Blog - Posts tagged speakershttps://www.writethedocs.org/blog/archive/tag/speakers/atom.xml2024-02-01T00:00:00ZABlogAnnouncing Portland conference speakershttps://www.writethedocs.org/conf/portland/2024/news/announcing-speakers/2024-02-01T00:00:00Z2024-02-01T00:00:00ZWrite the Docs Team<div class="section" id="announcing-portland-conference-speakers">
<p>Our Portland conference is less than 3 months away, and we’re thrilled to see everyone in Portland.
It’s the perfect time to buy your tickets and arrange your travel.</p>
<p>Today’s major news is the speakers and talks for the conference.
A huge thank you to all who submitted a proposal;
our event wouldn’t be possible without you!</p>
<div class="section" id="portland-conference-speakers">
<h2>2024 Portland conference speakers</h2>
<p>Every year we strive to bring a diverse array of voices to our stage. As the role of “documentarian” varies greatly among us, we aim for topics that cover a broad spectrum of practical, philosophical, and technical ideas – with a sprinkle of whimsical ones for good measure.</p>
<p>We’re excited about the <a class="reference external" href="https://www.writethedocs.org/conf/portland/2024/speakers/">talks</a> lined up for this year:</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/portland/2024/speakers/#speaker-sofiya-minnath-a-strategic-documentation-template-for-startups-sofiya-minnath"><span class="std std-ref">Sofiya Minnath</span></a>: A Strategic Documentation Template for Startups</li>
</ul>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/portland/2024/speakers/#speaker-dennis-dawson-graphic-relief-beyond-flowcharts-and-screenshots-dennis-dawson"><span class="std std-ref">Dennis Dawson</span></a>: Graphic Relief: Beyond Flowcharts and Screenshots</li>
</ul>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/portland/2024/speakers/#speaker-mario-morales-applying-engineering-principles-to-technical-writing-mario-morales"><span class="std std-ref">Mario Morales</span></a>: Applying Engineering Principles to Technical Writing</li>
</ul>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/portland/2024/speakers/#speaker-nellie-mckesson-make-it-make-semantic-sense-semantic-strategies-for-all-of-us-nellie-mckesson"><span class="std std-ref">Nellie McKesson</span></a>: Make It Make Semantic Sense: Semantic Strategies for All of Us</li>
</ul>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/portland/2024/speakers/#speaker-robert-delwood-the-four-stages-of-openapi-robert-delwood"><span class="std std-ref">Robert Delwood</span></a>: The Four Stages of OpenAPI</li>
</ul>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/portland/2024/speakers/#speaker-steven-hicks-misadventures-in-seo-how-to-self-sabotage-your-documentation-steven-hicks"><span class="std std-ref">Steven Hicks</span></a>: Misadventures in SEO: How to self-sabotage your documentation</li>
</ul>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/portland/2024/speakers/#speaker-calvin-fung-beyond-words-strategies-for-leveling-up-your-tech-writing-career-calvin-fung"><span class="std std-ref">Calvin Fung</span></a>: Beyond Words: Strategies for Leveling Up Your Tech Writing Career</li>
</ul>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/portland/2024/speakers/#speaker-candy-morton-case-study-how-we-delivered-a-seamless-in-product-help-experience-candy-morton"><span class="std std-ref">Candy Morton</span></a>: Case study: How we delivered a seamless in-product help experience</li>
</ul>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/portland/2024/speakers/#speaker-shawn-aldridge-design-reviews-capturing-context-at-speed-shawn-aldridge"><span class="std std-ref">Shawn Aldridge</span></a>: Design Reviews, capturing context at speed</li>
</ul>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/portland/2024/speakers/#speaker-michelle-irvine-quantifying-the-impact-of-documentation-findings-from-dora-research-michelle-irvine"><span class="std std-ref">Michelle Irvine</span></a>: Quantifying the Impact of Documentation: Findings from DORA Research</li>
</ul>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/portland/2024/speakers/#speaker-tom-edmonds-the-vibes-were-off-adapting-agile-story-points-estimation-to-technical-writin-tom-edmonds"><span class="std std-ref">Tom Edmonds</span></a>: “The vibes were off”: Adapting Agile story points estimation to technical writing</li>
</ul>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/portland/2024/speakers/#speaker-taylor-krusen-code-in-content-using-dynamic-interactive-elements-in-your-technical-writing-taylor-krusen"><span class="std std-ref">Taylor Krusen</span></a>: Code in Content: Using Dynamic, Interactive Elements in your Technical Writing</li>
</ul>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/portland/2024/speakers/#speaker-alistair-gray-sociological-considerations-in-designing-an-internal-documentation-platform-alistair-gray"><span class="std std-ref">Alistair Gray</span></a>: Sociological considerations in designing an internal documentation platform</li>
</ul>
<p>We trust there’s something for everyone to appreciate, and also something that will expand your perspectives.</p>
</div>
<div class="section" id="secure-your-tickets-soon">
<h2>Secure your tickets soon</h2>
<p>If you haven’t gotten your ticket yet, now’s the time to begin the process to attend.
Please ensure to arrange your travel only after buying a conference ticket.
If you need additional information, we have a few resources to help you:</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li>Visit our <a class="reference external" href="https://www.writethedocs.org/conf/portland/2024/convince-your-manager/">Convince Your Manager page</a> for assistance in making the case for attendance.</li>
<li>Purchase your tickets on our <a class="reference external" href="https://www.writethedocs.org/conf/portland/2024/tickets/">Tickets page</a>.</li>
<li>Plan your journey with our <a class="reference external" href="https://www.writethedocs.org/conf/portland/2024/visiting/">Visiting Portland page</a>.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="section" id="thanks-again-to-our-sponsors">
<h2>Thanks again to our sponsors</h2>
<p>We are immensely thankful to our sponsors for their role in making these events possible every year.
A big thank you to each of these companies for supporting our community:</p>
<blockquote>
<div><ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://www.gitbook.com/?ref=writethedocs">GitBook</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://readme.com/?ref=writethedocs">ReadMe</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://www.mongodb.com/?ref=writethedocs">MongoDB</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://jebrains.com/writethedocs">JetBrains</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://www.zoominsoftware.com/?vert=Write_The_Docs_Portland&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=WriteTheDocs&utm_campaign=Write_The_Docs_Portland">Zoomin</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://www.nginx.com/?ref=writethedocs">NGINX</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://redoc.ly/">Redocly</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://www.netlify.com/?ref=writethedocs">Netlify</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://opensource.google/?ref=writethedocs">Google Open Source</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://about.readthedocs.com/?ref=writethedocs">Read the Docs</a></li>
</ul>
</div></blockquote>
<p>If your company is interested in sponsoring,
you can find all the necessary information in our <a class="reference external" href="https://www.writethedocs.org/conf/portland/2024/sponsors/prospectus/">sponsorship prospectus</a>.</p>
<p>That’s the latest update on the Portland conference.
We hope you’re all as eager as we are!
Stay tuned for the complete schedule and further details in the upcoming weeks.</p>
</div>
</div>
Announcing conference speakers and talkshttps://www.writethedocs.org/conf/australia/2023/news/announcing-speakers/2023-10-05T00:00:00Z2023-10-05T00:00:00ZWrite the Docs Team<div class="section" id="announcing-conference-speakers-and-talks">
<p>G’day, documentarians! Today we’re excited to announce that we’ve finalised our speakers for the next Australia conference.</p>
<p>Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to send us a proposal – we literally wouldn’t have an event without you!</p>
<p>Our Australian conference is happening in just under 2 months, and we’re excited to see everyone again in Melbourne.
