Washington, DC Chapter
CAPITAL LETTER
Volume 32 / Number 4 / December 2000
Looking Ahead
January Program: Help!
Date: Tuesday, January 16, 2001.
Topic: Current Trends in Help and User Assistance.
Speaker: Joe Welinske, President of WinWriters.
About the program: The next few years will be a wild
ride for technical communicators. Keeping up with the
latest technologies is the greatest challenge that faces
us. Come listen as Joe Welinske provides an overview of
the current trends in software user assistance and offers
insights on how those trends affect you now and will
affect you in the future. His presentation covers
• Design trends for Help and user assistance
• Reviews of current delivery formats (for example,
JavaHelp, Acrobat, HTML Help)
• Prime examples of great user assistance on the Web
• Skills technical communicators need for the future
• Information for contractors just starting out.
Don’t forget your business cards for networking and
books for the book drive!
About the speaker: Joe Welinske is President of
WinWriters, a Seattle company specializing in training
and publications for the Help community. WinWriters
sponsors the annual WinWriters Online Help Conference in
Seattle as well as conferences in Boston, Europe, and
Australia. Joe has been involved with software
documentation for over 15 years. He has a B.S. in
Computer Engineering (University of Illinois) and an M.S.
in Instructional Design (Loyola University). He is a faculty
member at the University of Washington in the
Department of Technical Communication where he
currently teaches a course in online Help. Joe coauthored Developing Online Help for Windows 95 and
publishes The Online Help Journal.
Schedule: Registration: 6:00–6:30 p.m.; dinner: 6:30–7:00
p.m.; program: 7:00–8:30 p.m.
Food: A dinner buffet with meat and vegetarian
selections, vegetables, bread, dessert, and caffeinated
and decaffeinated beverages.
Cost: $7.50 for students, $7.50 for DC Online SIG
members with advance reservations, $15 for STC
members with advance reservations, $18 for nonmembers
and walk-ins.
Reservations: Advance reservations are requested by
January 11. No-shows who reserve in advance will be
billed. To reserve, complete the online reservation form
Continued on page 3
CAPITAL LETTER | December 2000
On the Agenda
New December Program
Information
Date: Thursday, December 14.
Topic: Fundamentals of Technical Writing and Holiday
Networking Dinner.
About the program: Come enjoy a delicious meal at
the West End Grill in Bethesda (where parking is
plentiful) while networking with other technical
communicators. After dinner, two expert technical
communicators, Jonetta Russell and Carol Baldwin,
will speak to us separately about their focus within
the field. Ms. Russell will speak about the techniques
for writing more concisely that she learned while at
the STC-funded Institute for Technical Writing at
Hinds Community College in Mississippi. Ms. Baldwin
will speak about how to turn information into
communication using the principles of Plain Language.
Don’t forget your business cards for networking and
books for the book drive!
About the speakers: Jonetta Russell is a biology
teacher and research coordinator for the Montgomery
Blair High School Magnet Program. Carol Baldwin is a
writer and trainer with 25 years of experience who
authored the book and seminar “Plain Language and
the Document Revolution.”
Schedule: Registration; cash bar opens: 6:45–7:00
p.m.; dinner and networking: 7:00–8:30 p.m.;
program: 8:30–9:00 p.m.
Food: The cost includes appetizers, soup or salad,
choice of eight entrées with side items, nonalcoholic
beverage, and dessert. Alcoholic beverages may be
purchased at the cash bar.
Cost: $18 for students, $25 for members with advance
reservations, $28 for nonmembers and walk-ins.
Reservations: Advance reservations are requested by
12 December. No-shows who reserve in advance will
be billed. To reserve, complete the online reservation
form at http://www.stc.org/region2/wdc/www/
mtg_reserve_dec00.shtml and send a check payable
to STC Washington, DC Chapter to Carolyn Kelley
Klinger, 18221 Paladin Drive, Olney MD 20832.
Place: West End Grill, 7904 Woodmont Avenue,
Bethesda, MD 20814; phone: 301-951-9696. The
restaurant looks like an old European house and we
will be in the party room upstairs (sorry, there is no
elevator).
Continued on page 3
1
901 North Stuart Street, Suite 904
Arlington, VA 22203-1822
Phone 703-522-4114
Washington, DC Chapter Capital Letter
Editor
Doreen Mannion . . . . . . . . .
doreenm520@aol.com
Production Editor
Lee Blue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . outofthe@mindspring.com
Copy Editor
Laura J. Mulcahy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . laura@roku.com
The Capital Letter is published ten times per year by the
Washington, DC Chapter of the Society for Technical
Communication. Its purpose is to inform chapter
members about special functions and regular activities of
the chapter and society, as well as to provide articles and
essays in the field of technical communication.
