Topics in Journalism: Community and Public/Civic Journalism  

Community journalism is usually defined as journalism by papers--usually weeklies--with circulations of under 50,000 that focus on service to their particular communities. Public or civic journalism is usually defined as journalism that strives to provide readers with what they need to be responsible citizens. As Jock Lauterer makes clear in chapter 19 of Community Journalism, there is a strong overlap between these two types of journalism. In this course, we will explore and examine the relationships between these two types of journalism through reading, discussion, and practice.

Waddell, Craig. Michigan Tech University (2002). Academic>Courses>Journalism>Community

Transforming Your Chapter through Corporate Bingo  

As a chapter President, starting the Transformation process can seem a daunting task. Once you have the committee in place, directing its efforts can leave you with even more questions. Not sure what to do next? Look to the corporate Bingo card to help set your course. While the blocks of the corporate Bingo card generate chuckles, smiles, and even more jokes, it also provides direction, guidance, and some thought-provoking considerations for your chapter's transformation.

Guess, Suzanne. STC Proceedings (2005). Articles>Collaboration>Community Building>STC

Types of Social Media Measurement

Social media measurement sounds like an inherently good idea. Management likes numbers, and if we can measure it, we can manage it. So, all this new online activity should be easier to understand, once we measure it. There's only one problem: What does social media measurement mean? Like social media itself, it is an evolving term with multiple definitions based on the needs of different constituencies.

Gilliatt, Nathan. Communication World Bulletin (2007). Articles>Web Design>Community Building>Social Networking

UML Forum

The UML Forum is web community dedicated to the Unified Modeling Language (UML), the industry-standard visual modeling language for specifying software-intensive systems. Here you can find information related to UML specifications, UML tools, UML books, UML papers, and UML mailing lists.

UML Forum. Resources>Collaboration>Community Building>UML

Understanding "Micro Media": Subscribing to RSS Feeds

For the last 19 years, Keith Moore has hosted a conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, called "How Colleges and Universities Can Obtain National (and Regional) Publicity." In a sign of the times, this year's conference included a session in which we focused not on getting into the major mass media, but on the capabilities of the machines that sit on our desktops. In short, we looked at the evolving world of so-called "micro media," tools that are enabling us to create new online communities in ways never before possible.

Forbush, Dan. Communication World Bulletin (2005). Articles>Web Design>Community Building>RSS

Usability, User Experience, Or Both?  

Explains how the new name of the former STC Usability SIG better serves the growing number of technical communicators whose work encompasses the overall product--not just usability or documentation.

Bachmann, Karen L. Intercom (2005). Articles>Usability>Community Building>User Experience

Using the Internet as a Tool for Public Service: Creating a Community History Web Site    

Creating a community history Web site is a way for technical communication practitioners, students, and teachers to improve their expertise while performing a valuable public service. Developers of this kind of Web site combine personal interest in the history and culture of their chosen communities with professional interest in a wide range of skills: for example, online research, Web site design, creation of artwork, photography, graphics editing, collaboration, professional/technical writing, as well as site publication and promotion. Technical communicators working on community history Web sites enjoy creative freedom that makes these projects especially engaging and fun. While learning about subjects of particular interest and improving professional skills, developers gain the satisfaction of trying to help communities increase civic pride and heritage tourism. Also, the technical communication profession benefits when its members demonstrate good citizenship to employers, other constituencies, and the public.

Henson, Darold Leigh. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication (2005). Articles>Web Design>Community Building>History

Using Web 2.0 Architecture for a More Flexible Enterprise

Web 2.0 repositories can help you create a flexible software architecture, which can easily be plugged into Web 2.0 communities and extranets. Creating a fluid system that also works in accordance with requirements for modifiability, performance, security, scalability, and reusability can be challenging. In this article, learn techniques to help ensure your Enterprise Web 2.0 architecture meets your quality requirements.

Morris, Stephen B. IBM (2007). Articles>Web Design>Community Building

Virtual Communities: Weaving the Human Web  

Muses on the increasing importance of communities in the technical communication profession.

Quesenbery, Whitney. Intercom (2005). Articles>TC>Community Building>Social Networking

Visual Modeling Forum

The Visual Modeling Forum is a web community dedicated to visual modeling languages and tools. The visual modeling languages that we cover include industry standards, such as Unified Modeling Language (UML), the System Modeling Language (SysML), as well as emerging standards, such as Domain-Specific Modeling Languages and visual OWL for the Semantic Web.

