This is part 2 of the “What I Expect from STC” series. The first part is related to the core learning experience and research.
Tom Johnson never disappoints with what he comes up with every time. He’s always trying out new things, spreading the knowledge, and is elegant about it.
In his recent article, he talks about a webinar presented to STC community leaders on chapter and SIG websites. More importantly though, he raises an important issue about our fragmented communities and the Chapter/SIG web site problem.
It’s a double-edged sword. To specialize and have exclusive SIGs is useful for the interested folks and irrelevant for the uninterested. The same logic can be applied to different chapter websites which are supposed to cater to the regional aspirations and needs, but we find a lot of duplication going on. Do we consolidate our communities and mobilize the power of one large entity or specialize and allow fragmentation? It’s clear where we’re headed at the moment.
Should we do something about it? Absolutely. How? After I wrote about what I expect from STC in terms of the need for a renewed focus on the core learning experience and research, I want to expand on the need for a single large entity in this article.
Current State
As technical writers, we’ve a lot of options and a part of many groups. Take my case:
- I’m volunteering for the activities of STC India Chapter.
- I blog about technical communication on this site.
- I’m a part of several mailing lists, forums, and social networks related to technical communication.
- We have our company intranet mailing lists, forums, and blogs.
Sounds familiar? Too many places to go around? Figure it out:
What We Need: One Network
I need one place where I can go find:
- All the news and updates.
- Attend events.
- Read articles.
- Learn about new trends and technologies.
- Interact and collaborate with peers across the globe on any subject of interest.
- Influence key decisions related to improving information development.
Is that too much to ask for? What are your ideas to defragment our communities?
This is part 2 of the “What I Expect from STC” series. The first part is related to the core learning experience and research.
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Tags: communities, STC
