2.27.01

*Sincere Apologies—Again!
*March Meeting
*New Meeting Day for Upcoming Year
*Networking Page
*Demand for Technical Writers Goes Unfulfilled
*Back 2 Basics Scholarship Fundraiser
*Membership Renewal Deadline Is February 28th (If You Want to Vote)
*Speaking of Voting

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SINCERE APOLOGIES—AGAIN!
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I had exactly twenty minutes to get out this newsletter. So I'm apologizing in advance for any typos, confusion, whatever.
(It has been a really harrowing three months for me, but I hope things will get better very soon.)

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MARCH MEETING
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We're looking for a few good men and women to help us represent the technical communication profession—and our chapter—at the University of Illinois/Urbana the evening of March 29th.
So far, we have five representatives whose backgrounds can be sliced and diced in the following ways:

EXPERTISE

WORKING ENVIRONMENT

PUBLICATIONS

BUT THE MORE THE MERRIER! Please contact Nancee Moster at nmoster@metasolv.com if you'd like to participate.

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NEW MEETING DAY FOR UPCOMING YEAR
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Central Illinois STC chapter meetings will be held on the first Tuesday of the month during the 2001/2002 calendar year (September through June). So get a head start—mark your calendars now!

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NETWORKING PAGE
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Have you checked out the Networking Link on home chapter web site at www.prairienet.org/cil_stc/?

It's designed to facilitate networking among STC Central Illinois Chapter members—and between Chapter members and potential employers. The Chapter members listed there have agreed to let other Chapter members contact them for advice in their areas of expertise. Use the search box to produce a list of links to skills profiles of members with the skill in which you're interested, or click a member's name for that member's profile. Profiles include information on how to contact members. If you would like to be listed, fill out the networking form (available in pdf and Word formats), sign it to give us permission to post your information, and mail it to the address at the bottom of the second page of the form. Nonmembers may post information about themselves for one month, courtesy of the Chapter.

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DEMAND FOR TECHNICAL WRITERS GOES UNFULFILLED
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Reprinted from: CIDM e-newsletter Volume 1, Issue 1

In the coming year, expect technical writers to be even more difficult to find, especially if your company is recruiting in the Midwest. The April 2000 report of the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) reports in its study of the demand for IT workers that only 50% of the 63,753 open positions in technical writing will be filled.

ITAA surveyed 700 IT managers in both IT and non-IT companies about the potential skills gap. Sixth among the hot jobs, the study found that IT companies had an average of 11 openings for tech writers; non-IT companies averaged 3 openings. These companies were reportedly looking beyond traditional writing and editing skills. Most important were the abilities to analyze project requirements, perform research, and design documents.

Researchers were surprised that hiring managers showed an equal preference for hiring technical writers who had college training in technical writing and those with on-the-job and short-course training. But information-development managers will quickly recognize the small number of college graduates in technical writing. The shortfall among graduates requires that we continue to rely upon training from peers and managers, as well as industry seminars, to bridge the gap.

The full study, Bridging the Gap: Information Technology Skills for a New Millennium (April 2000) is available from the ITAA. Consult their Web site at http://www.itaa.org.

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The Center for Information-Development Management is an organization of information development, training, and support managers across the United States and internationally. The Center is directed by Dr. JoAnn Hackos, international leader in the management of the design, development, and dissemination of information to customers and employees. Under her leadership, the Center conducts benchmark studies among member organizations and elsewhere, sponsors research into information development and its management, gathers and disseminates results and resources through newsletters, Web, seminars, an annual conference, and research white papers. The Center facilitates the sharing of information among the most skilled managers in the information industry.

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BACK 2 BASICS SCHOLARSHIP FUNDRAISER
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The Central Ohio STC Chapter will hold its annual scholarship fundraiser on Saturday, March 24, 2001, at Columbus State Community College. For more information, check the pdf file available on our [Central Ohio's] chapter web site at www.centralohiostc.org/index.html.

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MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL DEADLINE IS FEBRUARY 28
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Sorry this particular news item is so late. This deadline only applies if you'd like to vote for the people who will lead our Society for the next few years.

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Renewal notices for 2001 STC membership dues were mailed in late November. If you did not get a renewal notice and you were a member prior to October 1, 2000, you should check the validity of your mailing address with the Society office. Query membership@stc-va.org or contact the STC office at 703/522-4114.

New this year: Renew your membership online at the Society's Web site: www.stc-va.org/.

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SPEAKING OF VOTING...
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Thea Teich and Suzanne Laurent, candidates for 2nd VP, have requested that I publish the following...

