Hi, I entered a project. I learned that you really have to consider the STC judges as your primary audience in order to have your documentation place well. And, I learned that judges will critique you on concepts they don't understand, such as the use of greyscale and color in a CMYK-to-offset press workflow. That is, judges are human, are tech writers with various levels of training and experience, and the judging can be as much about what the judges bring to the table as anything else.
I have judged twice. I got to work in a group reviewing, making editing passes, on documentation about subjects I was unfamiliar with. As a seasoned veteran of many documentation campaigns, I honestly didn't learn a lot, but I felt I brought some experience to the judging team. I expect less experienced technical writers will learn editing techniques and group dynamics. I did notice that it's difficult to hold one standard across all groups of judges in one chapter, and then next to impossible to hold a standard across the STC globally, such that projects that fare poorly at one location might fare better elsewhere, and vice-versa. In general, I think the competition is a good thing, if you do well you can enjoy the kudos and recognition, if you do poorly, it might not have been your fault, so don't despair, and, finally, don't do it if you are paying yourself (as I did), enter only if your employer is footing the bill <grin>. Is that what you are looking for? Cheers. -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Martinek, Carla Sent: Thursday, February 22, 2007 10:40 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [TCP] What did you learn when you participated in the STCcompetition? I'm working on a presentation for a local STC chapter meeting, and thought I'd throw this question out to all of you for some feedback. If you've competed in an STC (or other technical doc) competition in the past as a judge and/or a submitter, what did you learn from participating in the competition that helped you improve your documentation and/or your skills? Thanks, Carla - CONFIDENTIAL- This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential, and may also be legally privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, you may not review, use, copy, or distribute this message. If you receive this email in error, please notify the sender immediately by reply email and then delete this email. ______________________________________________ Author Help files and create printed documentation with Doc-To-Help. New release adds Team Authoring Support, enhanced Web-based help technology and PDF output. Learn more at www.doctohelp.com/tcp. DOCUMENTATION & TRAINING WEST 07: THE USER EXPERIENCE April 18-21, 2007 ~ Vancouver BC ~ Marriott Pinnacle ~ free city tour 40+ sessions * free workshops * free iPod offer * www.doctrain.com _______________________________________________ Technical Communication Professionals Post a message to the list: email [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, unsubscribe, archives, account options, list info: http://techcommpros.com/mailman/listinfo/tcp_techcommpros.com Subscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Need help? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] Get the TCP whole experience! http://www.techcommpros.com DISCLAIMER: Important Notice ************************************************* This e-mail may contain information that is confidential, privileged or otherwise protected from disclosure. If you are not an intended recipient of this e-mail, do not duplicate or redistribute it by any means. Please delete it and any attachments and notify the sender that you have received it in error. Unintended recipients are prohibited from taking action on the basis of information in this e-mail.E-mail messages may contain computer viruses or other defects, may not be accurately replicated on other systems, or may be intercepted, deleted or interfered with without the knowledge of the sender or the intended recipient. If you are not comfortable with the risks associated with e-mail messages, you may decide not to use e-mail to communicate with IPC. IPC reserves the right, to the extent and under circumstances permitted by applicable law, to retain, monitor and intercept e-mail messages to and from its systems. ______________________________________________ Author Help files and create printed documentation with Doc-To-Help. New release adds Team Authoring Support, enhanced Web-based help technology and PDF output. Learn more at www.doctohelp.com/tcp. DOCUMENTATION & TRAINING WEST 07: THE USER EXPERIENCE April 18-21, 2007 ~ Vancouver BC ~ Marriott Pinnacle ~ free city tour 40+ sessions * free workshops * free iPod offer * www.doctrain.com _______________________________________________ Technical Communication Professionals Post a message to the list: email [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, unsubscribe, archives, account options, list info: http://techcommpros.com/mailman/listinfo/tcp_techcommpros.com Subscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Need help? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] Get the TCP whole experience! http://www.techcommpros.com
