Society for Technical Communication (STC): News and Activities

Campaign 2009

I am running for the position of 2nd Vice-President of STC. Having been a member of STC for 21 years and having served at almost every level of governance (including the Board), I have the experience to help STC move forward in its service to members and its leadership of the profession.

You can download my campaign flyer here.

And check out my campaign video.

         Developing a Body of Knowledge

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 Mark Hanigan is on a fast track to develop a usable resource for STC members within the next year year. At the Summit in May in Atlanta, the task force will unveil the web-based Knowledge Portal that organizes the BOK into domains and skills and provides 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!

News and Activities: STC Campaign 2009