Now is a great time to start booking your tickets and travel, and we hope to see you soon.</p>
<div class="section" id="full-speaker-line-up">
<h2>Full speaker line-up</h2>
<p>Each year we bring a wide range of voices to the Write the Docs . Because the role of “documentarian” looks so different to each of us, we aim for a line-up that spans a good mix of practical, philosophical, and technical topics – with the odd whimsical one thrown in for good measure.</p>
<p>We’re really excited about the <a class="reference external" href="https://www.writethedocs.org/conf/australia/2023/speakers/">presentations</a> we’ve got this year:</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/australia/2023/speakers/#speaker-leisa-taylor-museums-to-docs-managing-the-unmanageable-documentation-leisa-taylor"><span class="std std-ref">Leisa Taylor</span></a>: Museums to docs: managing the unmanageable documentation</li>
</ul>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/australia/2023/speakers/#speaker-shumin-chen-the-evolving-landscape-of-simplified-english-for-software-documentation-shumin-chen"><span class="std std-ref">Shumin Chen</span></a>: The evolving landscape of Simplified English for software documentation.</li>
</ul>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/australia/2023/speakers/#speaker-sarah-maddox-understanding-ai-and-helping-it-understand-you-sarah-maddox"><span class="std std-ref">Sarah Maddox</span></a>: Understanding AI and helping it understand you</li>
</ul>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/australia/2023/speakers/#speaker-lana-brindley-she-her-i-will-survive-weren-t-you-the-one-who-tried-to-hurt-me-with-goodbye-lana-brindley-steve-kowalik"><span class="std std-ref">Lana Brindley (she/her)</span></a>, <a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/australia/2023/speakers/#speaker-steve-kowalik-he-him-i-will-survive-weren-t-you-the-one-who-tried-to-hurt-me-with-goodbye-lana-brindley-steve-kowalik"><span class="std std-ref">Steve Kowalik (he/him)</span></a>: I will survive (weren’t you the one who tried to hurt me with “Goodbye”?)</li>
</ul>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/australia/2023/speakers/#speaker-claire-mahoney-what-if-you-went-back-in-time-and-all-you-found-was-pie-claire-mahoney"><span class="std std-ref">Claire Mahoney</span></a>: What if you went back in time and all you found was pie?</li>
</ul>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/australia/2023/speakers/#speaker-paul-gustafson-improving-documentation-at-scale-paul-gustafson"><span class="std std-ref">Paul Gustafson</span></a>: Improving Documentation at Scale</li>
</ul>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/australia/2023/speakers/#speaker-rhiannon-hall-advocating-for-digital-accessibility-with-empathy-rhiannon-hall"><span class="std std-ref">Rhiannon Hall</span></a>: Advocating for digital accessibility with empathy</li>
</ul>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/australia/2023/speakers/#speaker-yvonne-perkins-positive-learning-environment-at-work-equipping-everyone-to-succeed-at-writing-yvonne-perkins"><span class="std std-ref">Yvonne Perkins</span></a>: Positive Learning Environment at Work: Equipping everyone to succeed at writing docs</li>
</ul>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/australia/2023/speakers/#speaker-janet-revell-worthit-refactoring-product-centric-docs-into-task-based-content-janet-revell"><span class="std std-ref">Janet Revell</span></a>: #worthit: Refactoring product-centric docs into task-based content</li>
</ul>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/australia/2023/speakers/#speaker-renee-carignan-find-the-frequency-metrics-for-better-docs-and-happier-readers-renee-carignan"><span class="std std-ref">Renee Carignan</span></a>: Find the frequency: metrics for better docs and happier readers</li>
</ul>
<p>We hope there’s something there for everyone to enjoy, and also something that will broaden your horizons a bit.</p>
</div>
<div class="section" id="call-for-volunteers">
<h2>Call for Volunteers</h2>
<p>We are looking for volunteers to help out at the conference and provide support with a variety of tasks: A/V and tech, unconference, and anything else that may come up.</p>
<p>Each individual who volunteers for two or more shifts receives a free ticket to the conference. Shifts range from 3-4 hours in length with a break during the shift.</p>
<p>Feel free to email us at <a class="reference external" href="mailto:australia%40writethedocs.org">australia<span>@</span>writethedocs<span>.</span>org</a>.</p>
</div>
<div class="section" id="opportunity-grants-close-on-oct-15">
<h2>Opportunity Grants close on Oct 15</h2>
<p>Applications for our Opportunity Grant program <strong>close on October 15th midnight AEDT</strong>.
This program is open to anyone who would otherwise have difficulties attending the conference, and we’d love to have more folks applying.</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://www.writethedocs.org/conf/australia/2023/opportunity-grants/">Apply for a grant</a> before the deadline.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="section" id="buy-your-tickets-soon">
<h2>Buy your tickets soon</h2>
<p>If you don’t have your ticket yet, now’s a great time to start the process to attend.
Conference tickets have sold out in the past, and tickets sell faster after the speaker announcement, so don’t leave it to the last minute.</p>
<p>Please remember to book your travel only after you purchase a conference ticket.
With the conference returning to in-person this year, we are working hard to make sure that our attendees have a safe and comfortable experience.
This means we have capacity limits and can’t guarantee late-registration tickets if you book travel without a conference ticket.</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li>Read our <a class="reference external" href="https://www.writethedocs.org/conf/australia/2023/convince-your-manager/">Convince your manager page</a> to help make the case for attending.</li>
<li>Buy your tickets on our <a class="reference external" href="https://www.writethedocs.org/conf/australia/2023/tickets/">Tickets page</a>.</li>
<li>Plan your trip with our <a class="reference external" href="https://www.writethedocs.org/conf/australia/2023/visiting/">Visiting Melbourne page</a>.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="section" id="thanks-to-our-sponsors">
<h2>Thanks to our sponsors</h2>
<p>We are so grateful to have our sponsors help in bringing these events to life every year.
Thanks to the each of these companies for supporting the Write the Docs community:</p>
<blockquote>
<div><ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://www.knowledgeowl.com">KnowledgeOwl</a></li>
</ul>
</div></blockquote>
<p>If your company is interested in sponsoring,
you can find all the information in our <a class="reference external" href="https://www.writethedocs.org/conf/australia/2023/sponsors/prospectus/">sponsorship prospectus</a>.</p>
<p>And that’s the latest on the Australia conference.
We hope you’re all getting as excited as we are!
Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks about the conference.</p>
<p>The Write the Docs Australia Team</p>
</div>
</div>
Announcing speakers and talkshttps://www.writethedocs.org/conf/atlantic/2023/news/announcing-speakers/2023-06-10T00:00:00Z2023-06-10T00:00:00ZWrite the Docs Team<div class="section" id="announcing-speakers-and-talks">
<p>Greetings, documentarians! Today we’re excited to announce that we’ve finalized our speakers for the our first virtual Atlantic conference!</p>
<p>Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to send us a proposal – we literally wouldn’t have an event without you!</p>
<div class="section" id="full-speaker-line-up">
<h2>Full speaker line-up</h2>
<p>Every year, we look to bring a wide range of voices to the Write the Docs stage.
Because the role of “documentarian” looks so different to each of us, we aim for a line-up that spans a good mix of practical, philosophical, and technical topics – with the odd whimsical one thrown in for good measure.
