From the President
October 2014
"Change your opinions, keep to your principles; change your leaves, keep intact your roots."
Victor Hugo
Change…
As you may be aware, the theme of this year's TechCommNZ conference is change. The implications of change for the types of work we do are enormous. The industries we work in are changing – new technology, new techniques – so it's hardly surprising that our work reflects this constant change – especially in the way that users access and consume the information products we create.
Changes in technology are possibly the most obvious – in 1988 my first computer was a 10MHz AST 80286. It had 2Mb of memory with a 40Mb hard-drive and a 14 inch (640x480 pixel) VGA monitor. It cost a staggering $5880. My choice of software was WordStar, although Word 1 for Windows became available the following year. A typical desktop computer today has a hard-drive around 20,000 times larger and a multi-core processor running at least 200 times faster – and it costs about $1500. Similarly, my first mobile phone was a 1993 Motorola "brick", connected to the Telecom AMPS network – a network that was shut down in 2007 – superseded by a digital network that supports today's mobile devices and provides direct Internet access. The Internet itself has responded to the burgeoning use of smartphones (over 60% of New Zealanders own a smartphone ) with many of today's websites providing responsive design – layout that adjusts automatically to the size of screen being used to view the site. How many of the users of the documentation you produce view it on a mobile device – a smartphone, tablet or e-reader? If you don't know, perhaps it's time to find out?
Responsiveness is also a keyword when it comes to development. If you create software documentation, you will almost certainly be involved in an agile team. Agile techniques, such as Scrum, are based on short development "sprints" that allow developers to respond to user feedback in a way that was never possible with traditional development techniques based on the waterfall model. However, creating documentation in an agile development environment presents a number of challenges for the technical communicator. Just in time learning is another technique that allows rapid response to changing requirements – this time in the area of training – how close are you to developing just in time documentation?
So, what can you do to keep abreast of developments in your areas of work? Well, first you need to find out what's going on in the industry and then consider how best to respond to it. Attending the TechCommNZ conference is a very good start on both those counts.
"Always remember that the future comes one day at a time."
Dean Acheson
And more change…
I will be standing down as President of TechCommNZ at the AGM, which will be held at the conference venue on the 13 th of October. I've been on the TechCommNZ committee continuously since 1999, first as website administrator then as Vice President from 2001 to 2011. There is never going to be an ideal time to step down, but over the past year, the level of support and input provided by the current TechCommNZ national committee has led me to believe that now is probably a very good time to make a move.
Emma Harding, in Christchurch, our current Vice President, has agreed to take over the role, and I ask that you support her as she works through a range of initiatives that are aimed at spreading the word about the value of technical communicators in organisations – today and tomorrow. I will continue to work with TechCommNZ to support these initiatives, but in a non-executive role.
Finally, I would like to thank members of the current TechCommNZ national committee for their hard work and commitment. Each has played a substantial part in developing TechCommNZ into what it is today. Roy McKone as our Business Manager (whose work on the current website has been very substantial and whose management of TechCommNZ accounts over the years has been exemplary); Emma Harding as committee member and VP for suggesting a number of key areas where we should focus our collaboration and marketing efforts; Peter Russell for his compendious knowledge of voluntary organisations and his minute-taking capabilities; Emily Cotlier in various roles including VP and more recently blog manager; Luke Pivac as honorary treasurer and committee member; Kaye Churches for her work as this year's conference coordinator – you've made it look so easy that you might need to do it again just to show it wasn't beginner's luck; Sarah Maclean for her work with the Wellington branch and plain English group; Peter Nock for his work as a committee member and Rhiannon Davies our communications coordinator.
And of course, best wishes and thanks to you all – TechCommNZ members – we look forward to your continued involvement and support.
Steve
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