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	<title>Topaz Publications Blog</title>
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	<description>The latest information relating to the Technical Publications industry</description>
	<pubDate>Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:39:51 +0000</pubDate>
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		<title>Acquiring Permissions</title>
		<link>http://www.topazpubs.com/blog/2009/01/acquiring-permissions/</link>
		<comments>http://www.topazpubs.com/blog/2009/01/acquiring-permissions/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 22 Jan 2009 12:50:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Andrea</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Ideas]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.topazpubs.com/blog/?p=42</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We make extensive use of illustrations and photos in the publications we prepare, and we rely heavily on equipment manufacturers and trade associations as sources. But, we can&#8217;t use this material without written permission. We permissions editors spend a lot of time visiting websites to obtain the photos and other illustrations for our books.   Many websites [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Blended Learning</title>
		<link>http://www.topazpubs.com/blog/2009/01/blended-learning/</link>
		<comments>http://www.topazpubs.com/blog/2009/01/blended-learning/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 08 Jan 2009 18:32:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tom</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Ideas]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.topazpubs.com/blog/?p=37</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Does distance learning work for construction workers? 
 
It may seem paradoxical, but it is in fact being done. In a traditional construction apprentice program, apprentices work a full day and go to class two nights a week. This typically lasts for four years and requires about 2000 hours per year of OJT, combined with [...]]]></description>
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		<item>
		<title>Contractor Relationships</title>
		<link>http://www.topazpubs.com/blog/2008/12/contractor-relationships/</link>
		<comments>http://www.topazpubs.com/blog/2008/12/contractor-relationships/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 10 Dec 2008 21:14:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tom</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Ideas]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[relations]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.topazpubs.com/blog/?p=12</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It’s a good idea to establish and nurture a relationship with a reliable vendor, so there’s help available when you need it. Try them out on small projects and weed out the ones that don’t perform. Don’t wait until you’re slammed to decide you need to find a suitable vendor. Plan for the eventuality and [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Calculating Labor Costs</title>
		<link>http://www.topazpubs.com/blog/2008/12/calculating-labor-costs/</link>
		<comments>http://www.topazpubs.com/blog/2008/12/calculating-labor-costs/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 10 Dec 2008 21:12:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tom</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Ideas]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[costs]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[estimates]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.topazpubs.com/blog/?p=8</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[What is the true cost of a labor hour? Let’s start with salary. Maybe the average tech writer in your organization makes a little over $60,000 a year. For convenience, we’ll say it rolls out to $30 an hour. In order to get to the number some companies call “total cost” (it isn’t), you need [...]]]></description>
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		<item>
		<title>Outsourcing</title>
		<link>http://www.topazpubs.com/blog/2008/12/outsourcing/</link>
		<comments>http://www.topazpubs.com/blog/2008/12/outsourcing/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 10 Dec 2008 21:11:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tom</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Ideas]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[outsourcing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.topazpubs.com/blog/?p=10</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The discussion of labor cost provides a natural segue into the discussion of captive vs. contract labor. For one thing, when a vendor tells you their labor cost is $80 an hour, you won’t be tempted to say “But we’re only paying $30 an hour for captive labor.” On the other hand, the $80 number [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Cost Estimating</title>
		<link>http://www.topazpubs.com/blog/2008/12/cost-estimating/</link>
		<comments>http://www.topazpubs.com/blog/2008/12/cost-estimating/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 10 Dec 2008 21:10:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tom</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Ideas]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[costs]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[estimates]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.topazpubs.com/blog/?p=6</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Keep an accurate record of the labor hours and material costs you invest in every job. Sooner or later, you will have a basis for parametric (bigger than a breadbox) cost estimating. (Gadget A cost x and Gadget B looks to be about 10% bigger than Gadget A. Therefore the cost of Gadget B should [...]]]></description>
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