This looks like it’s going to be an interesting evening.  Remember, too, that you can sign up to attend this session via the webinar. That way, even if you can’t attend the session “live”, you will be able to access the recording afterwards.

A final reminder, that the Julia Broderick Scholarship winner will be announced on Tuesday night as well and you can have one hint: it’s one of the 5 grads from the Douglas College Print Futures program who will bring their portfolios to show off that night. These are awesome examples of the students, samples of how the program and our profession is growing, and a chance to meet some of the young bloods of our profession. Join us!

This means, of course, that we are saying goodbye to Mary Metzger as Treasurer (she’s staying on as Job Bank Team lead),  Rob Hughes as Secretary (he’s staying on as Scholarships Team lead) and Pam Drucker retires as past president when I move into that role.  Our chapter is lucky to have so many committed volunteers (but there is always room for more!) and I am grateful for their support and participation during my year as president. Thank you!

Whenever possible, for the foreseeable future, we will be offering all Program events as webinars. That means all chapter members, no matter where they are located, can attend and participate. Additionally, more non-members may attend as well. Check the bottom of the event page for registration links to both the in-person event and the virtual event.

The program year is not over, by any means!  We have three months of activities lined up and we are calling for your participation.  While the term of president is up in May, we still have an interesting session lined up for that month in the form of Sean Cranbury presenting on how to keep up with social media without becoming technically overwhelmed.  Also at that event will be 5 graduates from the Douglas College Print Futures program to show off their portfolios and start networking their career of choice. Please come out and welcome them into the fold!

June will see our Volunteer potluck morph into a proper luncheon. If you have participated in volunteer activities with the chapter this year, watch for your invitation.

In July, past CWC leader Robert Desprez will present an interesting topic: how to make ePub output behave without tearing out your hair or chucking your computer out the window.  Check out our events pages for registration links to all of these events and SPREAD THE WORD!  The more attendees, the smaller the deficit!

Speaking of money - does your employer know that they can sponsor the chapter?  From as little as a $20 one-time donation (sponsoring food and drink at the Program night) to an ongoing financial commitment, new funding sources must be developed so the chapter will survive! Make a point of discussing this opportunity with your HR or Finance manager. It doesn’t hurt to ask, and it’s pretty much for sure that they won’t offer us any money if they don’t know we need it.  You will see this topic again as Aaron Fultz moves into his presidency. Your ideas and assistance to help the chapter’s financial health are welcomed.

I would be remiss if I didn’t take this opportunity also to say thanks to Heather Sommerville who will be stepping down as Director-at-Large. Heather continues as Volunteer Coordinator but provided invaluable advice throughout my presidency, always with the Chapter’s well-being as her priority.

Watch this space for another announcement of an upcoming event planned for August this year - a professional development opportunity for people who are interested in the topics of Instructional Design and Localization. And plans are afoot for a Jack Molisani kickoff to the program year (tentative) with a noted speaker from the PLAIN Conference being held in Vancouver in October 2013.  Another busy, educational, action-packed and FUN chapter year lies ahead.

Enjoy an awesome Spring!

Late Breaking News!  Members attending remotely can vote in AGM Election!
At the executive meeting on Tuesday, April 9, a motion was passed to allow chapter members who have signed up to attend the April 16 AGM via Go To Webinar may also exercise their democratic right and responsibility to vote.  At the time of the vote, webinar attendees who have been verified to be chapter members may type in their election choices via the chat window and VP Aaron Fultz will record these votes (privately) for inclusion in the ballot count.

Please read the information below, and on election day at 6:30 pm PST , please join the AGM by clicking this link >  https://www2.gotomeeting.com/join/815055002.

Dear members,

According to the BC Societies’ Act, the chapter executive must notify members regarding the date, time, and location of our annual business meeting at least 30 days prior to the meeting. The notice of the annual business meeting has been on http://www.stcwestcoast.ca since January 9, 2013 which exceeds the notice period requirements. We are supplementing that notice with this direct message.