Material for publication should be submitted to
Doreen Mannion, Editor
6603 Creek Run Drive
Centreville, VA 20121
e-mail: doreenm520@aol.com
Materials published in the Capital Letter may be
reprinted in other publications provided credit is given
and copies of the reprint are sent to the Editor.
Deadline for January 2001 Issue:
Wednesday, December 13
Deadline for February 2001 Issue:
Friday, January 12
President
Cynthia Lockley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . lockley@lockley.net
Immediate Past President
Janet Scharp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301-794-8200 x322
First Vice President/Programs Manager
Carolyn Kelley Klinger . carolyn.klinger@mindspring.com
Second Vice President/Competitions Manager
David Kindle . . . . . . . . . . . .kindle_david@hotmail.com
Secretary
Bob Kleinfeld . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .703-437-0899
Treasurer
Laura Jackel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301-527-2318
Region 2 Director-Sponsor
Chris Benz . . . . . . . . . . . . chris.benz@e-pubcorp.com
Education Manager
Betty Montgomery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301-601-0302
Public Relations Manager
Norma Emery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . neemery@lucent.com
Membership Manager
Alyssa Slotkin . . . . . . . . . . . . .aslotkin@docucorp.com
Employment Manager
Ann Ray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .301-384-1425 x 342
Mentoring Program Manager
Connie Kiernan . . . . . . . . . . . .connie.kiernan@att.net
Community Services Manager
Lynda Balthrop . . . . . . . . . . . lbalthrop@loudoun.com
Speaker’s Bureau Committee Manager
Cynthia Lockley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . lockley@lockley.net
History Committee Manager
Cynthia Lockley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . lockley@lockley.net
Nominations Comittee Manager
Maureen Cooney . . . . . . . . . ..maureencooney@att.net
Usability SIG Manager
Scott McDaniel . . . . . . . . . . . scott_mcd@hotmail.com
Looking for a Job?
If you need job listings, you may
• Visit our website at http://www.stc.org/region2/wdc/www/
jobs_1.shtml. If you don’t have access to the web, try your
local library for web access. More and more libraries are
providing some type of Internet access.
• You can download a text file of the job announcement lists or
get a textfile by e-mail from http://www.stc.org/region2/
wdc/www/jobs_listings.shtml.
To request a list by e-mail, send mail as follows:
To: lockley@lockley.net Subject: WDC jobs list1
To: lockley@lockley.net Subject: WDC jobs list2
To: lockley@lockley.net Subject: WDC jobs list3
• Call Ann Ray at 301-384-1425 x342 and ask her to send you a
hard copy. ?
Public Relations (PR) Mailing List
(listserv)
The Public Relations (PR) Mailing List (listserv) is for notifying
chapter members about chapter meetings, events, and related
information. We use this mailing list to improve communications
to our members about chapter events and also reduce the cost
for mailing announcements and reminders to the nearly 700
members in our chapter. The name of the mailing list is stcwdcpr. Commands may be sent by e-mail or by using the Web page at
http://lists.stc.org/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=stcwdc-pr.
To subscribe by e-mail, send an e-mail message to lyris@stc.org.
Put nothing or a dummy word in the subject line, and only the
following words in the body of the message (anything else will
confuse the program):
subscribe stcwdc-pr your name
To unsubscribe by e-mail, send an e-mail message to lyris@
stc.org. Put nothing or a dummy word in the subject line, and
only the following words in the body of the message (anything
else will confuse the program):
unsubscribe stcwdc-pr youruserid@youraddress
To post a message: Send an e-mail message to stcwdcpr@stc.org. (Do Not include graphic or document
attachments—these are binary items and they get converted
to unreadable code.)
More details are provided for the listserv at
http://www.stc.org/region2/wdc/www/listserv.shtml. ?
Where Are You?
If you change your address or phone number, please let
STC headquarters know by sending an e-mail message to
membership@stc-va.org. Keeping this information up to
date helps keep down our mailing costs. ?
Chapter Web Site
http://www.stc.org/ region2/wdc/www
2
CAPITAL LETTER | December 2000
New December Program Information, continued from page 1
Directions: By Metro: Take the Red Line to the Bethesda
station. Above ground on Route 355/Wisconsin Avenue,
turn left (northwest) and start walking down Old
Georgetown Road. Walk one long block and turn right
onto Woodmont Avenue (at the Apartment Search
building). Walk two blocks on the left side of the street
to the West End Grill.
