News and Activities: STC Campaign 2008

I am running for director-at-large of STC. Having been a member of STC for 20 years and having served at almost every level of governance (except the Board), I have the experience to help STC move forward in its service to members and its leadership of the profession.

The biggest new development in leadership and service is STC's recent commitment to developing a Body of Knowledge (BoK) for the Technical-Communication profession. The new TC BoK committee that I co-chair with David Dayton is on a fast track to develop a usable resource for STC members within a year. In another couple of months, all members will be invited to take a look at the web-based  set of definitions, domains, and documents that will provide a framework for member input into further content.

Whatever we think individually of the question of certification for technical communicators, we do need an authoritative place to find answers to that eternal question: “What do technical communicators do, anyway?” New practitioners need to see their professional development pathways spelled out, along with relevant education and training opportunities. Veteran practitioners need a means for assessing their progress and determining what additional training they may need. Or they may simply need quick access to guidelines for new techniques and technologies (structured authoring, content management, etc.). And executives, who may never have heard of technical communication, need a place to find out what it is that TCers can do for their company.

Remember, this BoK is your BoK. Stay tuned for ways to get involved.

And remember to vote your Hart in the STC March election!