STC-CWC’s annual business meeting is Tuesday, April 16, 2013, 6:30–7:00 PM PDT (GMT-7) at the YWCA Vancouver, Skills Room, 4th Floor, 535 Hornby Street, Vancouver, BC.

The meeting will be conducted according to CWC and BC Societies’ Bylaws, procedures consistent with those used in previous years’ meetings, and Robert’s Rules of Order. Elections for the executive positions of Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary are to be held. Members in good standing may nominate themselves or another up to and at the meeting itself, when the call for nominations is made.

The unofficial agenda has been posted to the STC CWC members’ Wiki. The agenda will be approved at the opening of the meeting; following it permits orderly discussion and accomplishment of the chapter’s business.

NEW this year: we will be ‘broadcasting’ the AGM via Go To Webinar, and members who are not able to be present in person can listen to the proceedings on their computer and participate in the voting. If you wish to attend in this way, please join the meeting at 6:30 pm (Pacific) by clicking on this link: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/join/815055002. You will be connected to audio using your computer’s microphone and speakers (VoIP).  A headset is recommended.
Meeting ID: 815-055-002
GoToMeeting® Online Meetings Made Easy® Not at your computer? Click the link to join this meeting from your iPhone®, iPad® or Android® device via the GoToMeeting app.

The minutes of last year’s annual meeting are posted on the CWC Wiki website. You may wish to read the minutes in advance.

We hope to see you at our annual business meeting on April 16!

Call for Nominations

At the above-mentioned Annual General Meeting on April 16, just before the regular Program presentation, CWC elections will be held.  It’s a very exciting time for us this year because we need to elect three people to the executive! The positions of Secretary, Treasurer and Vice President are open for nominations. You may nominate yourself, or nominate another chapter member in good standing.  Please forward your name or the name of your nominee to president@stcwestcoast.ca and copy volunteer@stcwestcoast.ca as soon as possible. According to our by-laws as they are published on our website, nominations may be made right up to and at the Annual General Meeting (April 16 at 6:30 pm).

It is not a matter of being able to do the job perfectly the minute you step into the role. We are working as a team to create and further the success of us all. You don’t need to do it all by yourself, the rest of the executive is there to assist and support you.  If you have a willingness to learn and an aptitude for the role, please talk to us.  For instance, the Secretary should enjoy taking Minutes, being involved in many different activities, and able to commit to attending all meetings - which can be arranged on different days of the week, they don’t all have to be on Tuesdays. The Treasurer must have numeracy skills and be able to use Excel - but you don’t need a Finance degree. We of course wish to shepherd our resources wisely and the Treasurer needs to be able to see how any proposed activities might affect the bottom line. New ideas of how to make our chapter run in the black are very welcome. And - if you are interested in becoming Vice President... you need to be a bit of a Jack of all Trades, be ready to step in for the President at the drop of a hat, and also be able to delegate well… since after VP, you become da Prez!

Now is the time to step up and contribute to your chapter and assist us as we continue our efforts to reach out to students, new people just starting out in our profession, those in mid-career, and employers.  We are going to bring these audiences a new awareness of our profession and offer value for membership dollars by continuing to build a climate of personal development, continued growth, teamwork, and serious fun. Perhaps you’re not ready to commit to an executive position but by coming forward, you might free up another person who has been volunteering in another role and is ready to move on up! Key roles that need a team leader are Social Media, Programs and Sponsorship.  Send an email to the Volunteer coordinator, Heather Sommerville, to express your interest and ask any questions you might have about these roles.  Job descriptions are posted on the Member Wiki and in Yammer.

Volunteer of the Year Award
The volunteer of the year can be nominated by any chapter member, volunteer, team lead or executive board member, and is selected by the outgoing President, incoming President, and Volunteer Coordinator. A call is made in April to the volunteers. The award is presented at the Volunteer Luncheon.  See the website “Awards” page for a list of past recipients.

