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Mike Altman to represent Elephant at Techshoret Convention in Jerusalem
If you will be at the convention, look for Mike. In addition to enjoying the convention, he will be there to answer questions about the Elephant organization and help members.
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Suite Solutions Extends Discount to Elephant Members for DITA Quick Start Workshop
Suite Solutions announced that it will extend a 10% discount to its upcoming DITA Quick Start Workshop (April 13-15). This workshop is now being offered in Israel after a number of successful engagements in the U.S. For more information listed on the Elephant site, click here.
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Reporting for the Salary and Rate Survey
The reporting period has started for the salary and rate surveys for technical writers, marcom writers and copy editors. Links to each survey are located in the right column. You must be logged in to participate. If you do not have a username and password, you can create one for free at http://elephant.org.il/register .
This is the most accurate survey of salaries and freelance rates for technical writers, marcom writers and copy editors working in Israel.
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Job Fair - Date moved to December
October 27 2009
(edited 4 months, 3 weeks ago)People & Computers’ annual job fair for Israeli High Tech Professionals will be held at Airport City on December 8th 2009. This is useful for anyone looking for a high tech job in Israel, in particular people who are in:
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Call for Papers (SwSTE 2010 IEEE Conference)
SwSTE 2010 is a biennial International IEEE Conference held in Israel (Herzelia on June 15+16 2010). It is a very professional and prestige conference, which interests and draws approximately 300 participants from the Israeli Hi-Tech industry. Click here to download Call for Papers...
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Daily Reviewer includes Elephant in 100 top blogs
The Daily Reviewer recently notified us that it included Elephant in its list of 100 top blogs in the Technical Writing category. You can find our RSS feed (Tech Writer News) at http://thedailyreviewer.com/top/technical-writing.
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Salary/Rate reporting has begun for the start of Q4. Participate NOW!
Participation is required in order to gain access to the detailed results without paying 1200 NIS + VAT. To participate you must login. If you do not have a password, you can create one at create a user account.
To ensure accuracy, data that cannot be verified or clarified will not be used in the survey. Reporting takes place at the start of each fiscal quarter. Links are in the right column.
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Salary Survey Results Posted
The results of the Salaried Rate Surveys taken July 1-15 have been posted (login and access rights required). The report for Salaried Technical/Marcom Writers consists of 18 pages of detailed breakdowns. The Freelance Rate reports were posted 2-3 weeks ago.
The report for Freelance Technical/Marcom Writers consists of 11 pages of detailed breakdowns. The report for Freelance Copy Editors consists of 9 pages of breakdowns. Participation in the surveys increased, especially among Salaried Technical/Marcom Writers.
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VAT Increases to 16.5% on July 1
June 30 2009
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Effective Strategy To Estimate Time For Your Design Projects
Smashing Magazine posted a great article entitled "Effective Strategy To Estimate Time For Your Design Projects" which is relevant to anyone doing freelance work.
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5th Annual Tech Writers Picnic
Mark your calendars. This year's picnic will be July 10 at the the Kibbutz Hazorea swimming pool. The picnic is open to all technical writers, marcom writers, copy editors and members of similar professions. You do not need to be a member to come. It is always great fun for the whole family and fun to meet your colleague's families. There is a great swimming pool for kids and infants, and an even better one for the adults. There will be an entrance fee of 20 NIS per person charged by the Kibbutz. This fee covers entrance to the area and will be charged regardless of whether you use the pool. Please fill in the preregistration form below. It will help us plan and help Mike Lee get us a really low rate again this year. Click here for directions...
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Technical Writer/Marcom Writer Rates
May 15 2009
The results of the recent Salary Survey (18 pages) and Freelance Rate Survey (10 pages) are ready.
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35 Online Tools That Make Your Freelance Career Easier
May 15 2009
FreelanceFolder.com posted 35 Online Tools That Make Your Freelance Career Easier. Some highlights from the article:
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Interview with Copywriter Relly Annett-Baker
Boagworld Web Design Advice has a Podcast interview with copywriter Relly Annett-Baker of PoppyCopy.
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New Website: English Speakers of Northern Israel
English Speakers of Northern Israel http://esni.bestenglish123.com is now online. This website aims to help English speaking Olim to build professional and social connections with each other, and to inform them about the many events and government programs which can assist them.
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Job Fair In Haifa February 26
February 24 2009
(edited 1 year ago)Anat Sachartov of the Employment Center for Olim in Haifa has announced that there will be a job fair in Haifa this Thursday, February *26*,2009 from 14:00-20:00.
