Research Cooperative Review (Issue 2, 1st June 2009)

Greetings to all members.See the shorter broadcast version here (this was misdated as 1st of May, mea culpa ).Millions of frogs are calling simultaneously in the rice fields outside our home office in Kyoto. Like the voice of an individual frog, this note is competing with the voices of millions. If you can hear us (and enjoy the sound), thank you!1. We continue to evolve:The pages for discussions in different languages can now be found in the 'Groups' menu in a link called 'Find your own language'. If you would like a new language page added, please tell me.2. A new optional profile question has been added:"What are your favourite local and international research-related journals, newsletters, or 'popular' magazines? Please list no more than six examples in total, without ranking, across these six categories (local journal, international journal, etc.)"To answer this question or change other information on your existing profile page, please 'Sign in' at the Research Cooperative, then click on the link for 'Settings', at upper right, under your name.3. New forums opened for technical communication:On May 12th, I discovered the 'Society for Technical Communication (STC)', and a definition of 'technical communication' that takes the field beyond what used to be called 'technical writing'. According to the STC, the role of a technical communicator is to:Develop and design instructional and informational tools needed to assure safe, appropriate, and effective use of science and technology , intellectual property, and manufactured products and services. Combine multimedia knowledge and strong communication skills with technical expertise to educate across the entire spectrum of users abilities, technical experience, and visual and auditory capabilities. (STC, Internet, www.stc.org , 12th May 2009).Researchers often depend on technical communication for learning how to use equipment, laboratory kits, software, and so on - and this includes all the gear we use for writing and publishing.At the Research Cooperative, we now have forums for technical communication (offers and requests). Please have a look.4. A technical reading suggestion:Some members may also like to see a newly published technical book on using and building social networks with Ning, the networking system we are using for the Research Cooperative. This a very good example of technical communication. See:Manny Hernandez (2009) Ning for Dummies. Wiley Publishing: New Jersey, 342 pp.5. The state of play:We now have more than 750 members. Our member diversity and geographical range continue to increase, but we still need much more depth, in every subject area. We expect this to appear, gradually but surely.