By Car: From the Beltway in Virginia: Exit at MD-190/
River Road. Keep right at the fork in the ramp to go east
on River Road. After 2 miles, turn left onto Wilson Lane.
Turn right onto MD-187/Old Georgetown Road. Turn left
onto Woodmont Avenue. Park in the first public parking
garage on the left at the intersection of Woodmont and
Cheltenham Road. Leaving the parking garage, walk left
1.5 blocks to the West End Grill on your left (if you reach
St. Elmo Avenue, you have gone too far). Valet parking is
also available at the restaurant for $3.
From the Beltway in Maryland: Exit at Route 355/
Rockville Pike going south towards Bethesda. After NIH,
get in the right lane. Two lanes turn right onto Woodmont
Avenue. West End Grill is on your right. Two public
garages and one outdoor metered (until 7:00 p.m.) lot
are near the restaurant. The easiest one to identify is on
Woodmont at the intersection of Woodmont and
Cheltenham. Leaving the parking garage, walk left 1.5
blocks to the West End Grill on your left (if you reach St.
Elmo Avenue, you have gone too far). Valet parking is
also available at the restaurant for $3.
Questions? For more information, send an e-mail
message to Carolyn at carolyn.klinger@mindspring.com or
call her at 301-795-0132 (work). ?
January Program: Help! continued from page 1
at http://www.stc.org/region2/wdc/www/
mtg_reserve_jan01.shtml and send a check payable to
STC Washington, DC Chapter to: Carolyn Kelley Klinger,
18221 Paladin Drive, Olney MD 20832.
Place: Booz•Allen and Hamilton Inc. Conference Room,
2nd floor, 8283 Greensboro Drive, McLean, VA 22102;
phone: 703-902-5000. The building sits on the corner of
Greensboro and Solutions Drives (8283 Greensboro Drive).
All visitors must sign in at the reception desk in the main
lobby.
Directions: By Metro: Take the Orange Line to the West
Falls Church Station. After exiting West Falls Church
Station, take either Metrobus 3B or 5S, both of which run
periodically throughout the day. Or take the Tysons
shuttle, which runs only during rush hour. The buses stop
in front of Booz•Allen at 8283 Greensboro Drive.
By Car: Visitor parking is available in designated areas in
front of the building. From Rockville: Take I-270 south
(toward Northern Virginia) to I-495 (toward Richmond).
Take Exit 11B (Tysons Corner/Route 123 South). Go to the
second light, and turn right onto International Drive. At
the first light, turn left onto Greensboro Drive. Take the
second left onto Solutions Drive and another left into the
visitor lot.
From National Airport: Go north on the George
Washington Parkway to Route 123 south. Go about 4.5
miles on Route 123. After passing under I-495, watch for
International Drive, where you will turn right. At the first
CAPITAL LETTER | December 2000
light, turn left onto Greensboro Drive. Take the second
left onto Solutions Drive and another left into the visitor
lot.
From Dulles Airport: Take the Dulles Access Road to Exit
17 (Spring Hill Road); get into the far right lane. After the
toll booth, turn right onto Spring Hill Road (which
becomes International Drive). At the fourth light, turn
right on Greensboro Drive. Take the second left onto
Solutions Drive and another left into the visitor lot.
From Washington, DC. Take one of several Potomac River
bridges to the George Washington Parkway going north.
Exit at Route 123 south. Go about 4.5 miles on Route 123.
After passing under I-495, watch for International Drive,
where you will turn right. At the first light, turn left onto
Greensboro Drive. Take the second left onto Solutions
Drive. Take the second left onto Solutions Drive and
another left into the visitor lot.
Questions? For more information, send an e-mail
message to Carolyn at carolyn.klinger@mindspring.com or
call her at 301-795-0132 (work). ?
Remembering Mimi Simms
We were saddened to learn of the death of Mimi Simms.
Mimi was a long-time active member of the Washington,
DC Chapter, having joined STC in 1966. She was active in
many areas of communication and, until 1995, she kept
the phone for the old Jobs Hot Line in her basement.
Mimi was awarded a Distinguished Chapter Service Award
for her many services to the chapter. She was also active
in the American News Women’s Club and served as the
President of the Association for Women in
Communications DC Chapter from 1963-1965.
Elizabeth L. Simms, 75, was a writer and editor who
retired in 1987 from the Children’s Bureau of the
Department of Health and Human Services. She lived in
Arlington, Virginia and was a native of Corvalis, Oregon.
After graduation from the Auburn University, she received
a Master’s Degree in Journalism at the University of
Alabama.
