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.'
#14169
How To Evaluate a Content Management System
Selecting and implementing a content management system (CMS) will be one of the largest IT projects tackled by many organisations. With costs running into the millions of dollars, it is vital that the right CMS package be selected. This article outlines some of the lessons that we have learnt when assisting clients to chose a CMS. It offers ideas and tips, and provides an approach for identifying your business' actual requirements for a CMS.
Robertson, James. Step Two (2002). Articles>Content Management>TC
#26253
All STC community leaders know the difficulty of finding volunteers. In recent years, the Orlando chapter has seen steadily increasing membership counts and meeting attendance figures, implemented creative and successful chapter initiatives, and even won consecutive Chapter of Distinction awards. But when it comes to soliciting volunteers for chapter leadership positions, you may as well be asking them to wrestle the sharks at SeaWorld! On the other hand, there are some things you can do to at least lessen the pain.
Murray, Mike. Tieline (2005). Articles>TC>Community Building>STC
#15141
Suggests ways to get a good job by cutting production time and cost on user manuals while increasing access and usability.
Bush, Donald W. Intercom (2000). Careers>Documentation>TC
#30214
How to Organize Educational Meetings for Community and Professional Organizations 
Successful meetings are the end result of a∆ careful planning process. To successfully organize an educational meeting for a community or professional organization, you need to follow a series of steps.
Carliner, Saul. Tieline (2007). Articles>Collaboration>Community Building>STC
#19980
How to Promote Technical Communication Services in Your Organization 
Successfully promoting technical communication services in organizations requires more than just the right brochure, the right slogan, or the right Web page. A technical communication team must first make strategic decisions about how it can most effectively contribute to the success of the overall enterprise. In this paper, I describe how our team successfully improved the perception of our value to the rest of our organization by adopting an attitude of service toward our internal customers.
Pollak, Bill. STC Proceedings (1999). Careers>TC>Workplace
#20335
How to Provide Internet Communication Services
A new role for technical communicators is providing internet communication services such as web, FTP, and email. These services can enhance communication and collaboration, thereby increasing the quality of our organization and products.
King, Dusty. STC Proceedings (1998). Articles>TC>Online
#24940
How to Stage a Successful Student Competition
One of the functions of the Society for Technical Communications (STC) is to promote and encourage the professional development of its members. A student chapter of STC has additional responsibilities; it must also seek to build bridges between the students and the professional community.
Bowman, Michelle L., Leonard B. Jones Ill, Winnifred R. Leonard and Marisa J. Mueller. STC Proceedings (1995). Articles>Education>Community Building>STC
#10876
How to Work as an Off-Site Technical Writer
Not all technical writers get in their car and drive to work every day. Some only work in the office a couple of days a week. Others don’t ever go into the company they work for. These technical writers work entirely from a home office, or in other words, 'off-site.' I’m one of those writers. However, I wasn’t always an off-site writer. For the most part, companies are still reluctant to let employees telecommute. Nevertheless, as more positions are outsourced, consulting is becoming the 'in' position.
#23441
How We Educate Technical Communicators in the United States
Schools sending a representative to the annual CPTSC meeting have increased over the years from 9 in 1974 to 39 in 1993. Approximately 10 to 12% of the Society for Technical Communication membership identifies itself as being associated with academic programs-- although not all these programs offer certificates or degrees in technical communication.
Warren, Thomas L. TC-FORUM (1998). Articles>Education>TC
#30502
Human-Computer Interaction: The Role of the Technical Communicator
Throughout the history of the computer, human-computer interaction has taken many forms; from gears and levers to electronic desktops and virtual reality. Development of the computer has been driven by advances in technology making the computer smaller, cheaper, more powerful, but not necessarily easier to use. Today, the computer is ready for an evolutionary change from a number cruncher to a true communications medium. Sound, voice, and video are the future of the computer and technical communicators will become important in making this technology easier and more practical to use.
Calkins, Andrew J. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>Human Computer Interaction>TC
#13987
A Humanistic Rationale for Technical Writing
A discussion of how to argue that technical writing has humanistic value. Reviewing the common belief (at least in 1979) that tech writing was of necessity a 'skills' course, this article counters the traditional 'plain style' rhetorical theory by suggesting possibilities for professional and theoretical alternatives for the field.
Miller, Carolyn R. North Carolina State University (1979). Articles>TC>Rhetoric>Minimalism
#24178
For this year's humor contest, Intercomasked readers to write instructions for imaginary devices. The contest was inspired by Stanislaw Lem, a writer of science fiction who also published collections of reviews and introductions to books that don't exist.
#19767
Humor for the Technical Writing Class
Here are some examples and pointers to humor about resumes, documentation and mistaken English.
