Staright from the Organizer's Desk!

I came, I saw, and I conquered - I would like to use the axiom of Julius Caesar, to describe the Bangalore Tech Writers Meetup Group Let me take a breath here! Phew, wasn't I nervous, when Saravanan Manoharan (aka Sara) made me the Assistant Organizer of the Bangalore Meetup .

I still recall that day, when Sara called me over and said, "You are taking it over from here." Initially, I was amused as to why he chose me out of the whole bunch of seasoned technical writers in Bangalore?

But, then Sara patted me on the back, and felt that I could deliver. Well, I don't know, if I have lived up to his expectations (and those of Bangalore Tech Writers), but I can only say that, "I am trying my level best."

To be completely honest with you, it hasn't really been a smooth sailing. I have been blasted quite often, off the list by quite a few members; they were of the opinion that the agendas were offbeat and the venues were improper. I would like to use this platform to respond to some of those remarks. Please note, that in no way am I trying to incite a flame here. I am doing this with a good intention.

As far as I could make out, offbeat topics would be categorized as those topics which do not have any direct co-relation with technical writing. Here, I'd like to point that the Agenda for the meetup include topics that are selected by a panel of technical writers, including yours truly.

Over the last year, we had meetup agendas ranging from a wide range of topics such as, "Reviewing and standards", "Ways/ Methods of continuous learning for Technical Writers", "Procedure/ Steps i nvolved in planning and preparing a Users Manual for a product" to the recently concluded "How to catch errors once you freeze docs?" etc.

How many of you think these are offbeat topics? Does it not help you with your (technical) writing? I guess, what my fellow mates meant was that we should conduct technical writing sessions, in which they will have tools-related questions and all. Nothing wrong in that!

We also have had agendas on topics related to Tools (In the past, we had an agenda titled, "MS Word vs Framemaker"), but in a different atmosphere for sure - we don't encourage the use of boards, fancy conference rooms, or even a pen/ pencil. We chose to be a little different, guess there's no harm in that, right?

My point, here, is that we are not using this Meetup group to conduct learning sessions; we are just discussing an agenda informally and learning simultaneously. Our soul objective (and mind you, its 100% voluntary) is to work out solutions that one faces in day-to-day life and encourage everyone to do their bit for enhancing Technical Communication.

Few people who have turned up for such meetups have been pretty supportive in giving their feedback, and this in turn has done us a world of good. A few drops of water can make a mighty ocean. There's another issue facing us, as an entity - choosing the right venue of course. Writers who have attended the meetup complained about the venue - noisy and loud music.

While I understand and take the comments with a bowed head, I would also like to say something here. We usually have such meetups at a Coffee house or a Restaurant; to conduct a meetup in one of these places requires financial assistance. As of now, the meetup is a voluntary group. Hence, I cannot organize it in a Hotel or in a Conference Hall. I am talking to various people and orgs to organize such meetups at their premises (office rooms) for an hour or so, but its not easy to convince them.

Also, it defeats the purpose to have an informal meetup - the basis on which the meetup idea was born. We would like to keep as it as informal as possible. My request to fellow writers is -> Please have some patience and I am sure, we will work out something. But, it's not been harsh always. We have been able to do a few things quite uniquely, if I can say so.

To start with, we had some recruitment/ HR personnel joining us regularly. It gives me immense pleasure to inform all of you that some participants from the meetup have secured jobs as well by networking. In addition, there have been certain representatives from technical writing institutes, who have got students enrolled. Good news, isn't it?

As we approach another year, I would like to seek an active hand from all of you. To start with, I would like to know what sort of discussions can we have in such meetups, time and venue you would like to suggest? Do you like to have meetups where we make effective use of a whiteboard? Please feel free to voice your opinion offlist to me. My email address is < > My gratitude to Saravanan Manoharan for his constant support and feedback.

Just like another Technical Writer, I am also trying to learn the intricacies of technical writing and group meetings like the Bangalore Meetup has surely given me the confidence and knowledge to go a long way. It may be true for some more writers like me.

I am sure the coming year brings a lot of happiness in each and everyone's life. I urge my fellow writers in Bangalore to extend a hand to my meetup efforts, so that we can help ourselves to be worthy Documentors.

I know TIME is a real factor here, and weekends is the only time when everyone wants to windup, but trust me if you can contribute a little time of yours in such meetups, it definitely adds value to you writing. Finally, I look forward to receiving mails from all quarters about the Meetup. Thanks for your cooperation! Let's make the Bangalore Meetup the best of its kind. Cheers! Rajdeep