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Last Call for Early-Bird Registration for 2009 ITA Conference
January 29 2009
(edited 1 year, 1 month ago)The early-registration discount for the Israel Translators Association 2009 International Conference ends on January 29, 2009.
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Time to Renew Your Membership
November 30 2008
(edited 1 year, 3 months ago)Membership always runs until the end of the calendar year. Now that we are entering a recession your membership in elephant is more important than ever. Keeping up on salaries and freelance rates, sharing contacts and job leads, letting potential employers know you are available and how to find you are at the heart of Elephant. For details go to the Join Now page.
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Early Bird Registration for Techshoret Conference 26 February 2009!
November 24 2008
(edited 1 year, 3 months ago)If you register for the Techshoret Communicators Conference before Dec. 31 you can save up to 450 NIS.
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Results of the Copy Editors Freelance Rate Survey
The 7 page report of freelance rates for Copy Editors in Israel contains a number of useful breakdowns. Access is limited to the following groups when logged in:
- Participants in the survey
- Members of elephant who participated in one of the other surveys (details at http://elephant.org.il/join_now)
- Nonmembers who participated in one of the other surveys and holds a participant-subscription (details at http://elephant.org.il/join_now)
- Nonparticipant subscribers to the elephant surveys (details at http://elephant.org.il/salarybenefits/quarterly_report_pricing.html)
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Creative Parenting Workshop
Carolyn Tal, who writes our Coaching column here on Elephant is offering a unique course on parenting in December.Read more...
What kind of parent are you? What kind of parent would you like to be? -
Israel FrameMaker User Group
September 26 2008
(edited 1 year ago)
Tags:More than 15 people attended September 26th meeting of the Israel FrameMaker User Group in Kfar Yona. Shlomo Perets of Microtype spoke on FrameMaker's paragraph overrides. Jack Shasha of Radware gave a talk entitled "Text Insets: A FrameMaker Single-Sourcing Solution".
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MarcShoret Communicators Conference
The Annual MarcShoret Communicators Conference (MCC) will be held at Binyanei Hauma on November 2, 2008.
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Results of the Copy Editors Survey Just Posted
September 12 2008
If you have the proper permissions it should be one of the first articles after you login. If not...
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Tax Breaks if Arrived After 2006
A new tax law gives people who made aliyah after 2006 a ten year exemption from taxes on overseas income. This includes "businesses or employment outside Israel",
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STC Israel Chapter's 2008-09 Technical Communications Competitions
The STC Israel Chapter's annual Competitions is getting underway! This is a chance to attain peer recognition for your high-quality work, and receive useful suggestions for you to apply to future efforts. The Competitions help establish professional standards for our work, and provide visibility for technical communicators among their companies and clients.
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Adobe Technical Communication Suite On Demand Video Seminars
At the Adobe Blog you can find three On Demand training videos on the Adobe Technical Communication Suite.
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Coming Soon - New Web Admin for Elephant
August 7 2008
Once this quarter's salary and rate data is processed it will be removed from the server and I expect to announce a new web admin! That's right folks - time for a change. Not only can you expect to get more for your money. For those of you who are not members - now is the time to join.
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Full Gas Neutral
July 20 2008
(edited 1 year, 8 months ago)Ever notice how sometimes people put out a great deal of effort, but it seems to be in the wrong direction? And sometimes that person is you? We call this “full gas neutral”.
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Your POS - Personal Operating System
July 6 2008
Consider that you have a Personal Operating System (POS), how you most naturally and effectively operate, your strengths and talents, and your non-talents. And consider that this system is unique to you, just as others’ systems have their own unique configuration. This is the heart of diversity, not just recognizing that people truly differ, also recognizing that people’s differences are to be valued. The superhuman has not (yet?!) been created that can be good at everything. In order to have all our bases covered, people need to be good at different things. For example, there are some people that forge ahead. They have a quick intuitive think, decide, and are ready to run. Others like to mull over a decision. They thoroughly consider different sides and potential outcomes before they move forward. A really good team benefits from having both of these types as members, the gas and the brakes.
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Discount for Elephant members for upcoming Corporate Blogging and Social Media Course
May 27 2008“Corporate Blogging and Social Media” is a 3-day seminar given by illuminea marketing & media that will take place on Thursday June 5, June 12, and June 19, 2008, from 9 am to 6 pm.
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Salary and Freelance Rate Results
May 15 2008
The results of the April salary and freelance surveys are ready. If you have access you will them when you are logged in, if not you can purchase access online. This quarter's results are even more detailed than last quarter (14 pages of salary breakdowns and separate 9 page reports for freelance rates in $USD and NIS).
