Information Engineering Company (IEC) specializes in technical and business editing; Web content development; and website maintenance and makeovers.

Mary Headley, a technical editor and information developer in Niwot (Boulder County), Colorado, has been offering freelance editorial services through her company, IEC, since 1990. Mary uses her educational background in journalism, information science, business, and computers — in addition to skills honed through years of writing projects — to create the kind of quality publications you want and deserve. And if she can't do it herself, she consults with other communication specialists to get the job done.

Why should you hire IEC? Because . . .

Send email to mheadley @ inform-engine.com to to learn how you can make your next communication project more successful!

What Does IEC Do?

IEC researches, designs, writes, edits, indexes, proofreads, updates,and manages business, technical, and scholarly communications. With a knowledge of French, Spanish, and German, IEC is experienced with ESL editing, helping non-native authors perfect their writing in the English language. IEC works with both printed and Web-based communications, including:

websites ~ business communications ~ technical reports ~ market research studies ~ white papers ~ brochures ~ case studies ~ press releases ~ RFPs and RFIs ~ proposals ~ company profiles ~ data sheets ~ sales tools ~ application notes ~ posters ~ customer slideshow presentations ~ newsletters ~ newspaper articles ~ indexes ~ product evaluations ~ project plans ~ functional and design specifications ~ policies and procedures ~ test plans ~ tutorials ~ software user manuals ~ installation guides ~ online help ~ abstracts ~ glossaries ~ style guides ~ reference books ~ pharmaceutical reviews ~ ESL documents of all types

Why Use IEC?

The short answer is quality control. Over time, quality communications reduce maintenance and error-correction costs, plus improve customer satisfaction and loyalty, leading to increased sales.

Q: Why hire a Web content developer for your site?
A: To make effective use of limited internal resources, because . . .
      - Content is king, but it has to be kept current.
      - The Web is not a book.
      - You cannot afford a full-time content editor or proofreader.

Q: Why hire an information designer anyway?
A: To increase revenue, because . . .
       - An easy-to-find website generates more traffic.
       - An easy-to-use website generates more sales.
       - First impressions count.
       - You are losing sales due to substandard documentation.

Q: Why hire an editor when you already have a writer or documentation?
A: To save money, because . . .
       - Errors fixed early on cost less.
       - Technical support calls costs are escalating.
       - Maintenance of your user documentation is a costly nightmare.

IEC's Qualifications

Mary Headley has over 25 years of experience in designing, writing, editing, indexing, and managing business and technical communications. She formed Information Engineering Company in 1990 to offer these editorial services on a freelance basis, and contracts with other communications experts, as needed, to meet client needs.

Awards

Mary has won 5 excellence in writing awards from the Society for Technical Communication (STC), including Best of Show, Rocky Mountain Chapter, 1992.

Professional Affiliations

• Active senior member of STC's Rocky Mountain Chapter. A past Vice President, Mary has also served as chair of the Consulting and Independent Contracting Special Interest Group and as judge in online and print competitions for several years.

• A founding member of Boulder Writers Alliance and webmaster since 2001.
• Member of Rocky Mountain Publishing Professionals Guild, Boulder Media Women, Rocky Mountain Internet Users Group, and Electric Editors).

Editorial Style Guide Knowledge

Mary primarily uses the AP Stylebook, Microsoft Manual of Style for Technical Publications, American Medical Association Manual of Style, and Chicago Manual of Style. She can quickly learn other style guides, as well as help you create an in-house style guide.

Software Knowledge

Clients and Employers

Clients and employers have included ABC-CLIO, Arthur D. Little, AT&T, CSG Systems, Digital Equipment Corporation, Enterprise Management Associates, General Electric, Hewlett-Packard, National Lightning Safety Institute, NCAR, NCR, Novell, Sopris West Educational Services, StorageTek, Sun Microsystems, U S WEST, Western Resource Advocates, and many smaller companies and nonprofit organizations.

Past Projects By IEC

Below are a few recent projects from a more detailed list.

Editing and Proofreading

• Copyedited pharmaceutical reviews for medical market research firm.
• Edited and rewrote marketing collateral, application notes, case studies, and white papers for StorageTek, Sun, and other high-tech companies.
• Edited market research reports, white papers, product evaluations, and company profiles about the IT software and services market for Enterprise Management Associates and Focus Consulting.
• Edited sales guide and press releases for StrionAir.
• Edited newsletters and marketing articles for Kelly Robbins LLC.
• Edited and proofread technical reports, newsletters, and annual report for Western Resource Associates.
• Edited civil engineering proposals for MWH, Inc. and RFPs and RFIs for U S WEST.
• Edited evaluations of database management hardware, software, and solutions for corporate data management (project plans, functional and design specs, test plans, test results, technology evaluations, and white papers) for U S WEST.
• Edited design specs, procedures, and white papers on telephony networking products for CSG Systems.
• Edited an administrator's guide and design specs on networking and broadcast software for Probita, Inc.
• Edited procedures, standards, and best practices for corporate data design, development, modeling, and management for U S WEST's Information Technologies department.

Information Design

• Redesigned two large websites, one for National Lightning Safety Institute and one for Unitarian Universalist Church of Boulder.
• Designed an intranet website on data technology management software evaluation for U S WEST.
• Designed Web sites for an interior designer, two school libraries, and two nonprofit organizations.
• Created overall information architecture and wrote web copy for a redesigned nonprofit website.
• Designed online templates and style sheets for websites.
• Created for-print style guides and templates for various computer companies and management consulting organizations.
• Designed marketing brochures and newsletters for various companies.

Web Site Content Development and Maintenance

• Managed the maintenance and content of a intranet website on data technology management software evaluation at U S WEST for four years.
• Webmaster for the Boulder Writers Alliance website since January 2001, coordinating the work of several volunteers, plus managing the overall site design, navigation, content, and search engine optimization.
• Currently maintaining websites for several organizations.
• Performed a website review on scanner products for Hewlett-Packard.

Tell Me More

Since much of IEC's work is company-confidential, online samples are limited. More samples can be viewed during a personal interview. Read what clients say about IEC's work, and details of doing business with IEC.