submitted by Susan Burton

STC must notify members regarding the time, date, and location of STC’s annual business meeting at least 30 days prior to the meeting, according to the laws of New York State where STC is incorporated. Members cannot opt out of receiving this notice.

STC’s annual business meeting is Monday, June 2, 2008, 6:30-7:30 pm ET at the Pennsylvania Convention Center Lecture Hall (Room 114) on 100 level, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Only STC members who have paid their dues in full may vote at the meeting. Nonmembers may attend as observers.

Susan Burton, CAE
Executive Director

submitted by Susan Burton

STC must notify members regarding the time, date, and location of STC’s annual business meeting at least 30 days prior to the meeting, according to the laws of New York State where STC is incorporated. Members cannot opt out of receiving this notice.

STC’s annual business meeting is Monday, June 2, 2008, 6:30-7:30 pm ET at the Pennsylvania Convention Center Lecture Hall (Room 114) on 100 level, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Only STC members who have paid their dues in full may vote at the meeting. Nonmembers may attend as observers.

Susan Burton, CAE
Executive Director

STC has announced the appointment of the 2007 Fellows and Associate Fellows. These individuals, listed in this month’s Tieline and available on the STC web site, will be honored at the Technical Communication Summit in May.

STC recognizes and honors deserving senior members by conferring upon them the rank of associate fellow. Those selected as associate fellows are exceptional individuals who have consistently demonstrated meaningful contributions to the Society and to the profession over a period of years.

The highest rank that the Society for Technical Communication can confer upon a member is that of fellow. The select few who become fellows are associate fellows who have attained eminence in the arts and sciences of technical communication through service that has distinguished both the Society and the profession.

[submitted by stc@stc.org]

The 2007 STC election is now open!

Please go to the STC Web site (http://www.stc.org/) and click on the “Vote Now” button to access the online voting. To log on, use your STC member number and password.

If you requested a paper ballot, one is being mailed to you. However, please consider voting online instead. By doing so you will save time and postage, and ensure that your vote is received immediately.

Online voting closes April 12, 2007, at 12:00 noon ET. If you have any questions, please contact Ed Rutkowski at ed@stc.org.

Have a say in STC’s future: Vote today!

The March issue of Intercom, which highlights current content management topics, has been posted to www.stc.org/intercom.

In this issue:

• what a content management system (CMS) does


• the different types of systems available


• how to implement a CMS


• how technical publications groups can use content management (CM) to restructure themselves in their wider organizations.

Other features include an article on the certificate programs and institutes available at the annual conference and a guide to STC’s 2007 election.

To access Intercom articles online, you’ll need your STC member number and password.

Posted on behalf of Saul Carliner, Manager of Conferences, STC. If you have any questions please contact Lloyd Tucker, STC Director of Education at lloyd@stc.org.

Dear Members,

As you go through the program materials for the upcoming STC Annual
Conference, I thought you might be interested in checking out the
following programs of particular interest to information designers and
architects:

(1) The Information Design Institute is an in-depth
conference-within-a-conference that explores advanced topics in
information design and architecture. Sessions cover information
architecture for mobile devices, interaction design, the development of
taxonomies, wayfinding, designing for special audiences, designing
wordless instructions, and the design process.

Your conference registration includes access to sessions in all of the
Institutes at the conference.

(2) The Designing and Assessing User Experiences track explores various
topics in usability including an overview of software for usability, paper
prototyping, making the most of expert reviews, and avoiding bias in
usability testing, as well as case studies of usability in organizations,
and a session with usability expert Jared Spool.

(3) For those of you interested in cross-cultural issues, check out the
Globalization, Localization, and Translation Institute, which explores
issues ranging from topics such as automated globalization and quality
metrics for localization and translation to the homogenization of
cultures.

(4) If you are interested in knowledge management, check out the Knowledge
Management Institute, which features sessions on creating communities of
practice, design considerations for corporate intranets, “harvesting”
knowledge, identifying patterns in knowledge, and case studies of
knowledge management in organizations. This Institute also includes an
introductory session on knowledge management, for those who want a
refresher.