Karplus, Kevin. University of California Santa Cruz (2003). Humor>Language>TC
#14317
HyperTexas ('hypertext', get it?) is a watering hole for Technical Writers, MS HTML Help, WebHelp, WinHelp Authors and Web Developers looking for late-breaking news on tools and techniques of our craft.
#29653
Every technical communicator must develop a set of management skills appropriate to the task in order to excel as the leader of the communication team. This calls for multiple skills including being part diplomat, part technical expert, part salesman, and part turtle.
Bailey, Elizabeth. STC Proceedings (2005). Careers>TC>Project Management
#30504
As a chapter leader, you work hard towards the goal of getting maximum interest and participation in chapter activities by the chapter membership. But are you on target? Probable accurate answers to this question are 'some times,' 'probably,' 'maybe,' etc. As any of us who have served in an STC chapter leadership role can attest, the fact is that the target is a moving one. What is on target today may not necessarily work tomorrow. And vice-versa. However, there are some 'tricks of the trade' which you can use to help you increase your on-target percentage. Come and interact with a panel of past and present chapter presidents as each shares specific ideas for increasing membership involvement and for tailoring activities to meet the needs of members and potential members.
Cantando, Mary Myers, Mark Hanigan Bruce E. Cone, Michael P. Bates and Judith N. Skinner. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>Management>Community Building>STC
#20876
The IEEE PCS Virtual Community has been established to provide you with a more robust environment to facilitate your online collaborative efforts. Enhanced capabilities not featured in static web pages or email listservs include: calendar function; polling function; file sharing; enhanced search function; and im (chat).
#10217
IEEE Professional Communication Society Newletter Archive
Our bimonthly newsletter provides pre- and post-event news of PCS activities along with short, practical articles, tutorials, and book reviews. The frequent publication provides quick turnaround and the opportunity to develop dialogs in letters to the editor. Examples of the regular features of the Newsletter include Message from the President, Tools of the Trade from Cheryl Reimold, and Net Notes from Beth Weise Moeller.
#31668
IEEE Professional Communication Society: Job Announcements 
A collection of posts about current opportunities for professional and technical communicators.
#13395
IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
The journal publishes five types of content: (1) research articles (representing the full range of workplace communication issues and all research methods), (2) interface articles (shorter pieces providing a 'translation' of theory and application to workplace communication practice), (3) tutorials (creative training/educational approaches), (4) commentary, and (5) book reviews. Users can search abstracts for research articles published from 1988 to date.
#30319
If You Want Something Done Right, Don't Do It Yourself
When you get fed up and do decide to blaze your own trail, don't forget to take some friends along with you. You never know when you're going to run into a wild past participle that you need help taming.
Allen, Jennifer. Boston Broadside (1992). Articles>TC>Collaboration>Workplace
#29127
Illustration and Language in Technical Communication
Many technical documents present information both graphically and verbally. While much is known about the verbal tools of technical professionals, technical graphics have been less fully examined. Here the drawings of a United States patent are examined revealing a system for organizing and presenting visual information that is analogous to commonly-used models for organizing and presenting verbal information.
Donnell, Jeffrey. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication (2005). Articles>TC>Technical Writing>Technical Illustration
#29654
Imagination and Innovation: Remembering the Child Within
In today's crazy, busy world we often forget to dream -- to imagine. Just think what the world would be like if all those dreamers -- all those innovators -- let themselves be driven only by the day-to-day. Where would we be? This paper endeavors to get you thinking about imagination and innovation. It hopes to get you to look up from your desk and away from your computer screen. To remember what it was like as a child to dream, to imagine, and to believe anything was possible. And, hopefully, to help rekindle that inner child so it will serve you in the future, and perhaps rekindle that sense of excitement.
Crawford, Vanadis. STC Proceedings (2005). Articles>TC
#24409
Imagination->Innovation->Communication
As we face an uncertain tomorrow full of challenges for our profession and our world, we should consider what ways to identify opportunities, what emerging trends will affect global businesses, and what new skills must be learned to make us more effective in a brave new world set spiraling in response to technological breakthroughs. Our theme, 'Imagination, Innovation, Communication,' captures the essence of what we do: transform ideas and innovations into a myriad of communication possibilities from technical manuals to virtual Web sites. The theme suggests a successful process with you at the center as an information juggernaut who must make critical choices as you approach a new millennium.
Hawkes, Lory. STC Proceedings (1998). Careers>TC>Planning
#22177
The Impact of Current Trends on TCOM Curricula
Rapidly changing processes in internationalization, in emerging technologies, and in instructional delivery systems require program directors and faculty to constantly evaluate and re-evaluate the extent to which they consider these changes in curricula development. This evaluation should not necessarily result in curricula molded in the image of industry, for many changes in technological processes are ephemeral.
Rainey, Kenneth T. CPTSC Proceedings (2003). Presentations>Education>TC
