Blogit

For awhile now we’ve been hearing about social media and its potential effects on our industry, jobs, and job opportunities. If it’s all been sounding like cloudy, pie-in-the-sky kind of stuff to you and you want to see something concrete, here is some evidence.

This is a job ad I ran across in the web pages of a company that recruits for the localization industry. Take note: not all interesting tech comms opportunities show up in traditional tech comms places. If you’re looking, for a full-time job or the next interesting project, don’t limit yourself to information on our field alone. Check out what’s going on in related areas – localization, gaming, marketing, etc. You might find something that is right up your alley!

The ad (which by the way is for a job in Gibraltar) starts like this:

Our client is searching for a Senior Online Forum Expert (Finnish) to help this existing team. You will take direct responsibility for the online forum environment and function closely with the other departments to achieve company objectives and for large multi-division projects. You will take control of the direct management of the community in the forum and the compilation of a team of both voluntary and professional experts to answer poker-related questions. You will have exceptional knowledge of Forums, Chats and Online Communities in your native language...

Interested? The full ad can be seen here:

http://tbe.taleo.net/NA8/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=LARSENG11N&cws=6&rid=135

Board meeting May

Time: May 24, 2010, 17.30 – 18.30 (18.30 fall seminar planning meet)

Place: University of Tampere, Pinni B, languages dept. library (room B4086)

Present:
Mary Nurminen (chair)
Anu Sandqvist
Terhi Sipilä
Anne Karppinen (sec)
Tytti Suojanen
Hanna Utriainen

1. Action points

2. International cooperation
Update by Terhi of the TCeurope conference and meeting

o Good meeting – almost all delegates present. Only Swedish representative couldn’t make it due to the ash cloud, and the new Czech rep couldn’t come either.
o Lots of discussion on new member societies in TCeurope – process for applying for membership, supporting new member societies, etc.
o Tekom members are no longer able to join working groups as Tekom resigned from TCEurope.
o New machinery directive: info bulletin into the seminar about this!
o 04/2012 colloquium, also Netherlands bidding to arrange this, as well as Finland. We discussed when we’d need to know, and approximately one year beforehand.

o AP Hanna: To find out from Sami how to post to mailing list.
o AP seminar organizers: Hanna Risku gets Merit certificate in connection with the autumn seminar.
o AP Terhi: Info on the machinery directive to autumn seminar.

3. Local events

o Helsinki: local event + spring meeting + summer party. How many board members will be present? Road trip from Tampere?
o 16.6. Anu, Anne (?), Mary
o Vaasa: similar one to the one we had in Tampere? (Tytti) plans are for next spring

4. Summer party in Tampere too or just Helsinki?
o AP Anne: To reserve sauna at NSN premises => OK, sauna reserved 21.6. 16:30 onwards.

5. Näkymä

Terhi has put together a plan for publishing Näkymä
o Great!
o Terhi – content planner and owner, Hanna - layout
o Publish as PDF, send via email.
o Tytti to get the slides from Tampere local event.
o Hanna writes story on Helsinki local event.
o Other European societies introduced? Terhi checks
o Language: whatever the writer chooses
o 18.6. deadline for articles
o Call for papers for autumn seminar into Näkymä

6. Toimintakertomus 2009 and tilinpäätös

Should be ready in time.

7. Cooperation in Finland

Discussions on cooperation with KAJ and Specia => possibility to pool forces with the salary survey.

8. Any other business

Questionnaire put off until autumn.

Telephone conference
17:00-18:00

Action points: we had a very thorough run-through of action points 

International cooperation: we were scheduled to get an update from Terhi but since she was still trying to get back from the TCeurope colloquium due to the volcano ash, we had to put it off until the next board meeting.

Local events: The Tampere local event is scheduled for May 3. For Helsinki we are scheduling an event in June with the theme of developer documentation.

Cooperation in Finland: Representatives from Käännösalan asiantuntijat and Specia will come to Tampere and join us for lunch on May 19 to discuss possibilities for cooperation.

 Fall Seminar 10:  

• Need a head planner – since seminar is in Tampere, the head planner should be here too


• Timing – week 42, either Mon-Tues or Thurs-Fri


• Theme ideas yet?
  