All Members need to attend April 16 to vote

Our April 16 presenter is Tony Wanless, who used to vet proposals for the Dragon’s Den television program, and write a very popular blog about the show. He’s sure to be entertaining, as he’s seen and heard the best ideas and the worst ideas. If you haven’t been to a chapter Program night for a while, this would be a great one to attend simply for the entertainment value, let alone what he will share about writing and honing good proposals. 

If you like, click here to register: http://www.stcwestcoast.ca/index.php/site/events/april_program_pitching_with_tony_wanless/.  You can pay CASH (only) at the door or with credit online (through the Gifttool link).  Or, if you’re coming just to vote, please arrive ON TIME for 6:30 pm in Skills 1&2 Room on the 4th Floor (to the left as you get off the elevator) at the downtown YWCA at 535 Hornby Street. Tuesday, April 16, 2013:  Vote in your chapter elections!

Boy, time flies when you’re having fun. And de-cluttering, spring cleaning, walking the dog and being president and Programs Lead and chief whippersnapper and, oh yes – working for a living.

Here’s what’s going on in your chapter:
The Employer Outreach team is currently restructuring the employer database. In order to make it a valuable resource, we’re trying to create a list of companies in B.C that hire us or should hire us.

You can help us immensely if you could suggest two to four (or more!) companies to be included in our database. If you have a contact name of a hiring manager or technical writer in that company, please send us their name and contact information as we want to send out information relevant to them.

Please send the following information to Autumn Jonssen at autumn.jonssen@gmail.com:
-      Company Name
-      Contact Person (Phone and/or email address)
-      Website Address

Thanks for your contributions!  The Employer Outreach team is being assisted by two young men, Paul Hansen and Jordan Cripps. Paul came to us via SFU Continuing Education, Technical Communications program and Jordan is, like David Cumming before him, a graduating tech comm student from BCIT who is doing his 80-hour final practicum with us.

There are two items of serious business I need to address with you. I would like to talk about them before I lose you in the longer notes below. The first is twofold, and concerns elections.

Right now, if you’re a paid up member of the STC, it’s time to exercise the privilege and your responsibility to vote for a Vice President, Treasurer, Director, and Nominating Committee Member. There will be one winner for Vice President and Treasurer, and two winners for both Director and Nominating Committee member.

On Monday, March 11 you should have received an email from the Society for Technical Communication

Feels as if it were too late to say this, but I still mean it: Happy New Year, everyone!  I read something cute on Facebook the other day:  New Year’s resolutions are just a “To Do” list for the first week of January.

As usual, there is a tonne of fun stuff going on in the chapter and the world of tech comm. While I still have your attention, I would like to ask each of you to consider helping the chapter thrive and flourish in 2013. A small contribution (time, money, an article for the website, a sincere invitation to join to a colleague or friend who also writes… all of these help our cause and also have the benefit of making you feel “a part of…” not “apart from.”

Need your help:

New branding effort for the chapter

To coincide with the development of our redesigned website, we are looking for ideas for a new look for our logo and chapter colours. Send a quick note to vp@stcwestcoast.ca with a word, a colour, an image, or your thoughts on what CWC means to you… it will be considered by the graphic artist, Lisa, who has offered to work with us to deliver a fresh new look. Lisa is an established graphic artist, a friend of Aaron Fultz, our VP – and she currently works for Disney. Probably has chops, don’t you think?
     

Tell Someone!

The 2013 scholarship information has been posted on our website: tell a tech comm student today. Point them to http://www.stcwestcoast.ca/index.php/site/scholarships/
     

THANKS for Joining or Renewing!

You are awesome!  We now can boast about our 126 members… there were 92 at the end of last program year; 102 when STC Head Office took a count for budget purposes and now we are starting 2013 with a bang.
     

Talk about us!

