Annik Stahl

Denver, CO USA
Contact

Professional Experience

An award-winning writer/blogger, I specialize in taking traditionally dry topics (software, for instance) and making them palatable and even enjoyable. I find humor in everything and am able to express it and carry you along with me.

Expertise

Content Editor (online)
11 Years
Copywriter
8 Years
Writer
16 Years

Specialty

Education
5 Years
Humor
12 Years
Technology
17 Years

Industries


Online/new media
15 Years
Marketing (in-house) - Fortune 1000 corp. clients
5 Years
Other
17 Years

Total Media Industry Experience

17 Years

Media Client List (# assignments last 2 yrs)

Denver Post (10+), Travel Mags (3-5), US News & World Report (1-2)

Corporate Client List (# assignments last 2 yrs)

Microsoft Corporation (10+), Shmoop (6-10), Brainstorm, Inc. (3-5)

Other Work History

- Crabby Office Lady columnist blogger, author, podcaster: Microsoft Corporation (10 years)

Technical Skills

Video editing Audio editing Image editing Content Strategy Technical Writing Project Management eLearning Curriculum Design Skilled Presenter, Trainer, Mentor Search Curation Business Intelligence Social Media, Search, & Site Optimization

Foreign Language Skills

French

Computer Skills

Microsoft Office Suite (SME) Apple OS Windows OS Adobe Creative Suite Microsoft SharePoint WordPress Content Management Systems

Equipment

Microphone, Adobe Create Suite, Microosft Office for WIndows and Mac,

References

Checked out my LinkedIn profile: www.linkedin.com/in/annikstahl/

Awards

• Bill Gates’ Microsoft Employee Gold Star Award (2004) • Award in Excellence, Online Communication Society for Technical Communication (2005, ‘06, ‘07) • Certificate of Appreciation International Association of Administrative Professionals (2011) • Crabby Lady has a soft side, too (Denver Post) • NBC affiliate features Crabby Office Lady in her home office (video) • Columnist celebrates eight years of getting Crabby with customers (Microsoft Press, 2011)

Showcase

Misc writing

Careers: Music therapist
(Shmoop.com 9/3/2013)
If you really want to put your money where your musical abilities and love of humankind are, and if your dream of becoming a professional musician didn't pan out (and you want out of your parents' basement), we may have the job for you: musical therapist.
Links and blurbs to online writing samples
(Misc 5/21/2014)
Careers: Audiologist
(Shmoop.com 7/18/2012)
Audiologists do a variety of things having to do with hearing loss and its related maladies, and audiologists are doctors. Doctors. While it's always nice to be referred to as Doctor So-and-So, that shouldn't be your main reason for wanting to become one (a doctor, not a so-and-so).
Careers: Diplomat
(Shmoop.com 10/13/2013)
Exotic locales. Formal dinners. Meeting heads of state. Luxurious accommodations. A wealth and breadth of stories to tell at cocktail parties. All of those things are entirely possible when you're a diplomat representing your country and its interests.
Careers: Sports agent
(Shmoop.com 8/1/2013)
Peyton Manning didn't become Peyton Manning (the italicized version) without a certain someone (and we don't mean his mother). And LeBron James, love him or hate him (you know, depending on your geographical location-lakeside or seaside) didn't become LeBron James without a certain someone either.

Strictly tech

All matching is not created equal
(Open Scan 5/21/2014)
You use a bank lockbox and you're pretty happy with it. Sure, there are data keying fees that are associated with it but you can't get away from those, can you? (Or can you? More on that later.)
What Henry Ford taught us about specializing
(Open Scan 1/21/2014)
Almost exactly 100 years ago, Henry Ford broke up the Model T's assembly into 84 distinct steps, creating the world's first assembly line. Ford then trained each of his workers to work on one step and master it. Workers became specialists, and that shift of responsibilities slashed the time...
On the road again: Making mobile payments a reality
(Open Scan 4/10/2014)
The thing about electronic payments is that you know they're quicker and lead to a shorter DSO. In other words, they get the money into your bank faster.

Digital lives

Take your elbows off the table and mind your e-mail manners
(Microsoft.com 5/18/2014)
I get truckloads of letters imploring me to address the universal lack of e-mail etiquette. From that infernal "Reply to All" button to server-choking graphic files, some cyber-discourtesies are driving us all nuts.
Say it, don't spray it- Dealing with jokes, rumors, and spam
(Microsoft.com 3/2/2008)
This week's column is a bit of a lecture. I'm trying, once again, to beg you to refrain from sending rumors, hoaxes, and jokes, either to or from your workplace. Of course, what you do in your personal time is your business, but please remember the Bcc box.

Workplace culture

So happy together
(Open Scan 2/13/2014)
This got me thinking: If you pluck someone from a somewhat mindless job (again: typing data into a machine hour after hour, day after day) and train him to do something else, something that may encourage him to really think, will it make him a happier, more productive employee?
Collaborating with difficult people
(Microsoft.com 2/3/2009)
You know them; they're everywhere. You may be one, be married to one, carpool with one, or have given birth to one: difficult people. And as rational, mature adults, we've all learned to get along with all types of people, right?
Crabby's guide to surviving performance reviews
(Microsoft.com 8/10/2011)
Chances are that if you work for a living, you're going to experience the joy of being reviewed on the work you do. There are ways to make performance reviews - for the giver and the receiver - a little less overwhelming.