(5) To keep up with the latest in technology, check out the following.
—The Web 2.0 Institute, which features sessions on collaborative writing
with wikis and social computing, along with an introduction to Web 2.0.—The Content Management Institute, which features sessions on XML, DITA
and a variety of other complex publishing technologies.—The sessions in the Managing People, Projects, and Business Track,
which includes sessions on developing a business case for technology and
addressing the non-technical components in a technology implementation.—The sessions in the Producing and Publishing Information track, which
include sessions on using XML and DITA, content management, cool tools
under $100, and e-learning technology.

(6) For comprehensive ideas on communicating content, check out the
Developing and Delivering Content Track sessions on modular writing, using
UML, best practices for designing Web forms, page design, the psychology
of writing style, visual rhetoric, writing for the Web, games, and
creative e-learning.

(7) For an in-depth learning experience, you might be interested in one of
our certificate programs, such as (a) The Science and Art of Effective
Interface Design, (b) “Undiscovered Country: Taking Your Information
Design Skills to the Next Level,” or© “Moving to Content Management:
From Justification to Implementation.”

Check out the complete conference schedule at www.stc.org/54thConf.

Note that early bird registration rates are available through February 28.

I hope to see you in Minneapolis.

Best regards,

Saul Carliner, Ph.D., CTDP
Manager of Conferences, STC
Coordinator, Information Design Institute

Posted on behalf of Mollye Barrett, candidate for STC Director. If you have any questions, please contact Mollye at mollyeb@kencook.com. You may also post a comment here using the Comment button at the bottom of the article.

Every Member Counts!

Hi! I’m Mollye Barrett and I’m a candidate for STC Director. I’m asking for your vote in the coming STC elections because I support technical communicators and the needs of STC members. I believe every member counts.

I place great store in technical communicators, the work you perform and the value you add to society. You’re important and so is your work. As an STC Director, I will listen to members and learn about your challenges, I’ll work to support your needs and as a result, I’ll ensure that STC’s governance is transparent and responsive.

As a past president of the Wisconsin Chapter and a Region 6 Conference Committee member, I understand the challenges of STC leadership. These positions have led me to recognize that the society requires changes that will facilitate growth and renewal.

My experience as a chapter mentoring program manager has connected me with professionals and students seeking a rewarding career as technical communicators. I’ve learned that by listening, offering encouragement and guidance, I’ve helped others acquire the skills and knowledge to become valuable practitioners in their field.

My role as Director would be that of a facilitator and I’ll consider every issue by asking, “What do members want and need? What resources can the Society offer to support the members?”

My career has benefited from the educational opportunities of countless chapter meetings as well as many regional and international conferences. Further, I have developed a rich network of high-functioning technical communication professionals that are both colleagues and friends.

Service is the heart of a volunteer organization like STC and service is why I am a Director candidate. To the role of Director I offer my energy, creativity, and best communication skills.

My goals are clear: offer members the education, programming, and support they need to thrive in their careers, lead the society in changes that will facilitate growth and renewal, and enjoy the opportunity to work with everyone. Some inititatives I support and propose include:

• Regularly survey members on their interests and expectations
• Ensure that STC is a member-driven organization
• Focus on STC as both a professional development and social networking organization
• Build an international mentoring program
• Recognize and honor working technical communicators
• Support STC as a business focused on the needs of members
• Support a strong membership drive for new members and contact lapsed members, encouraging them to rejoin

I have been a member of STC since 1995 and have benefited from the service of others. Please contact me with questions, concerns, ideas or just to say hello.

You can view my candidate information on the STC candidate site (www.stc.org/candidatesFAQ/candBio01.asp?candID=22) and additional information on my campaign site (www.mollyebarrett.org). I look forward to your vote of support and the opportunity to serve STC.

Mollye Barrett
mollyeb@kencook.com

414-847-1271

Posted on behalf of Jonathan Baker, candidate for STC Director. If you have any questions, please contact Jonathan at jbaker2525@earthlink.net. You are also welcome to post comments here, using the Comments button at the bottom of the article.

What do you want from STC?

I know from STC surveys and my past experience on the STC Board that most
members value STC for networking (including the conferences),
publications, chapters, and SIGs. These same things have great value for
me. But as a professional, I want STC to provide training/education that
prepares us to grow in our jobs, certification that helps us progress
professionally, job leads that foster career growth, and industry
leadership that promotes a higher level of respect for the field of
technical communication.