This is more true now than ever in the age of Yelp, Reddit and networking:  What members say about belonging to our organization and the value they enjoy is much more effective and credible than anything that the Executive can say on the same topic.  When it’s written on the website, it’s just a claim – hot air, almost.  When you as a member say it, or better still, write it, it changes from being just words to your actual experience - a fact. The more testimonials that we employ on our site and in our printed marketing materials, the more compelling they become.  A prospective member is far more moved to action from your words than mine. Will you write a short paragraph about why you renewed? Why you joined? What has your experience been?
     

April AGM

It might seem too soon to talk about the Annual General Meeting that happens in our April Program night, but it always seems to sneak up on me.  So I’m talking about it early this year. We would like extensive participation in the Elections this year. Our bylaws are clear: the positions of Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer become vacant at the end of the program year and elections are to be held at the AGM to fill these positions. It is rare that we have more than one candidate for these, but we can make history here if you put your name forward for one of these positions. (It is my understanding that the incumbent for Treasurer is interested in remaining in her position – lucky us! Mary Metzger is doing a fine job.)   Check out the member wiki for job descriptions of these roles.
     

Keeping in touch

Yammer is proving to be a very useful tool for communications in the chapter, to the point where few people are attending the Communications meeting held on the 4^th Tuesday of each month. Because we can post files there and we can all comment on the same discussion without endless email threads and duplications, getting a sense of members’ feelings about various topics is streamlined. It’s very easy to lurk too… no need to chime in unless you feel strongly about something. Not familiar with Yammer?  It’s like a closed network for chatting… but a lot more, too. If you have not received an invite to join the STC Canada West Coast external network, please send a request for one to vp@stcwestcoast.ca.

News in General:

Budget: we are to receive $1,530 US from the Society this year, to help us fund our initiatives and programs.  While that’s a nice chunk of change, we MUST mobilize and start finding sponsorships for the chapter now. At the Communications meeting held 1/22/2013, we discussed how to keep the job bank free for employers and how to add value to their ability to access our pool of seasoned and professional writers. Interested in participating in this initiative? Email president@stcwestcoast.ca

Community Achievement Award:  We met the deadline of January 21 and submitted an application for Community of Excellence but just might squeak through to the highest level, a Community of Distinction. We’ll hear what the Evaluation Committee decided in April, I believe.  Judy Holt, a BCIT student in the Tech Comm program and a fresh new volunteer, helped put the application together with a keen eye for detail and a lot of patience while I tried to come up with 50 proofs of our activities. The application was a whopping 15 MB zipped!

Student Brochure: Version 1 was completed over Christmas and lots of constructive critique was gathered at the last program night and Communications meeting. Version 2 will be forthcoming shortly and available for distribution at all post-secondary institutions and chapter events.

We need a chapter photographer… I’ll bring a camera to the next meeting and ask for a volunteer. But if you are interested in a titled position on the volunteer roster, please tell Heather Sommerville (volunteer@stcwestcoast.ca) or let me know.

The employer outreach project is ramping up – all hands are needed to do internet research on companies on our database list, and find out who’s missing from our list. Easy, peasy work for a weekend or two… send info@stcwestcoast.ca  a quick note and Autumn Jonssen will respond.

Now for some fun:

Sheila Jones – a long term member of the chapter, former president and an STC Fellow – has formed a group called The Shameless Hussies. They will be celebrating Groundhog Day at Studio 700 at the CBC on – you guessed it! – Feb 2. Tom’s providing an Improv group and Jamie Dale’s going to bring her band. She said she would love it if you could come and all STCers are potential hussies! (Guess you’ll have to go to find out!) Check out the STC-Canada West Coast Facebook page for more information.
     

