accredited courses available from TCTrain and the dates they are run on are:
- Professional Course – June 24th 2024, September 23rd 2024 and November 18th 2024
- Expert Course – October 21st 2024
About InfoPlus
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