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The Fun is Over
March 23 2008
Now that Purim is over we are back to the real version of elephant.org.il . If you want to see some of what you missed - click here...
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Freelance Copy Editors Rates
The results of the freelance copy editors rate survey are ready and have been posted. This 7 page report is a must for anyone looking for work or looking to hire an English language copy editor in Israel. So if you have access - go to the Salaries and Rates section now. Everyone else needs to either purchase access or upgrade/extend existing access. April 1-15 is the next reporting period and the last time that you can join the survey group for free!
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Looking for a New Job - Think Twice
February 21 2008
Not all jobs are worth taking. CNN recently published an interesting article about the signs of job worth NOT taking. Link to the article...
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Detailed Salary and Rate Information - Feb. 15
The detailed reports on salaries and freelance rates for technical and marcom writers were released on Feb. 15. In order to view the reports you must login and have participation-based access permissions. Those who did not participate may purchase access for a small fee at http://www.elephant.org.il/salarybenefits/quarterly_report_pricing.html . Salary breakdowns will include:
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Saving Money (Mobile, Landline, Internet)
Haaretz recently posted an article Be in Touch, With Your Phone Company which can help you reduce your cell phone, telephone and internet expenses. For example,Read more... -
What Does a Technical Writer Really Do?
February 6 2008
(edited 1 year ago)
Tags:Technical writing in Israel is not just about gathering technical information and putting it down on paper.
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Code of Ethics for Technical and Marcom Writers
Elephant.org.il has just adopted a Code of Ethics. We hope that this code will be adopted by all technical and marcom writers in Israel.
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Techsmith Offers Free Licenses for SnagIt 7.25 and Camtasia 3.1.2
Techsmith had a limited time offer for free licenses for old versions of SnagIt and Camtasia. The offer has expired - so you are too late. Sorry - next time.
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Are Salary Surveys Accurate
November 21 2007
(edited 1 year ago)Both the Techwr-l list (link to start of thread) and the STC Member Forum (link to thread) have a very interesting discussion going on about the value and accuracy of salary surveys. It appears that the STC has come to the conclusion that their surveys, where data was gathered anonymously, have been innacurate. Other surveys, like the Radford (www.radford.com) and US Bureau of Labor Statistics (www.bls.gov) survey are also discussed.
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Need a Writer Now? Check "Writers for Hire"
November 21 2007
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Anyone needing a technical or marcom writer for an immediate project can check the list of writers for hire. Just click a name to get more details and contact information. -
Elephant is Topic of Well-Known Blogger's Podcast
November 6 2007
(edited 1 year ago)One of the most prestigious technical writing blogs and podcast sites, http://techwritervoices.com/ just posted an interview entitled Building Online Communities: Interview with Svi Ben-Elya about Elephant.org.il .
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Union Leader to Meet with Freelance Writers
November 5 2007
(edited 1 year ago)There will be a no obligation informational meeting for freelancers at the Histadrut on Sunday, November 18 at 5 30. The Histadrut is located at 17 Strauss near the intersection of Ben Yehuda and Jaffa St.
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Freelance Technical Writers Concerned About Unionization Attempt
A meeting organized by Laura Goldman on October 10 to unionize freelance writers has been making waves in technical writing community. Discussion of a freelancer's union began among journalists and creative writer on the CIWI list and among copy editors on the COandPI list. Over the past few days technical writers have been discussing on the Techshoret mailing list whether such a union is relevant to them or even desirable.
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Number of Joblistings on Members' Home Page Increased
October 18 2007
(edited 1 year ago)So far this month there have been 32 joblistings (visible only to logged in members) and the month is not over. Members can find the complete list at www.elephant.org.il/jobs .
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STC Convention - 2007
October 9 2007I've uploaded the following video clips from the convention to: http://www.stc-israel.org.il/Album/VideoClips.htm
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Technical/Marcom Writer Sharon Sabag z"l Dies in Car Accident
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One of Israel's best and most experienced technical/marcom writers, Sharon Sabag z"l, was one of the victims of the tragic car accident on the Arava road on September 30, 2007. -
Freelancer's union
September 24 2007Initial non obligatory meeting for freelancers with the Histradrut on October 10 at 6:15pm at Histradrut headquarters
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Joblistings on the Home Page - Question for Members
The home page posting policy for joblistings is currently under review. For now, the two most recent joblistings will appear on the home page (visible only to members). Link to other listings...
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New Access Policy for 2008 Salary and Rate Reports
September 2 2007
Starting in 2008, you will not be able to purchase to detailed salary and rate reports for a single quarter. In order to receive access to these reports will have to be a regular participant* or purchase access for the entire year.
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Update to Freelance Copy Editors Rates
August 29 2007
(edited 2 years, 6 months ago)The detailed report on freelance copy editor rates has been updated with information on rates based on per word/page rates.
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Open Mic Summaries Return
August 18 2007
Morani Kornberg has brought back the event summaries for the Open Mic Poetry events. The latest one is "Summertime" in Coffee Print, Tel Aviv.
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Technical Writing Contractor Rates Jump - Modest Rise in Salaries
August 15 2007
(edited 1 year, 2 months ago)While the median hourly rate for technical writing contractors jumped by $4.29 ( Detailed Rate Report...), there was only a modest rise in salaries for in-house technical writers during the last quarter (Detailed Salary Report...).
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In Other Words on the Move
It was over ten years ago that In Other Words moved their offices to take up residency in the newly formed MATI Galil. Now they've moved to a new home in Karmiel.
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Traffic at Elephant Reaches New Peak
July 9 2007
(edited 1 year ago)July is the 3rd month in a row that over 3,000 unique IDs visited elephant. Since most visitors appear to be repeat visitors it is likely that many outside the Israeli technical writing community visit regularly.
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For Hire Now!
Upcoming Events
- Mar 23 2010 (19:30 - 21:45)Poetry round-table: Voices Israel Group of Poets in English
- Apr 13 2010 - Apr 15 2010DITA Quick Start Workshop
- May 31 2010Call for Papers Deadline for 3nd Israeli Conference on Robotics (Herzelia)
- Jun 15 2010 - Jun 16 2010SwSTE 2010
Upcoming Courses
- Mar 23 2010 (09:00 - 13:30)Building a Front-End Interface to Document Collections (web-based course)
- Mar 24 2010 (18:30 - 19:30)Webinar: Colors in FrameMaker
- Mar 24 2010 (20:00 - 21:00)Webinar: Cross-Reference Tips & Tricks,
- Apr 13 2010Structured FrameMaker: Authoring (hands-on)
Other Events
Summaries
Requires access rights Freelance Writer Rates (11 pp) Q4/09 Copy Editor Rates (9 pp) Each month, Mark L. Levinson presents one hard-to-translate Hebrew word at a time for discussion. Michael Cohen will teach us practical shortcuts that save us time and make our lives easier. Mark L. Levinson examines the big and little factors that make writing effective. David Siegel looks at the problems in education in Israel and discusses what can be done. Jonathan Plutchok identifies free or inexpensive utilities or plug-ins that save time, increase productivity, improve your computing environment, perform a task you otherwise couldn't do... or is just too much fun to ignore. This column has grown into its own blog at http://jonathanstoolbar.blogspot.com where you can find new issues every week. Paul Schnall teaches us about the power of FrameScript and how to use it. Did you ever wonder what was inside a PC, laptop, or other microcomputer system? Michael Cohen teaches us what's inside and how to configure and build our own. Dr. Tal discusses the principles of professional coaching, focusing on resiliency. Eric Gluch looks at modern marketing. Esther Shira Stepansky takes us on a humorous adventure in the modern day land of Chelm as we look at some of the challenges of making aliyah and finding work in Israel. Making aliyah is supposed to be the fulfillment of my of your Jewish identity, so why does Israel make it so difficult? By Mumpy Dr. Zaidel discusses another aspect of mediation within the framework of Israel's court-approved Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) process. Hezy Asher teaches us how to improve our memory. Tom Johnson's podcast episodes, provide tips on recording presentations, and other podcasting related news and events. By multiple authors By Israel Ivri Summaries of events held by Elephant and other organizations throughout the Israeli technical/marcom community. Q1 2010 Survey Results
Latest photos
Useful Information
Columns on Elephant
Translatable but Debatable
Of Mice and Keyboard Shortcuts
The Why of Style
Broken Bell Education in Israel
Jonathan's Tool Bar & Grill
It's in The Script
Do it Yourself
Coaching for Success
Hunters and Gatherers
Moving to Chelm
Why am I a Tech Writer?
Life as a Tech Writer
Building Bridges (in Hebrew)
Don't Forget
World of Podcasting
Effective Management ניהול אפקטיבי
Scribblin' With Steph
Life in Northern Israel
Life on the Southern Front of Israel
Event Summaries
Survey Reporting