Mark your Calendars

Check the Events page on the STC-CWC website or the Events Group in Yammer for more details and registration links.
February 5 - CIC coffee meeting
February 19 - Program night: Melissa Mewdell SEO
February 22 - Communications’ Meeting

March 5 - CIC coffee meeting
March 12 - Exec Meeting
March 19 Program night: Tony Wanless Pitching! (Proposal Writing)
March 22 - Communications’ Meeting

April 2 - CIC coffee meeting
April 16 - AGM/Elections/ Webinar with TBD: Overview of Help Authoring Tools
April 22 - Communications’ Meeting

May 7 - CIC coffee meeting
May 5-8 - STC SUMMIT (Atlanta, Georgia)
May 14 - Exec Meeting
May 21 - Program night: Sean Cranbury on Social Media
May 22 - Communications’ Meeting

June 4 - CIC coffee meeting (to be confirmed)
June 8 - Flare workshop with Catherine Girczyc & Beth Haggerty
June 11 - Exec Meeting – hand off to new Executive team
June 18 - (Program Night? Tentative… not usually one in June)
June 22 - Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon

Spotlight on Membership: Louise Tincher
Posted: 16 Jan 2013 07:32 AM PST
As 2012 came to a close, STC offered a membership promotion: renew your membership by 14 December and be entered to win a free registration to the 2013 Summit. Louise Tincher is the lucky winner of that prize, and she spoke with Your Friendly Neighborhood Blogger about renewing and going to the Summit.
First of all, thanks for renewing your membership! How many years has this been for you? What keeps you coming back?
I’ve been an STC member since 1998—15 years. From the very beginning, STC has been my source for professional education, development, and networking. I didn’t know a soul at my first chapter meeting, but I learned so much and everyone was so friendly that I knew I had to come back. I also volunteered right away and Sylvia Miller very wisely guided me to the Hospitality Committee where I quickly made friends with other volunteers and attendees.
Can you tell us a little bit about what you do in technical communication?
Most of my work now is editing documents from SMEs to meet organizational standards. This includes grammar, spelling, punctuation, formatting, layout, word choice, and writing style. I also check that documentation meets requirements for structure, content, completeness, and coherence. Some standards are internal, others are customer, project, or contract specific. So, lots of clean-up work, coaching (use active voice, cut fluff), and questions to writers (Do you mean … ?).
However, as a lone writer at the corporate office, I also get everything else. In the past year I worked on (in alphabetical order) design specifications, forms (for audits, HR, and site surveys), minutes, newsletters, online help, procedures, processes, proposals, quality audits, status reports, training materials, user manuals, and a variety of research projects.
How has your membership in STC helped with that job and others in the past?
Almost all of my training in technical communication has come through STC. I use it every day. For example, it’s much easier and faster to edit to documented standards. So I’ve developed style guides, templates, standard procedures, and training for using them. As a result, I’ve received kudos from managers for improvements in quality and efficiency.
I’ve also had co-workers thank me for making their jobs easier. Without STC I wouldn’t have known about those tools, or how to implement them effectively. I also use STC resources to research best practices and solutions. As a lone writer, the online resources and professional connections are invaluable.
What else has membership in STC provided for you?
Networking! The quality and quantity of the personal and professional relationships that I’ve made through STC is awesome. There’s no way that I can be an expert on every facet of technical communication, but I can always find an expert to consult. I’m always amazed by the expertise and generosity of my STC colleagues. I can’t put a price on that.
From our records, it looks like you’ve been to four of the last five STC Summits. What are you most looking forward to with the 2013 Summit in Atlanta with your free registration?
More of the same. When you get students, academics, and practicing professionals all together in the same space the energy is amazing. I always learn a lot from the presentations—everything from nuts and bolts basics to cutting-edge concepts. Plus, the chance to get face to face with STC staff, STC board members, vendors and overseas colleagues. I go home with dozens of new contacts and friends, most of whom I only see at the Summit.
Anything else you’d like to add?
My manager really appreciates what I bring back to the workplace from STC. He has me summarize the Summit sessions and webinars I’ve attended in writing and passes the summary up the management chain. He also has me research best practices and resources for new projects. We use the research for estimates, competitive bids, and scheduling resources. Our documentation development is on time, on schedule, and in budget.
I can’t overemphasize the value of volunteering. As an STC volunteer my professional network just naturally grew to include first chapter and then national and international leaders in our field. I’ve also learned about a wealth of resources through my volunteer duties. You get back what you give many times over when you volunteer to serve the STC community.