  
  
  • Rich Media
  
  
  • Future of tech writing, in Finland and elsewhere
    
    
    
    • State of the industry
    
    
    • Elsi’s gradu: what will this job look like in 5 years
    
    
    • Get a freelancer to talk
    
    
    • Suvi researching competences
    
    
    • New competences needed with change from just text or just words to Rich Media
    
    
    • Tech writers as script writers
    
    
    • would allow us to get lots of speakers
    
    
    • Case studies from different companies
    
    
    • Good panel discussion!
    
    
    • Would need a sub theme which is more hard-core stuff of the stuff we do


• New tools and services


• Localisation and writing for loc
  
  
  
  • In suggestions from last year, have heard comments that it would be nice to have something on this.

 Any other business:  

• Summer party – aim for downtown location, see what kind of attendance we get


• Never had one in Helsinki, discuss it in spring and then end up having none. Have the local event be also summer party? Yep, let’s have the local event as a summer party too.

University premises
Starting at 17:40 -> 19:50

Action points from previous meeting: Anne creates a separate AP register.

1. Membership drive
1.1 Where to advertise/How to get new members:
- Tytti has sent a list of companies to Mladen and Noora
- AP everyone sends ideas to Mladen which companies to contact
- AP Mladen makes a list of companies and e-mail addresses
- AP Noora to write up the ad email to send to companies
- AP Mary informs Noora and Mladen

1.2 Co-marketing with Doctrina, AP Anne to ask Riitta about possibilities & potential contacts in companies.

1.3 Sponsors and giving prizes for people who get new members
Society registration instructions in web pages should contain a field for the sponsor name ("who recommended me"). AP Mary to get the field added. AP Anne to think of prizes for sponsors.

1.4 Visibility towards tech comm students
Give a talk to students abt STVY: Fall term is best timing. AP Mary to set up with Tytti.

1.5 Member benefits
=> not much on the website! Has to be remembered that the more people we have, the better we can serve our community.

Mary compiles a list based on memo of previous meeting and input from Board members / Tytti. Suggestions:
- workshops and conferences
-- hear about latest trends
-- make contacts and network
-- new tools and skills
-- learn about different aspects
- Access to members only area in website: job ads, library etc
- Participate in discussions: our website doesnt yet work as well as previous mailing list
- International cooperation, and knowledge of directives in EU

1.6 Ainaisjäsen hinta
- Principle suggested: 8 * yearly fee (200,- would be the fee based on 2010 member price)
- Can only be decided in fall meeting.

2. Meet more often
- At least write down and follow up AP:s better.
- Next meeting by phone: 22.4. 1700 hrs, Anne provides bridge
- Deadline for action points!

3. Training needs
- Find out if companies are willing to bring in tech comm trainers from abroad, could co-arrange an STVY thing at the same time.
- AP Mary creates questionnaire and perhaps Tytti sends the mail to ask?

4. International cooperation
- Tekom resigned from TCEurope
- New members, active new representants
- TCeurope conference in April
- We are thinking of organizing colloquim in Finland in 2012 (probably Helsinki as location?).

5. Cooperation in Finland
• Mail from Hanna Gorshelnik at Käännösalan asiantuntijat about
cooperation with them and Specia
- Talk about coop over lunch, AP Mary. 16.4.

6. Local events
6.1 Tampere: Current research in tech comms
-- Possible dates: 28.4., 3.5., 10.5.
-- Tytti checks with Vaasa, Oulu and Jyväskylä
-- Spring meeting in connection with that, but presentations first, meeting after (coffee and salty baked goods served)
-- university location

6.2 Helsinki: Vendor presentations?
-- AP Terhi talks with Hanna & Maria if smt could be pulled off.
-- How to get people to participate: Terhi has some contacts in Helsinki, Anne too

6.3 Summer party
-- Laura and Hanna to arrange, they promised :)

6.4 Informal local events: have a beer or two or just talk about what you do at work.

7. Question about advertising in our pages: AP Anne to define specifics (Talk to web page vendor)

8. Fall seminar '10
- Päänakittaja: AP Mary to send email on who'll be the nakittaja
- w. 42 is the autumn break (university premises available)
- Theme ideas: Embedded user assistance and Rich media

Present: Mary (Chair), Anne (Sec), Tytti, Terhi, Anu, Mladen

Place: HVT sauna premises

Time: 18:30 ->

1. International affairs
Terhi presented current status. TCEurope meeting coming up. Intecom: situation continues unclear. Proposal accepted to quit Intecom, since nothing seems to be happening. We can always rejoin later if something moves.