We hope you’re as excited about our program as we are!</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/atlantic/2023/speakers/#speaker-ian-cowley-one-glossary-to-rule-them-all-terminology-management-at-scale-ian-cowley"><span class="std std-ref">Ian Cowley</span></a>: One glossary to rule them all: terminology management at scale</li>
</ul>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/atlantic/2023/speakers/#speaker-josh-peacock-the-power-of-product-screenshots-in-your-help-documentation-and-how-keeping-the-josh-peacock"><span class="std std-ref">Josh Peacock</span></a>, <a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/atlantic/2023/speakers/#speaker-dennis-mortensen-the-power-of-product-screenshots-in-your-help-documentation-and-how-keeping-the-josh-peacock"><span class="std std-ref">Dennis Mortensen</span></a>: The power of product screenshots in your help documentation. And how keeping them updated can be automated!</li>
</ul>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/atlantic/2023/speakers/#speaker-fabrizio-ferri-benedetti-once-upon-a-time-there-were-docs-fabrizio-ferri-benedetti"><span class="std std-ref">Fabrizio Ferri-Benedetti</span></a>: Once Upon a Time There Were… Docs</li>
</ul>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/atlantic/2023/speakers/#speaker-adam-trujillo-bootstrap-ia-development-with-in-house-usability-testing-adam-trujillo"><span class="std std-ref">Adam Trujillo</span></a>, <a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/atlantic/2023/speakers/#speaker-jeffrey-boruszak-bootstrap-ia-development-with-in-house-usability-testing-adam-trujillo"><span class="std std-ref">Jeffrey Boruszak</span></a>: Bootstrap IA Development with In-house Usability Testing</li>
</ul>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/atlantic/2023/speakers/#speaker-kristine-sihto-papercuts-stop-the-bleed-reducing-information-leakage-from-client-bound-docume-kristine-sihto"><span class="std std-ref">Kristine Sihto</span></a>: Papercuts: Stop the Bleed. Reducing information leakage from client-bound documentation</li>
</ul>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/atlantic/2023/speakers/#speaker-katie-riker-working-with-user-experience-to-maximize-user-success-katie-riker"><span class="std std-ref">Katie Riker</span></a>: Working with User Experience to Maximize User Success</li>
</ul>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/atlantic/2023/speakers/#speaker-chris-noonan-metric-driven-documentation-chris-noonan"><span class="std std-ref">Chris Noonan</span></a>, <a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/atlantic/2023/speakers/#speaker-john-hannagan-metric-driven-documentation-chris-noonan"><span class="std std-ref">John Hannagan</span></a>: Metric driven documentation</li>
</ul>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/atlantic/2023/speakers/#speaker-matt-dodson-graphs-not-trees-a-ground-up-approach-to-fixing-a-docs-site-matt-dodson"><span class="std std-ref">Matt Dodson</span></a>: Graphs, not trees: A ground-up approach to fixing a docs site.</li>
</ul>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/atlantic/2023/speakers/#speaker-stephan-delbos-drop-the-docs-get-back-to-what-s-important-how-to-create-product-documentation-stephan-delbos"><span class="std std-ref">Stephan Delbos</span></a>: Drop the Docs, Get Back to What’s Important! How to Create Product Documentation that Encourages User Disengagement</li>
</ul>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/atlantic/2023/speakers/#speaker-alexander-schwartz-creating-a-content-pipeline-for-the-eclipse-che-project-alexander-schwartz"><span class="std std-ref">Alexander Schwartz</span></a>, <a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/atlantic/2023/speakers/#speaker-fabrice-flore-thebault-creating-a-content-pipeline-for-the-eclipse-che-project-alexander-schwartz"><span class="std std-ref">Fabrice Flore-Thebault</span></a>: Creating a content pipeline for the Eclipse Che project</li>
</ul>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/atlantic/2023/speakers/#speaker-chris-meyns-ai-ethics-for-tech-writers-chris-meyns"><span class="std std-ref">Chris Meyns</span></a>: AI ethics for tech writers</li>
</ul>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/atlantic/2023/speakers/#speaker-lorna-mitchell-openapi-for-documentarians-lorna-mitchell"><span class="std std-ref">Lorna Mitchell</span></a>: OpenAPI for Documentarians</li>
</ul>
<p>Head over to the <a class="reference external" href="https://www.writethedocs.org/conf/atlantic/2023/speakers/">Speakers page</a> to see the full abstracts.
We hope there’s something there for everyone to enjoy, and also something that will broaden your horizons a bit.</p>
</div>
<div class="section" id="shirts-are-on-sale">
<h2>Shirts are on sale</h2>
<p>The <a class="reference external" href="https://shirt.writethedocs.org">Write the Docs Atlantic 2023 Pop-Up Shop</a> is now open!
You can order loose and fitted options from different fabrics, and you can choose exactly the size and cut you want.</p>
<div class="system-message">
<p class="system-message-title">System Message: INFO/1 (<tt class="docutils">/home/docs/checkouts/readthedocs.org/user_builds/writethedocs-www/checkouts/latest/docs/conf/atlantic/2023/news/announcing-speakers.rst</tt>, line 34)</p>
Possible title underline, too short for the title.
Treating it as ordinary text because it’s so short.</div>
<p>The campaign will run in 3-day batches until a few weeks after the conference. Exact dates to be determined.
.
Shipping is available from the USA or Europe.
However, due to the global shipping situation, we recommend you order your shirt at least 2-3 weeks in advance if you want to sport your new threads during the conference.</p>
</div>
<div class="section" id="tickets-are-going-fast">
<h2>Tickets are going fast!</h2>
<p>If you don’t have your ticket yet, now’s a great time to snap one up. Conference tickets have sold out for the last several years, and they go faster along with the speaker announcement, so if you’re planning to come, don’t leave it to the last minute.</p>
<p>We will close registrations around one week before the conference, to give folks enough time to set up their Hopin credentials.</p>
<p><a class="reference external" href="https://www.writethedocs.org/conf/atlantic/2023/tickets/">Buy your tickets here!</a></p>
</div>
<div class="section" id="grant-program-still-open">
<h2>Grant program still open</h2>
<p>Just a friendly reminder that our grant program is still open for application.
We’re excited to be able to offer free tickets to a larger number of people, since there are no travel costs involved in attending a virtual event.</p>
<p>You can apply until <strong>August 15, 2022</strong> on <a class="reference external" href="https://www.writethedocs.org/conf/atlantic/2023/opportunity-grants/">our website</a>.</p>
</div>
<div class="section" id="thanks-to-our-sponsors">
<h2>Thanks to our sponsors</h2>
<p>We are so grateful to have our sponsors help in bringing our events to life every year.</p>
<p>Head over to our <a class="reference external" href="https://www.writethedocs.org/conf/atlantic/2023/sponsors/prospectus/">sponsorship prospectus</a> for details on how your company can get involved!</p>
<p>We have several types of sponsorship available, including tables at the job fair that we’ll be hosting on Tuesday.</p>
<p>Stay tuned for more details in the next week about the schedule and other activities.
We hope you’re all getting as excited as we are!</p>
<p>The Write the Docs Team</p>
</div>
</div>
Announcing Portland conference speakershttps://www.writethedocs.org/conf/portland/2023/news/announcing-speakers/2023-02-22T00:00:00Z2023-02-22T00:00:00ZWrite the Docs Team<div class="section" id="announcing-portland-conference-speakers">
<p>Our Portland conference is happening in just under 3 months, and we’re excited to see everyone again in Portland.
Now is a great time to start booking your tickets and travel,
and we hope to see you soon.</p>
<p>The biggest announcement today is our speakers and talks for the conference.
Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to send us a proposal;
we literally wouldn’t have an event without you!</p>
<div class="section" id="full-speaker-line-up">
<h2>Full speaker line-up</h2>
<p>Each year we bring a wide range of voices to the Write the Docs . Because the role of “documentarian” looks so different to each of us, we aim for a line-up that spans a good mix of practical, philosophical, and technical topics – with the odd whimsical one thrown in for good measure.</p>
<p>We’re really excited about the <a class="reference external" href="https://www.writethedocs.org/conf/portland/2023/speakers/">presentations</a> we’ve got this year:</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/portland/2023/speakers/#speaker-alex-garnett-doing-data-driven-content-maintenance-alex-garnett"><span class="std std-ref">Alex Garnett</span></a>, <a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/portland/2023/speakers/#speaker-lauren-kiss-doing-data-driven-content-maintenance-alex-garnett"><span class="std std-ref">Lauren Kiss</span></a>: Doing Data-Driven Content Maintenance</li>
</ul>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/portland/2023/speakers/#speaker-dan-grabski-zen-and-the-art-of-automanually-creating-api-documentation-an-inquiry-into-pro-dan-grabski"><span class="std std-ref">Dan Grabski</span></a>: Zen And The Art Of Automanually Creating API Documentation - An Inquiry Into Process</li>
</ul>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/portland/2023/speakers/#speaker-caitlin-davey-the-visuals-your-users-never-saw-wait-that-s-most-of-them-caitlin-davey"><span class="std std-ref">Caitlin Davey</span></a>: The visuals your users never saw…wait that’s most of them</li>
</ul>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/portland/2023/speakers/#speaker-linda-ikechukwu-myths-mistakes-and-missed-opportunities-lessons-learned-from-a-year-of-interv-linda-ikechukwu"><span class="std std-ref">Linda Ikechukwu</span></a>: Myths, Mistakes, and Missed Opportunities: Lessons learned from a year of interviewing technical writers.</li>
</ul>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/portland/2023/speakers/#speaker-jennifer-a-swallow-winning-over-coworkers-collaborators-and-customers-to-a-new-knowledge-experien-jennifer-a-swallow"><span class="std std-ref">Jennifer A Swallow</span></a>: Winning Over Coworkers, Collaborators, and Customers to a New Knowledge Experience</li>
</ul>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/portland/2023/speakers/#speaker-scott-truelove-navigating-the-future-of-technical-writing-in-a-rapidly-evolving-tech-landscape-scott-truelove"><span class="std std-ref">Scott Truelove</span></a>: Navigating the Future of Technical Writing in a Rapidly Evolving Tech Landscape</li>
</ul>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/portland/2023/speakers/#speaker-kari-halsted-great-big-engineering-org-itty-bitty-docs-team-kari-halsted"><span class="std std-ref">Kari Halsted</span></a>: GREAT BIG ENGINEERING ORG; itty bitty docs team</li>
</ul>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/portland/2023/speakers/#speaker-ed-cormany-the-descriptivist-manifesto-ed-cormany"><span class="std std-ref">Ed Cormany</span></a>: The Descriptivist Manifesto</li>
</ul>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/portland/2023/speakers/#speaker-ryan-young-is-it-layer-cake-thinking-in-content-levels-ryan-young"><span class="std std-ref">Ryan Young</span></a>: Is it (layer) cake: Thinking in content levels</li>
</ul>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/portland/2023/speakers/#speaker-adam-altman-from-resistance-to-adoption-navigating-the-challenges-of-docs-like-code-adam-altman"><span class="std std-ref">Adam Altman</span></a>: From resistance to adoption: navigating the challenges of docs-like-code</li>
</ul>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/portland/2023/speakers/#speaker-daniel-murphey-release-ready-docs-how-a-2-person-team-keeps-a-help-center-consistently-accurat-daniel-murphey"><span class="std std-ref">Daniel Murphey</span></a>: Release-ready Docs: How a 2-person team keeps a help center consistently accurate</li>
</ul>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/portland/2023/speakers/#speaker-ashleigh-rentz-trauma-informed-documentation-taking-empathy-and-inclusive-language-to-the-next-ashleigh-rentz"><span class="std std-ref">Ashleigh Rentz</span></a>: Trauma-Informed Documentation: Taking empathy and inclusive language to the next level</li>
</ul>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/portland/2023/speakers/#speaker-sarah-greene-did-you-read-the-sop-procedure-writing-for-the-laboratory-sarah-greene"><span class="std std-ref">Sarah Greene</span></a>: Did You Read the SOP? Procedure Writing for the Laboratory</li>
</ul>
<p>We hope there’s something there for everyone to enjoy, and also something that will broaden your horizons a bit.</p>
</div>
<div class="section" id="call-for-volunteers">
<h2>Call for Volunteers</h2>
<p>We are looking for volunteers to help out at the conference and provide support with a variety of tasks: registration, A/V and tech, unconference, speaker support, and anything else that may come up.</p>
<p>Each individual who volunteers for two or more shifts receives a free ticket to the conference. Shifts range from 3-4 hours in length with a break during the shift.</p>
<p>Application will be open until we have enough volunteers signed up for the conference. This is typically mid-March.</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li>Check out our <a class="reference external" href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfbnCr0Kbay2mBTe0mM7lTP85tzj9DUFD8LCyegUugk81KQGg/viewform?usp=sf_link">volunteer application form</a> for more information and to sign up to volunteer.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="section" id="opportunity-grants-close-on-march-1">
<h2>Opportunity Grants close on March 1</h2>
<p>Applications for our Opportunity Grant program <strong>close on March 1st</strong>.
This program is open to anyone who would otherwise have difficulties attending the conference,
and we’d love to have more folks applying.</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://www.writethedocs.org/conf/portland/2023/opportunity-grants/">Apply for a grant</a> before the deadline.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="section" id="buy-your-tickets-soon">
<h2>Buy your tickets soon</h2>
<p>If you don’t have your ticket yet, now’s a great time to start the process to attend.
Conference tickets have sold out in the past,
and tickets sell faster after the speaker announcement,
so don’t leave it to the last minute.</p>
<p>Please remember to book your travel only after you purchase a conference ticket.
With the conference returning to in-person this year, we are working hard to make sure that our attendees have a safe and comfortable experience.
This means we have capacity limits and can’t guarantee late-registration tickets if you book travel without a conference ticket.</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li>Read our <a class="reference external" href="https://www.writethedocs.org/conf/portland/2023/convince-your-manager/">Convince your manager page</a> to help make the case for attending.</li>
<li>Buy your tickets on our <a class="reference external" href="https://www.writethedocs.org/conf/portland/2023/tickets/">Tickets page</a>.</li>
<li>Plan your trip with our <a class="reference external" href="https://www.writethedocs.org/conf/portland/2023/visiting/">Visiting Portland page</a>.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="section" id="thanks-to-our-sponsors">
<h2>Thanks to our sponsors</h2>
<p>We are so grateful to have our sponsors help in bringing these events to life every year.
Thanks to the each of these companies for supporting the Write the Docs community:</p>
<blockquote>
<div><ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://www.mongodb.com/">MongoDB</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://redoc.ly/">Redocly</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://www.jetbrains.com/">JetBrains</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/company/careers/working-here/engineering/">Bloomberg Engineering</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://www.knowledgeowl.com">KnowledgeOwl</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://www.raspberrypi.com/">Raspberry Pi</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://about.readthedocs.com/">Read the Docs</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://www.netlify.com/">Netlify</a></li>
</ul>
</div></blockquote>
<p>If your company is interested in sponsoring,
you can find all the information in our <a class="reference external" href="https://www.writethedocs.org/conf/portland/2023/sponsors/prospectus/">sponsorship prospectus</a>.</p>
<p>And that’s the latest on the Portland conference.
We hope you’re all getting as excited as we are!
Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks about the conference.</p>
<p>The Write the Docs Portland Team</p>
</div>
</div>
Announcing speakers and talkshttps://www.writethedocs.org/conf/australia/2022/news/announcing-speakers/2022-10-04T00:00:00Z2022-10-04T00:00:00ZWrite the Docs Team<div class="section" id="announcing-speakers-and-talks">
<p>G’day, documentarians! Today we’re excited to announce that we’ve finalised our speakers for the next virtual Australia conference.</p>
<p>Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to send us a proposal – we literally wouldn’t have an event without you!</p>
<div class="section" id="full-speaker-line-up">
<h2>Full speaker line-up</h2>
<p>Every year, we look to bring a wide range of voices to the Write the Docs stage.