First, our 2013 Programming is coming together. (updated Dec. 20, 2012)
January: Take the Mystery out of XML with Tom Magliery of JustSystems
February: SEO with Melissa Mewdell of City of Vancouver
March: looking for a presenter on Graphic Design or Proposal Writing… contact the pres
April: Help Authoring* Tools and Techniques (likely going to be a webinar with Neil Perlin)
May: Instructional Design or Technical Editing
June – normally, we don’t have a program night in June but we’re open to being convinced otherwise. It might be fun to have all local presenters and do a progression (4 or 5 presenters stay put and present 15-minute sessions to attendees who change tables to hear different topics). Or, we might combine that idea with the Volunteer Appreciation Event! :-)

Professional Development Opportunities

Early June: Professional Development seminar on Madcap Flare: a workshop session, led by Catherine Girczyc and Beth Haggerty.
mid-August: Professional Development seminar co-hosted with SFU Continuing Education Technical Writing program

Website:

If you belong to our Yammer network, check out the wireframes that Aaron posted. There is exciting work underway for our new website and much of our current content is being edited. We also plan to have a lot of fresh new content – news – that will be supplied by or facilitated by our Web Editors. Currently, these editors are:
Open, Editor-in-Chief (Aaron Fultz pro tempore)
- Moderates posts
- Checks style
- Liaises with fundraising coordinator for advertising opportunities
- Writes a monthly post: Recap of key blog posts from the past month
- Writes or facilitates four special features a year (for months with five weeks)
- Conducts CMS training
- Backup for department editors

Sam Wink, Design Editor
- Finds photos as requested
- Organizes and manages photo and graphics database
- Creates graphics as requested

Open, Happenings Editor (Mellissa Ruryk pro tempore)
- Writes or facilitates a monthly post (Week 1): Upcoming chapter news and events for the month ahead
- Writes or facilitates other posts (e.g., chapter event follow-ups, as well as STC and community news and events)

Autumn Jonssen, Spotlights Editor
- Writes or facilitates a monthly post (Week 2): Member spotlight
- Writes or facilitates other posts (e.g., non-member and speaker spotlights, other STC chapter spotlights, and community interest spotlights)
- Follow key blogs and sites related to your subject area.

Jacob De Camillis, Career Development Editor
- Writes or facilitates a monthly post (Week 3): Career related topics
- Writes or facilitates other posts (e.g., hot jobs, economic news, new education programs, topics beyond techcom etc.)
- Follow key blogs and sites related to your subject area.

Open, TechComm Editor (Aaron Fultz pro tempore)
- Writes or facilitates a monthly post (Week 4): Feature posts on the latest trends and technologies in techcom
- Writes or facilitates other posts (e.g., technology news, book reviews, product releases, etc.)
- Follow key blogs and sites related to your subject area.
If you would like to volunteer in one of these editor roles (time commitment: ~5 hours a month), please email or call Aaron or me asap. We’re going to post all content on the old site until the new one is ready to launch, so we need to start writing right now!
(And if you’re not on our Yammer network, send info@stcwestcoast.ca an email requesting access. It’s the best way to keep up to date with all the chapter news, and minimize your inbox clutter!)