Before moving to Washington, DC in the 1960s, Mimi
worked as a reporter in Alabama at the Huntsville Times
and Gadsden Times. She also served as editor of the
alumni magazine at Auburn. Her first job in Washington,
DC was with the Agriculture Department.
She died of pneumonia on August 20 at a hospital in
Knoxville, Tennessee, where she was visiting her sister. ?
Let’s Do Lunch—Again
by Carolyn Kelley Klinger
Is it difficult for you to attend evening chapter programs?
We are still attempting to fill this gap by matching up
members willing to share their lunch break with one or
more members in the same geographical area. So far we
have received responses to this offer from Germantown,
Rockville, DC, Alexandria, and even Culpeper! Please join
the list and start building your network. Send an e-mail
query to Carolyn at carolyn.klinger@mindspring.com for
more information. ?
3
October Program Summary:
Dilbert Goes Corporate, or
How to Navigate the Thorny
Thickets of Corporate
America without Selling Your
Soul
by Jennifer Collins
Nepotism! Bribery! Revenge!
While the average technical communicator doesn’t have
to deal with issues this severe every day, we do have to
make ethical decisions in the workplace frequently. The
October 19 STC meeting addressed this topic in a
lighthearted way, while stimulating some lively discussion
and generating some helpful guidelines for us all to use.
After a pizza dinner, Carolyn Kelley Klinger kicked off the
meeting by introducing both the Dilbert game and its
moderator, Connie Kiernan. Carolyn and Connie divided
the meeting attendees into teams, had each team choose
a Dilbert character game piece, and explained the Dilbert
Ethics Game rules. The supposed objective of the game
was to move a game piece around the game board and
collect “tokens”; the team with the most tokens at the
end of the game would win. The real objective of the
game, however, was to determine the best answers to a
series of ethical questions, because a team’s ability to
move around the game board was based on its response
to each ethical question.
Carolyn also explained the history of the game, which
was created by the Lockheed Martin Corporation. Playing
the game helped Lockheed Martin employees develop an
ethical decision-making model and understand the ethical
values that the company wanted to emphasize, including
honesty, respect, and responsibility.
For each round in the game, Connie (as moderator)
described an issue to the group, and outlined several
possible solutions. Each team decided which solution
they preferred, and explained their reasoning to the
group. While some issues, like bribery, seemed a bit
farfetched for technical communicators, others were
strikingly relevant to issues we hear about every day at
work. For example:
• What would you do if you felt your company was
retaliating against you for making a sexual
harassment complaint?
• Should you complain if you were demoted for no
reason?
• Would you allow your supervisor to berate you
publicly in front of a client?
• What would you do if you found out a coworker was
cheating or falsifying records?
The actual Dilbert board game did have winners and
losers—but everyone who played left the meeting with a
few points to ponder when making ethical decisions. Most
important, remember that when you’re making any
4
ethical decision, no answer is “right” or “wrong”—you
have to choose the solution that best fits the situation,
the people involved, and your own capability to make
changes.
Other questions to ask yourself if you’re faced with an
ethical issue:
• What did you (or your colleagues) do in similar
situations in the past?
• What are your professional relationships with the
people involved? Can you trust them?
• Can you ask a colleague for advice?
• Should you try to solve the problem “locally,” through
your chain of command, if possible?
Many thanks to both Carolyn and Connie for a very
thought-provoking game—even if we all didn’t get to use
Tina the Brittle Tech Writer as our game piece, we
enjoyed the experience! ?
An Evening in the Life of an
STC Program Manager: the
STC November Happy Hour
by Carolyn Kelley Klinger
To tell you the truth, I never thought it would work. I
mean, charging $15 per person for hors d’oeuvres and a
cash bar and a couple hours of networking with other
communicators from the DC area? Even if the STC happy
hour was at the fun and conveniently located Capitol City
Brewing Company at Union Station on a Thursday
evening, I had my doubts. As the evening drew nearer, I
worried that no one would show up. On November 16, I
arrived early to set up the room for the event. By 5:30
p.m., the official start time of the event, there were just
two of us. No sooner did I start contemplating the
wisdom of switching from cranberry juice to beer when
the people started pouring in. The time flew by as I
rushed to take names and write receipts! By 6:30 p.m.,
over 50 people from STC, Washington Independent
Writers (WIW), and the Washington, DC Chapter of the
American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE—
find them online at http://www.asbpe.org) showed up
with a plan to meet, talk, and exchange professional
experiences.
