Let’s get this discussion started for changing the chapter to a virtual community. This is the direction the chapter is moving in, so let’s see what ideas we have:
Vendor Events:
Any vendor that wants to do a presentation to the chapter pays for the venue and refreshments, a volunteer from the chapter can organize the registrations.
Chapter Meetings:
Remember that chapter meetings are no longer a given. The chapter is more than just people in the GVRD (or Vancouver and Burnaby, to be more precise!). What ideas do you have for a chapter meeting? Post it on the forum, gain momentum and organizational help, then ask the executive for funding.
Virtual meetings:
Are there any webinars you’ve attended that you’d like to see the chapter organize? Post it on the forum, gain momentum, then ask the executive for funding.
Other ideas:
What other ideas do you have? Post them here, post them somewhere, get something started!
I’d like to see a show-and-tell meeting once a year, where people from the chapter show us and tell us about some product they’ve produced, some method they’ve developed, some technique they’re applying, some time-saver they use. Put all the presenters in one space and let all the members and guests circulate.
I like the idea of continuing this forum with threads on issues that interest us: making it a virtual meeting place to problem solve—or commiserate. :-)
I attend physical STC meetings from time to time, but an online approach will make it easier to participate and also throw open the topics to all participants at all levels. It is a challenge to present “senior” material in the chapter meeting format.
I like Jerome’s idea for a once a year “sharing” meeting. No one has to prepare too much, and it gives people at the meeting an excuse to talk to one another and share ideas. I occasionally go to chapter meetings, but let’s face it: most writers are introverts and we suck at networking, so meetings aren’t usually very interactive.
I occasionally go to chapter meetings, but let’s face it: most writers are introverts and we suck at networking, so meetings aren’t usually very interactive.
Michelle, I love that comment! I see people come to meetings and sit until the presentation starts. This year we took away some chairs to allow more room for networking and it seemed to work. But I agree - you don’t see these people very often and you shouldn’t just come to sit, listen, and leave, so having less structured meetings is a great idea. :coolsmile:
On the lack of interaction before presentations begin, here are some ideas. Not that I’ve ever been to a CWC meeting, but these have helped in other locales:
- organize tables or seating areas by topics and include a sign on the table. Topics could relate to tools (FrameMaker, Word), product domains (development tools, games, consumer software), roles (managers, writers, editors), or any mixture of these. People will feel more comfortable sitting with others with whom they have something in common.
- Give people nametags (or silly hats) that have name and company/school, favorite restaurant, or some other information that could provide a conversational starting point.
I like Jerome’s idea for a once a year “sharing” meeting. No one has to prepare too much, and it gives people at the meeting an excuse to talk to one another and share ideas.
This approach is what makes barcamps, democamps, and unconferences so successful. The purpose is for people to get together and talk, not just attend a “performance” of some presentation. Interaction and networking is a key activity in these events, whereas it appears to have taken a back seat at program meetings. Of course, this isn’t the case for all members, only a large cross-section of the people I’ve seen. Sadly, I brought a very creative friend of mine to Jack Molisani’s awesome presentation on portfolio principles to ace the job interview, and he just sat there and fiddled with his cell phone when he could have been looking at the Douglas College Print Futures portfolios and talking with other attendees, most of them also not members.
We are always looking for members to contribute of their time and expertise to grow our chapter participation. I’m not going to the Summit this year (two of my co-workers are already going, which impacts our team immensely). But wouldn’t it be great one year to be able to reserve a whole section in a plane traveling from YVR, made up of enthusiastic CWC members who know each other well because they’ve established a strong working relationship through our virtual chapter? It wouldn’t even have to be to attend the STC Summit. It could be SXSW, LavaCon, DocTrain x, whatever.
One last question, to those who live outside of the lower mainland. What type of support would you like to see from our chapter, that would help you where you are located?
(1) At the Contractor’s meeting last week, we discussed how the STC is traditionally useful for new members, who want to learn about tech com and to network and to find jobs. (In fact, most of us had started with the STC when we were new writers.) STC-WC has made efforts in the past to support this with articles for new writers, etc. It would be nice to see that “welcoming” informative function continue. Also it’s in our interests to continue to grow our membership, of course, so it’s enlightened self-interest.
(1a) At the recent DocTrainWest conference, Stewart Mader talked about how he wrote a book using a wiki (published by Wiley, called Wikipatterns. A project to write an “introduction to tech writing” or “getting started in tech writing” or even a “modern communications glossary” may be too ambitious until we see how many people are attracted to the online format, but it would be a neat way to build value for members and attract non-members to the site as well. Perhaps we could pillage some of what we’ve done before, for CoastLines and other formats.
(1b) Or we could ask a liaison with Douglas College and SFU to recommend a topic that they could then use as content in their courses—that could really raise our profile.