TCEurope Colloquim takes place in Paris, 16.4.

2. Local events: Helsinki in the making (Mladen & Hanna). Invite ideas from members on local events, and also where to have the local events. Tytti could contact Suvi on organizing something in Vaasa. Tytti also has an idea about organizing something around the people doing research in the field of tech comms (latter one in Tampere).

3. Membership: how to get more.
* Benefits of joining:
- Events
- Website (activate discussions)
- Networking with colleagues
* Membership increase campaigns:
- Asking our members to tell their colleagues, prize draw for whoever brings members. (Anne makes a suggestion, have to include how we get the person suggesting a new member)
- Best idea reward: how would you sell this to your friends.
- Presence in social media (linkedin, facebook, twitter?)
- Scout company sites (traditional industry type), Mladen gathers list (Kone, ABB, Wärtsilä, Nokian capacitors, Metso, Insta, Patria, also SW companies like Basware, Digia, Tieto...)
- Noora could have good ideas for this? (society intro mail to contact tradit industry)
- Anne to contact Riitta@Doctrina
- Also needed: a list of current members in a file

Location: Tampereen Yrittäjänaisten meeting facilities
Meeting started: 18:35

Present:
Anne Karppinen (sec)
Tytti Suojanen
Mary Nurminen(chair)
Terhi Sipilä
Mladen Zagorac
Nick Hill
Anu Sandqvist
Laura Katajisto
Salla Huttunen
Noora Nieminen

Selection of the society officials:
- Treasurer: Noora
- Secretary: Anne
- Webmaster: Hanna (Utriainen)
- International affairs: Terhi

As soon as new rules are in order, we need to discuss who the "actual" members are (there's a limit to the nbr of actual members). Currently as follows:
- Actuals: Anne, Mary, Tytti, Terhi, Hanna, Noora
- Deputies: Mladen, Anu

Communication principles:
- All comms thru the web site/discussion group
- Sign up for automated emails!
- minutes posted as blog entries (chair checks first)

Board meetings:
- Announced ~2 wks before
- 6 - 7 times a year, at least every 6 wks, urgent issues (voted) via email or discussion forum, skype/conf calls also possible
- once a year, meeting held somewhere else
- travel paid to board members

Quick whip up of development ideas (yellow notes):
* Division of responsibilities: people know what they need to do and do it independently > less work overall, everyone pitches in and helps
* High util rate of our new website & social media (more lively discussion on the web forum, engage members more)
* Fast and informal meetings, meet and discuss current issues
* Gather development ideas from general STVY public too
* Keep communications in order
* Get new members and activate old so that society becomes more relevant: engage local activity and participate in int'l activities (engage members also there)
* Structured and organized activities, no useless emails about choosing the place to meet
* Planned activities, no ad-hoccing

Key focus areas for 1020:

1. Membership
- members list up-to-dated and put into shape (important also from TC Europe membership fee point of view)
- membership drive: advertisement, benefits for members
- comarketing with Doctrina

2. Breaking down silos
- reach out to AMK, universities
- local activities (Laura and Salla promised to arrange), perhaps even SIG type of activity
- reach out to traditional industry, coop with translation society (Nick and Tytti have contacts)
- also developer documentation - Nick?

Our more-or-less annual Fall Seminar was held last week and was quite a success.

To celebrate our 10th annual seminar, we single-sourced the theme and reused the one from the very first seminar in 1999: The End User. According to feedback we received, this theme was very favorable.

Attendance for the seminar was down 20% from previous years and about 80 participants were present. This dip was anticipated by the planning committee and, according to keynote speaker Bogo Vatovec, it is a good showing in these economic times. There have been conferences showing a 50% dip in attendance.

I would like to extend my thanks to all attendees for their active participation and very good questions in each session. A conference can be good if there are good speakers, but only the active participation of the attendees makes a conference great.

I would also like to thank the planning committee - a group of creative, hard-working and fun-to-work-with people:

• Anne Karppinen
• Laura Katajisto
• Elsi Kervinen
• Salla Koivisto
• Noora Nieminen
• Anu Sandqvist
• Terhi Sipilä
• Tytti Suojanen
• Hanna Utriainen

It was very nice to get some new people involved in planning this year. New faces and new ideas are welcome and necessary to continue to provide quality themes and seminars in the future.