Because the role of “documentarian” looks so different to each of us, we aim for a line-up that spans a good mix of practical, philosophical, and technical topics – with the odd whimsical one thrown in for good measure.
We’re really excited about the presentations we’ve got this year – we hope you are too!</p>
<span class="target" id="speaker-shumin-chen"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Shumin Chen – Sustainable Content for Software Documentation Powered by Simplified Technical English (STE)</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-lana"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Lana Novikova – Let’s bring science into technical writing</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-ishara-ilangasinghe"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Ishara Ilangasinghe – Interviewing a Technical Writer Candidate</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-claire-mahoney"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Claire Mahoney – Chaos to contained: How a content project can lead to better content BAU</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-braden-riggs"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Braden Riggs – Optimizing SEO for Technical Documentation</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-alex-fiedler"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Alex Fiedler – Knowledge Experience for a PLG Strategy</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-hari-priya"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Hari Priya – How customer journey mapping can improve your docs and customer experience.</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-sarah-rainsberger"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Sarah Rainsberger – Happy Contributors, High Standards: pick two! Balancing quality and community in open source documentation</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-lilly-ryan"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Lilly Ryan – Hack the Docs: how security professionals use documentation</li>
</ul>
<p>Head over to the <a class="reference external" href="https://www.writethedocs.org/conf/australia/2022/speakers/">Speakers page</a> to see the full abstracts.
We hope there’s something there for everyone to enjoy, and also something that will broaden your horizons a bit.</p>
</div>
<div class="section" id="shirts-are-on-sale">
<h2>Shirts are on sale</h2>
<p>The <a class="reference external" href="https://shirt.writethedocs.org">Write the Docs Australia 2022 Pop-Up Shop</a> is now open!
You can order loose and fitted options from different fabrics, and you can choose exactly the size and cut you want.</p>
<p>The campaign will run in 3-day batches until <strong>December 31st, 2022</strong>.
Shipping is available from the USA or Europe.
However, given the global shipping situation, we recommend you order your shirt at least 2-3 weeks in advance if you want to sport your new threads during the conference.</p>
</div>
<div class="section" id="tickets-are-going-fast">
<h2>Tickets are going fast!</h2>
<p>If you don’t have your ticket yet, now’s a great time to snap one up. Conference tickets have sold out for the last several years, and they go faster along with the speaker announcement, so if you’re planning to come, don’t leave it to the last minute.</p>
<p>We will close registrations around one week before the conference, to give folks enough time to set up their Hopin credentials.</p>
<p><a class="reference external" href="https://www.writethedocs.org/conf/australia/2022/tickets/">Buy your tickets here!</a></p>
</div>
<div class="section" id="grant-program-still-open">
<h2>Grant program still open</h2>
<p>Just a friendly reminder that our grant program is still open for application.
We’re excited to be able to offer free tickets to a larger number of people, since there are minimal other costs to attend a virtual event.</p>
<p>You can apply until <strong>October 15, 2022</strong> on <a class="reference external" href="https://www.writethedocs.org/conf/australia/2022/opportunity-grants/">our website</a>.</p>
</div>
<div class="section" id="thanks-to-our-sponsors">
<h2>Thanks to our sponsors</h2>
<p>We are so grateful to have our sponsors help in bringing these events to life every year. Thanks sincerely to the following companies for supporting the Write the Docs community:</p>
<blockquote>
<div><ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://www.atlassian.com/">Atlassian</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://www.knowledgeowl.com">KnowledgeOwl</a></li>
</ul>
</div></blockquote>
<p>Head over to our <a class="reference external" href="https://www.writethedocs.org/conf/australia/2022/sponsors/prospectus/">sponsorship prospectus</a> for details on how your company can get involved!
We have several types of sponsorship available, so feel free to reach out with any questions or ideas.</p>
<p>Stay tuned for more details in the next week about the schedule and other activities.
We hope you’re all getting as excited as we are!</p>
<p>The Write the Docs Team</p>
</div>
</div>
Announcing speakers and talkshttps://www.writethedocs.org/conf/prague/2022/news/announcing-speakers/2022-07-20T00:00:00Z2022-07-20T00:00:00ZWrite the Docs Team<div class="section" id="announcing-speakers-and-talks">
<p>Greetings, documentarians! Today we’re excited to announce that we’ve finalized our speakers for the next virtual Prague conference!</p>
<p>Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to send us a proposal – we literally wouldn’t have an event without you!</p>
<div class="section" id="full-speaker-line-up">
<h2>Full speaker line-up</h2>
<p>Every year, we look to bring a wide range of voices to the Write the Docs stage.
Because the role of “documentarian” looks so different to each of us, we aim for a line-up that spans a good mix of practical, philosophical, and technical topics – with the odd whimsical one thrown in for good measure.
We’re really excited about the presentations we’ve got this year – we hope you are too!</p>
<span class="target" id="speaker-tyler-smith"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Tyler Smith – ADHD and its impact on the Creative Process for Writers</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-karissa-van-baulen"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Karissa Van Baulen – How I convinced my boss to build our docs team</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-jeff-smith"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Jeff Smith – The Art of Asking Questions</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-mano-toth"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Mano Toth – Documentation as Marketing? From Conflict to Collaboration</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-mustapha-rufai"><span id="speaker-benny-ifeanyi-iheagwara"></span></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Benny Ifeanyi Iheagwara, Mustapha Rufai – Creating documentation for the African audience.</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-taylor-cole"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Taylor Cole – Cultivating a Stakeholder Network for Our Docs: How Building Relationships Improves Our Content</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-prashant-mathapathi"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Prashant Mathapathi – Improve Customer Adoption with UI Help</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-tibs"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Tibs – Beyond spell checking - what else can we check automatically?</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-emilia-juda-zbay"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Emilia Juda-Özbay – Maintaining Documentation: Make It Easy!</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-ryan-paul"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Ryan Paul – Two years of Markdoc: what we’ve learned about balancing developer and author experience</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-asma-kacem"><span id="speaker-melissa-black"></span></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Melissa Black, Asma Kacem – Toward the broader globalization of Open Source: documenting your localisation Journey</li>
</ul>
<p>Head over to the <a class="reference external" href="https://www.writethedocs.org/conf/prague/2022/speakers/">Speakers page</a> to see the full abstracts.
We hope there’s something there for everyone to enjoy, and also something that will broaden your horizons a bit.</p>
</div>
<div class="section" id="shirts-are-on-sale">
<h2>Shirts are on sale</h2>
<p>The <a class="reference external" href="https://shirt.writethedocs.org">Write the Docs Prague 2022 Pop-Up Shop</a> is now open!
You can order loose and fitted options from different fabrics, and you can choose exactly the size and cut you want.</p>
<p>The campaign will run in 3-day batches until <strong>September 30th, 2022</strong>.
Shipping is available from the USA or Europe.
However, due to the global shipping situation, we recommend you order your shirt at least 2-3 weeks in advance if you want to sport your new threads during the conference.</p>
</div>
<div class="section" id="tickets-are-going-fast">
<h2>Tickets are going fast!</h2>
<p>If you don’t have your ticket yet, now’s a great time to snap one up. Conference tickets have sold out for the last several years, and they go faster along with the speaker announcement, so if you’re planning to come, don’t leave it to the last minute.</p>
<p>We will close registrations around one week before the conference, to give folks enough time to set up their Hopin credentials.</p>
<p><a class="reference external" href="https://www.writethedocs.org/conf/prague/2022/tickets/">Buy your tickets here!</a></p>
</div>
<div class="section" id="grant-program-still-open">
<h2>Grant program still open</h2>
<p>Just a friendly reminder that our grant program is still open for application.