Logo Ideas

In conjunction with the launch of the new website, we’ll be looking to freshen up our own looks somewhat. STC Canada West Coast has had a couple of different looks but now it’s time to burst forth in colour… in all our glory. Think yellow, red, blue – strong primary colours that are found in our provincial flag. We’ve had blue tints with lots of white… how about bringing in green for the forest and white for the paper we write on?
We would like any aspiring artists (graphic or otherwise) to sit and think about what our chapter means to them. How to express who we are and what we do without using words? There are many different facets to being a technical communicator; we are the West Coast chapter (not just the Vancouver chapter)… our province is diverse and filled with abundant natural resources, such as trees, metals, water and fish. Then there’s the coast and coastlines… mountains and ocean. Did I mention trees? We have sacrificed a few of those in our quest for employment… let’s honour that sacrifice and incorporate a tree in our logo.

Chapter Achievement Award

We are gearing up to submit this application in mid-January. Judy Holt has been working away on the application in the background, and it is shaping up to be a pretty comprehensive report on all chapter activities since last June. Executives: you are warned: there will be some editing to be done early in the new year. This is step one of winning a Community of Distinction Award… the activities noted in the application form have given us volunteers and the executive a framework for applying our efforts and creativity this year. When Aaron picks up the leadership baton in June of next year, he will have the luxury of being able to follow through on the plans we started this year. (Knowing Aaron, that won’t stop him from coming up with one or two Brilliant Ideas in addition to those listed on the application form!)

Christmas Cheer & Holiday Wishes

I’m sure the Executive joins me in wishing you all the best in this holiday season. Whether you celebrate the Winter Solstice, Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa or Ramadan… the sentiment is the same: love and tolerance, peace on Earth.

IThe Tuesday, December 11 Christmas Cheer at Piknik Restaurant was lots of fun. Mostly we celebrated all the hard work that’s been put in so far this year. I especially want to thank my executive members for their support and their dedication to the chapter’s success.

Society News

Summit 2013 registration is now open: http://summit.stc.org/

Please let me know if you’re planning to attend. We need to do something fun with all the Canadians down there and it might need a bit of planning.

Time is running out! Renew your STC membership NOW to save in 2013. http://www.stc.org/renew

STC presents three live Web seminars next week: Using YouTube Videos to Enhance “Traditional” Documentation, How Writers Can Thrive in Agile Software Development, and What’s a MOOC? Exploring the Possibilities of Massive Open Online Learning. Finish up your year with live education from some of STC’s top minds!

Using YouTube Videos to Enhance “Traditional” Documentation
Presented by Fer O’Neil and Ben Johnson
Tuesday, 11 December, 1:00-2:00 PM EST (GMT-5)

The way users consume information is becoming increasingly visual. Technical communicators can address this need and increase user satisfaction by creating video tutorials. Ben and Fer will present some best practices at HP and ESET for choosing topics, creating, sharing, promoting, and measuring the success of video tutorials in YouTube.

How Writers Can Thrive in Agile Software Development
Presented by Gavin Austin
Wednesday, 12 December, 1:00-2:00 PM EST (GMT-5)

Many writers are trying to figure out how to meet deadlines, write quality documentation, and stay sane as their software companies switch from the traditional “waterfall” method of development to the popular Agile methodology. Learn strategies and best practices to help you thrive as a writer in an Agile environment.

What’s a MOOC? Exploring the Possibilities of Massive Open Online Learning
Presented by Phylise Banner
Thursday, 13 December, 4:00-5:00 PM EST (GMT-5)

Have you heard about the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) movement in online learning? This webinar will explore the design, development, and delivery approaches of a variety of MOOCs, while highlighting the instructional theory, design, and technology approaches behind these large-scale learning initiatives. Learn how to leverage the benefits of the MOOC approach to meet the needs of your professional learning community.

Editor’s Association of BC

Early Bird rates still available (to December 21) for EAC-BC Seminar, Saturday, January 12, 2013 (9 AM - 4 PM) @ SFU Harbour Centre. The topic EDITING FICTION is to be presented by Instructor: Caroline Adderson. More info/Registration here: http://www.gifttool.com/registrar/ShowEventDetails?ID=1262&EID=13763

If I don’t see you at the event in December, please accept my wishes for a happy, joyous and safe holiday. See you in the New Year!