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VOTE! IT WILL AFFECT YOUR FUTURE!

by Andrea L. Ames

STC Region 8 Director-Sponsor (1998-2001)
Candidate for STC Second Vice President

In response to inquiries and requests from several chapters' leaders for an article about my candidacy for STC Second Vice President, I'd like to share my thoughts with you about our future—yours, mine, STC's, and the future of the technical communication industry as a whole—and why I want to continue to serve you on the STC Board of Directors for the next four years. As you might know, the candidate elected to the office of Second Vice President will serve for one year in that position and will then serve one year each as First Vice President, President, and Immediate Past President. This is an important vote, and I hope this article enables you to make an informed decision when you cast your ballot.

If you have any questions about me or my candidacy, feel free to contact me at andrea@verbal-imagery.com. You can also visit my Web site (www.verbal-imagery.com) for postings of recent chapter-meeting presentations and other information.

The Vision

If elected, I will work for the next four years to raise our strategic value—both as individuals and as an industry—to the organizations for which we work.

My vision for the industry is one in which:

In other words, we will no longer define ourselves by the information products (manuals, help, etc.) we deliver—nor the tools we use to develop them. Instead, our employers will recognize the value we bring the to the products and information we design and develop. Think about it: The real value we bring is not the documents we develop but the user's increased success! My goal is to work to help the organizations in and with which we work understand this and help enable them to get the most value from us.

As I've traveled around the country speaking with members, I've met many of you who share this vision. From my 17 years of experience in the industry, my vast network of associates, and the strategic work I've done with various kinds of organizations, I'm convinced that this is the right vision. The question remains: How will it happen?

The Implementation

The move toward this vision has already begun—primarily via STC. As our new mission statement proclaims, we are certainly "designing the future of technical communication." STC is one of the most valuable and powerful tools we have, and our work in STC is one of the most important contributions we can make to our own careers. The power of many, the visibility of a large and well-respected professional organization, and vision and leadership are the ingredients that will change the face of our industry.

To do this, I want to work with the Society as I have during my 14-year STC career to enable members of our industry to become leaders and to be recognized for that leadership—particularly within our organizations and among our employers' and clients' industries. Working with the Board of Directors, committee managers, and chapter leaders, I can support and maintain important programs—like branding and governance—that are already working to move us in this direction. I can also work with other leaders to devise new initiatives to raise the visibility of STC and our industry, as well as help our employers and clients further recognize our value.

Why Me?

Not one to sit around and wait for someone else to take the lead, I've spent most of the past four to five years changing our industry to fit my vision. In my own career, I have focused on learning and developing skills, technologies, and tools to design and develop information for products and user experiences, rather than documentation deliverables. I am a technical communicator specializing in audience analysis, information and interaction design for product user interfaces and online assistance, usability, and user-centered product and information design and development process.

To assist others in the effort to move toward the future, I've acted as a mentor, teacher, and educational certificate coordinator to:

I've spoken at many STC chapter meetings, regional conferences, and annual conferences, and met many of you—the members of our industry. My presentations are aimed toward helping you make career development choices that increase your value to the industry and to your employers and clients. I've encouraged you to:

I've used my term as Director-Sponsor, and my year as Society Bylaws Committee Manager, to learn as much about you and the Society as possible. Understanding how our organization works enables me to influence STC's direction and effect change. I've also participated very actively in two very important Society initiatives:

The results of these programs are already permeating the Society and changing the way we do business. From the Board of Directors to the Society Office to Society-level committees to chapters to members, everyone will feel the impact of these very positive changes.

I've also served the Society extensively in other international-level positions and at the regional, local and chapter levels. Details follow in "ANDREA'S STC AWARDS AND SERVICE" and are posted at www.verbal-imagery.com/PositionStatement.pdf.

And although I've spent a lot of time talking to members of the profession, I draw from extensive experience of my own in the corporate world, academia, and government—both as a direct employee and as a consultant.

Andrea's STC Awards and Service

Honors and awards:

Society-level participation:

Regional/local participation:

  • Presenter, Writer in the Workplace Conference 1997, 2001
  • Presenter, Region 5 Conference 2000
  • Presenter, Region 6 Conference 2000
  • Lead judge, Northern California Technical Communication Competition 1992–93 and 1996–97
  • Presenter, Region 8 Conference 1996, 2000 (Region 7-8 joint conference)
  • Manager, Region 8 Conference Public Relations 1994

    • Chapter-level participation:

     

    About the Author

    ANDREA L. AMES, M.S., is a technical communicator specializing in audience analysis, information and interaction design for product user interfaces and online help systems, usability, and user-centered product and information design and development process. She has 17 years' experience designing, developing, and producing usable technical and scientific information for products, software user interfaces, multimedia and online-help systems, and print documentation. Ms. Ames is the owner of Ucentrics, a user-centered information and interaction design and usability consulting company. She is also a principal technical writer at Vertical Networks, where she designs information and interaction for product user interfaces, as well as embedded user assistance and custom help systems. She is a member of the Society for Technical Communication (STC) international board of directors in her position as director-sponsor of STC's Region 8; a junior fellow of the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC); and a published author and freelance writer. She teaches at the university level, speaks internationally at professional conferences, and presents seminars and workshops on audience analysis, information and interaction design, usability, and user-centered process topics.