(2) I think the senior writers will see their main value in the forum, as many of us have such specialized interests that standard programming is hard to produce. Most days what I do is hard to explain to myself, never mind trying to package it in a format that is also relevant to others! But it would be great to be able to call on the experience of my peers and tech writing colleagues as I try to brainstorm new approaches to old problems. I will look for some thorny issues to post on the forum as examples of what I mean, and to encourage others.
Now it’s over to you, Dear Reader… Am I right? Am I missing something? We have 100 views and seven comments, so a lot of you are still lurking. Come on in, the water’s lovely!
I like the idea of growing relationships with the educational institutions in our geographic area: SFU, BCIT, Print Futures, Malaspina, VCC, Royal Roads. Some groups have been keen to participate with us in the past to develop mini-conferences or sponsor an event.
In terms of increasing participation on our website, I’d like to see commenting enabled for the newsletter (or some tie in to the forums).
Our website also has the ability for users to post items to the resource library or related community events (via blog posts). It would be great if our community could be proactive in sharing info about events of interest to our community.
I’m always interested to hear what others in our membership are doing. Organizing meetings or having members contribute articles that feature case studies would be great. Perhaps a few members would like to take up a newsletter column/blog?
I’m looking into the idea of posting comments on the coastlines articles. Everything is set up, but it doesn’t seem to be working, so i’ve asked the weblead about it.
I’m looking into the idea of posting comments on the coastlines articles. Everything is set up, but it doesn’t seem to be working, so i’ve asked the weblead about it.
I’ve told Theresa and Lisha privately that I’m on it. I am setting up a comment form with comment views as a discrete template chunk to import into any page template where commenting will be allowed, to reduce the room for error when copying the code between templates.
At this point, the comments in the database are trackbacks from bot-spidered content aggregator sites. In English, this means an automatic script on the webhost links to several blog posts in order to post their URLs in the comment section, creating a “trackback”. These trackbacks to our site become “backlinks” for the aggregator, driving their Google search engine ranking up for terms on our website.
In addition to the comment form, we will need to set up a workflow to approve comments. Any takers? Ideally, we just want to remove the spam comments, but allow all human-authored opinions post through.
Bravo, Tony! I’m willing to be a farmer in the comments workflow—I admit defeat by morning glory, shotweed and dandelions, but I won’t let spam get the better of any friend of mine.
(1b) Or we could ask a liaison with Douglas College and SFU to recommend a topic that they could then use as content in their courses—that could really raise our profile.
As an on-again-off-again BCIT student, I found it quite funny how BCIT instructors have done little to promote the STC since the first class I took where Anne Odell was the instructor that term. Long-timers remember she was STC CWC president 2001-2002. In the first class she handed out a list of three different opportunities for students, which is how I got involved with the newsletter with Theresa.
While one of my other instructors spoke at a program meeting, and a third attended contractors’ group and program meetings of interest during the time I took his class, promotion through BCIT has been limited. When I speak to BCIT’s Administration directly, they sound interested, but I think following through becomes another burden on their part. However, they are interested in hearing ideas for courses to increase the TechCom portfolio, I’ll start another discussion topic for those.
I’m glad that our Past President (congrats, Theresa!) posted these comments, as I think they help outline the problem we’re all going to need to solve. For example:
A blog is great to read other people’s wisdom, but what if as a student new to technical writing, you don’t have any wisdom to share?
To that writer I would say: then you’re the one the more senior contributors are writing FOR! Ask the forum what you want to know. I am always happy to help out anyone who posts a question I have an opinion on, and I think the activity on the forum suggests that many of us experienced types feel that way.
For in-person connections, the Contractors SIG is the most active group that meets. Perhaps those of us who prefer personal contact should consider joining that SIG. I am currently FT, but stay with the group. (And I do take odd contracts now and then.) I find that we are able to have very frank and helpful discussions, which I enjoy as well as the online communication. Currently the SIG has dozens of registered members, but only ten or so show up at the meetings. There’s room for more.
Finally, I’d like to say that while many of my volunteer experiences with the STC were rewarding and fulfilling, a few did not work out the way I thought they would. However, I think our chapter’s current situation makes it clear that it behooves all of us to figure out what we want the chapter to be, and participate to make that happen. Whenever people gather together to work on a free-time basis, the results may occasionally be a little strange. But the value I’ve received from the STC over the years, and that I anticipate from this online forum going forwards, is more than worth the occasional bump in the road.
Put boundaries on what you can give, absolutely… but participate at some level, even if it’s just reading the forums to stay in touch. Let’s see where this takes us!
If I were a new tech writer in the CWC geographic area—either new to writing or to the area—I’d put out a post that says something like “Hi, everyone! I’m new to the area and would like to pick someone’s brain about (companies to pursue, skills in demand, salaries or contract rates, etc.) over coffee (my treat!) sometime. I’m in this area (downtown, Kits, whatever), but will gladly travel to a mutually convenient location at an agreeable time.”
My experience is that STC folks are incredibly giving of their time and knowledge.
And, btw, I’ll be pursuing just this approach when I relocate to Vancouver.
