Building Community and Weathering Tough Times

Welcome!

Welcome to another exciting year with STC CWC. In my first official post as your president, I’d like to introduce myself, the executive team, and some of the chapter’s goals for the year. I was vice-president of the chapter in 2008-2009 under the expert guidance of Karen Rempel. I’m honoured and excited to be your president for 2009-2010.

I have been a technical writer for just over a year, though I have been writing for as long as I can remember. After taking technical writing and project management courses through BCIT and SFU, I interned on any project that would have me. I now work as an independent contractor and am currently developing an online course in food safety.

The Chapter Executive

We’ve had a busy summer with a lot of changes. The STC CWC executive positions have been filled with enthusiastic new volunteers, who bring fresh ideas and energy to the table. I’m excited to work with:

• Catherine Kerr, vice-president
• Helen Glavina, treasurer
• Tracey Martinsen, secretary

We are supported by a great team of volunteers who organize program meetings, recruit volunteers, write Coastlines articles, take photographs, drum up sponsorship, and a myriad of other tasks. I’m lucky to have the opportunity to work with such a strong team, and I look forward to learning from everyone. We’re always looking for more volunteers, so email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) if you’d like to get involved.

This Year’s Theme: Building Community

The chapter theme for 2009-2010 is building community. Whether this means a geographic community or a virtual community, it is important to build connections between technical writers, hiring managers, and related organizations. These connections – and this network – will sustain and inspire STC CWC members through good and bad times. The professional and personal relationships that come from building community are an integral part of joining STC CWC.

I encourage you to attend program meetings in person, to participate on our online forum, and to connect with us through social media. We’re on LinkedIn (search for “STC Canada West Coast”), Twitter (@stccwc) and Facebook (search for “Canada West Coast”). Editor’s note: Links list added to sidebar Sept 23, 2009.

Being a Virtual Chapter

Last year, we started the transformation to being a virtual chapter. Our kick-off meeting in September was conducted virtually using Adobe Connect, and the May meeting presentation is available for download here.

This year, we have a dedicated team of volunteers who continue to work on virtual meetings. Expect some trial runs and experiments this year as we figure out what works and what doesn’t. Your feedback is always welcome. Email the team at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

The State of the Society

This summer was an eventful one for STC International Organization (STC IO). In June 2009, they informed members that STC IO is having financial difficulties. Since then, there have been myriad conference calls and discussions about what to do about the situation. I’ve opted to wait until I had something substantial to report. Here’s an update:

• The presidents of the Canadian chapters have been talking via conference call about issues that are specific to Canadian STC members. Current topics include ways to bring value to Canadian members, and ways to leverage our membership numbers to have better representation of Canadian issues with STC IO.
• STC CWC is a registered non-profit society under the Societies Act of BC. While chapters in the U.S. are required to provide financial assistance to STC IO, we are not.
• The executives and volunteers of STC CWC met on September 8th, 2009, to discuss our options. We voted 11-2 in favour of lending money to STC IO, with the details to be determined after consultation with a lawyer. We make this loan in good faith and in support of STC IO, with the hope that the organization rebounds from its current financial difficulties.

We would like to hear your feedback on this issue, and Tracey Martinsen has started a thread in the STC CWC forum for this purpose. If you prefer to provide your feedback confidentially, please email me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

The Year Ahead

We have excellent programs planned for the 2009-2010 year, as well as the return of professional development sessions and the documentation competition. The contractors’ group meets on the first Tuesday of each month, and anyone is welcome to join them for networking and fun. Stay tuned for information about a networking event in March that will be a focal point for our chapter as it builds community.

We’re proud to announce that Rahel Bailie, Fellow of the STC and local chapter member, has started a new SIG for content strategy. Check out the Coastlines article for more information.

Watch our website for more details, program events and announcements.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Best wishes,

Eagranie Yuh
President, STC CWC
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Eagranie Yuh is honoured and proud to be the STC CWC president for 2009-2010. When she isn’t wearing her STC hat, she writes about chocolate.