CIDM e-newsletter Volume 4, Issue 8

CIDM e-newsletter
Volume 4, Issue 8
August 2004

A monthly e-newsletter from The Center for Information-Development Management (CIDM)
JoAnn T. Hackos, PhD, CIDM Director
http://www.infomanagementcenter.com

We hope you enjoy our HTML format!
If you would like to receive the CIDM e-newsletter in plain-text format, visit http://www.infomanagementcenter.com/enewsletter.shtml,
fill out the subscription form, and choose the plain-text format.

News & Events

CIDM Best Practices conference 2004— October 18–20, 2004

Read more about the conference and how you can register.

The Rare Bird Award—Applications due by September 14, 2004

The Rare Bird Award recognizes outstanding managers and/or team practices that make organizations more efficient and effective on behalf of their companies and customers. Learn more about the Rare Bird award and send in your application today.

Showcase poster presentation at the Best Practices conference

If you have a great idea for change or can demonstrate how a new idea has worked in your organization, propose a Showcase poster presentation. Find out more about the Showcase and how you can sign up.

IBM looks to improve Web usage for the visually impaired

Read more about this new tool developed by IBM.

Upcoming Workshops

The CIDM sponsors the following workshops:

Minimalism: Creating Manuals That People Can Use
JoAnn Hackos, PhD,
September 8–9
Roseville, MN

XML for Writers
October 5–6
Durham, NC

User and Task Analysis for Information Design
Bill Hackos,
October 6–7
Hillsboro, OR

Structured Writing for Single Sourcing
JoAnn Hackos,
November 1–2
Fort Collins, CO

For more information on these and other workshops, visit the JoAnn Hackos Workshop Series Web site

Vasont Webinar Series

"Minimalism: A Key Ingredient of Your Content Management Strategy"
Presented by Dr. JoAnn Hackos of Comtech Services, Inc. and Bret Freeman of Vasont Systems
Thursday, August 12, 2004, at 11:00 EDT

Read more about the Webinar.

Operational Innovations Can Transform Your Company
JoAnn Hackos, PhD
CIDM Director

www.infomanagementcenter.com

In his April 2004 article in the Harvard Business Review, reengineering guru, Michael Hammer, takes on the unglamorous changes in everyday operations, revealing their potential to produce significant reductions in cost, increases in productivity, and improved customer satisfaction. "Deep Change: How Operational Innovation Can Transform Your Company" speaks to the operational innovations that are near and dear to the hearts of information-development managers.

Read the article

More articles
If You Ask Me...
Managing Managers: Supporting Style Guides with Editorial Review Boards
Positive Feedback

Best Practices newsletter CIDM Members: you can now search the Newsletter Archives online. You can purchase the Best Practices newsletter online even if you aren't a CIDM member. A subscription is $99 per year. For subscribers outside the US, the cost is $109.
*August 2004 Best Practices* Newsletter**
Article	Author
The Information Process Maturity Model	JoAnn Hackos
From the Director	JoAnn Hackos
Change and Getting to Return on Investment	Warren Volkmann & Jayne Andersen
The Role of Technical Communication in User-Centered Design	Ann Teasley
Lessons from Orville and Wilbur Wright	Bill Hackos
Unlocking Knowledge Assets: Knowledge Management Solutions from Microsoft	Bill Hackos

If You Ask Me...
Palmer Pearson
Cadence Design Systems, Inc.

I am always a bit gun-shy about giving advice to friends or peers on matters that could significantly affect their personal life. When it comes to giving guidance on specific career moves or the next logical step to get a promotion, I do an instant brain squirm. Why would someone ask me? I am not even sure how I got to where I am. Being in this position, that of the person lost souls seek out for direction, I find it extremely unnerving and even a bit sad.

Read the article

Managing Managers: Supporting Style Guides with Editorial Review Boards
Julie Bradbury
Independent Consultant

When your company's technical writing style guide isn't answering writers' questions and managers must independently create extensions and define style and usage exceptions, consider creating an Editorial Review Board (ERB).

Read the article

Positive Feedback
William Hackos, Jr., PhD.
Vice President, Comtech Services, Inc.

Because of my scientific background, I have always been fascinated with the concepts of positive and negative feedback. If you are not familiar with these terms, I'll give you some examples.

Read the article

Feedback
Have you found this issue useful? Got a great story idea? We’d like your input and suggestions. Please contact lisa.finger@comtech-serv.com about any comments you may have.

Important Subscription Information
Subscribe to the e-newsletter—Unsubscribe to the e-newsletter—Change your email address

The Center for Information-Development Management
The Center for Information-Development Management (CIDM) is an organization of information-development, training, and support managers across the United States and internationally. The CIDM is directed by Dr. JoAnn Hackos, international leader in the management of the design, development, and dissemination of information to customers and employees. Under her leadership, the CIDM conducts benchmark studies among member organizations and elsewhere, sponsors research into information development and its management, and gathers and disseminates results and resources through newsletters, the Web, seminars, two annual conferences, and research white papers. The CIDM facilitates the sharing of information among the most skilled managers in the information industry.

If you are interested in reading more in-depth articles, you should consider subscribing to the Best Practices newsletter at www.infomanagementcenter.com/masterindex.shtml.