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In this posting, look for the following ...
* ANNOUNCE: Helplinker makes context-sensitivity easy & controllable
(NEW)
* ANNOUNCE: Building Modular Documentation (NEW)
* JOB: Junior Technical Writer in Stamford, CT (NEW)
* STORY: SnagIt gets a workout
* Online-Learning.com: What Do Students Say About Our Classes?
and at the end you'll find the concluding administrivia with
information about these ads and how to place your own.
ANNOUNCE: Helplinker makes context-sensitivity easy & controllable
Dear Technical Writer,
We're a team of contract technical writers who have often been
frustrated with the conventional methods of creating context-
sensitive links to our Help topics. These all involve some
reliance on other people to complete the linking process. Because
we don't have total control, we find ourselves unable to guarantee
the quality of our work.
We were convinced that there had to be a better way and we think
we've found it. The solution is an application called HelpLinker
that we've developed and which allows us to create our (HTML-, Win-
and Web-) Help systems with any authoring tool (RoboHelp, WebWorks,
DocToHelp, Author-It, etc.) we want, and then easily and accurately
link each topic to the correct window in the application. We can
immediately test the link to make sure it works correctly, too.
Both of these tasks can be completed by us, automatically, fast and
with no outside assistance.
Please send any feedback to: helplinker -at- scriptware -dot- nl -dot-
Kind regards,
Edwin van den Dungen
General Manager
Scriptware bv, tel : +31 (0)23 548 48 84
A new book on Single Sourcing has just been released by
William Andrew Publishing, written by Kurt Ament,
author of "Indexing: A Nuts-and-Bolts Guide for
Technical Writers."
This book is for technical writers and editors that want a
flexible framework for developing successful single-source
documentation. Technical publications managers who want to
standardize corporate publications to improve quality and
save time and money. Teachers and students who want to learn
successful single sourcing techniques that are actually used
in corporate environments. It shows technical writers how to
develop standalone information modules, then map these modules to
a variety of audiences and formats.
ISBN 0-8155-1491-3: Author - Ament: Price - $39.00
FactSet Research Systems Inc. is a major supplier of online
integrated financial and economic information to the
investment management and banking industries. We were
recently ranked #21 on Forbes' "200 Best Small Companies in
America" list. The Company was formed in 1978 and now
conducts operations from over a dozen locations worldwide.
We are currently seeking to hire a Junior Technical Writer
for our Stamford, CT location.
The Documentation and Client Communications group at FactSet
strives to make the user's experience with FactSet software
as easy and efficient as possible. This involves working
with product managers and engineers throughout the product
development process as well as with the sales and support
teams to determine the most useful documentation strategies.
Group members work both independently and in intra- and
inter-departmental teams to produce all of the online and
print communication necessary to keep clients informed
about FactSet services and enhancements. For members of the
Documentation department, this means getting involved with
a broad spectrum of projects, including Web-based online
help, printed manuals, and multimedia tutorials.
Group members are also responsible for developing FactSet's
client communication applications. This includes managing
FactSet's state-of-the-art knowledgebase and FactSet's
client messaging application.
Candidates for this entry-level Technical Communication
position at FactSet should possess solid writing and
editing experience and have the ability to present
information in a clear and creative manner. A high degree
of motivation, strong organization skills and attentiveness
to detail are essential as each writer has multiple projects
to work on. FactSet writers are in constant contact with
other departments within the firm so excellent interpersonal
skills are a must. An interest in finance, computers and
technology are required. Previous experience with desktop
publishing software or HTML authoring skills and Web
development experience are highly desired.
At FactSet, you will work with bright, energetic people in
a dynamic team environment. FactSet rewards hard work and
provides great opportunity for creativity, initiative, and
professional growth.
This is a full-time, on-site position; NO CONTRACTORS please.
To apply for this position, please email your resume and
salary requirements to Darlene Lacey at dlacey -at- factset -dot- com
or fax them to 203.863.5782.
Dan the technical writer strode purposefully into the office's new workout
room. He was currently running on the treadmill 30 minutes a day during
lunch.
As he started his run, the new engineer, Alicia, came in and began running
on the treadmill beside him. She smiled at him and said, "Your images
were great on the new user's guide. It must have taken you forever to
annotate them so perfectly!"
Wanting to revel in the compliment but also give due to his trustworthy
program, Dan puffed, "No - annotating images is easy when you use SnagIt."
He hurried to clear away her blank look by saying, "SnagIt is a screen
capture program that lets you take any area of the screen you see. You
can then annotate that image with arrows, text and callouts. You can even
create and save your own custom annotation objects. Anyway, then you have
a finished product that you can paste into the document or save as a
file." He gulped in air.
"Wow . . . I can think of lots of times when that would be useful - like
when I want to get images off the Internet, or when I need just a small
area of the screen. Can I send the images to other destinations? Can I
write on the images? Can I get an entire web page as one image?" she
asked.
Dan marveled that she wasn't out of breath. "Yes - why don't we eat
together after this and I'll tell you all about it?" he managed to say
before gasping.
She enthusiastically said that was a great idea, and they continued to run
in silence.
Dan's hip hurt and his lungs burned in his chest, but all he could hear
was the rhythm of his legs pounding out, "SnagIt WORKS. SnagIt WORKS.
SnagIt WORKS."
Online-Learning.com: What Do Students Say About Our Classes?
"The class is almost identical to a graduate level course I took
at a well known University in Boston, Massachusetts."
Lisa (Professional Online Help System Design)
Excellent materials and assignments! I also LOVE all the
graphics included in the course materials. The content was
clearly written and is a skillful distillation of the vast amount
of XML info. Yeah! Allison (Introduction to XML Authoring)
"I had a lot of fun taking the class, thanks in no small part to
your help and patience. I think this is the best time I've ever
had learning a new skillset. Thanks again for your support and
understanding during the last few months, I think you are
excellent at what you do. Richard (Professional XML Authoring)
Online-learning.com offers online courses for technical writers,
information designers and web authoring professionals.
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