#31238
Social Networking for Business: Measuring the Results
The online world is abuzz with talk about social networking. With companies such as Facebook seemingly constantly in the news, 2007 has been the year that social networking took its first adolescent steps beyond being the sole purview of, well, adolescents, and started to become a tool that is getting noticed in the business world. But with all the hype out there about online social networking, how can organizations begin to better understand the tangible business impact of their forays into this area?
Carfi, Christopher. Communication World Bulletin (2007). Articles>Web Design>Community Building>Social Networking
#29675
Social Networks And Group Formation: Theoretical Concepts to Leverage
Understanding the formation, evolution and utilization of online social networks becomes important. While the Internet contributes to the information overload, it also provides useful tools to effectively manage ones social networks and through them gain access to the right pieces of information.
Singh, Shiv. Boxes and Arrows (2007). Articles>Web Design>Community Building>Social Networking
#27494
Luke has made some great slides about Social Web Application Design, saying some very sensible things very well. I particularly like the 'System' diagram that shows how, when thinking about a simple photo, how it can be connected to other entities and related, aggregated and re-presented.
Smith, Tom. Other Blog, The (2006). Articles>Web Design>Community Building>User Centered Design
#29132
A Sounding Board for the Self: Virtual Community as Ideology 
Claims about the emergence of a new type of social aggregation--"virtual community"--cover a type of ideological discourse about social interactions. The main cultural resource fueling this ideology is the counterculture and its social project. Virtual community, both as a discursive and as a social practice, is a culmination rather than a resolution of the modern conflict between community and individuality. Presenting virtual community as a panacea for modern social tensions, especially that between individualistic and communitarian ideals, hides from sight not only some of the negative aspects of on-line social life (cliquish behavior and incivility) but also the role played by communication technology in fragmenting modern society.
Matei, Sorin Adam. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication (2005). Articles>Cyberculture>Community Building>Online
#20980
Enhance your competitive edge by highlighting the talents and skills that make you unique. Understand what sets you apart, learn to articulate this, and find ways to market yourself.
Hamer, Emma C. Hamer Associates. Careers>Collaboration>Community Building
#24389
Starting a Chapter-Level Special Interest Group 
STC's special interest groups (SIGs) provide a way for STC members to share their interest in particular areas of technical communication. Society SIGs at the international level may have hundreds of members, and many publish a newsletter, host an electronic newsgroup, and sponsor events and sessions at STC's annual conferences. Chapter SIGs usually have fewer members, but, because their members live in the same area, they can meet regularly and address members'local needs.
Taylor, Cheri W. Tieline (2000). Articles>TC>Community Building
#26250
I was having a hard time coming up with a program that would provide tangible member benefits and be easy to maintain at low (or no) cost. I finally found what I was looking for when a friend told me about a book review he was writing for O’Reilly, a technical publisher. When I asked how he got hooked up with O’Reilly, he filled me in on their user group program.
Wigser, Sarah. Tieline (2005). Articles>TC>Community Building
#31875
Over the past three decades of computer/human interaction, we’ve seen digital technology evolve from a curiosity to a convenience to an integral part of our everyday lives. For UX professionals, the demand for our skill sets and the opportunities to practice seem only to grow, whether we be designers or developers, usability specialists or information architects, working in fields as diverse as Web, mobile, desktop, and embedded software systems. The UX professions are at a stage that could very well be a tipping point—where the rapid rise of digital devices, services, and connectivity converge to create a massive need for UX professionals. The mobile space alone could generate demand that we can only begin to imagine.
Follett, Jonathan. UXmatters (2008). Articles>User Experience>Human Computer Interaction>Community
#21390
Running a volunteer organization is an opportunity to develop your leadership ability and your sense of professional community. When you complete your duties at the end of this year, you will have gained leadership skills that will benefit you in other areas of your life. This handbook was prepared by STC leaders with many years of experience running local chapters. Their experiences resulted in the wealth of tips, suggestions, and cautions that this document contains. As part of your planning for the year, STC strongly encourages you to take the time to review the entire handbook.
#28808
A threaded discussion forum for issues of governance of the Society for Technical Communication.
STC (2007). Resources>TC>Community Building
#23676
STC Recognition Helps Build Community
The best benefit of my STC membership and leadership volunteerism is that the STC name recognition helped me get the jobs I wanted.
Byron, Barrie. MetroVoice (2003). Articles>TC>Community Building>STC
#23390
STC Transformation Project: Focus on Communities
I’m talking with you today because I was part of a three-person team that took the lead on thinking about communities for the STC Transformation Project. The two other members of that team were Fred Sampson and Whitney Quesenbery. Fred, Whitney, and I based our work on the goals and principles that the STC Board established for the Transformation Project. As we worked on the concepts for communities, we thought about how to apply these principles to meet the goals.
Redish, Janice C. 'Ginny'. STC East Bay (2004). Articles>TC>Community Building>STC
#26256
Strategic Plans: Focusing Chapter Energy
If your chapter has never created a strategic plan, or if it has been a long time since plans were updated, it's a good idea to develop one now. Those first plans can require one or two years to create, but don't be intimidated by the commitment. The phases of the plan are easily broken down into small, manageable sessions for which you can set reasonable or flexible completion dates.
