Prior Event Summaries
Use the links below to jump to the specific section on this page where a particular year’s worth of events resides. Each event link opens a summary page, and most include the details, as well as presentation and handout downloads.
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 (Current)January 2012
January 23 - “Liquid Information: Create Content Once and Reuse It in Many Ways with Dozuki” with Bruce Klickstein, VP of Business Development at Dozuki.com
February 2012
February 27 - “Writing for Professionals: Choosing the Best Style for Your Content, Context, and Audience” with Elizabeth McGregor, writer and principal of FineLinesWriting.com
March 2012
March 26 - “Seven Ways to Use Information Design to Create Remarkable User Experiences” with Adele Sommers, Ph.D., president of Business Performance Inc.
April 2012
April 23 - “Is Creative Writing the Technical Writer's Playground?” with Leonard Carpenter, Anne Schroeder, Tony Piazza, and Susan Tuttle, members of the SLO NightWriters
May 2012
May 21 - “Collaborative Commerce: Tools, Tips, and Takeaways from an Empowering Economic Trend” with Delia Horwitz and Paula Vigneault, authors of “Collaboration Soup”
June 2012
June 25 - “Three Ways to Use Virtual Collaboration to Grow Your Business and Optimize Productivity” with Erin Hoffman, principal of OptimumProductivity.com
January 2011
January 24 - “How to Differentiate Your Product, Your Services, and Yourself in Ways the Customer Cares About” with Dr. Tom Sant
February 2011
February 28 - “How to Analyze Your Web Site to See Which Changes Increase Buying Decisions” with Jeremy LaDuque and Michael Boyer of ELEMENTS, San Luis Obispo
March 2011
March 28 - “How to Survive and Thrive as an Independent Professional in Today's Economy,” a roundtable discussion format
April 2011
April 25 - “How to Manage Your Projects without Really Trying,” with Susan Pittaway, PMP, past Director of SLO's PMI chapter; and Adele Sommers, Ph.D.
May 2011
May 23 - “Strengths QuickStart Clinic: How Solo Professionals and Team Members Can Reduce Stress and Increase Results by Maximizing Their Strengths,” with Jim Seybert, Certified Strengths Trainer
June 2011
June 27 - “How to Get Financially FIT and Use Strategic Partners to Increase Your Business & Theirs” with Melinda Thomas, CFP of FIT Financial, LLC
July, August, & September 2011
Summer break -- no meetings.
October 2011
October 24 - “What Information Creators Need to Know about Designing Content for Mobile Devices” with Randy Scovil and Lana Rausch
November/December 2011
November 28 - “How to Use Video to Market Yourself and Enhance Your Content (& DIY Production Tips)” with Leslie Carol of Flying Colours Media
January 2010
January 25 - “Best Practices for Translating Techno-Geek, Corporate-Speak, Marketing Hype, and Academese into Plain English” with Dr. Tom Sant
February 2010
February 22 - “Best Practices for Explaining Software Programs -- Trends, Tools, and Technologies”with Joe Welinske
March 2010
March 29 - “Best Practices for Using Portfolios to Take Command of Client Meetings or Ace Your Next Job Interview” with Jack Molisani
April 2010
April 26 - “How to Write Service Manuals that Empower People” with Kyle Wiens
May 2010
May 24 - “Using Systems Thinking: Take Your Personal and Professional Results to the Next Level” with Lori Steed
June 2010
June 28 - “Go Gaga Over Google” with Ted Lester
October 2010
October 25 - “Go Gaga Over Google, Part 2” with Ted Lester
November/December 2010
November 29 - “Tips on Testing Your Web Site to Make Sure It's Easy to Use” with Megan Farrell of Experts Exchange
January 2009
January 26th - “Proposing to Win: How to Write a Winning Business Proposal”
June 2009
February 23rd - “Video Production in the 21st Century: New Opportunities for the Independent Producer”
March 2009
March 23rd - “How Can Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Social Bookmarking Boost Profits?”
April 2009
April 20th - “How to Position Yourself as an Expert by Writing a Book”
May 2009
May 18th - “Cooperative Collaboration: The Virtual Team Approach”
June 2009
June 22nd - “The Art, Science, and Story of PowerPoint Presentation Design”
October 2009
October 26 - “Emerging Trends in Our Local Business and Nonprofit Communities”
November/December 2009
November 30 - “Best Practices for Turning Web Content into Search Engine Snack Food”
January 2008
January 28th - “Web 2.0 for the SLO Professional: Innovative Solutions Using New Social Media (Part 1)”
February 2008
February 25th - “Web 2.0 for the SLO Professional: Innovative Solutions Using New Social Media (Part 2)”
March 2008
March 24th - “Web 2.0 for the SLO Professional (Part 3): Shared Applications and Architecture”
April 2008
April 28th - “Web 2.0 for the SLO Professional (Part 4): Focus on Mashups and Wikis”
May 2008
May 19th - “SLO STC Business & Professional Fair: Achieving Action through Understanding”
June 2008
June 23rd - “Fourth Annual Summer Networking Dinner Meeting”
October 2008
October 27 - “Electrons, the Law, and You”
November/December 2008
December 1st - “Written Communication for the Attention Age: Five Ways to Add Impact to Your Writing”
January 2007
January 29th - SLO STC meeting - “Tips for Negotiating Contract Provisions for Independent Contractors, Employees, and Employers”
February 2007
February 26th - “Designing High-Impact, Low-Bandwidth Messages to Help People Act Quickly”
March/April 2007
April 2nd - “The 2006 PolyHouse Project,” co-hosted with the SLO region of the Project Management Institute (PMI)
April 30th - “Using Newsletters as Communication & Marketing Tools”
May 2007
May 21st - “SLO STC Business and Professional Fair: Achieving Action through Understanding”
June 2007
June 25th - “Third Annual Summer Networking Dinner Meeting”
September 2007
September 24 - SLO STC Annual Planning Meeting at KCBXnet.