We’re excited to be able to offer free tickets to a larger number of people, since there are minimal other costs to attend a virtual event.</p>
<p>You can apply until <strong>August 15, 2022</strong> on <a class="reference external" href="https://www.writethedocs.org/conf/prague/2022/opportunity-grants/">our website</a>.</p>
</div>
<div class="section" id="thanks-to-our-sponsors">
<h2>Thanks to our sponsors</h2>
<p>We are so grateful to have our sponsors help in bringing these events to life every year. Thanks sincerely to the following companies for supporting the Write the Docs community:</p>
<blockquote>
<div><ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://www.archbee.io/?utm_medium=banner&utm_source=conference&utm_campaign=wtd">Archbee</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://www.adyen.com/">Adyen</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://www.knowledgeowl.com">KnowledgeOwl</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://www.jetbrains.com/">JetBrains</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://www.veeam.com/">Veeam</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://www.dolby.com/">Dolby</a></li>
</ul>
</div></blockquote>
<p>Head over to our <a class="reference external" href="https://www.writethedocs.org/conf/prague/2022/sponsors/prospectus/">sponsorship prospectus</a> for details on how your company can get involved!
We have several types of sponsorship available, including tables at the job fair that we’ll be hosting on Tuesday.</p>
<p>Stay tuned for more details in the next week about the schedule and other activities.
We hope you’re all getting as excited as we are!</p>
<p>The Write the Docs Team</p>
</div>
</div>
Announcing speakers and talkshttps://www.writethedocs.org/conf/portland/2022/news/announcing-speakers/2022-03-09T00:00:00Z2022-03-09T00:00:00ZWrite the Docs Team<div class="section" id="announcing-speakers-and-talks">
<p>We’re writing today with an update on the next virtual Portland conference.</p>
<p>We’re delighted to announce that we’ve finalized our speakers for the event!
Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to send us a pitch – we literally wouldn’t have an event without you!</p>
<div class="section" id="full-speaker-line-up">
<h2>Full speaker line-up</h2>
<p>Every year, we look to bring a wide range of voices to the Write the Docs stage. Because the role of “documentarian” looks so different to each of us, we aim for a line-up that spans a good mix of practical, philosophical, and technical topics – with the odd whimsical one thrown in for good measure.
We’re really excited about the presentations we’ve got this year – we hope you are too!</p>
<span class="target" id="speaker-erin-mckean"><span id="speaker-kassandra-dhillon"></span></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Kassandra Dhillon, Erin McKean – Measuring Documentation Success in Open Source: Findings from Google’s Season of Docs Program</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-kumar-dhanagopal"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Kumar Dhanagopal – Don’t trust the numbers!</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-lana-brindley-she-her"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Lana Brindley (she/her) – From Me to Us: Building a docs team from the ground up</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-kate-mueller"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Kate Mueller – Beating the Virginia Blues: Thru-hiking strategies to help you survive your next big project</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-anna-gasparyan"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Anna Gasparyan – Don’t shoot yourself in the foot with content reuse</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-ben-perlmutter"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Ben Perlmutter – Unit Test the Docs: Why You Should Test Your Code Examples</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-chris-ganta"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Chris Ganta – Peer writing and beyond - An experimental approach to a sustainable open-source projects</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-gretchen-maciolek"><span id="speaker-liani-lye-she-her"></span></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Liani Lye (she/her), Gretchen Maciolek – All together now: Turning technologists into documentarians</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-shane-diven"><span id="speaker-alastair-dallas"></span></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Alastair Dallas, Shane Diven – Lessons Learned from Cloud Ops: Writing Docs for High-Stakes Situations</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-dave-may"><span id="speaker-marcia-riefer-johnston"></span></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Marcia Riefer Johnston, Dave May – One AWS team’s move to docs as code: what worked, what didn’t, what’s next</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-erin-dees"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Erin Dees – Code Cowpokes and Word Wranglers: from Mutual Admiration to Solidarity</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-tina-ornduff"><span id="speaker-nicola-yap"></span></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Nicola Yap, Tina Ornduff – Sponsored workshop: Technical Writing for Accessibility</li>
</ul>
<p>Head over to the <a class="reference external" href="https://www.writethedocs.org/conf/portland/2022/speakers/">Speakers page</a> to see the full abstracts.
We hope there’s something there for everyone to enjoy, and also something that will broaden your horizons a bit.</p>
</div>
<div class="section" id="tickets-are-going-fast">
<h2>Tickets are going fast!</h2>
<p>If you don’t have your ticket yet, now’s a great time to snap one up. Conference tickets have sold out for the last several years, and they go faster along with the speaker announcement, so if you’re planning to come, don’t leave it to the last minute.</p>
<p>We will close registrations around one week before the conference, to give folks enough time to set up their Hopin credentials.</p>
<p><a class="reference external" href="https://www.writethedocs.org/conf/portland/2022/tickets/">Buy your tickets here!</a></p>
</div>
<div class="section" id="thanks-to-our-sponsors">
<h2>Thanks to our sponsors</h2>
<p>We are so grateful to have our sponsors help in bringing these events to life every year. Thanks sincerely to the following companies for supporting the Write the Docs community:</p>
<blockquote>
<div><ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://www.google.com">Google</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://stackblitz.com/">StackBlitz</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://www.cncf.io/">Cloud Native Computing Foundation</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://www.mongodb.com/">MongoDB</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://www.twilio.com/">Twilio</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://www.knowledgeowl.com">KnowledgeOwl</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://livelike.com/">LiveLike</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://opencollective.com/open-web-docs">Open Web Docs</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://www.jetbrains.com/">JetBrains</a></li>
</ul>
</div></blockquote>
<p>Head over to our <a class="reference external" href="https://www.writethedocs.org/conf/portland/2022/sponsors/prospectus/">sponsorship prospectus</a> for details on how your company can get involved!
We have several types of sponsorship available, including tables at the job fair that we’ll be hosting on Tuesday.</p>
<p>And that’s the latest on the Portland conference. We hope you’re all getting as excited as we are! Stay tuned for more details.</p>
<p>The Write the Docs Team</p>
</div>
</div>
Speaking at Write the Docs — what to expect?https://www.writethedocs.org/blog/what-to-expect-as-a-speaker/2022-01-07T00:00:00Z2022-01-07T00:00:00ZKat Stoica Ostenfeld<div class="section" id="speaking-at-write-the-docs-what-to-expect">
<div class="note admonition">
<p class="first admonition-title">Guest post</p>
<p>This guest blog post was written by our community member <a class="reference external" href="https://twitter.com/Katstodian_">Kat Stoica Ostenfeld</a>.
Thanks for sharing your experience as a speaker at Write the Docs Prague 2021!</p>
<p class="last">We’re happy to share experiences from our community. If you’d like to contribute a blog post about your WTD experiences, email us at <a class="reference external" href="mailto:support%40writethedocs.org">support<span>@</span>writethedocs<span>.</span>org</a>.</p>
</div>
<p>So you’ve been selected to give a talk at WTD; but what does that actually mean?</p>
<p>You took a leap and proposed a talk; well done!
A week or so later, an important email arrived from the Write the Docs folks, telling you that good news, your talk was selected! Congratulations!</p>
<p>So now you’re existing in the in-between; the conference is in the future. Maybe writing your <strong>actual</strong> talk is in the future as well, you might have decided to delay that part until you had confirmation that your talk would be accepted.
