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Now, I respect Mr. Plato and think he's got a pretty valid point about
the STC conference. But, in the interests of full disclosure, I do
recall Mr. Plato speaking at the Region 7 STC conference in 1999. I'm
afraid I missed his seminar (I was a dedicated full timer at the time).
Perhaps this was where he came to understand the full scale of the
STC's, uh, dodginess. Could this particular speaking engagement have
been where the balance shifted? Where Andrew, at the 37 minute mark,
realizes "what a second, what am I talking about? This is all just
bollocks!" Where he stood on the table, kicked aside the computer
projector and yelled "I'm mad as H-E-double-hockey-sticks and I'm not
going to take it anymore!" Where he tossed aside his PowerPoint
printouts and strode defiantly from the Doubletree Hotel, never to
return? Only he can say for sure.
The Art of Freelancing: The Paperwork Menace
Andrew Plato
Friday 10:30 AM
Doubletree Hotel: Glendale
Freelance consulting is an attractive employment alternative for many
technical communicators. However, the lure of good money and flexible
work times is not always the panacea it seems. Taxes, negotiations,
contracts, estimates, and insurance can turn a river of easy money into
a quagmire of expenses. One of the most important parts of bidding and
estimating freelance projects is getting past the paperwork to focus on
what really matters: making your clients happy. This discussion provides
honest, real-life experience in the art of estimating projects and
avoiding the pitfalls of red-tape. Topics include: how to scope a
projects, negotiating rates, insurance requirements, taxes, writing
contracts, and selling your skills to clients.
Thanks. DB.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: bounce-techwr-l-65243 -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
> [mailto:bounce-techwr-l-65243 -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com] On Behalf Of
> Andrew Plato
> Sent: 04 April 2002 08:54
> To: TECHWR-L
> Subject: HUMOR: STC Conference Time!
>
>
>
> WARNING: This message contains thermonuclear satire of STC
> using weapons grade hyperbole and irreverence. All readers
> will take appropriate measures to protect themselves from the
> intense blast of stupidity and dangerous fallout that results
> when detonating a message of this magnitude on TECHWR-L.
>
> Once again its time for the STC annual conference. And once
> again its a non-stop parade of one-off obsessions of the
> non-technical, non-communicator.
>
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