Owl Things Considered: Issue 2

Hello, I'm Erica Beyea - Lead Customer Success Owl at KnowledgeOwl. �� 

This is the second issue of Owl Things Considered, a periodic newsletter. 

June 1st is KnowledgeOwl's 10th birthday, and we're excited to celebrate with our customers! ❤️ 

I'm here to bring you both educational and inspiring content that I hope will 

improve your day and expand your skill set.

"You go your way, and I'll go your way, too", oil on canvas, 32" x 40", Erica Beyea, 2025 

This month's riddle 

What is Jane Owl-sten's most famous novel? 

Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter to find out! 

Knowledge management tips

May 15th is Global Accessibility Awareness Day, so it felt like the right time for us to share some actionable accessibility best practices + some favorite resources on the topic. 

As Kenzie Woodbridge discussed with host Kate Mueller in a recent episode of The Not-Boring Tech Writer podcast, you don’t have to be an expert to improve your content’s accessibility. Kate and Kenzie focus on 4 areas you could improve right now: 

Use actual headings (h1, h2, etc.) 

Use sequential and hierarchical headings (for example, don’t skip straight from h1 to h3) 

Use link text that’s actually descriptive, rather than “Click here” or “See more” 

Add alt text to your images 

The show notes of that episode include a lot of great resources you can access to improve your own accessibility practices. A few I think worth highlighting are: 

• Digital Accessibility Toolkit from the Government of Canada

• Sa11y Accessibility Quality Assurance Assistant 

• Editoria11y Accessibility Checker

The Not-Boring Tech Writer's LinkedIn page has been posting more resources all month long. You can follow them there to find more helpful accessibility content! 

An organization that inspires us: Write the Docs

Write the Docs is a global community of documentarians who care about documentation. They are also an exceptionally welcoming group of humans! 

They have a number of in-person and virtual events across the globe, as well as very lively Slack Workspace you can join. 

WTD Portland took place earlier this month, and my co-owls Kate & Chad were able to attend. I remain wildly jealous of this. Next year! 

You can access the talks given this year in Portland via this YouTube playlist. If you're in a mega rush, you can skip right to our own Knowledge Goddess Kate's lightning talk Of docs and dogs, which

includes some very cute doggy photos (and some very practical tips on writing). 

How KnowledgeOwl gives a hoot 

A behind-the-scenes look at how we operate and strive to do good

KnowledgeOwl continually strives to contribute positively to the world. 

In each issue of OTC, we'll share a program that we operate under this goal. In this issue, we're focusing on our volunteer program: 

Give a Hoot in your Community 

A company volunteer program needn't be complicated to be effective. This is something KnowledgeOwl had long wanted to do, and in 2023, it finally came together. 

Our approval process is simple: We post a bit about and link to the organization we would like to donate our time to. Other owls have 7 days to respond, should they be concerned the organization isn't

value-aligned. If there are no objections, then the owl may use some paid time to volunteer at the organization they've chosen. 

Owls may bill the company for up to 20 hours of volunteer time per year. 

Dopamine dose 

Some warm fuzzies to brighten your day 

Our limited edition birthday party sticker sheet: order yours below! 

In each issue, I'll share a short list of things to add a little light to your day:

Song to smile to: 

When your birthday is June 1st, there's no better way to celebrate than with a

BBQ! And there is certainly no better song about a BBQ than Georgie Dann's La Barbacoa. Get ready to boogie with this party of a tune! 

Heart-warming animal alert: 

It only feels fitting to share a story about another owl's birthday. Houdini, an owl rescued by SORCO Raptor Rehab Centre, celebrated his 25th birthday earlier this month! 

Get your free stickers: 

As part of our 10th birthday celebrations, we're giving away limited edition sticker sheets. Use this form to order yours.

❤️ Who we're giving to: 

At KnowledgeOwl, we have a community commitment that we call 2% for People and Planet. 

We're a part of 1% for the Planet, and we also give another 1% to a charity of a different owl's choosing each month. This program allows us to help many different people, in many different communities. 

If you're looking for some donation inspiration, you might think about giving to organizations we've given to recently (or starting a similar program at your company!): 

In March 2025, Sue, our Senior Developer Owl & Climber of Mountains, chose to give to New Mexico's Hawks Aloft. 

"I've chosen to keep it local and reprise my choice for Hawks Aloft to support their raptor conservation efforts." 

– Sue 

In April 2025, Veronica, our Lead Customer Success Owl & Ice Cream Scholar, chose to give to Harriet Hancock Center. 

“Given the suppression they’ve faced around fundraising efforts, I think it’s important to continue championing the resources they’re providing LGBTQ+ folks in South Carolina.” 

– Veronica 

Answer to the riddle:

Jane Owl-sten is best known for Nest and Nestibility—though Pride and Prey-judice is another important work of hers. 

You can submit your owl puns to us by replying to this email. We might feature yours in our next issue! 

Hasta la próxima!

Thanks so much for reading Owls Things Considered! If you have any thoughts, questions, or ideas for the newsletter, please reach out to us at support@knowledgeowl.com. 

Love, 

Erica, Ruf*, and the rest of KnowledgeOwl 

*world's best boy and my dream dog come to life