See on Scoop.it – M-learning, E-Learning, and Technical Communications
Here’s my fourth entry in the series of “A First Timer’s Summit: Packing Heat–Where’s Rick Steves When You Need Him?” I discuss my thoughts about what to pack for my trip to the 2013 STC Summit–just a little more than a month away now!
See on notebook.stc.org
See on Scoop.it – M-learning, E-Learning, and Technical Communications
There’s that one guy who commuted seven hours a day and claimed to love it. But for most people, the daily commute is something we dread. The average commute time in America is 25 minutes, per the Census Bureau (with great variation by region).
This is a great follow-up to my post titled, “Should I Stay or Should I Go Now? (Not a tribute to the Clash).” Thanks to @BillCush for posting this on Twitter. I did have a commute just a mile and a half from my house at one point. It was the next best commute I ever had (the best being my current commute, which is working from home). I would have no problem moving to be closer to a company if a) buying and selling a house in this area was easy to do–we know it’s not, and b) if, for my personal circumstances, we could be assured that there was a special needs program or school that would appropriately accommodate my son’s needs. That’s what holds us back now.
But this is what perhaps Marissa Meyer at Yahoo!–and other employers–should consider. They need to make relocation more practical and accessible, and be in more accessible locations. From where I live–between NYC and Philadelphia, so many people drive more than the average 25 minutes to work. I think 25-30 minutes is reasonable, but others will drive easily two to three times that amount around here. I remember the average commute in Washington, DC could easily be 1-2 hours, and that was considered relatively “normal”. That’s ridiculous, if you really think about it. We live in a time of great technology, and there are social tools we can use. We need to find the right balance between being either very close to work, or allowing for more work-at-home situations.
–techcommgeekmom
See on www.fastcompany.com
See on Scoop.it – M-learning, E-Learning, and Technical Communications
Blogging is worth it. I love it, but I write from experience today, meaning that yes, I violated many of my own rules when I started blogging. Still, why do you need to blunder through when so many…
@DarinLHammond has written a fantastic article that is a appropriate follow-up to TechCommGeekMom’s Guide to How to Write a Blog Post. As I read it, I found that many of these things are steps that I did on my own, so it’s always great to have your own actions validated. There are even a few I need to follow-up on. This is definitely a must-read to any would-be bloggers.
–techcommgeekmom
See on www.zipminis.com
One of my former professors recently asked me for a small favor. Her first-year students are writing up blog posts after attending a plain language presentation, and she asked if I could provide some tips for how to write a great blog post, in light of the work I’ve done with this blog. Of course, I said I’d be happy to oblige.
Of course, that meant I actually had to come up with some actual tips! After some careful consideration, I think there are a few key elements I’ve found that make a blog posting successful.
First, it’s all about the mind set. I don’t think many people necessarily know what they want to say, or think of themselves as “bloggers.” So, the primary step is to have the right attitude. My blog post titled, “I’m not a writer. Wait…you say…I AM?” outlines this concept. As I said in that post, I never thought of myself as a writer until very recently, and in some instances, I still don’t. It’s all about the attitude and the right mind-set of having to write.
Second, I would simply say to write from the heart, and don’t be afraid to speak your mind. Use the blog post as if it’s a one-sided conversation with someone else out there on the Internet. You might not know who your audience is, but that audience is out there! I would know–this blog just passed the 9100 all-time hits mark at this writing, and it’s still counting towards that 10,000 hits mark! (Remember, this blog started out as a combination of a grad school project and a whim a year ago. I never expected anyone to read it at all!) It’s important to have an opinion when writing these posts. If you thought that the presentation was boring, you should say so, and say why. If you liked it, then say so, and why. People are attracted to blogs because of the opinions of the writer. It applies in social media too, if you think about it. Why do we follow certain people on Twitter, Facebook or Google+? Because there is something about the point of view of a particular person or group that you find interesting, entertaining, or informative. The same thing applies to blogs, which is really a long-form extension of Tweeting, if you ask me. 😉
Third, make sure that if you don’t have all the facts, admit to not having all the facts. It’s okay if you aren’t the world’s foremost authority on a topic, but supply support or backup for what you do know when you can. For example, if there’s a link to a recording of the presentation you saw, include it in the blog post, so other people can listen, then read your interpretation. If possible, include a small image (like the one I have above) that helps to visually set the tone as well. I rarely leave out an image, and if I do, it’s because it’s related to curated content that doesn’t have an appropriate image to post.
