NEW Hirst web site

All students:
Important professional opportunity, with a great deal for some lucky students. Check out this email from Tim Hammon, chair of the upcoming Professional Conference on Communication (PCOC) sponsored by the East Tennessee Chapter of the Society for Technical Communication (STC/ETC).

Hey Russ,

I wanted to ask you about potential student participation at PCOC. As you know, it'll be in Chattanooga (October 10-11). The student/retired rate for the conference is $197. But we know this might be pricey for students. The planning committee talked about it again and wondered if we should explore possibilities for making it affordable for some students with interest in the tech comm educational & career path.

Do you think there might be some upperclassmen or grad students (on whom it may have dawned that they'll need a job soon) who might want to share gas and a room and get FREE CONFERENCE REGISTRATION, in exchange for working our registration tables for a few hours a day? This would also count as professional service.

They wouldn't have to spend a lot on food either, since we'll be having an "all-day" snack aisle kind of thing going for the conference. Our hotel room price is $119 per night, which is pretty good for a conference, but not rock-bottom. Students might be able to find a slightly cheaper hotel room. Priceline-type prices.

What do you think?

Thanks,
Tim

PCOC announcement:
The East Tennessee Chapter of the Society for Technical Communication will host the 25th Practical Conference on Communication (PCOC) on Friday, Oct. 10 and Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008 at the Chattanoogan Hotel and conference center in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

PCOC is vital training for writers, editors, public relations and communications professionals, as well as anyone who wants to compete in a global economy. This year’s theme, Technical Communication in a Global Economy, echoes challenges currently faced by the Olympic athletes in Beijing. Similarly, communicators are encountering stronger, fiercer competition in their own arenas, making it more important than ever to develop new skills and incorporate better technology to keep us out in front.

The conference is designed to provide multi-disciplinary education through multi-track sessions that integrate perspectives, theory, practice and innovation.

Discover best-practices for translating documents cost-effectively
Get valuable tips about developing web content and design for different cultures
Learn how to successfully implement controlled English or content management to better prepare documents for translation
Find out how to work remotely or manage remote communications
Network with your peers, as well as with others from different professional groups from the southeast
Much, much more! Get the details – download the brochure.

Special keynote speakers include distinguished business professor from the University of Tennessee Chattanooga and global leadership expert Mark Mendenhall, PhD, and Kirk St. Amant, PhD, associate professor of technical and professional communication in the Department of English at East Carolina University.

To register for the conference or make hotel reservations, go to http://www.stc-etc.org/pcoc.asp. For more information, contact conference manager Tim Hammon at 865.218.2544.

466 students: Check out this Photoshop Tutorial offer. I've talked with a student using these tuoritals and she's found them to be pretty good.

All students:
Interview/networking opportunity. Email from former student made good:

Dr. Hirst,

A colleague and I will be on campus at the UT Career Fair on September 16. On the following day, we will hold interviews to screen potential candidates. If you have any promising technical writers who plan on graduating in the fall or spring of this year, please encourage them to stop by our booth.

Your students are welcome to send me a resume via email at this address in advance or bring one by the day of the career fair. Since UT has a dedicated technical communication program, I hope to fully promote our visit to your students. As the only Volunteer on staff in Charleston, I’d love to have more (non-Clemson) orange in South Carolina.

I’d be happy to drop in on one of your classes if you’d like. I f I can be of any assistance to your students, I’m happy to help.

Respectfully,
Lindsey

Lindsey Morrow Hamil
Honeywell Technology Solutions, Inc. (HTSI)
Office: 843-744-1221, ext. 275

Previous email from Lindsey:
Dr. Hirst,

Do you have any students who might be interested in technical writing careers in Charleston, SC? I now work for Honeywell Technology Solutions, Inc (HTSI). HTSI is a part of the Aerospace division of Honeywell, and we provide information assurance services for the government and military. We’re recruiting for several positions. The qualifications for these positions vary. However, all our openings require that an applicant be able to acquire and maintain a government security clearance and a Security+ certification.

If you have any students (graduate or undergraduate) with strong writing abilities, plus a background or interest in technology, please have them email their resumes to me at lindsey.hamil@honeywell.com.

I appreciate your assistance and hope you’re doing well. Thanks for your time.

Respectfully,
Lindsey Morrow Hamil
Honeywell Technology Solutions, Inc. (HTSI)
Office: 843-744-1221, ext. 275

All students:
English 460 and 466 will now meet as usual.

Useful web sites discovered by students last semester:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/539/01/
From Purdue’s online writing lab ("OWL"). Helpful hints on Active and Passive sentences.
Good supplement to Dr. Hirst's style units.

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/566/01/
Another link from Purdue’s OWL. Shows examples of correct punctuation. Near the bottom is
a section on quotation marks; helpful for the fiction papers.

http://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/creative/shortstory/index.html
A list of 10 tips for novice creative writers. Great information on how to set up your fiction paper.
Also tells how to create conflict, tension, etc.

http://xnet.rrc.mb.ca/leshanson/Writing_Resources.htm
Another link which will help you study for the final. The site has PowerPoint lessons on grammar.
It also has interactive exercises.

Hyphen vs. en dash vs. em dash.

Philosophies of style.