2012/13 Executives

Your chapter leadership team always welcomes contact from chapter members, volunteers and friends.
President - Mellissa Ruryk (president@stcwestcoast.ca)
Vice President – Aaron Fultz (vp@stcwestcoast.ca)
Secretary - Rob Hughes (secretary@stcwestcoast.ca)
Treasurer - Mary Metzger (treasurer@stcwestcoast.ca)
Past President - Pam Drucker (pastpres@stcwestcoast.ca)
Volunteer Coordinator/Director at Large - Heather Sommerville (volunteer@stcwestcoast.ca)
Managers
Employer Outreach – Autumn Jonssen (info@stcwestcoast.ca)
Independent Contractors SIG – Linda Farnworth (cicsig@stcwestcoast.ca)
Job Bank – Mary Metzger – (jobbank@stcwestcoast.ca)
Membership Coordinator – Dawn Stewart (membership@stcwestcoast.ca)
Programs – Samantha Wink (programs@stcwestcoast.ca)
Public Relations – Moise Potié – (pr@stcwestcoast.ca)

What a great evening. The room was packed with Society of Technical Communication (STC) members, and not-yet-members. Obviously, people were primed for the night’s topic – even before the event started, we had begun to network in our new digs, the Skills Room at the Y on Hornby.

Calling the meeting to order, Mellissa Ruryk, our chapter’s president, welcomed everyone, shared chapter news, and announced our membership had increased to 117 at last count (hurray!).
Vice-president Aaron Fultz introduced the panellists: Kacie Crook of Aerotek Inc., Alison Oxton of Sierra Systems, and Malay Kapoor of Commonwealth of Learning. Fielding prepared and impromptu questions, the panelists spoke about where and when to network (at all times!), the ideal use of LinkedIn, how to manage time, what not to do, and how networking has helped them become successes.

My “aha” moment was under “what not to do.” All the panelists agreed, “Do not over sell yourself.” They brought it back to developing connections. Find a mutual point between you and who you are networking with; and then make that your reason to connect with that person again. It makes sense!

After a brief break and a rearranging of chairs, we settled into speed networking. We had three minutes for each pairing, before the bell rang to change partners. With a receptive audience, we easily exchanged names and business cards, and learned a little about each other. Will I reconnect with those I met? I hope so, but even if not, I appreciated the opportunity to practice networking. Apparently, it might be an annual offering of the chapter, so don’t miss it next year!

It was a fun night, and I left the evening feeling motivated and energized.
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New President’s Message for November 2012

On Tuesday October 10th, the STC Canada West Coast held its first official “Beers With Peers”, or rather “Gelato With Guests”, at Café Calabria on Commercial Drive amidst some stunningly kitschy statuary. Practicing, student, and even potential technical communicators gathered together to schmooze over Paninis, cafe lattes, and ice cream, exchanging business cards, small talk, advice, and laughter. In a complete departure from our normal fields of endeavour (and some would say, from our senses), attendees split into teams and pitted their skills against gravity in a structure-building contest using mini-marshmallows and uncooked linguine (aptly, given our surroundings). Susan, Mona, Mellissa and Cynthia won $5 Timmy’s cards by popular vote when their pile of noodles was deemed the tallest after a 15-minute break for a geeky-book raffle. The event was a gooey success and people left sharing about the great sense of community between us. “It was an awesome gathering,” said Karen Rempel.

The next social event is in the works and this one will feature seasonal décor (and possibly a liquor license?) …pencil in December 11 on your social calendar for a cup of “Christmas cheer”!

and from the President

Well, I had fun!  It was great to meet some new members and friends. Readers, help me welcome Steve Sian,  Noel Bissonnette,  Helen Choi and her friend Paul,  Karen’s friend Mona,  Olena Gerasymenko,  James LaMothe, and Angela Warner.