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    THEA TEICH

    Senior Member, Southwestern Ohio Chapter
    Candidate for STC 2nd Vice President

    Hello. Please let me introduce myself. I'm Thea Teich, and I'm running for 2nd vice president of STC. That means a four-year commitment to Society leadership, which is something I look forward to, should I win your votes.

    Who Am I?

    Just a quick overview of my background: I was brought up in northern New Jersey. For those of you in the area, my high school overlooked the back side of the Statue of Liberty. Really.

    I left NJ to attend the University of Michigan. Then I took a master's degree at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. I spent several summers as a park ranger in Oklahoma during this period. Yes, really.

    I continued to spend my young adulthood on Big Ten campuses by working for the Ohio State University School of Natural Resources for three years. Then, I became the environmental education coordinator for the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh. There I developed cooperative programs mainly for adults, trying to make complicated environmental subjects understandable and interesting so that people would be willing to take action. I didn't call it technical communication at the time, but that's what was going on.

    In 1980, I moved back to Ohio, to Cincinnati, and have worked here for government agencies, private industry, and as an independent, in technical communications concerning everything from water pollution control to plastic processing methods, from pharmaceutical market research to ERP software. I also teach technical marketing communications in a local technical college program. My decision to "go independent" was a long time in the making, but my being downsized in late 1995 was a significant shove in that direction.

    I've been a member of STC since 1988. I've been director-sponsor of Region 4, public relations manager for the 1999 annual conference, and a member of the academe-industry committee. I've presented at many annual and regional conferences on starting your own business, professional development, and marketing communications. For the Southwestern Ohio chapter (SWO), I was president, vice president, and competitions manager (for three years). I also served on the 1997 Region 4 conference committee and the SWO professional development committee. I regularly judge local STC competitions, have judged international competitions, and have won publications awards. I'm also a member and past officer of some other local communications organizations.

    What Do I Bring to the Table?

    First, I bring a "can-do," implementation-focused orientation. Moving ideas and plans from "ought" to "action" is one of my strengths. Determining the optimal way, which may not necessarily be the fastest or the cheapest way, to transform projects from plans to production— and then doing it—is how I've earned my living for many years.

    Second, I believe that to make good decisions, input from people who don't think exactly as I do or who have different priorities is necessary. I listen. I believe consensus leads to decisions that respond best to the issues.

    Third, I bring a breadth of experience to the office. Technical communicators work in varied situations-and I've been through most of them. Independent, corporate, nonprofit, educational, downsized, upsized, overwhelmed—I've been there. As a result, I think I have more than an inkling of what many STC members face every day.

    Fourth, and perhaps most important, my aim is to use the talent and capabilities we have as an organization to foresee the trends in our profession so we can plan for them and better help STC members meet the needs and opportunities presented by those trends.

    Our profession's value to the world at large is being increasingly recognized. Part of the reason for that is the times we live in. But another part of the reason is that we have a professional organization that represents us as a body; we are no longer an amorphous conglomeration of easily replaced "support services." Over much of the past almost 50 years of STC's existence, the focus has been on promoting our professionalism, supporting educational programs and research, improving, and-let's face it-helping to stabilize-our places and value in corporate and other entities.

    Now that we've determined "to design the future of technical communications (our new mission statement), my goals involve focusing our efforts on the professional development of our members so they can answer the classic job interview question, "where do you want to be in five years?" By exploring trends and possibilities now and helping members prepare for them, we can work toward-instead of merely respond to-what will happen five years from now. We can truly "design the future of technical communication." In other words, we can design, draw, paint, and frame our own futures.

    I also want to promote both the profession and the organization so that that technical communicators view STC the way medical doctors view their associations and engineers view their societies—as essential elements of their professions. Our branding effort was a springboard: Let's put what we learned about ourselves to work.

    In the meantime, please remember to vote in the upcoming STC elections. You can do so either on the traditional paper ballot or electronically at the STC Web site this year. I hope you'll vote for me for 2nd vice president. But the important thing is to vote. You're a member of this group. Here's your chance to help design STC-as well as the future of technical communication.

    For more information about me, please visit my Web site, www.TeichTMC.com. You may also contact me at Thea@TeichTMC.com. Thank you for your time and attention.