In the center of the room, Iris Portny, co-sponsor of the
event and program manager of the Washington
Independent Writers, had set up a literature table. Many
members of WIW are nationally or self-published authors
with books of all types to promote. These authors will
soon be reading and discussing their books at local
bookstore events and at the WIW Author Evening Series
(see http://www.washwriter.org for more information
about WIW and their programs). Although I personally
cannot attest to the sales made as a result of this table,
it was an effective icebreaker for attendees. People who
previously did not know one another were chatting
amicably once they found a common interest in a book
on the literature table. Business cards were exchanged in
Continued on page 5
CAPITAL LETTER | December 2000
Toot Your Horn
Have you considered advertising either for your company
or for yourself in the Capital Letter? Just send e-mail to
Doreen Mannion at doreenm520@aol.com.
Rates are
Full page:
Half page:
$140
$75
Quarter page:
$40
Business card:
$25
We give discounts if you run an ad in 2 or more issues
within 6 months. ?
An Evening in the Life of an STC Program Manager: the STC
November Happy Hour, continued from page 4
huge numbers. Recruiters got to know potential future
clients. Independent authors wondered how to get
started in technical writing or editing while technical
writers and editors quizzed independent authors on how
to get their big break in the publishing world. Though not
all examples of self-promotion were as blatant, the name
tags of the Editorial Experts, Inc. (EEI) representatives
were the highlight of my evening. Rather than their
names, the two women wrote “We Need Tech Writers!”
An effective advertisement in an appropriate venue,
indeed.
The most difficult part of the event turned out to be
bringing it to an end. Although our official end time was
8:00 p.m., Iris and I had packed up all of our supplies
without the least notice from the attendees at tables and
around the bar. As we slipped out, we knew they would
be fine. After all, they were doing what they do best:
communicating. ?
Report on the Fall 2000
Board of Directors Meeting
by Thea Teich, Region 4 Director-Sponsor (with minor edits by
Chris Benz, Region 2 Director-Sponsor)
The STC Board of Directors met in Winnipeg, Manitoba,
Canada, September 14-17 and covered a great deal of
ground, including
• Forming a policy about chapter formation outside the
United States and relationships with existing
technical communication organizations in other
countries
• Branding and corporate identity
• Web site hosting for chapters
• Approving numerous loans to chapters and merit
grants. Congratulations to these many chapters with
so many innovative and important programs in the
works!
These major issues were addressed along with the
“regular” STC business of, among other subjects, chapter
affairs and program areas, including research, special
CAPITAL LETTER | December 2000
interest groups (SIGs), professional development,
competitions, conferences, communications, and
external affairs. Because this article needs to be
relatively short, I cannot describe these subjects in
detail; several of them could easily be main topics of
articles. So, please contact Chris if you have any
questions.
Committee and Program Updates
The board authorized the STC office to conduct a
membership drive using the services of a professional
marketing company.
STC will become an affiliate member of the World Wide
Web Consortium (W3C). The annual fee for this is $5,000.
W3C determines standards for Web-based
communication, among other wide-ranging concerns of
specific interest to STC.
The board acknowledged three new chapters approved by
the Executive Council over the summer:
• The San Luis Obispo Chapter in Region 8
• The Texas A&M Student Chapter in Region 5
• The Netherlands Chapter in Region 4.
The Instructional Design & Learning SIG was approved
with an initial budget of $1,900.
Denver, Colorado, will be the location of the 53rd STC
Annual Conference in 2006.
Minneapolis, Minnesota, will be the location of the 54th
STC Annual Conference in 2007.
Freya Winsberg of the Phoenix Chapter was appointed
program manager for the 50th STC Annual Conference
(Dallas, 2003).
The Conference registration fee for members for the 48th
STC Annual Conference in Chicago in 2001 will be $420.
The discounted rate for speakers will remain $350.
Edward Carbrey, Boston Chapter, was appointed manager
of the Jay R. Gould Award Committee.
Dale Erickson, Lone Star Chapter, was appointed manager
of the New Media Delivery Systems Committee in the
Communications area.
Jon Baker, Boston Chapter, was named manager of the
New Media Publications Committee in the
Communications area.
Jack Molisani, Los Angeles Chapter, was named manager
of the Chapter and Regional Conferences Committee in
the Chapter Affairs area (2nd Vice President).
Amy Burdan, Hoosier (Indiana) Chapter, was named
manager of the Scientific Communication SIG.
Roy Hartshorn, Toronto Chapter, was named manager of
the Canadian Curricula in Professional Development
Committee in the Professional Development area.
Merit Grants and Loans to Chapters
A merit grant of $3,000 was awarded to the Central New
York Chapter to implement a comprehensive
revitalization/growth plan.