October 2007
October 22 - “Document Design on a Dime: How to Tame Your Unruly Avalanche of Information with Cost-Effective Planning and Publishing Techniques”
November/December 2007
November 26 - “Editing & Indexing for High-Impact Publications”
January 2006
January 30 - “How to Create and Market Your Own Digital Information Products”
February 2006
February 27th - “Information Authoring: Applications, Features, and Futures”
March 2006
March 27th - “The PolyHouse Project: An Inside Look at a 10-Week Total Transformation”
April 2006
April 24th - “Share & Compare Notes & Ideas: Instructional Design, e-Learning, and Flash Revisited”
May 2006
May 22nd - “Using the Power of Congruency to Bring More Value to Your Business Communications”
June 2006
June 26th - “Second Annual Summer Networking Dinner Meeting,” 6:00 p.m.
September 2006
September 24 (Sunday) - SLO STC Annual Planning Potluck on the Cal Poly campus, noon to 3:00-ish.
October 2006
October 30 - “Introduction to Videoblogging”
November/December 2006
November 27 - “Turning Your Technical Know-How into Entrepreneurial Success”
January 2005
January 31st - SLO STC meeting - “How to Publish, Price, and Market Your Own Work”
February 2005
February 28th - “Create Once and Deliver Many: An Overview of XML and Content Management”
March 2005
March 28th - “Share and Compare Notes & Ideas: Using Video in Information Design”
April 2005
April 25th - “Quick, Cheap, and Easy Ways to Conduct Effective Usability Testing”
May 2005
May 23rd - “Using Focus Groups in Technical Communication”
June 2005
June 27th - “Summer Networking Dinner Meeting,” 6:00 p.m. (Imperial China restaurant, SLO). RSVP required; please see “Next Chapter Event” for details.
September 2005
September 25 (Sunday) - SLO STC Member appreciation potluck and annual planning meeting
October 2005
October 24 - “Industry Night on the Central Coast”
November 2005
November 7 - Open House at Cal Poly: Technical Communication Portfolio Display and a tour of the amazing “Lumiere Ghosting Project”
December 2005
December 5 - “A Crash Course in Flash and Principles of e-Learning
January 2004
January
26th - SLO
STC meeting “Share
and Compare Notes and Ideas: Tools & Techniques for Estimating Projects”
February 2004
February 23rd - “Careers in Web Technology”
March 2004
March 22 - “Entrepreneuring on the Central Coast: How to Survive and Thrive on a Start-up Team”
April 2004
April 26 - “Marketing and Negotiating Contract Services”
May 2004
May 24 - “A Live RoboHelp X5 Demo from Macromedia: Help Authoring Tools Are Not Just for Creating Help”
June 2004
June 28 - “Secrets for Making Silicon Valley Professional Opportunities Work for You on the Central Coast”
September 2004
September 26 (Sunday) - SLO STC Member appreciation potluck and annual planning meeting
October 2004
October 25 - “Professional Liability, Intellectual Property, and Other Hot Legal Issues”
November 2004
November 15 - “Designing Web Sites for Accessibility”
December 2004
December 13 - “Share and Compare Notes & Ideas: Paper Prototypes, Storyboards, and Mockups”
January – February 2003
A two-part SLO STC series: “2003 Career Kickoff”
1)
January 27th “Personal
Marketing & Creative Approaches to Finding Work”
2) February 24th “Self
Employment -- A Reason For Setting the Alarm Clock or Do I Really Work at
Nothing All Day?”
March 2003
April 2003
April 28th (regular meeting) - “Technical Illustration and Animation Strut Their Stuff: Visual and Media Design Principles We Can All Apply”
May 2003
May 31st - “Secrets of Successful Project Management,” a half-day Saturday workshop, 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., designed for nonprofits, for-profits, and technical professionals.
June 2003
June 23rd - “Visual and Media Design (Part 2): Marketing, Managing, and More”
August 2003
August 25th, 6:00 p.m. - “What Are We Working On Now? Share & Compare Notes & Ideas”
September 2003
September 29th - “Six Show-stopping Mistakes You Can Easily Avoid When Developing Content for Global Consumption”
October 2003
October 27th - “Beyond Information Engineering: An Introduction to Total Customer Experience Design”
November 2003
November 17th - “Professional Association Networking Night”
December 2003
December 15th - “Spotlight on the Cal Poly Center for Usability Design, Testing, and Evaluation”
October – December 2002
A three-part Fall SLO STC series: “Solving Information Challenges in the Workplace”
1)
October 28th “Giving
Customers What They Want -- Self-Service via the Web”
2) November 18th “Keys
to Managing Successful Information-Based Projects”
3) December 16th “If
You Build It, Can They Use It? Ensuring the Usability of Interface Designs”