The professional/job-oriented values are actually more important to me
personally than the other more social aspects. Don’t get me wrong, for
more than 10 years I’ve worked in the trenches just like most other
volunteers and I have made many friends within STC. However, the problem
is, I, like many other members, want more than STC has been able to
provide. Does that mean I give up on STC and move on? Not necessarily.

Generally, I believe STC needs to reinvent itself. From the inside, this
happens by fundamental changes in how STC does business. This means
bringing both STCís financial practices and governance, among other
things, into the 21st century.

Why should this matter to you? Because organizationally STC is still stuck
in the very comfortable past circa 1959, which means STC can’t possibly
deliver what you and I need a half a century later. Reinvention is the
single greatest challenge for STC. I believe that STC can successfully
reinvent itself, but only if the membership, including and especially the
leadership, can let go of the past.

I am in the process of writing several articles on STC’s finances and
governance. These articles will be available on the web shortly.

Read my articles. Get passionate. Vote.

As always please feel free to contact me at jbaker2525@earthlink.net.

Jonathan W. Baker
Candidate for Director

Editor’s note: Cindy is currently our Region 1 Director, and will be speaking at spectrum on March 23.

Taking Technical Communication to New Heights!

Hello STC members! I’m Cindy Currie, a candidate for Second Vice President (2VP). I’m currently a Director, Community Affairs Committee chair, and a Strategic Planning Committee member. I belong to the Northern New England and UK chapters and five SIGs. I’ve been a member since 1991 and a Fellow since 2005.

For the past two years, I’ve worked hard to help STC deliver more value for all members. I want to continue this work, and I feel that I can best do that by increasing my commitment to STC through the office of 2VP.

My primary focus is promoting the value of technical communication to business. We need to ensure that senior management fully understands the role we play in helping to increase the bottom line of business. It is through relationships at this level that we will succeed in bringing the profession closer to the core of business, raising its profile, and creating new and higher-level roles for technical communicators. I know we can do this by concentrating on four key areas:

• Codifying our body of knowledge – The certification debate continues, with strong feelings on both sides. Certification – if we choose to go in that direction – isn’t possible without a body of knowledge (BoK) against which to certify TCs. In either case, a BoK is essential to elevating the profession in the global business hierarchy, helping to further legitimize it.


• Enhancing and expanding professional growth opportunities – Members must be ready to meet new and exciting challenges, so we must provide a variety of business and leadership learning opportunities, as well as education and training on methods and tools.


• Creating a solid identity for STC – We need strong brand identity that loudly trumpets STC’s industry leadership of the profession, and is quickly and easily recognized as one that means quality – of both the practice and its practitioners.


• Reworking our business model and infrastructure – We must be able to identify, support, and promote changes and improvements with clarity, speed, and agility. STC is a business and we need to run it like a business with all the right frameworks in place to deliver on all of our commitments – to members, partners, academe, and business.

So, let’s take technical communication to new heights!

To learn more about all of this year’s candidates and to ask questions, please go to http://www.stc.org/candidatesFAQ/index.asp

Posted at the request of Lloyd Tucker, STC Director, Marketing and Membership.

STC’s Technical Communication Summit Certificate Programs allow you to develop needed skills and explore subjects in depth over the course of the Conference.

2007 Certificate Program subject areas include:

• TechComm 101 — Basic Technical Communications.


• MasterWriters — Undiscovered Country: Taking Your Information Design to the Next Level.


• Usability — The Science and Art of Effective Interface Design.


• Content Management — Moving to Content Management: From Justification to Implementation.


• Team Management — The Shoemaker’s Children: Successfully Managing Geographically Dispersed Teams and Managing Culturally Diverse Teams.

For just $1295 (USD) you can enroll in a Certificate Program AND you receive full conference registration too!

Don’t just attend the Conference this year ˆ participate, learn, earn a certificate, and exchange ideas and tools with other attendees ˆ enroll in a Certificate Program today!

Register online

Lloyd Tucker
Society for Technical Communication
Director, Marketing & Membership