Work will start on the planning of next year's seminar in the next few months. If you are interested in joining the committee, let me know!

Mary Nurminen, head of seminar 09 planning committee

The deadline for registering for the fall seminar 09 has been extended until Monday October 12.

Participation this year is challenging for many of us, with companies’ focus being on many other things than training. For some of us, this means attending the seminar on our own time and budgets, maybe for the first time.

On the other hand, it is exactly times like these that make you realize the importance of investing in yourself and your own development. Taking the time to focus on that, get a broader view of the industry, and network with important contacts is a very wise use of your time and energy, and an investment that could pay back in the long run.

These are the reasons the seminar planning committee decided to tailor this year’s seminar to the times. We did that by lowering the price, shortening the seminar to 1.5 days, and adding a focus on personal development as a side theme.

One of the most exciting things on offer is a workshop sponsored by 2 of the biggest professional unions of our industry, KAJ and Specia. The target group of the workshop is anyone who is interested in actively nurturing their personal career, no matter if they are currently looking for a new job or not. The workshop, called Oman uran navigointi, will be conducted by a professional career coach, and note that it is in Finnish. More information here: Syysseminaari 2009: Uranavigointi-työpaja

Participation in the workshop is covered in the seminar fee, making this a good opportunity to maximise your investment. There are still spots available so act fast!

Registration: http://www.stvy.fi/node/211

Seminar organising committee

Seminaarikutsu medioille STVY:n Syysseminaariin 19.-20.10.2009 Tarunomainen loppukäyttäjä

Suomen teknisen viestinnän yhdistys järjestää Tampereen yliopistossa seminaarin yhteistyössä yliopiston Kieli- ja käännöstieteiden laitoksen kanssa. Seminaarissa käsitellään teknisen viestinnän haasteita käyttäjien ja käytettävyyden näkökulmista. Seminaariin sisältyy Kääntäjien ammattijärjestön ja Akavan erityisalojen Specian uranavigointityöpaja.

Valtaosa Suomen teknisen viestinnän ammattilaisista työskentelee it-alalla, erityisesti langattoman viestinnän aloilla. Viime vuosina yritykset ovat ulkoistaneet teknisiä viestijöitä säästösyistä ja keskittyäkseen ydinosaamiseensa, joten erilaiset palveluyritykset ovat myös huomattavia työnantajia. Teknologian osuus jokapäiväisessä elämässämme kasvaa jatkuvasti. Tarvitaan ammattilaisia, jotka tutustuvat tuotteeseen tavallisen käyttäjän näkökulmasta. He osaavat kertoa selkeästi ja käyttäjiä ajatellen, miten kyseistä teknologiaa käytetään hyödyllisimmin.

Mitä on tekninen viestintä?
Me kaikki käytämme erilaisia monimutkaisia laitteita lähes päivittäin niin kotonamme kuin työssämme. Jotta voisimme käyttää näitä laitteita tehokkaasti ja turvallisesti, tarvitsemme tietoa niiden ominaisuuksista ja toiminnoista. Parhaassa tapauksessa käyttöohjeet on kirjoittanut ja informaation tuottanut koulutettu asiantuntija: tekninen viestijä. Tekninen viestintä on käyttäjille tarkoitetun informaation suunnittelemista ja tuottamista. Informaatiota voidaan tuottaa hyvinkin erilaisille tuotteille. Työn alla voi olla niin yksittäinen tietokoneelle asennettava sovellus kuin vaikkapa lentokoneen suihkumoottori. Tuotetun informaation muoto voi olla esimerkiksi käyttöopas, FAQ eli useimmin kysytyt kysymykset, tutoriaali, online-avuste kuten ohje tietokoneohjelmissa, www-sivuilla tai puhelimissa, laitekuvaus tai varaosalista.

Ilmoittautuminen ja lisätietoja: Syysseminaarikomitean puheenjohtaja Mary Nurminen, 040-300 4460, mary.nurminen@lionbridge.com ja Suomen teknisen viestinnän yhdistyksen puheenjohtaja Laura Katajisto, 050-359 8305, laurakatajisto@kolumbus.fi