Fourth, even though you have an opinion and you’ve presented your facts, don’t write unprofessionally. What I mean by that is don’t use profanity or be offensive, and make sure your grammar and formatting is as correct as you can make it. Your blog is just like a portfolio or the clothes you wear. It is a reflection of you, and you want to present yourself in the best light possible, even if you are speaking about something controversial. I know I’ve written about controversial topics in the past, but I would try to provide my point of view as clearly as possible, with as much supporting evidence as I could provide. You don’t need to be über formal, but you have to respect your reader’s intelligence. If you do this, he or she will respect you in return, even if the reader has an opposing point of view, and will continue to visit your blog.
Lastly, edit, edit, edit! Even as I’ve written this post, I’ve reviewed it, and proofread, and re-written several sections multiple times. It’s like any other writing process. Nobody nails the perfect post on the first try. There have even been times where I’ve written the post, saved the draft, and walked away for a while to come back with new insight or a fresh eye to tweak it some more.
I think this covers the basics of how to write a great blog post. Be yourself, present yourself in the best light as you write your words, and have fun with it! This is what has worked for me, and hopefully it can work for you, too. You might be surprised by the response you get as a result.
(Good luck, PTC 601 students!)
Last week, I had the privilege of doing my first professional presentation as a fully-fledged technical communicator. The STC-Philly Metro Chapter (STC-PMC) had its annual STC Mid-Atlantic Technical Conference, and the theme this year was, “Sharpening Your Personal Brand.” Let’s face it–if anyone has figured that out over the past year, that’s been me! The STC-PMC was gracious enough to accept my proposal for this conference, and I truly appreciated the opportunity.
The presentation I made was based on my blog post, “What Did You Do To Get That Tech Comm Job?” that I posted here a few months ago, after I accepted my current position. I added some additional information that I hope will be helpful in this SlideShare presentation. Of course, you miss out on the anecdotal information in the process, but you get the main idea here. When you get to the slide that says, “Mobile Learning Revolution”, go to this page instead. I put the Prezi presentation without the voiceover into these slides, which was based on a social media project I did last year, but this link provides the basic voiceover that I did for that section. The idea was that this is a template for how to become immersed in a particular culture in order to get involved via social media. For me, it was m-learning that I pursued, but my rules apply to any topic. This is just an example.
I was really proud of myself in this respect as well–I presented my entire presentation from my iPad. While other presenters had their laptop computers out, I just connected my iPad to the A/V system in the presentation room using my A/V cable adapter for my iPad, and away I went! It did make it a lot smoother than using my laptop, and definitely lighter! I brought my big 17″ laptop with me, just in case my iPad didn’t work, but I now know I didn’t need it. Hooray! Another victory for mobile! 🙂 Maybe next time, I’ll see if I can present from my iPhone! 😛 I can confidently say that I practice what I preach about using mobile now.
All in all, it was a great experience, and I’d be glad to give the presentation again if someone asked. I met a lot of great people, including many who were Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook names and faces before the conference, as well as people who I hadn’t connected to before. One thing that helped ease my anxiety in giving my presentation was that the keynote speakers actually touched upon some of the same things as I did–and they’ve been doing this a lot longer than I have! I had to learn things the hard way (on my own). That helped me realize that I’m on the right track, and I’m always happy to share that information with other people.
So, without further ado, please enjoy my slideshow of my presentation below from last week!
TechCommGeekMom 
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