I'm not going to go into why I disagree with most of Holly's point. I will, however, address these:
"Fourth, I don't know of any chapter or community that restricts its presentations or webinars to STC members only. Our programs in Atlanta are designed to attract people from our profession as a whole. Competitions are open to non-members as well." And that has to do with what exactly? If I don't have to be a member to attend these events, then why SHOULD I be a member? "My employers have always been impressed that I am a member and encourage my activity in the organization." Funny, MY employers have always been impressed with the work that I do, and my involvement in the help authoring community. Although three of my last three employers would pay my membership fee, I declined. Finally, just because you are a member of STC doesn't mean you can actually do your job. I've interviewed countless people who are active members who, well, heck, I won't comment since I can't say anything nice. Just because you (or your employer) has paid your membership dues doesn't mean you are a qualified "technical communicator." (BTW, why did you pick on my usage of "technical writing." Semantics. Seriously.) I don't drink the Kool-Aid. Sorry, but I just don't. I do see improvements. But not a single one of your "arguments" are enough to want me to re-up. In fact, most of what you mentioned should have been done years ago, or else don't apply to me (the publications, for example, didn't really provide much for me). So the current leadership is finally doing something about what we do. For some of us, it may be too little too late. Again, we ARE entitled to our own opinions. I would prefer to see someone respond who's not in an active leadership role. ...sue ______________________________________________ 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. Interactive 3D Documentation Parts catalogs, animated instructions, and more. www.i3deverywhere.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
