Hi Donna Like you, I have been a member for many many years. Around 20 I think. I've seen much, done much, learned much, and still manage to find value nuggets here and there. I think the advocacy value of STC which is finally ramping up after laying dormant for many years is encouraging. Another area I have found useful, is learning and applying myself to Society leadership. I was on the Board of Directors for three years until my term ended this past Monday. I would put a value on the learning aspect of the experience right up there with earning an additional college degree. It wasn't always fun, but I learned a lot about leadership, human nature, and really dug into the global aspect of our profession. As a Northeast Ohio dweller, I was a bit, shall we say, "provincial" in my outlook prior to my term of office. If you are getting a little stale and listless with STC, give leadership a try. Never a dull moment!
Bob Dianetti, President Radcom, Inc. 330-650-4777 Office 330-650-5180 Fax 330-807-8070 Cell We transfer knowledge, skills, and behaviors through custom-developed training and documentation solutions. Visit us at www.radcomservices.com. -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Jones, Donna Sent: Friday, May 18, 2007 11:52 AM To: STC Single-Sourcing Discussion List; tcp@techcommpros.com Subject: [TCP] Outgrowing the old resources? Somewhat similar discussions are ongoing on the STC Single-Sourcing SIG list and on TCP regarding the value we get from STC, so I'm going to cross-post this. My apologies to those of you who belong to both and will get this message twice. Because not everyone belongs to the STC Single-Sourcing SIG but anyone can join TCP, I would encourage those who aren't on TCP to join it and to post there so that everyone can see your reply (see www.techcommpros.com). If you have been around for a while as a technical communicator, do you feel that you have outgrown STC and some of the more traditional online forums (lists like Techwr-l, TCP, FrameUsers, and such)? Do you feel that they have little to offer you any more and that they take more from you than they give back? Is there anything that you can do or that you already do to make up for gaps that you perceive in any of these resources? As people on TCP may have read earlier today, I was in Minneapolis for the STC convention this past week. I was happy with the Adobe FrameMaker-specific sessions, and I enjoyed some of the other sessions. But there were some time slots when I wasn't overly interested in anything that was being presented. Some were too general for me because they were meant for beginners, and others were too specific for me because I don't use the particular tools or techniques being discussed. I'm guessing that it's time for me to step up and be a presenter rather than quitting STC. (Do I want to be a part of the solution or just sit back and complain that I see a problem?) As another example, I unsubscribed from FrameUsers a year or two ago when I found that I had few questions to ask and that I tended to spend too much time thinking about other people's FrameMaker problems. My answers were usually similar to other replies, so it wasn't like I was the only person capable of answering people's questions. I've limited myself to responding to people who post unstructured FrameMaker questions to TCP (and previously to Techwr-l), and that has worked for me. I'm giving something back to the FrameMaker user community without it taking too much out of me. If the feeling of outgrowing the resources applies to you, what are your needs that aren't being met? What types of things do you expect to receive for free (such as a list like TCP), and what types of things would you expect to have to pay for (such as the STC Single-Sourcing SIG)? Looking forward to people's replies. Donna - CONFIDENTIAL- This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential, and may also be legally privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, you may not review, use, copy, or distribute this message. If you receive this email in error, please notify the sender immediately by reply email and then delete this email. ______________________________________________ Author Help files and create printed documentation with Doc-To-Help. New release adds Team Authoring Support, enhanced Web-based help technology and PDF output. Learn more at www.doctohelp.com/tcp. DOCUMENTATION & TRAINING WEST 07: THE USER EXPERIENCE April 18-21, 2007 ~ Vancouver BC ~ Marriott Pinnacle ~ free city tour 40+ sessions * free workshops * free iPod offer * www.doctrain.com _______________________________________________ Technical Communication Professionals Post a message to the list: email [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, unsubscribe, archives, account options, list info: http://techcommpros.com/mailman/listinfo/tcp_techcommpros.com Subscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Need help? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] Get the TCP whole experience! http://www.techcommpros.com ______________________________________________ Author Help files and create printed documentation with Doc-To-Help. New release adds Team Authoring Support, enhanced Web-based help technology and PDF output. Learn more at www.doctohelp.com/tcp. DOCUMENTATION & TRAINING WEST 07: THE USER EXPERIENCE April 18-21, 2007 ~ Vancouver BC ~ Marriott Pinnacle ~ free city tour 40+ sessions * free workshops * free iPod offer * www.doctrain.com _______________________________________________ Technical Communication Professionals Post a message to the list: email [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, unsubscribe, archives, account options, list info: http://techcommpros.com/mailman/listinfo/tcp_techcommpros.com Subscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Need help? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] Get the TCP whole experience! http://www.techcommpros.com
