#13551
Every year, each STC member is given the opportunity to vote twice as a member, once for the next year's Society (international-level) leaders and once for the next year's chapter (local-level) leaders. The Society and its chapters expend much effort and expense each year to recruit candidates and develop and distribute ballots; however, only about 10% of STC's members ever return those ballots. If such a small portion of members participate in elections, why bother holding them? The most fundamental reason is that STC's bylaws and the bylaws of each chapter require a duly elected leadership.
Wing, Liz. Carolina Communique (2000). Articles>TC>Community Building>STC
#32158
Changing Dynamics, Economy, and Momentum 
To reinvigorate the chapter, former chapter president, Theresa Putkey suggested that the chapter move to a member-driven, online community. Instead of the eight volunteers currently pulling the chapter along, the chapter’s 250 members can set the pace, build momentum, and provide more value than a handful of volunteers are able to provide.
Putkey, Theresa. Tieline (2008). Articles>TC>Community Building>STC
#32701
Getting Everyone’s Foot in the Door with SIN (Shy, Inactive, and New) SIG
In addition to providing a welcoming atmosphere, SIN SIG offers newcomers a jump-start to networking. As a new member, Thuy Vu took advantage of SIN SIG for exactly that purpose. She says, "To have the support and resources of SIN SIG from day one was very valuable to me as a new member. SIN SIG made it much easier to connect with the group and to learn my way around." We've found that the casual SIN SIG meeting with its small group provides an avenue to get to know a few faces and learn about opportunities for involvement without intimidating new people.
Miller, Elisa. Tieline (2008). Articles>TC>Community Building>STC
#33714
Breaking Traditions and Taking Risks
Innovation is important in any area of life, and STC communities are no exception. Last year, STC Chicago and STC-NIU (Northern Illinois University) combined their strengths to facilitate innovation and to help revive a student chapter.
Loynes, Ericka. Tieline (2008). Articles>TC>Community Building>STC
#34519
Dinosaurs, Gazelles, and the Need (or Not) for Organizations
There was a time when organizations did offer a value proposition. Once upon a time, there was some prestige attached to being part of a professional organization. Being a member marked you as a professional. The potential was there for membership in an organization to open a more than a few doors. And organizations offered training, courses, information, and even pointers to jobs that you couldn’t find anywhere else. The Web, though, hasn’t just leveled the playing field. The Web has flattened the playing field, paved it over, and moved the goal posts.
Nesbitt, Scott. DMN Communications (2009). Articles>TC>Community Building>STC
#34625
In case you haven’t heard, the STC’s finances are facing crisis proportions. Unless membership stabilizes, it could go out of business in a couple of years. Here are a few recommendations to help solve the problems of the STC.
Johnson, Tom H. I'd Rather Be Writing (2009). Articles>TC>Community Building>STC
#34626
In Which I Comment on the STC Issue
STC represents two conflicting groups: academics and actual business world employees. These are complimentary roles for building theory but they are conflicting for actual execution.
Anderson, Keith. MK Anderson (2009). Articles>TC>Community Building>STC
#34627
As you may have heard, STC is in a financial crisis. According to the board of directors meeting minutes from May 5, 2009, STC must retain membership "for the next year or STC will be out of business in two years." I believe that STC needs to make some significant changes in the following areas.
O'Keefe, Sarah S. Palimpsest (2009). Articles>TC>Community Building>STC
#34628
Does the STC Deserve to Survive?
Recently, I have begun to feel that there is not much value left in STC as it stands today, and it is in need of a radical overhaul in order to survive. I believe that outside the rarefied atmosphere of the STC Board and Head Office, this view is widely shared.
Farbey, David. Blockhead Blog, The (2009). Articles>TC>Community Building>STC
#34636
It's been pretty clear over the last few months that the Society for Technical Communication (STC) is facing some hard times. Attendance at this year's conference was way down (below 1,000) and memberships, the other major source of revenue, are falling too. The STC has been sponsoring a series of webinars to discuss future directions and has acknowledged that unless they can turn things around, and quickly, the organization will run out of money in a couple of years.
Soltsys, Keith. Core Dump (2009). Articles>TC>Community Building>STC
#34651
Perhaps the time has come to wrap up the STC and let a new organisation grow from the ashes. Those who are interested, and who believe our profession needs such an organisation will rally round and rebuild something. If there is not enough interest then perhaps that is a further indication that the STC has had its time.
McLean, Gordon. One Man Writes (2009). Articles>TC>Community Building>STC
#35540
STC: Help the Communities Provide Value
Much has been said about the problem the Society for Technical Communication has found itself in, including on blogs, Twitter, and email listservs. I’ve deliberately kept quiet here until I had some semblance of perspective to offer. But I’ve come to the conclusion that maybe this is a crisis STC needed—an impetus to get us all thinking together about how to improve the model, how to offer more direct benefits to the members.
Minson, Benjamin. Gryphon Mountain (2009). Articles>TC>Community Building>STC
#35757
STC SIGs are like areas where outside professions insert specialized instances of their expertise into our profession. But what if we could reverse that gateway? Our SIGs could be an excellent outreach channel to market our specialized knowledge into those other professions.
Hughes, Michael A. User Assistance (2009). Articles>TC>Community Building>STC
