Category Archives: social

Quick Guide to Navigating STC 2012 Summit

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After attending four STC Conferences, I provide here some hints to maximize your conference experience. Enjoy!

Technology

Sign up for Twitter and follow #stc12, @stc_org, and @stc_summit
Join the Society for Technical Communication group on LinkedIn.
Install a Twitter app on your smart phone/tablet/laptop such as TweetDeck, Hootsuite, or Twitteriffic
Friend people and participate in Twitter/session discussions.
Sign up for STC’s Zerista Social Networking
More Social Media Info for STC: http://summit.stc.org/networking/social-media/

Sessions

Spend 20-30 minutes planning which sessions you will attend.
Select primary and secondary sessions for each hour, some session material may be available online at the Conference Website
Determine within the first 5-10 minutes if a session excites you; if not, go to your secondary session.
Ask questions at the end of the session.
Complete post-session speaker evaluation(s).

Networking

Spend about $30 for business cards from VistaPrint if you have none.
Hand out business cards to anyone you meet.
Write a note on the back of each person’s business card to remind you how you met them.
Bring paper and electronic copies of your resume. This may result in a job opportunity after the conference.

Break Times

Offer and/or accept invitations to dine with attendees. We don’t bite.
Visit the vendor floor, STC Central, and the bookstore
Attend evening events with attendees.
Share your professional experiences.

After the Conference

Continue networking via Twitter, LinkedIn, and e-mail.
Look for an e-mail during the summer announcing when Conference@Click is available.
Read the conference proceedings.
Plan for next year, and convince your company to pay for it!
Look for a for Call for Speakers via e-mail; maybe you can present next year.
Keep up with current trends—check STC Notebook, TechWhirl, and TechComm.

It’s your conference experience; make the most of it!

If you want to hang out during the conference, find me by Direct Messaging me on Twitter: @RogerRenteria.

Four Goals for Chicago STC 2012 Summit

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Flying Out

Hi everyone, I’m currently updating from nearly 40,000 ft and going nearly 570 mph. I have to say that technology is awesome! I was going to post this update last night, but everything caught up with me that I had to do it while in the air. This will be my fifth STC Summit Conference and certainly not my last. I continue to attend these conferences to seek new knowledge, meet awesome colleagues, and enjoy the conference cities.

This year I’m setting some goals I want to accomplish. I have a couple of hidden goals which I will share after this conference.

Below are my four goals for this conference:

Network more and more.

It never hurts to network more while at conferences. I think that is what is most valuable during the conference. From the first STC Summit I attended in Philadelphia in 2008 to the fourth one in Sacramento in 2011, I continue to meet new and awesome technical communicators along the way. I should include LavaCon 2011, which I networked very well. It also gave me a writing gig at TechWhirl.

Learn new trends in the field

What I love about attending conferences is that there is an unlimited treasure trove of knowledge in the field of technical communication. Whether it is a new way of doing business, a workshop, or a new technology, our field is always changing. From the beginning when I started technical communication as a freshman in college in 2004, I had no idea this field changes quickly. The academics are not fully catching up with the latest and greatest trends, but I hope that can change soon.

Take notes and use them

This time I’m going to take notes and post draft summaries. Some of my notes may make their way to TechWhirl in a form of an article. I think will enjoy learning as much as I did by writing about some of the sessions I attended. I really enjoyed taking notes and reporting about them. Perhaps this time I won’t be so afraid to post something I feel passionate about.

Enjoy the City

The issue I had the last few Summits I attended was that I focused too much on the sessions instead of the city. Perhaps because I was extremely interested in every topic that I wanted to get as much as I could out of the conference that I didn’t appreciate visiting the city. Also I played a major role in planning Summit trips when I was with my college. In fact, I am making it my personal effort to enjoy Chicago. This is why I’m heading out today, Friday, to enjoy some of the attractions and then enjoy the conference.

My Backpack

If you are interested in meeting me, follow me on Twitter @RogerRenteria and talk to me.

Also please visit my social networking profiles too

LinkedIn
Google+
Facebook

In any regard, find me around the conference, I carry a burnt orange Jansport backpack much like this one. I’m cheerful, knowledgeable, and you should find that I’m quite the social professional.