 | Not Too Late to Register (Fri, 07 May 2010 02:24:56 GMT)
If you haven't registered yet, then you'd better put your skates on! There are still reasonably priced airfares, so don't look for excuses! All registrants will be sent an e-mail with administrative details this Friday (7 May).
| SVG and Google Docs (Thu, 06 May 2010 09:24:13 GMT)
We've added a bonus presentation to the AODC conference programme, with a session entitled "The Wonders of SVG" slotted in on Thursday morning at 8:00 am. SVG stands for Scaleable Vector Graphics, and you'll find out more about its importance to technical communication at AODC. On the Friday, we have a different style of presentation for the session "A Walk through Google Apps". Tony Self will firstly present an explanation of what the Google Docs service is, before launching into a live demonstration of collaborative authoring with the help of a panel of volunteers. There will be plenty of opportunity for questions and discussion, and we expect this session to be very thought-provoking.
| Controlled Language (Thu, 06 May 2010 02:22:52 GMT)
Widely used in Europe, but much less so in Australasia, is the technique of "controlled language". The most well-known controlled language is Simplified Technical English (STE). Controlled languages use basic writing rules and greatly restricted vocabularies to make sentences simpler and more consistent. At AODC, Dave Gash will be introducing you to controlled language and its many benefits, and will explain how to approach its adoption in your online documents. You'll find that controlled language is a logical, accessible technology that can truly make your documents better, faster, and cheaper!
| Matthew Ellison Returns (Wed, 05 May 2010 02:22:19 GMT)
One of our most popular speakers from past years is Matthew Ellison, and Matthew is already in the southern hemisphere! Matthew has been delivering some workshops for the Technical Communication Association of New Zealand (TCANZ), but he is normally based in England. With near on 20 years experience as a user assistance professional in the software industry, Matthew currently runs his own independent training and consulting company specialising in online Help design and technology. He also runs a sister conference to AODC, UA Conference Europe, with this year's event scheduled for September in Stockholm. Amongst his other skills and qualifications, Matthew is a Certified RoboHelp Instructor and a MadCap Flare Certified Instructor. At AODC, he will be presenting three sessions: "Turning Search into Find", "What Kind of Assistance do Users Really Need?", and "Help Authoring Tool Comparison".
| Sponsors for 2010 (Wed, 21 Apr 2010 20:36:05 GMT)
HyperWrite greatly appreciates the support of our 2010 sponsors. Our major sponsor this year is MadCap Software, sponsors of the Welcome Reception. Thanks to MadCap's support, this very social networking event will be free for all delegates and speakers. We also thank EC Software, our door prize sponsors, and ComponentOne DocToHelp, Swinburne University of Technology and AuthorIT Software.
| Palms City Resort (Wed, 21 Apr 2010 20:26:25 GMT)
The AODC 2010 venue is aptly named Palms, because it is set in a tropical palm garden. And it's Palms City Resort because it's bang smack in Darwin city. But it's not high-rise. The garden setting includes a free-form swimming pool, and it has all the accommodation necessities including air conditioning, 24 hour reception, and wireless Internet. This setting provides a great learning environment, and will also make AODC 2010 a very memorable event!
| Uncle Dave's Trivia Night (Wed, 21 Apr 2010 20:21:47 GMT)
One of the most keenly anticipated events at AODC is actually an unofficial quiz night held nearby the conference venue on the Thursday night. 2010 will once again see this highly unusual trivia evening, where the least knowledgeable seem to have the best chance of winning. Quizmaster Uncle Dave has dreamt up a set of puzzling questions that will have participants laughing, crying, or both! There are unbelievable prizes, so if you're going to Darwin for AODC, cross off Thursday night in your diary!
| Moving to Structured Content (Wed, 21 Apr 2010 20:19:49 GMT)
There's a lot of talk about the benefits of structured content, whether it's in Structured FrameMaker, Author-it, or in DITA or DocBook. One of the impediments to adopting structured authoring is the task of converting existing, unstructured documents. The source data may be in Word, unstructured FrameMaker, or any other format, but the fundamental issues are always the same. How do we introduce hierarchical structures into unstructured data? How do we capture and markup tables? How do we deal with graphics? How do we handle non-standard characters? What about cross-referencing? At AODC, Dr Alan Burton, principal consultant at eGloo Technologies, will be explaining how to manage the migration to structured content. Alan has a PhD in the field of computer based text and language processing, and has worked in a range of industries including legal publishing, government, defence, education, sport and leisure, and medical and pharmaceutical.
| Palms City Resort Specials (Fri, 09 Apr 2010 05:12:33 GMT)
We have negotiated some special accommodation rates at the Palms City Resort, venue for AODC 2010 in Darwin. For a standard motel room, the cost is $162 per night, while a superior room is $171. Another option to consider is the villa accommodation, with a duplex at $175.50, business at $216, and the luxurious spa villa at $256. You can see photos of the different room types on the Palms City Resort Web site. To book at these prices, contact the Palms City Resort reception, and tell them your with AODC.
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