As someone who’s just been in your position, since I gave a talk at Write the Docs Prague 2021, I’ve got a few tips and pointers about what to expect, and what to do, before, during, and after the conference you’re giving a talk at.</p>
<div class="section" id="before-the-conference">
<h2>Before the conference</h2>
<dl class="docutils">
<dt><strong>Confirm that you’re giving your talk.</strong></dt><dd>You’re going to receive an email from the WTD folks, asking you to confirm that you still want to give your talk. Once you have, you’ll also receive a request for some personal information about yourself, including your pronouns. This is so that the emcee can give you a proper personal introductions before your talk. It’s really neat.</dd>
<dt><strong>Create your talk.</strong></dt><dd>I’m not at all going to tell you how to do this; your talk has been accepted because some very smart and keen people think it’ll add to the community, and I can’t wait to hear it. I will however, strongly urge you to use the #speakers channel on the WTD Slack while you’re writing your talk. Once you’ve confirmed your talk, you’ll be added to this channel, where speakers from previous WTD conferences still hang out. Come say hi, share any insights, frustrations, ideas, and/or challenges you have; we’ve all been there before. We’re all here to help.</dd>
<dt><strong>Record your talk and send it to the organizers.</strong></dt><dd><p>Since conferences are going to be virtual or hybrid for the foreseeable future, you’re going to have to provide a recording of your talk about a month before the actual conference. If you’re comfortable facilitating, recording, and editing yourself, cool beans!</p>
<p>If you’re not, no worries! Among their legion of capable people, the WTD team has a skilled and kind videographer who you can book for a recording session. For me, this was incredibly helpful. This person did a video call with me, eased me into the process by chit-chatting, and recorded while I gave my talk, effectively to them as a single audience member. Having another person involved made it feel more safe and real to me. Plus, it was great to be able to go “stop, this needs to be edited, I’ll rewind a few sentences” and trust that the capable professional would mark that somewhere in their software and edit it out later. So hey, if you’re in any way frustrated or worried by the thought of having to record, WTD has got your back.</p>
</dd>
<dt><strong>Provide a list of any particularly uncommon words.</strong></dt><dd>For accessibility reasons, your talk is going to be live-captioned. This is done by two amazingly talented transcribers – and if you want to know more about how it’s done, there’s a <a class="reference external" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74D61IulEy0">lightning talk from Write the Docs Prague 2018</a>, where one of them explains how it works. Because they’re transcribing by sound, some uncommon words can be tricky. If you’re using unusual words, or if you, like I did, slip a few non-English words into your talk, send a list of these to the WTD organizers after submitting your talk, so the humans involved will be able to do their job.</dd>
</dl>
</div>
<div class="section" id="during-the-conference">
<h2>During the conference</h2>
<dl class="docutils">
<dt><strong>Sign up for and attend a sound check.</strong></dt><dd>Between each other, attendees, and speakers, the organizers of the conference are basically herding cats. Which is something we’re probably all more or less familiar with. We’re also familiar with the initial 2 minutes of any video call being spent on “hold on, can you hear me? My mic’s not working”. To avoid this happening during your live Q&A session, you’ll be asked to book a slot with one of the organizers and do a camera and sound check with them in the actual software used for the conference. It’s a good little ice breaker, too.</dd>
<dt><strong>Your talk! Plus a Q&A session.</strong></dt><dd><p>Your talk will be shown at a given time (in the local conference timezone). Immediately after, there’ll be a short Q&A session where you’re live with an emcee who’ll funnel questions to you from the chat (as well as any they might have themselves). This is where the sound check comes in. This is the only time you’re officially expected to be present and engaging with others.</p>
<p>In some of the Write the Docs documentation about conferences, you might find this phrase or something similar; that speakers are expected to actively participate in the conference. This is, in some ways, a leftover from when conferences were in-person events. For virtual conferences, when I asked, the messaging was this; attend, watch as many talks and be in as many unconference sessions as you want, be there and present for your Q&A; but you don’t have to “perform” or be “visible” for other peoples’ talks etc. You CAN, of course! But let your mental capacity and energy be your guide.</p>
<p>Now, back to the Q&A; prepare to have fun with this! You effectively “gave” your talk a month ago, because you recorded it and sent it to someone else, only for it to be shown a set time to a large group of other people. And they’re all reacting to it at the same time! So, now is when you get to reflect, talk, answer weird and lovely questions. It can be super enjoyable and stimulating. Also, just FYI, this part will be appended to your actual talk when the recording goes on up YouTube.</p>
</dd>
<dt><strong>Unconference sessions.</strong></dt><dd><p>During the conference, participants can schedule unconference schedules to run in the same timeslots as talks. Sometimes, this’ll cause a clash of interests; you might want to hear that one particular talk and be in the Q&A as it’s happening, but also in that interesting discussion that spawned because of that <em>other</em> talk, where you just definitely need to dig into that one point. Stimulating!</p>
<p>My personal advice would be to opt for the unconference sessions; these aren’t recorded, so they’re fleeting in-the-moment situations, whereas the talks (including Q&As afterward) are recorded and will go on YouTube about a week after the conference. But that was my personal strategy; you do you.</p>
</dd>
</dl>
</div>
<div class="section" id="after-the-conference">
<h2>After the conference</h2>
<dl class="docutils">
<dt><strong>Take some time to de-compress.</strong></dt><dd>This is very much a “do as I say, not as I do” thing; after attending WTD conferences, I’ve always gone straight back into work the next day. Including the conference where I gave a talk myself. But honestly, I’ve been a mushy ball of nonsensical half-thoughts for days afterwards. During a conference, your synapses are firing like crazy. Between listening to talks, chatting with other documentarians, finding inspiration in unconference sessions, and possibly also still replying to one or two urgent work emails, your brain is working over-time in the highest gear. The best you can do, right now, is to book one or two days off immediately after the conference. Give yourself time to crash on the sofa, go for a walk, sleep, and let some of that new knowledge and validation really sink in, before you attempt to perform again.</dd>
<dt><strong>Ride the wave.</strong></dt><dd>You just put yourself out there. Others might have noticed. You might be invited to give more talks, participate in podcasts and web casts, connect with other documentarians. Do that, as much as you feel comfortable with.</dd>
</dl>
</div>
</div>
Announcing speakershttps://www.writethedocs.org/conf/prague/2021/news/announcing-speakers/2021-07-30T00:00:00Z2021-07-30T00:00:00ZWrite the Docs Team<div class="section" id="announcing-speakers">
<p>Hello, documentarians! Today we’re happy to announce the full list of talks and speakers for the 2021 Prague virtual conference.</p>
<p>Every year talk selection gets more and more difficult as we get a larger, stronger batch of submissions.
Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to send us a pitch – we literally wouldn’t have an event without you!</p>
<div class="section" id="full-speaker-line-up">
<h2>Full speaker line-up</h2>
<p>Every year, we look to bring a wide range of voices to the Write the Docs stage. Because being a documentarian can mean different things to different people, we aim for a line-up that spans a good mix of practical, philosophical, and technical topics – with the odd whimsical one thrown in for good measure.</p>
<p>We’re really excited about the presentations we’ve got this year – we hope you are too!</p>
<span class="target" id="speaker-lana-brindley-she-her"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Lana Brindley (she/her) – More than words: Reviewing and updating your information architecture</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-karen-sawrey"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Karen Sawrey – Hustling for Fun and Profit as a Technical Writer: A Freelancing Starter Kit</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-fabrizio-ferri-benedetti"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Fabrizio Ferri-Benedetti – When documenting is designing: How to assist API design as a technical writer</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-jenn-leaver"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Jenn Leaver – Docs leadership: How to become a stronger leader for your team</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-anita-diamond"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Anita Diamond – Cognitive Ergonomics in Technical Writing - Lessons from the Field</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-lukas-reu-ner"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Lukas Reußner – Hitchhiker’s Guide to Documentation Tools and Processes</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-felicity-brand"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Felicity Brand – How to write a book for (and with) an open source community</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-anna-korinna-n-meth-szab"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Anna Korinna Németh-Szabó – Alchemy in Adversity (How to become better and more resilient tech writers in a turbulent work environment)</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-victor-sluiter"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Victor Sluiter – Adventures in setting up a knowledge system for a research group</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-kate-santo"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Kate Santo – From travel content to technical content: my journey</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-kevin-hwang"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Kevin Hwang – Customer Feedback is the Fuel in our Engine</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-ryan-macklin-he-they"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Ryan Macklin (he/they) – So you need to give bad news to users…</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-kat-stoica-ostenfeld"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Kat Stoica Ostenfeld – How I use applied linguistics to be a better technical writer</li>
</ul>
<p>Head over to the <a class="reference external" href="https://www.writethedocs.org/conf/prague/2021/speakers/">Speakers page</a> to see the full abstracts.
