Category Archives: technology

Is TechComm Art? Yes!

What does technical communication have in common with art? A lot, but do they go hand-in-hand like two peas in a pod or like peanut butter and jelly?

Is it art or technical communication?

Is it art or technical communication?

In the article, “Resolved: Technical Communication IS Art,” co-written with Wanda Phillips and published by TechWhirl, we argue that technical communication is an art. While these thoughts are, admittedly, positive and forward-thinking, we reinforce the idea that technical communication is a unique and dynamic art with historical and everyday examples.

In contrast to Yehoshua Paul’s article, “Resolved: Technical Communication is NOT art,” from the previous week that our profession is not an art, both Wanda and I share our own opinions that we believe technical communication is an art. While our line of work may not make it to the museum, it still is art.

Painting at the Philadelphia Museum of Art

Will TechComm make it as a display piece?

What was really neat about our article was we originally wrote our pieces separately and had the awesome task of merging it together as one uniform article. The result was a conversation piece between me and Wanda about how we believe TechComm combines together a variety of arts, such as graphics, visual and document design, content strategy, etc.

This article and many more are found at TechWhirl.com.

LavaCon 2012 Recap

Having returned from LavaCon Conference on Content Strategies and Digital Media, I feel much more confident within the field of technical communication. I have a list of colleagues I need to connect with after the conference and reconnect with others I saw too!

It is always a pleasure to meet up with conference attendees and this was the second time attending LavaCon. I have met most of my colleagues from previous STC Summits and it’s awesome that I get to see them twice a year.

Keep Calm and Back Up

Keep Calm and Back Up Slide – Photo by David Caruso

At this conference, I presented during the lightning talk session along with Kit Brown-Hoekstra, Brenda Huettner, and David Caruso. We each presented on a variety of inspirational topics about our field. Usually during a lightning talk, we each speak for 10 minutes with 20 slides that auto-advance every 30 seconds. We had enough time in our session to add a “ninja talk,” which follows the same format, except the presenter does not have access to the slides in advance to prepare for their talk. David Caruso was the lucky presenter to speak about “The Art of the Lightning Talk,” which Rachel Houghton recorded the presentation.

In addition to the conference, I enjoyed Adobe Day as well as the pre-conference workshop session on change management. Many thanks go out to my colleagues who I met at LavaCon. I greatly appreciate the help and advice they provided while socializing with them between sessions.

I also want to thank Jack Molisani, the Executive Director of the LavaCon Conference for opening up new opportunities in the technical communication field. The experience at LavaCon is rather unique due to his awesome conference hotel location choice; amazing food options and entertainment; and fantastic selection of professionals he invites to present during this conference.

Among my adventures in Portland, here are some numbers

  • Stayed in Portland for 5 days
  • Ate 3 Voodoo Doughnuts (yum!)
  • Visited Powell’s City of Books, which contain over 1 million volumes
  • Spent $10 to enjoy the Internet access for about 5 hours on Southwest Airlines (you have no idea how awesome internet is on a plane).
  • Walked over 10 miles in one day

Be sure to read coverage of LavaCon on TechWhirl Online Magazine for Tech Writers, follow #LavaCon as well as @LavaCon, and attend LavaCon next year!

See you in Portland!

Over the next few days, I will be attending the LavaCon Conference on Digital Media and Content Strategies in Portland, Oregon. Also, I will be presenting a lightning talk during the event. I look forward to meeting my colleagues and forging new connections. This will mark the second time attending LavaCon.

LavaCon Conference Session

LavaCon Conference Session

My lightning talk will be about avoiding social media and electronic meltdowns. Lightning talks usually consist of five to ten minutes of fame…or flame in which presenters present as much information on an edgy or trendy topic, coupled with the pressure of automatic advancing slides. I look forward to presenting alongside well-known technical communication colleagues.

The best way to find me during the conference will be via Twitter (@RogerRenteria) or text message.

Be sure to follow the Twitter tag #LavaCon as well as read coverage on TechWhirl.com.

I will have more info on my presentation and conference details over the weekend.