A merit grant of $3,000 was awarded to the Mid-South
Chapter to build its scholarship fund.
Continued on page 6
5
Report on the Fall 2000 Board of Directors Meeting, continued
from page 5
A merit grant of $3,000 was awarded to the Atlanta
Chapter to build its scholarship fund.
A merit grant of $1,200 was awarded to the Hoosier
Chapter to develop the Insight Award to recognize Indiana
corporations and organizations that innovatively use the
skills and capabilities of their technical communicators.
A multichapter loan of $6,000 was given to the Mid-Valley
and Willamette Valley Chapters to host the Region 7
conference in Portland, Oregon, in October 2001.
A merit grant of $3,000 was awarded to the Alberta
Chapter to construct a portable display to be used at the
all-Canada Smart 2000 Conference and Exposition in
November 2000, and at regional professional,
educational, and community events.
A merit grant of $2,070 was awarded to the Alaska
Chapter to construct a portable display for use at
regional professional, educational, and community events
across Alaska.
A chapter loan of $3,000 was given to the Los Angeles
Chapter to seed a multichapter, self-sustaining technical
publications, online communication, and art competition
in Southern California.
A merit grant of $1,500 was awarded to the East Bay
Chapter to further develop its Technical Literacy
Program.
Budget
The board approved a budget for FY 2001 of $4,725,250
in income, $4,711,849 in expenses, and $13,401 in net
surplus.
Policy Regarding Chapters and Membership
Outside of the United States
The following policy statement was adopted by the board
to reflect the current state of affairs regarding members
outside the U.S.:
At the Society level, STC does not actively initiate the
formation of chapters. STC provides information from the
Society office to any individual who inquires about
formation of a chapter. The Director-Sponsor of record is
copied as a point of contact for the requestor.
STC is a member of INTECOM, an international
consortium of technical communication societies. As a
courtesy to that membership, in response to a chapter
formation inquiry from outside the United States, STC
will, in the Society office’s response, advise the
requestor of existing organizations in the requestor’s
country. The contact person of record of the member
INTECOM organization and the STC INTECOM
representative will be copied, as applicable.
Chapters shall be admitted when 15 members of a given
geographic area petition for chapter status in accordance
with STC bylaws.
Once a chapter is formed, STC will provide an equal level
of support with the following exception: In terms of
professional/government relations, STC shall focus on the
United States as the Society is incorporated in the United
States.
6
In terms of membership, if there are extraneous costs
associated solely with the residence of a member outside
the United States, these costs may, as deemed necessary
by the board of directors, be passed on to the affected
member.
Branding and Corporate Identity
The board approved a new logo and stationery program
for the Society. Before the end of the year, chapter
presidents will receive specific and detailed corporate
identity information; in other words, how to use the new
logo and various design elements in chapter stationery
and hard and electronic copy materials.
As most of you know, Past President Mary Wise announced
the new STC mission statement, Designing the Future of
Technical Communication, at Leadership Day at the
Orlando conference. Another external brand tool is the
organization’s “story,” a brief explanation of what the
organization stands for, who its members are, and how it
views its future. The STC board approved the STC story—
our consistent “face” we present to the rest of the
world. While it is not meant to replace the more
extensive literature we provide to prospective members
and others, the story is the “elevator message” we can
use to briefly explain who and what we are.
STC Story
Through information sharing and industry leadership,
STC helps professionals design effective
communication for a technical world. Because
technology touches everyone, STC promotes public
welfare by encouraging the development of bettereducated professionals whose jobs are to make
complicated information usable by many.
The organization’s growth has mirrored our growing
dependence on technology. Initially, STC was
primarily made up of engineers who, among other
activities, wrote instructions and descriptions of how
electrical and mechanical products worked. A
profound change took place as the pervasiveness of
technology and the need to understand it became an
integral part of our everyday lives. With the
emergence of the Internet and online
communication, our members now focus on
supporting all aspects of the rapidly evolving world of
technology.
The organization began because those working in the
field recognized themselves as professionals with
unique training and career issues. Today, STC is nearly
50 years old, with 150 chapters and 25,000 members
worldwide. It is the largest organization for technical
communicators. STC offers industry leadership and
the education, networking, and information required
in a world where change is “the way it is.”
As the branding effort moves forward, you will be hearing
more about it via Society publications, presentations, and
so on.
Web Site Hosting for Chapters
For the past several years, the board has been dealing
with a number of difficult issues related to decentralized
versus centralized hosting of chapter Web sites. Recent
problems and service difficulties as stc.org’s bandwidth
Continued on page 7
CAPITAL LETTER | December 2000
Report on the Fall 2000 Board of Directors Meeting, continued
from page 6
needs have exceeded what our current Internet service
provicer (ISP) can provide makes this issue urgent as well
as extremely important.
