• April 11 – Lunch in Chandler
• Apr 24 – Breakfast in Scottsdale
• May 14 – Happy Hour in North Phoenix

See http://bit.ly/VOMGKh for details.

• Plan Now for STC 2013 Election
• Society News
• IBM Offers Technical Communication Internships
• Free Webinar on 3/12: How To Launch a Profitable B2B Writing Business
  in 9 Weeks or Less
• Seven of the best (short) Techcomm videos on YouTube
  (thanks to our STC Houston friends)
• Getting Mileage from a Tech Comm Mission Statement
  (from Kai’s Tech Writing Blog)

Let’s get together to share a Friday evening filled with wine, food, and an entertaining yet pertinent presentation by published author, consultant and motivational speaker John Hedtke (www.hedtke.com). Drawing on John’s 30 years in software and documentation, his topic, “How to be Famous in Your Profession” will provide a humorous insight into subtle (and not so subtle) self-promotion and networking techniques with the goal of opening new opportunities in technical documentation, software development, IT and other similar professions.

When and Where

• Friday, March 15, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m.
• Total Wine & More, 8544 S. Emerald Dr.
  Tempe, AZ
• 5:30 – Check-in and networking
  6:00 – Wine tasting and pasta buffet dinner  info
  6:45 – Presentation

Cost and Registration

• STC chapter members & students: only $18.00! (paying online)
  (Students must be currently enrolled in a technical communication program to qualify for this price)
• Non-members (including STC at-large members): $35.00 (paying online)
• At the door: $45

Registration deadline: March 13th, end of day

About the Presenter

John Hedtke is the award-winning author of 26 books. He has 30 years in the software business, close to 30 years writing, and 7 years in technical publications management. John has developed and written documentation and books for many leading software products, and has received 26 writing awards to date. A complete list of books, articles, projects, and awards can be found online at his website, www.hedtke.com. John owns JVH Communications, a company that offers writing and business consulting services for a variety of private, public, and governmental clients. He is also Publisher for Double Tall Press, a private publishing company specializing in nonfiction books. John also does numerous radio and magazine interviews and frequently travels to do lectures and guest appearances at conferences and seminars. John was the last Region 7 Director on the Society for Technical Communication’s Board of Directors and is a Fellow of the Society. When not otherwise occupied, John writes magazine articles and sleeps late as much as possible.

About Dinner and Wine Tasting

We will have a pasta buffet (including a veggie option) with salad, drinks, and dessert.

For the wine tasting, we have selected the Viva la France! wine tasting session to kick off the “Happy Hour” portion of the evening. While we dine, Total Wine will present a 30-minute educational and wine tasting session featuring white and red wines from various regions of France. These wines will also be available for purchase after the meeting at a discounted rate.

Water, soda, and coffee will be available for attendees who opt out of the wine tasting, or these attendees may elect to arrive after 6:30 p.m.

In this webinar, Joe Welinske introduces the concept of responsive design and multiscreen authoring for technical communicators and  includes demonstrations to answer these questions. After the seminar, you can use Joe’s techniques with any type of content and a variety of authoring tools.

About the Presenter

For over twenty-five years, Joe Welinske has been providing training, contracting  and consulting services for the software industry. He  specializes in helping your software development effort through crafted communication.

Joe recently published the book, Developing User Assistance for Mobile Apps. He also teaches courses for Bellevue College, the University of California, and the University of Washington.

When and Where

• Wednesday, February 6, 4:30-5:30 MST
• Live Streaming Event using GotoMeeting.
• Only 24 slots available! It will not be recorded.

Cost and Registration

• Chapter Members and Students*: Free
• Non-members (including STC at-large members): $25.00
• Registration is required for all attendees – click here.
• Registration deadline: February 4th, end of day.

Meeting ID will be provided after you register.

__________
* To attend this event without cost, students must be currently enrolled in a technical communication program.

It’s time to celebrate a new year, and members of the STC Phoenix Chapter have more to celebrate than members of many other chapters. Read on for exciting news and events to attend!

We’re Still Here
New Meetup Group
Program Meetings
Call for Volunteers

We’re Still Here!

One reason to celebrate is that the chapter still exists in 2013! Established in 1963, the STC Phoenix Chapter has celebrated prosperous times and weathered difficult times. While five STC chapters dissolved in 2012 alone, Phoenix has persevered and will remain an effective and viable chapter through its 50th year and beyond.

New Meetup Group

As part of the chapter’s efforts to become a more active resource for technical communicators across the Valley of the Sun, we’ve established the Metro Phoenix Technical Communicators (MPTC) Meetup.

This meetup provides an informal forum for technical communicators across metropolitan Phoenix to meet over breakfast or lunch and discuss trends, issues, and new developments in our industry. MPTC meetups will not include formal speakers or presentations, and the only cost to STC Phoenix Chapter members is the cost of your own meal.

All STC Phoenix Chapter members are automatically welcome to participate in MPTC events. We’ve already scheduled lunches in Tempe on January 21 and Scottsdale on January 30, with more to be scheduled in different locations around metro Phoenix soon.

Any dues or donations collected from the MPTC Meetup site go directly to the STC Phoenix Chapter. You do not have to be an STC member to join or participate in the MPTC meetup, but non-STC MPTC members will pay non-member pricing when attending any STC Phoenix Chapter events.  We hope participation in the informal MPTC meetups will ultimately stimulate more participation in our formal STC Chapter meetings.

Program Meetings

The chapter plans to host at least four program meetings and other events during the year. We’re working on getting speakers and locations for these events, and will update you as soon as we have plans in place.

If you have any ideas for program meeting content or would like to participate as a speaker or volunteer, please email chapter president Kim Rosenlof at president@stc-phoenix.com.

Call for Volunteers

Like all volunteer organizations, we need people to help make it work. If you can spare any time to assist either at meetings or behind the scenes, please email chapter president Kim Rosenlof at president@stc-phoenix.com.

If you are renewing your STC membership or have recently renewed it, we ask that you consider using your membership savings to add a Phoenix chapter membership as well (only $25.00). The chapter provides opportunities to explore new venues, discuss local issues, learn new skills, and gives you a heads up on the local job market. Also, with new leadership and a new plan, next year will be a great time to get involved!

Join or renew at http://www.stc.org/membership/join-or-renew-now.

To understand all membership levels and benefits, see http://www.stc.org/membership/join-or-renew-now/membership-dues.

Like the Society and the technical communication field itself, the Phoenix chapter is in a time of transition. We learned some valuable lessons last year and there is a new plan in the works for next year! It promises to be a great time to get involved in the AZ technical communication community. Please join me in supporting the efforts of  our incoming  President, Kim Rosenlof, and our incoming Treasurer, Patricia O’Shea.

Jan Kruse
2012 President

• President:  Kim Rosenlof
• Treasurer:  Patricia O’Shea

Fifteen of 46 eligible members voted during the November 1-7 election.  The election was held online using the iContact system.

The administrative council is the decision-making body of the chapter and is composed of the elected officers and the immediate past president, Jan Kruse.  They take office on January 1 and serve through December 31, 2013.

Congratulations to our new administrative council and thanks to everyone who voted!

The chapter will conduct electronic voting this year from November 1-7.  A link to the ballot will be emailed to all current chapter members on November 1.

Here are our chapter officer candidates and their biographies:

Kim Rosenlof – Candidate for President
Kim Rosenlof has been a member of the Phoenix Chapter since 1997 and currently serves as the chapter treasurer. