From the Doc Side : meet the team

Meet the Team - Steve S.

Lindsey Robbins — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:05:00 GMT

Name? Steve S.

How long have you been at Blackbaud? Going on 4 years

What technology from the past do you wish would make a comeback? The flux capacitor... I could always use a little more time in the day!

Favorite part of technical communication? Working with multiple products, learning about new technology, and the adrenaline rush and creative high that accompanies routine deadline doom.

Products you Work On? The Raiser's Edge, Blackbaud Enterprise CRM, and Blackbaud Payment Service

Other projects you Work On? PCI Compliance, usability, consistency, and localization. I also cartoon for the company employee newsletter, The Buzz.

How did you get into technical writing? My career as an indie comic book creator, while fun, didn't really pay the bills... Luckily, I was able to apply my talents as a technical illustrator and then technical writer.

What's changed about Blackbaud since you've been here? The CEO and the ever-growing headcount.

What hasn't changed? The onsite fitness center remains the best perk I never use.

What's one unique thing about you? When not working to meet deadlines at Blackbaud, I work to meet deadlines as the staff cartoonist for the local alternative weekly newspaper.

Anything else? Nope.

Meet the Team - John

Lindsey Robbins — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 18:54:00 GMT

Name? John Lyons

How long have you been at Blackbaud? 1 year

What technology from the past do you wish would make a comeback? Well, I’m still waiting for one of those hoverboards from the Back to the Future movies. Does that count? It’s not really a comeback since they never existed, but way back when those movies came out, I remember reading that everyone would have one of those things by now.

Favorite part of technical communication? The fact that there is always something new to learn. Whether it’s new features in our programs, ways to tailor documentation to our users’ needs, or the technology behind the programs, there is always plenty to learn. The work environment at Blackbaud is great, and it offers plenty of learning opportunities.

Products you work on? Blackbaud Enterprise CRM and Blackbaud NetCommunity

Other projects you work on? I’ve been working on a consistency project to create a style guide for products on the Infinity platform, and I handle updates to the sample database for The Raiser’s Edge. I’ve also been learning Visual Basic and trying to familiarize myself with VBA and API in The Raiser’s Edge.

How did you get into technical writing? Just lucked out, I guess. After working for newspapers for about 10 years, I decided for the second time that I needed to get out and move to something more technical. (The first attempt was back in 2000 when I started studying computer networking and got the CCNA certification. Unfortunately, I managed to get my certification just as the dotcom bubble was bursting.) Luckily, this time around my sister worked at Blackbaud and passed along my resume. … The paper where I worked just started a “voluntary separation program” to buy out employees, so it seems like switching fields was a pretty good idea.

What's changed about Blackbaud since you've been here? Lots of new faces. I’ve only been here for a year, but even in that short time, it seems like we’ve hired a ton of new people. The ones who are fresh out of college make me feel REALLY old.

What hasn't changed? The great work environment. All jobs have their ups and downs, but the positive work environment at Blackbaud and the great coworkers make a huge difference.

What's one unique thing about you? Nothing really … Although I do have an inordinate number of pink shirts that I actually wear on occasion. My wife buys them and claims to really like pink on me, but I suspect she just gets a kick out of seeing me look silly. However, there might be more to it than that, because even before she started buying all those pink shirts, I had one pink button-up that I’d wear occasionally; maybe a few times a year. When I wore it, I consistently got compliments from female coworkers. A coworker picked up on this and started wearing pink too, and he got the same response. So either women really like pink dress shirts, or they just like when guys look silly. Or maybe both.

Anything else? Well, as much as I like my job, the best thing about working at Blackbaud has nothing to do with work. My favorite perk is a pickup game of basketball with some guys who work here. Twice a week, we play ball before work from 6 to 7 a.m. I’ve been told by more than one person that I’m crazy to get up that early, but it’s really one of the best parts of my week.

Meet the Team - Justin W.

Lindsey Robbins — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:51:00 GMT

Name? Justin Ward

(Editior's Note - Sometimes we just call him Ward. We don't want to confuse him with Baden, our other Justin).

How long have you been at Blackbaud? 10 years

What technology from the past do you wish would make a comeback? Trap doors and revolving bookcases.

Which technology do you wish would go away forever? Caller ID. When I was in middle school I enjoyed making prank phone calls. Now, your name and number are displayed so the person you're calling knows exactly who it is, even with a disguised voice. Bummer. Thanks to Caller ID, the prank phone call is a dying art.

Favorite part of technical communication? I’m constantly learning new things, and I like the notion that what I do will help the end user with his job.

Products you Work On? Financial Edge, Education Edge, Blackbaud Student Information System, and ResearchPoint

Other projects you Work On? Usability projects

How did you get into technical writing? My college advisor pointed me in this direction, and after two years working for a newspaper, I made the move.

What's changed about Blackbaud since you've been here? Location, CEOs, cafeteria vendors, healthcare plan, just to name a few.

What hasn't changed? My NEO photo and my cube mate.

What's one unique thing about you? I’ve been to Vegas seven times and hit every casino from Fremont to Mandalay. What’s unique about that? After seven trips I’ve won significantly more than I’ve lost. I own that city!

Meet the Team - Ellyn

Lindsey Robbins — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 17:10:00 GMT

Name? Ellyn

How long have you been at Blackbaud? 6.5 years. I left Blackbaud for 2 years and just returned March '08 (remotely in Williamsburg, VA).

What technology from the past do you wish would make a comeback? Sound effects in games like Pong and Pac-Man! I even had the Pac-Man Fever album.

Favorite part of technical communication? I enjoy the usability aspect - assessing how our users process and use the products and documentation we create. I love visiting clients in their work environment and learning how they use our products! I also have great interest in international communication and translation. And lately, I'm becoming more fascinated with social networking and Web 2.0.

Products you Work On? The Education Edge, Blackbaud Student Information System, The Patron Edge, Blackbaud Enterprise CRM.

Other projects you Work On? Usability group - researching Team Foundation Server to track client contact activity.

How did you get into technical writing?: As an English major, I completed a few internships with various literary reviews and magazines. The experience was sufficient but I didn't really enjoy that type of writing. My advisor was big on this thing called tech writing and encouraged me to try a few tech classes in the department. I did and I've been in tech writing ever since!! I continued into the MA in English/Tech Writing program (almost finished paying the student loans!) and gained some very cool real-world experience. We worked on so many interesting projects, ranging from helping to publish the department web site to editing documentation for NASA. I also really got into the international communication/translation aspect of tech writing but that's another story. Maybe I'll blog about it :-)

What's changed about Blackbaud since you've been here? The technology - it's amazing how much has changed in just the 2 years I was gone!

What hasn't changed? The people! My co-workers genuinely care about helping users make the most of our products and documentation. And my team is awesome. Especially being remote, you lose a little of that personal connection established by living in the cube farm!! I think we all work well together, communicating about work stuff but also taking a bit of time to connect personally.

What's one unique thing about you? I love to scuba dive.

Anything else? Happy to be back!

Meet the Team - Betsy

Lindsey Robbins — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 15:02:00 GMT

Name? Betsy

How long have you been at Blackbaud? 9 years

What technology from the past do you wish would make a comeback? Coleco Vision! The Smurf game to be exact.

Favorite part of technical communication? Multi-task…A LOT. There is so much to do. I love the ability to select what I am going to work on for any given day. I feel very much in control of my own day and I love it.

Products you Work On? RE, BBEC, & BBNC

Other projects you Work On? variables & schemes with content reuse, Team Foundation Server, Help files

How did you get into technical writing?: My first year at Blackbaud, I was in RE Support. I also became a software trainer that year. My whole life, I loved writing and I had my eye on the Doc Team since I started. I applied for an open position and transferred to the team in May 2000. Since then, I have gone from solely working on RE for the first 3-4 years to working on multiple products for the last 3-4 years.

What's changed about Blackbaud since you've been here? What has NOT changed is the question! I no longer drive to work on the banks of the Ashley River; I drive to Daniel Island. We use to develop 3 products...today, I lose count how many products we develop! My team’s processes have changed and our writing style has changed. Everything has changed….which I think is great! I enjoy the challenge that constant change brings. It keeps me motivated.

What hasn't changed? The people that I work with are very passionate and are all so great! That has never changed. Blackbaud continues to have a genuine heart for what we do and who we are. I love that we work for nonprofits so closely as nonprofits are a big part of my personal life. I volunteer a lot and try to be as involved in our community as possible.

What's one unique thing about you? In 1995, I worked at the golf pro shop during the week of The Masters in Augusta, GA. It was one of the greatest weeks of my life!