Over the next few months, committees in the
Communications area, managed by the Assistant to the
President for Communications Lory Hawkes, will be
developing and implementing a transition plan that will
enable chapters to select their own ISPs and maintain
their own Web sites in a decentralized system. Such a
system means that, within some general guidelines (we
do have to present a fairly consistent “face” to the
world; see Branding above), chapters will have greater
creative latitude and capabilities to develop and change
their Web sites. ISP and other costs associated with Web
sites have decreased considerably over the years, so most
chapters will be able to maintain their sites with their
chapter funds. Small and new chapters, which might not
have enough funds, are eligible for grants for Web site
startup under the existing merit grant program; contact
Chris for more details. Please be assured that moving
chapter Web sites from the volunteer-run stc.org site to
ISPs selected by individual chapters will occur according
to a careful transition plan, and chapter leadership will
be involved.
Again, the issues mentioned in this article are farreaching and important, but the discussions here are
necessarily brief. Please contact Chris if you have any
questions or comments.
Note: For previous Director-Sponsor articles, please visit
http://www.stc.org/region2/www/chair.shtml. You can
reach Chris by e-mail at Chris.Benz@e-pubcorp.com or by
telephone at 919-226-0060 (day) or 919-479-4891
(evening). ?
Worst Manual Contest
by Jim Desmond
Just a reminder for the holiday season: when all else fails, read the manual.
Have you ever been so frustrated with a manual or set of instructions that you cursed the author and
wished you had never bought the product? Do you remember the last time you used Help on your
computer and every click of the mouse led to a new set of decisions?
Does this sound familiar? How about $500 for your frustration? Technical Standards, Inc. (TSI), a
Southern California documentation services company, is offering $500 for the winning entry in their
‘Worst Manual Contest.’
Send a manual or set of instructions that is hard to understand, poorly written, or just plain wrong.
Send it if it has bad grammar, too much legalese, is poorly translated, or has missing steps. If it is the
worst entry, you will win $500.
“We thought we would have fun with this contest. Everyone has had trouble with a manual,” says
Michelle Wier, Director of Operations of Technical Standards, Inc. “That’s why we started our company.
People like products they understand how to use, and good technical documentation reduces the need
for technical support. That’s why good manuals are so important.”
You don’t have to send the whole manual; excerpts of the worst parts are okay. The deadline for
submissions is January 15, 2001, so check those holiday gifts for potential entries. Entries must be in
English. For complete contest rules see the TSI Web site at www.tecstandards.com.
Technical Standards, Inc. specializes in contract technical writing projects, technical writer staffing,
and training. Since 1993, TSI has provided writers and editors to the high-tech community who produce
printed documents, online Help, and Internet documentation. Technical Standards, Inc. is located in
San Marcos, California. ?
CAPITAL LETTER | December 2000
7
Editor’s Soapbox
It’s Time to Play “Who Wants to Be a Stem Manager!” (Part 2 of 2)
by Doreen A. Mannion (with insincere apologies to Regis Philbin)
The year before last, I learned that Tony Caruso of the Baltimore chapter was going to be
the Technical Program Manager for the 2001 conference. Since I knew Tony from joint
chapter meetings and STC conferences, I contacted him to let him know I was interested in
becoming the Management and Professional Development Stem Manager. Over the next few
months, Tony continued gathering names of those interested in the 2001 program
committee. All interested parties were asked to write a few sentences describing their
interest and past involvement in STC. After Tony selected each stem manager, the names
were submitted to the board of directors for approval. I was thrilled when I got the call
that said, “Let’s Play! Let’s Play Who Wants to be a Stem Manager.” I spent this year’s
conference shadowing the Management and Professional Development co-stem managers
to learn what is involved during the conference. At the conclusion of the conference, the
previous year’s program committee meets with the next year’s committee to formally turn
over responsibilities. No one, to the best of my recollection, was wearing a shiny shirt or a
shiny tie.
What goes on during the conference is the easy part. No matter how much outgoing stem
managers and conference program committee members try to prepare you, nothing can
really prepare you for receiving a 31-pound box with over 70 proposals (four copies each)
from over 180 different speakers. (There are frequently multiple presenters for one
session.) Face it, even having the fastest fingers isn’t going to help you in this situation. I
could have selected what was behind door number three, but no, I had to go and pick the
second largest stem. (Oops; wrong game show.)
