Resource Library

DocTrain West 2008 Slides

Conference slides and handouts from the local DocTrain West 2008 conference are now available here.

See slides on Simplified English, Wikis, RoboHelp 7, Single Sourcing, XML, DITA, Web 2.0 and a whole host of other topics.

Presentation: E-learning:The Basics and Beyond

Many technical writers are asked to create training materials while working in a technical or development department, and have to quickly adapt their technical writing skills to work within the structure of instructional design principles.

At the March STC Canada West Coast program meeting, Vicky Ryan demystified e-learning by explaining its core components, best practices, and through examples show how to create engaging and informative e-learning deliverables for audiences.

About our Speaker

Vicky Ryan is the Director of Interactive Production at Chalk Media. She graduated from Simon Fraser University. Her professional interests include creating online and blended training, developing e-learning strategy, content development, and instructional design. Her team was recently awarded the Brandon Hall Excellence in Learning Award for Custom e-Learning Content.

View Vicky’s presentation

XML in Practice

From the STC 2002 Region 7 Conference hosted by STC Canada West Coast.

XML_In_Practice.pdf (173 KB) and Sample_XML_Files.zip (ZIP 5 KB)
Insurance companies, manufacturers, government agencies, aerospace, hardware/software companies and more are among those most in need of a document management solution that is scalable, flexible and less expensive than the current systems in place. This presentation begins with the basics, building an XML document, validating it with a DTD, and transforming it with XSL. You also see how XML is being used today in a product designed to meet the document management requirements of a group of insurance companies. Supplied is a copy of all code samples used. After attending this presentation, attendees will know about the basic building blocks used by XML developers. You leave with a clear picture of how to use those technologies to build a scalable, flexible and relatively less expensive document management solution.

Dwight Baer, Front Runner Publishing Solutions Inc., Toronto, Ontario

Structured Writing—the First Step to Single Sourcing

From the STC 2002 Region 7 Conference hosted by STC Canada West Coast:

Whether simply publishing a manual in print and HTML, or building a complete knowledge management system, structured writing is key to the project’s success. In this session, a consultant specializing in structured documentation explains the benefits of structured writing, and leads you through the steps of implementing and using a structured writing approach.

Structured Writing Presentation

Inge Zegel, Technical Communications Consultant, Victoria, British Columbia

Presentation: Online Influence: What Blogs Mean to Your Business

Traditional business marketing and technical communication is changing. More ads, catchier slogans, louder television commercials, brighter colors… it’s all been done. Stop talking at consumers and start talking with them. Begin a conversation with them that encourages them to talk to others about your business or product. That’s what buzz marketing with blogs is all about: getting a conversation going between business and consumer.

See the attached materials from the Nov ‘05 program meeting STC West Coast held in conjunction with the Vancouver HTCE. The speaker was Susannah Gardner, the co-founder and creative director of Hop Studios Internet Consultants, a Web design company specializing in custom Web solutions for content publishers. Susannah is also a freelance writer and author; her latest book is “Buzz Marketing With Blogs for Dummies”. She is the co-author of “Dreamweaver MX 2004 for Dummies” and “Teach Yourself Visually: Dreamweaver MX 2004” - both from Wiley Publishing. She just completed “BitTorrent for Dummies,” available in October 2005.

Susannah’s weblog entry and presentation

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