Silvi, Deborah H. and Jamie H. Diamandopoulos. Tieline (2005). Articles>TC>Community Building>STC
#26254
Strength In Numbers: Forging Bonds with Nearby Communities
Although the economy in Northern California has improved, people are not clamoring to become technical communicators the way they were in the boom days of the late 1990s. Finding volunteers for chapter positions is difficult, and those who do volunteer often have to do more with less. An organization of local chapters can facilitate inter-chapter communication and sharing of resources.
Maki, Victoria J. Tieline (2005). Articles>TC>Community Building>STC
#24382
Supporting Our Members through Lean Times
The Twin Cities chapter offers a variety of services to help out-of-work and underemployed writers and editors. Of these services, the most important is something that many members may take for granted: opportunities for volunteers. Members may not realize it, but volunteering at the chapter level improves their marketability by helping them acquire new skills and hone the skills they already have. Some of the Society’s most loyal and active members are those whose careers have seen marked improvement as a result of their participation in STC.
Levander, Deanne K. Tieline (2003). Careers>Unemployment>Community Building>STC
#29688
Surviving a Busy Year: The Marathon of Chapter Presidency
Every year, the annual conference offers potential chapter leaders a session entitled 'The Marathon of Chapter Presidency'. They're not kidding. My year as president of STC Montreal was a long, steady, exhausting haul--but a very pleasant one now that I can look back on our achievements. In this paper, I'll pass along tips learned from other presidents and tips I learned while coping with my own duties. Try out as many tips as your time, energy, and volunteers permit!
Hart, Geoffrey J.S. STC Proceedings (2005). Articles>Management>Community Building>STC
#31650
TCeurope: A European Umbrella for Technical Communicators
This paper presents TCeurope, the European umbrella organization for technical communicators and its activities in the past, including lobbying for technical communication at the European Parliament, formulating a European guideline for usable and safe operating manuals for consumer goods, and formulating a European guidelines for professional education and training of technical communicators in Europe.
Fritz, Michael, Michael F. Steehouder and Ursula Wirtz. IEEE PCS (2005). Articles>TC>Community Building>Europe
#31536
Good leadership involves a responsibility to the welfare of the group. If you make choices based on popularity, you will avoid making tough decisions. You might even avoid confrontation and, as a result, deserving people may not be rewarded for their accomplishments. Sometimes leaders have to draw a line in the sand and take a stand.
Laurent, J. Suzanna. Tieline (2008). Articles>Management>Community Building>STC
#22057
A phpBB-based discussion forum for users of the Tech-Writer website.
Tech-Writer. Resources>Writing>Community Building>Technical Writing
#13000
Technical Communicators’ Forum (TC-Forum)
The idea for TC-Forum evolved during Forum 95. Forum 95 was an international conference organized by the international umbrella organization INTECOM, the International Council for Technical Communication. Forum conferences take place every five years. The first one was held in Malmö, Sweden, in 1975, the last one in Germany in 1995.
#24886
Technical Publications, Art, And Video Competition Forum
STC's local, regional, and international-level Technical Publications, Art, and Video competitions provide the society with the opportunity to showcase its members' talents. A great deal of work goes into making these competition successful, and an open dialogue between participants, competition managers and judges is important at all levels. This forum give local, regional, and international competition managers, and anyone else interested in competitions, the chance to discuss all aspects of STC competitions.
Hoyt, Thomas B. STC Proceedings (1994). Articles>TC>Community Building>STC
#12960
Welcome to the Friendly Faces of TECHWR-L, where you can put faces with the names of TECHWR-Lers. The friendly faces are listed in alphabetical order by last name.
#14799
Ten Strategies for Consilience
Can we achieve a true convergence among fields, with science and the humanities working in tandem to produce knowledge? This paper attempts eight rhetorical and two political strategies in a 'gedanken experiment' to assess which among them might meet with greatest success in achieving that congruence. Some of the strategies will be adaptations of prominent writers, including theorists in Technical Communication. The question whether science and the humanities should, in fact, operate from the same attitudes and assumptions will be addressed in a final section.
Missimer, Constance A. Orange Journal, The (2001). Articles>Collaboration>Community Building
#29899
In 2002, the Orlando Chapter of STC initiated a new competition to encourage local area and employer recognition of excellence in technical communication. In establishing the award, the Orlando Chapter increased its dialog with employers, helped raised the visibility of the profession in the area, honored its founder and its continuing relationship with a local university, and increased its level of service to chapter members. This paper describes the objectives established for the award program, how it was judged, and how the chapter benefited from its creation.
Fellure, Alicia, Mike Murray and W.C. Wiese. STC Proceedings (2004). Articles>Collaboration>Community Building>STC
#29696
The Transformation of a Technical Communicator
Transformation is part of human evolution, so it is natural that STC is transforming itself through the 'Transformation Initiative.' Similarly, STC members as technical communicators need to transform themselves, or they will no longer be viable in a changing and evolving world. Part of STC's method for the Transformation Initiative, to rely upon internal communities to expedite solutions, is the same method that technical communicators can use to re-create their own niches or move to others. Individual technical communicators are hosts within themselves to a myriad of talents and strengths, with each talent and strength serving as a community. Individually, then, communicators should apply all of their personal communities to themselves.
Ball, Valerie M. STC Proceedings (2005). Careers>TC>Community Building>STC