Because Tony and the STC office had done such a good job of publishing the year’s
schedule, I knew long before I received “the bundle of joy” (as I began calling the 31pound box) that one of the most important tasks would be to find reviewers for all the
proposals. Conference standards request that each proposal be reviewed by at least two
reviewers in addition to the stem manager. With over 70 proposals, I had two options. I
could recruit, coax, or blackmail a few friends and peers into reading dozens of proposals
each, or I could use other means to get so many reviewers that each reviewer would only
need to review two or three proposals. I chose the latter approach. This is not to say I did
not recruit, coax, and blackmail a few friends.
By placing a request on the management SIG mailing list, and by contacting those
previously mentioned friends, I recruited more than enough reviewers. The next step was
to assign proposals to reviewers, and mail out all the review packets. Reviewers were given
the option of returning their evaluations to me by email, fax, or postal mail. Some were
kind enough—or worked at companies big enough—that they returned their evaluations by
Federal Express. It was fun to receive mail at work that wasn’t yet another meeting notice
or an offer to “upgrade now for just $2999.”
After I had all the evaluations, I compared my evaluation, and put the proposals in one of
three categories: “No, I’m sorry,” “Maybe,” and “Yes.” I took all my paperwork to Chicago
a few weeks ago, where the program committee met to assign sessions to rooms. Although
my duties are not over, the hardest part is complete. It was a lot of work, but I was
energized by the volunteers who agreed to evaluate proposals for me. I wouldn’t have
traded the experience for anything.
And that’s my final answer. ?
8
CAPITAL LETTER | December 2000
From the President
Renewals and Changes
by Cynthia Lockley
As of November 2, we have 696 members in the Washington, DC Chapter. We
are glad to welcome many new and transferring members who joined us this
year, and those members who have recently rejoined the chapter. Membership
has its advantages. As a member of STC, you are part of a great group of
people and have some excellent benefits. And in our chapter, you have the
opportunity to make contact with 696 or more other people who share your
interests. You can list your documentation consulting services for free on our
Documentation Consultants and Contracting Resources page at http://
www.stc.org/region2/wdc/www/doc-company_resources.shtml and get a free
listing on our Talent Pool page at http://www.stc.org/region2/wdc/www/
talent.shtml (nonmembers must pay a small fee for this service). And of
course, there are the terrific job announcements pages—no lack of
employment opportunities in this area!
The annual membership renewals will be mailed soon, if you haven’t received
them already. Be sure to return your membership updates to STC headquarters
by February 28. Also, plan to attend next year’s STC Annual Conference in
Chicago, May 13-17, 2001. Information about the STC Annual Conference and
registration material will be available on the national STC Web site and in the
February issue of Intercom. The conference will expand your horizons and
give you the opportunity to grow professionally by learning new technologies
and methods presented in the conference sessions. Remember, your STC
membership and the STC Annual Conference may be the start of something
new or a renewal of something important.
Our Strategic Planning Committee is discussing ways to improve chapter
services and may be suggesting changes in the way we’ve done things in the
past. As a keynote speaker at a past STC conference said, change can be
good. While some changes make us fearful, we look forward to other changes
such as a change in routine (take that vacation) or a change of a wet diaper.
One of the first changes that will affect us all will be a transition from the
two STC Web sites (http://www.stc-va.org and http://www.stc.org) to one
national Web site. This will take place within the next month. The transition
will affect all STC chapters in that the chapter Web sites will no longer be
hosted on the STC servers. Besides seeing new URLs for links to the STC site,
we will have a new URL for our chapter Web site. We’ll be sure to let you
know as the change develops. ?
CAPITAL LETTER | December 2000
9
FIRST CLASS MAIL
POSTAGE PAID
BOWIE, MD
PERMIT NO. 3141
CAPITAL LETTER
Alyssa Slotkin, Membership Manager | 4624 Knox Road, Apt. 5 | College Park, MD 20740
In This Issue
Looking Ahead: January Program: Help! 1
On the Agenda: New December Program Information 1
Looking for a Job? 2
Public Relations (PR) Mailing List (listserv) 2
Where Are You? 2
Remembering Mimi Simms 3
Let’s Do Lunch 3
October Program Summary: Dilbert Goes Corporate, or How to
Navigate the Thorny Thickets of Corporate America without
Selling Your Soul 4
An Evening in the Life of an STC Program Manager: the STC
November Happy Hour 4
Toot Your Horn 5
Report on the Fall 2000 Board of Directors Meeting 5
Worst Manual Contest 7
Editor’s Soapbox 8
From the President 9
10
CAPITAL LETTER | December 2000