We hope that there’s something there for everyone to enjoy, and also something that will broaden your horizons a bit.</p>
</div>
<div class="section" id="tickets-are-going-fast">
<h2>Tickets are going fast!</h2>
<p>If you don’t have your ticket yet, now’s a great time to snap one up. Conference tickets have sold out for the last several years, and they go faster along with the speaker announcement, so if you’re planning to attend, don’t leave it to the last minute.</p>
<p><a class="reference external" href="https://www.writethedocs.org/conf/prague/2021/tickets/">Buy your tickets here!</a></p>
<p>Our Opportunity Grant program is still open until August 15th. If buying a ticket is difficult for you, please don’t hesitate to apply to the grant program.</p>
<p><strong>Meetup organizer discount</strong>: As a thanks to our meetup organizers, we’re happy to offer you a 50% discount on your tickets. Please email us at <a class="reference external" href="mailto:prague%40writethedocs.org">prague<span>@</span>writethedocs<span>.</span>org</a>, tell us which meetup you organize, and we will send you registration instructions.</p>
</div>
<div class="section" id="thanks-to-our-sponsors">
<h2>Thanks to our sponsors</h2>
<p>We are so grateful to have our sponsors help in bringing these events to life every year. Thanks sincerely to the following companies for supporting the Write the Docs community:</p>
<blockquote>
<div><ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://www.redhat.com/en">Red Hat</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://www.people-text.de/en/home-en.html">people text</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://www.knowledgeowl.com">KnowledgeOwl</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://www.jetbrains.com/">JetBrains</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://opencollective.com/open-web-docs">Open Web Docs</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://aiven.io/">Aiven</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/">MDN Web Docs</a></li>
</ul>
</div></blockquote>
<p>Head over to our <a class="reference external" href="https://www.writethedocs.org/conf/prague/2020/sponsors/prospectus/">sponsorship prospectus</a> for details on how your company can get involved!
We have several types of sponsorship available, including tables at the job fair that we’ll be hosting on Tuesday.</p>
<p>And that’s the latest on the Prague conference. We hope you’re all getting as excited as we are! Stay tuned for more details.</p>
<p>The Write the Docs Team</p>
</div>
</div>
Announcing speakers and sessionshttps://www.writethedocs.org/conf/portland/2021/news/announcing-speakers/2021-02-17T00:00:00Z2021-02-17T00:00:00ZWrite the Docs Team<div class="section" id="announcing-speakers-and-sessions">
<p>We’re writing today with an update on the fast-approaching Portland conference.</p>
<p>We’re delighted to announce that we’ve finalized our speakers for the event, and have updated t-shirts on sale.
Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to send us a pitch – we literally wouldn’t have an event without you!</p>
<div class="section" id="full-speaker-line-up">
<h2>Full speaker line-up</h2>
<p>Every year, we look to bring a wide range of voices to the Write the Docs stage. Because the role of “documentarian” looks so different to each of us, we aim for a line-up that spans a good mix of practical, philosophical, and technical topics – with the odd whimsical one thrown in for good measure.
We’re really excited about the presentations we’ve got this year – we hope you are too!</p>
<span class="target" id="speaker-abigail-mccarthy"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Abigail McCarthy – A guide to getting started in open source</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-jessica-garson"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Jessica Garson – Writing a perfect technical tutorial</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-deanna-thompson"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Deanna Thompson – Building a style guide from the ground up: lessons learned from a lone writer</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-katherine-karaus"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Katherine Karaus – Invisible influence — the documentation behind UX copy</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-rachael-stavchansky"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Rachael Stavchansky – Shuffle ball change: Sashay your way to clearer API documentation</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-falon-darville"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Falon Darville – Almost None to Some: Driving DISQO’s Doc Culture as a Solo Documentarian</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-daniele-procida"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Daniele Procida – Always complete, never finished</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-rin-oliver"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Rin Oliver – Writing Documentation with Neurodivergent Open Source Contributors In Mind</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-swapnil-ogale"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Swapnil Ogale – Putting the “tech” in technical writer</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-sarah-r-rodlund"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Sarah R. Rodlund – Beyond metrics: Using maturity models to develop a docs strategy</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-paris-buttfield-addison"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Paris Buttfield-Addison – The Secret History of Libraries</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-nicola-yap"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Nicola Yap – Level Up - Onboarding that enables writers to thrive</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-ines-stefanovic"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Ines Stefanovic – Is Tech Writer a Tester, and Vice Versa, Is Tester a Tech Writer?</li>
</ul>
<span class="target" id="speaker-laura-novich"></span><ul class="simple">
<li>Laura Novich – Documentation Communities: Sound Strategy or Documentarian’s Gambit?</li>
</ul>
<p>Head over to the <a class="reference external" href="https://www.writethedocs.org/conf/portland/2021/speakers/">Speakers page</a> to see the full abstracts.
We hope there’s something there for everyone to enjoy, and also something that will broaden your horizons a bit.</p>
</div>
<div class="section" id="shirts-on-sale">
<h2>Shirts on sale</h2>
<p>The <a class="reference external" href="https://teespring.com/wtd-pdx-2021">Write the Docs Portland 2021 Pop-Up Shop</a> is open, and starting this year we updated the logo to include the year of the conference! You can order loose and fitted options from different fabrics, and you can choose exactly the size and cut you want.</p>
<p>The campaign will run in 3-day batches until May 31st. Shipping is available from the USA or Europe. However, due to the global shipping situation, we recommend you order your shirt at least 2-3 weeks in advance if you want to sport your new threads during the conference.</p>
</div>
<div class="section" id="tickets-are-going-fast">
<h2>Tickets are going fast!</h2>
<p>If you don’t have your ticket yet, now’s a great time to snap one up. Conference tickets have sold out for the last several years, and they go faster along with the speaker announcement, so if you’re planning to come, don’t leave it to the last minute.</p>
<p><a class="reference external" href="https://www.writethedocs.org/conf/portland/2021/tickets/">Buy your tickets here!</a></p>
</div>
<div class="section" id="thanks-to-our-sponsors">
<h2>Thanks to our sponsors</h2>
<p>We are so grateful to have our sponsors help in bringing these events to life every year. Thanks sincerely to the following companies for supporting the Write the Docs community:</p>
<blockquote>
<div><ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://www.google.com">Google</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://www.cncf.io/">Cloud Native Computing Foundation</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://slack.com/">Slack</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://www.twilio.com/">Twilio</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://www.knowledgeowl.com">KnowledgeOwl</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://www.mongodb.com/">MongoDB</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://www.juniper.net/">Juniper</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://www.netlify.com/">Netlify</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://www.starburst.io/">Starburst</a></li>
</ul>
</div></blockquote>
<p>Head over to our <a class="reference external" href="https://www.writethedocs.org/conf/portland/2021/sponsors/prospectus/">sponsorship prospectus</a> for details on how your company can get involved!
We have several types of sponsorship available, including tables at the job fair that we’ll be hosting on Tuesday.</p>
<p>And that’s the latest on the Portland conference. We hope you’re all getting as excited as we are! Stay tuned for more details.</p>
<p>The Write the Docs Team</p>
</div>
</div>