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.'
#23697
Many chapters have membership drives in the Fall. Not a big deal, something we’ve always done. However, today membership drives can play an important role in sustaining STC.
Baker, Jonathan W. MetroVoice (2002). Articles>TC>Community Building>STC
#24944
Methods of Providing Employment Information 
STC Employment Information Committees provide information to employers and job seekers in a variety of ways. They help job seekers with job hunting skills and resume writing. They enable job seekers to register their names with job banks and to receive job postings. They enable employers to list job postings and to receive names of job seekers. Many different methods are used to provide this information: newsletter articles, resume seminars, job fairs and workshops, job-seeking counseling, networking at meetings, resume banks, job listings, job phone lines, electronic bulletin boards, and e-mail listings.
Masse, Roger E. STC Proceedings (1995). Careers>TC>Community Building>STC
#30325
NetWorks or, How to Make Professional Connections When You Live and Work in the "Sticks"
NetWorks is an association of people involved in public relations, technical/computer documentation, marketing, fund raising, planning and development, training, journalism, editing, video production and publishing. We have a common interest in sharing ideas, information and resources.
Olander, Karen Wise. Boston Broadside (1992). Articles>TC>Collaboration>STC
#24687
A Newsletter Competition Where Everyone Wins
A competition where everyone wins—is it too good to be true? Not if the STC Newsletter Competition Committee (STCNCC) has anything to say about it.
Ames, Andrea L., Cheryl Disch and Helen T. Hegelheimer. STC Proceedings (1996). Articles>Collaboration>Community Building>STC
#29729
This article, as well as our conference presentation, catalogues a year in the symbiotic relationship between the Orlando Chapter of STC, the University of Central Florida's technical writing program, and the student-run technical communication club, Future Technical Communicators (FTC)--and the ways in which this powerful partnership has helped sustain many of the chapter's varied and successful initiatives that led to its designation as a Chapter of Distinction in 2003. In this article, authors Bonnie Spivey and Dan Voss report on the UCF-STC legacy, the development of the chapter's new mentoring program, their contribution to educational outreach/ fundraising, and the numerous ways in which these institutions are working together.
Spivey, Bonnie and Daniel W. Voss. STC Proceedings (2004). Articles>Collaboration>Industry and Academy>STC
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The Orlando Chapter/University of Central Florida Partnership: A Win-Win-Win Scenario!
The twenty-year partnership between the Orlando Chapter and the technical writing program at the University of Central Florida (UCF) has reached new heights in the past two years. This paper reviews several highly successful programs that have either grown directly out of the UCF-Orlando Chapter partnership or which have benefited from and been improved by it: (1) an annual scholarship program; (2) student projects that benefit the chapter (or feature the chapter as client); (3) strong student support to the STC AccessAbility SIG; (4) an annual fund-raising initiative; (5) an educational outreach initiative to Central Florida high schools, and (6) a highly successful formal mentoring program pairing students with professionals.
Lippincott, Gail and Jennifer Selix. STC Proceedings (2005). Articles>Collaboration>Industry and Academy>STC
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An Overview of the STC Transformation Initiative
because technical information is ever changing, we accept the fact that our work will be continually various, constantly in flux. It's just the nature of the beast. This is the essence of the purpose of the STC national organization's transformation initiative: Keeping up with the changing times.
MetroVoice (2004). Articles>TC>Planning>STC
#23560
The Transformation Team consists of STC board members and a number of chapter and SIG leaders. The team was formed in response to concerns heard over the past several years from many of you. Some of these concerns have arisen from changes in the business world, such as globalization and the downturn in the economy.
Teich, Thea. STC Transformation (2004). Articles>TC>Planning>STC
#31537
As Leadership Community Resource (LCR) volunteers, we constantly receive requests to help a community with volunteer burnout. In the worst cases, we have seen entire councils walk away from communities, one volunteer doing all four elected positions, overworked volunteers snapping at each other, and many communities run by officers who have been in the same position for years. We want to help community leaders understand volunteer burnout and provide ways to help prevent it.
Stark, Mary Jo and Jackie Damrau. Tieline (2008). Articles>Management>Community Building>STC
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The Pulse of the Usability Community: Transformation and UUX
When you renew your STC membership, be sure to select STC Usability and User Experience (UUX) as one of your communities.
Bachmann, Karen L. Usability Interface (2005). Articles>Usability>Community Building>STC
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Rechartering: Taking the Pulse of Your Community
Rechartering, as many of you know, means examining and refining your community’s purpose, mission, goals, and plan for delivering value to your members. Through the recommendations of STC’s regional directors and of the communities transformation committee, the board approached about thirty communities and asked them to participate in the pilot program. Twenty-four communities (eighteen professional chapters, three student chapters, and three SIGs) agreed to the experiment.