Visual Modeling Forum. Resources>Collaboration>Community Building>UML

Volunteering and Using Your Skills  

Non-profits need all the volunteer help you can give. If you thought about trying your hand at grant writing or developing a marketing campaign, get your experience by helping a nonprofit. Always wanted to teach? Try your skills at a non-profit. You’ll simultaneously gain experience and help others. You, just might enjoy it and discover a new career opportunity.

Norberg, Elsie L. STC Proceedings (1998). Articles>Collaboration>Community Building

The Voyeur Web

The purpose of this article is to explain the voyeur web. The central idea is that it is easy to view what other people are doing and experiencing on the web. A list of voyeur tools are provided.

Rhodes, John S. WebWord (2002). Design>Web Design>Community Building

Web 2.0 and You  

Examines Charlie Kreitzberg's models for understanding Web 2.0, and explores the vast opportunities for professionals who define and design new software and websites. The slides from the presentation are also available.

Kreitzberg, Charles B. Catalyze (2007). Resources>Web Design>Design>Community

Web 2.0: The Medium is the Message, But What's the Result?

Let's face it: These are tough times to be a professional communicator. Our audiences have taken the reins of what is indisputably the dominating mass communication medium of our era: the Internet. Web 2.0, characterized by social media applications for peer-to-peer collaboration such as YouTube, MySpace and Wikipedia is challenging all of our basic assumptions as communication practitioners. The astonishing rise of social networking structures and content is in effect challenging the very existence of the traditional corporate communication function.

Kealey, Caroline. Communication World Bulletin (2007). Articles>Web Design>Community Building>Social Networking

Web Two-Point Uh-Oh  

The problem with many Web 2.0 applications is the assumption that the community's motives are good, or at least neutral. Perlin's column explores how one of the drawbacks of Web 2.0--potential loss of control over information--has manifested itself.

Perlin, Neil E. Intercom (2007). Articles>Web Design>Community Building>Content Management

Weblogs and the Public Sphere

In this essay I assess the potential impact of weblogs on the public sphere, using a model based on the work of Jürgen Habermas to provide an ideal against which we can measure the efficacy of weblogs as a public space.

Baoill, Andrew Ó. Into the Blogosphere (2004). Articles>Writing>Community Building>Blogging

What's Civic About Technical Communication? Technical Communication and the Rhetoric of 'Community'    

Although the concept of community has been advanced in technical communication as a moral reference point for civic rhetorical action, this concept is typically used in romantic, redemptive, and essentializing ways. This article argues for a radical and symbolic/rhetorical view of community, regarding it a discursive construct purposefully invoked by technical writers for strategic reasons.

Ornatowski, Cezar M. and Linn K. Bekins. Technical Communication Quarterly (2004). Articles>TC>Community Building>Rhetoric

Where in the World Is Second Life?

Like most corporations, computer maker Dell offers a pop-up list of countries and regions on its web site. But, look closely between Saudi Arabia and Senegal, and you'll find a country called "Second Life." Click on it and you'll find that it's not a country but a world—of the virtual kind.

Gronstedt, Anders. Communication World Bulletin (2007). Articles>Collaboration>Community Building>Social Networking

Why I Belong to STC

Over the last few months as I've settled into my new employment arrangement and my STC administrative duties, I've occasionally reflected on my decision to join STC. I can easily see how much of an impact STC membership has had on my personal and professional life. Further, I can easily see how I will continue reaping the numerous rewards associated with membership in this organization.

Parson, Clyde. Between the Lines (2008). Articles>TC>Community Building>STC

Why Vote in STC Elections?

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

Wikipedia, Champion of User-Generated Content

Encourage user contribution to your Web site by learning from Wikipedia. Wikipedia builds on open source and respects the geographical variety and potential accessibility needs of its users. It provides tools to help users contribute, but also fosters an atmosphere where contributions are verified and discussed by the broader community.

Ogbuji, Uche. IBM (2007). Design>Web Design>Community Building>User Centered Design

参加の仕方は一様ではない：もっと大勢のユーザに書き込んでもらうには

多くのオンライン・システムでは、ユーザの90%は読むだけで自ら書き込むことは決してしない。9%は、ほんの少し書き込みをする。システム上にみられるアクションのほとんどは、残る1%のユーザによるものである。

Nielsen, Jakob. U-Site (2006). (Japanese) Design>Web Design>Community Building>Usability

Sometimes It's Nice to be Reminded There’s a Whole Community of Technical Writers Out There

The Content Wrangler’s 10 DITA lessons learned from Tech Writers in the Trenches really nails down some vital things you should know if you want to implement DITA. More than that though, you can apply the lessons learned here to almost any project, not just technical writing and not just implementing new software.

Technical Writer (2006). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing>Community