Contents
ISTC News
IJTC Update
Over 380 members have now subscribed to the International Journal of Technical Communication (IJTC) website.
We’ve had positive feedback, with users appreciating the experience of reading new content posted regularly to their mailbox, as well as the ability to search and browse this exclusive, member-only online resource.
Users also like having the ability to post comments on articles, as well as submitting their own for all other members to read.
If you haven’t yet signed up, please email istc@istc.org.uk or contact the IJTC Editor at editor@ijtc.net.
Advertise in InfoPlus
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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 below). Members (once logged in) also have access to the ISTC Discussion Forums.
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
Wednesday 24th July is the next London Area Group meetup.
The location is, by default, near the Royal Festival Hall at The Southbank Centre.
We can meet either inside (e.g. in the foyer) or outside (e.g. at the bench outside of the Foyles). Check the exact location in the WhatsApp chat for the group at the time of meeting as it’s decided in the moment, depending on the environment.
ISTC Meets
July 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!
Friday 12th July 2024 @ 13:00 – Judith Fellowes – Writing for Accessibility
Judith will share tips on creating accessible content from a user research perspective. She’ll then talk about persuasive tactics to encourage stakeholders towards greater inclusivity. There will be time for questions at the end.
This session is suitable for tech writers interested in how to make digital services that work for everyone in society.
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.
A bit of fun with AI
Courtesy of Microsoft’s Copilot, here’s a haiku about technical writing:
Code whispers softly,
Syntax blooms in lines of text,
Clarity unfolds.
I prefer the limerick it generated instead:
In the realm of manuals and guides,
Where clarity and brevity collide,
Technical writers toil,
Turning jargon to foil,
And make complex concepts subside.
Either are definitely worth printing on a A4 sheet on an AI-generated artsy background and would be perfect for your office setup. Or maybe even squeeze the haiku onto a laser-printed drinks coaster?
Ahem … Hello, is that the ISTC Branding & Merchandise Division … can I place an order …
Upcoming Events
As it’s the summer season, there’s not a great deal of conferences (in the UK, Europe or USA – although there was a UX one in Beijing) available to report on for this month, so I’ve collated a few useful articles that I’ve found and put them below.
Why would you hire a Technical Illustrator by Andy Smith. (We’ve also got another article of his on AI coming soon to IJTC)
The Good Docs Project is a series of open-source templates that will help technical authors generate software documentation. All the templates are stored in a separate Git Repository, which you can make a local clone of if you want.
Main website: https://www.thegooddocsproject.dev
Git Repository: https://gitlab.com/tgdp
ChatGPT prompts to for Job Seekers:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/chatgpt-prompts-job-search-muhammad-talha-khan-ft9wf
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 – 2nd-6th December 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 – September 23rd 2024 and November 18th 2024
- Expert Course – October 21st 2024
About InfoPlus
InfoPlus is your go-to source for staying informed about our profession, featuring news not only from the ISTC but also from across the technical communication community.
This complimentary newsletter is emailed to approximately 1500 individuals.
Subscribe to InfoPlus here, you can unsubscribe at any time from within the email sent out each month.
For advertising enquiries, contact istc@istc.org.uk.
Submitting content
If you have noteworthy information to share with your peers, please send it my way at newsletter.editor@istc.org.uk. We want to ensure that your news reaches as many people as possible.
Published and distributed on the first working day of each month, InfoPlus occasionally experiences slight delays until the first week of the month. Keep this in mind when submitting time-sensitive information.
Please get the information for the August 2024 edition to newsletter.editor@istc.org.uk by Monday 15th July 2024.
About our publishers
InfoPlus, the Monthly Newsletter from the Institute of Scientific and Technical Communicators (ISTC), is a valuable resource for the largest UK body representing scientific and technical communicators. Whether you are involved in technical writing, technical illustration, or other forms of communicating technical information, ISTC is the professional association dedicated to supporting your career.
Explore the benefits of ISTC membership and find out how to join.
Back Page
In the old PDF versions of InfoPlus, there was always a “fun” bit tucked away in the Back Page section. Here’s my first attempt and I warn you now, it’s awful!
“Did you hear Old MacDonald’s Farm is being run by artificial
intelligence?”
“AI?”
“AI.”
“Oh.”
I can hear the groans from here! If you’ve got better ones (it’s not going to be difficult), you can send them to newsletter.editor@istc.org.uk by Monday 15th July 2024. I’ll do my best to include the worst. They just have to be better than the above 🙂