The Society for Technical Communication (STC) is an international professional society for the advancement of the theory and practice of technical communication. It has hundreds of local chapters (also known as 'communities.'
#32257
Read about STC's new strategic goals and the direction in which the organization is heading.
Rutkowski, Ed. Intercom (2008). Articles>TC>Organizations>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
#32702
Keep Everyone Informed with Twitter!
At this year's Technical Communication Summit, I introduced social networking at Leadership Day by telling those in attendance about Twitter. Some folks already knew about it, but for others, it was a new concept ... letting people know what was going on in real time? Setting up meetings? Getting the A/C fixed in the conference rooms? By the end of the Summit, about 20 people had sent messages, or tweeted, consistently throughout the conference.
James-Tanny, Char. Tieline (2008). Articles>Management>Community Building>STC
#32703
Targeted Operational Areas: Financial and Status Reports
The focus of the Society office over the last two months has been working with chapter and SIG leaders on their financial reports for the 2008 Fiscal Year (July 2007-June 2008) and their Community Status Reports (CSRs) for the May-August 2008 period. For the chapters, this also includes submission of the appropriate tax forms.
Buttram, Diana. Tieline (2008). Articles>Management>Financial>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
#33885
What I've Learned as a Member of the Society for Technical Communication (STC)
In all, my experiences volunteering in the STC Carolina chapter have been very rewarding. I recommend dipping your toes in the water and trying something out. Email or call someone on the administrative council and ask what needs to be done. Start small. You might be surprised at the return on investment.
Loring, Sheila. Scriptorium (2009). Articles>Advice>Community Building>STC
#34282
Job Hunting Resources: Webcasts
The current economic downturn seems to have impacted almost every industry within the United States and many abroad. It has already had a direct impact on the employment status of an increasing number of individuals, including technical communicators. STC will assist with an economic recovery plan for those technical communicators who have already been laid off or expect to be soon. These only work for Internet Explorer users on Microsoft Windows computers.
STC (2009). Careers>Advice>Unemployment>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
#34629
The STC Crisis: The Take of a "Young" Writer
As a “young” technical writer, I thought I might share some of my feelings on the STC crisis. First, a little background on me. I knew while I was in college that I wanted to be a technical writer after graduation. I switched to an English major for that purpose, and picked classes that gave me a “technical communication emphasis”. I joined STC while I was in college because I wanted to connect with people in my field. I got a chapter scholarship to attend a regional STC conference, and had a great time meeting people who did for a living what I was studying.
Pehrson, Paul. Technically Speaking (2009). Organizations>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
#35186
I need to figure out where I am with all the STC stuff going on, and blogging will help my introspection. Also, it will let me share with you some of the background and complexity that surround the current state of affairs with STC. My e-mail tag line reads "Anyone who is sure of the answer doesn't understand the question," and this blog is an invitation to join me in understanding how we got here, where we are, and where I think we need to go.
Hughes, Michael A. User Assistance (2009). Articles>TC>Planning>STC
#35316
The mission of STC is to “advance the arts and sciences of technical communication.” How does this help you, the member? I have been a freelancer/business owner for the vast majority of my career (so far). Let me say a few things about STC’s value proposition for mercenaries like me.
O'Keefe, Sarah S. Scriptorium (2009). Articles>TC>Professionalism>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
#35721
Society for Technical Communications tries to define Technical Communicator and Fails
Maybe the confusion that surrounds the STC is its inability to define who it serves. Maybe the STC is trying to drum up support and be more inclusive.
Walsh, Ivan. I Heart Tech Docs (2009). Articles>TC>Standards>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