Oestreich, Linda L. Tieline (2005). Articles>TC>Community Building>STC
#29877
Redesigning the AccessAbility SIG Web Site for Accessibility
Assuring the accessibility of a Web site is an ongoing process. Hear how the Web team for the AccessAbility SIG redesigned the SIG's Web site to incorporate more accessible features and how they stay on the accessibility road.
Lockley, Cynthia A. and Ann Leslie Reed. STC Proceedings (2004). Design>Web Design>Accessibility>STC
#29922
To date, STC has not been very aggressive or innovative in terms of electronic delivery of educational content to our members or others in the profession. Aside from telephone seminars/Webinars and the online availability of articles from Intercom and the journal, the Society has largely ignored the methods that its members, their companies, and other professional organizations are using to deliver content to stakeholders. Because only a fraction of the membership attends the annual conference and regional/chapter conferences, and because the Society is attempting to reach out to members of the profession outside North America, it is imperative that STC pursue other means of offering educational opportunities. By truly leveraging the power of the Web and other emerging technologies, STC can address a worldwide audience and provide significant educational offerings to members and prospective members alike.
Barnum, Carol M., Saul Carliner, David Dayton, Lynn Harris, George F. Hayhoe, Bill Horton, Kathryn Northcut, Makarand Pandit, Janice C. 'Ginny' Redish and Alison Reynolds. STC (2006). Articles>Education>Reports>STC
#23877
Results of the Usability SIG Member Survey
The first Usability SIG survey was conducted in 1996. I thought that 2003 was an ideal opportunity to survey our members again. Due to cost constraints, the survey was only available for 30 days. Of the 1600 members, 85 responded to the survey. That might be considered a low response, but statistics show that a response rate of over 5% is considered good. Yes, we read every reply. The Usability SIG team reviewed the results and have a strategy to make improvements. The following are samples of the responses received.
Dick, David J. Usability Interface (2003). Articles>Usability>Statistics>STC
#24943
Running a Chapter Employment Information Service
This panel discussion summarizes various methods of distributing employment information to chapter members, including necessary equipment, advantages and disadvantages, and helpful hints for each method.
Masse, Roger E., Michael V. Sharp, and Jan D. Shelton. STC Proceedings (1995). Careers>TC>Community Building>STC
#30566
To run a successful STC Employment Information Committee, you need methods for matching job seekers and employers. You need to obtain information on the qualifications of job seekers, find available jobs, and inform employers and job seekers. You also need to advertise your job bank. The job bank for the Lone Star Chapter provides examples of the methods.
Masse, Roger E. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>Management>Community Building>STC
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Showcase Your Talents in STC: Reflections from a Leadership Day 2008 Panel 
Once you prioritize time for involvement in STC activities, you have good opportunities to show your talents to your peers. Yes, it is scary. The technical communication community is a very difficult audience. But isn't that a fantastic learning opportunity?
Mardahl, Karen. Tieline (2008). Articles>TC>Community Building>STC
#28164
A SIG Transformation: Past, Present, and Future
A recent discussion about the STC's Technical Editing Special Interest Group (TE SIG) provided insights into the evolving role of communities of interest in the Society. At a meeting of the Carolina Chapter's local TE SIG, Diane Feldman, who is the manager of the Society-level SIG, provided members with an update on SIG activities.
Brautman, Heather. Carolina Communique (2005). Articles>TC>Technical Editing>STC
#29883
Smart Job Searching: Second Year of STC WorkQuest
Looking for work can be lonely, frustrating, depressing, and demoralizing. Job seekers can battle these effects by joining a support group that not only motivates and empowers, but also provides concrete information about how to conduct a job search. STC WorkQuest is such a support group sponsored by the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Society for Technical Communication.
Ramey, Janis G. STC Proceedings (2004). Careers>Unemployment>Collaboration>STC
#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.
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Links to the STC's more than 150 chapters, including student chapters, in eight regions worldwide. Use the search feature below to locate chapter contact information, including the chapter Web site address.
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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
#14689
This article discusses the impact of STC's annual conference on the professional development of technical communicators.
#30575
STC's International Membership From 1979 to 1991
This study examined changes in STC's overall and international membership between 1979 and 1991. Though the USA and Canada consistently comprised about 97% of the membership, significant changes occurred within the international membership. The Pacific Rim Countries experienced the greatest growth, with their membership increasing about twenty fold over the twelve year period, as compared to a five times increase in the overall international membership, and a three times increase in the entire membership. The disparity of the growth rates resulted in Japan replacing Israel as the residence for most international members, with Australia in second place.
Coolidge, Joy. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>TC>International>STC
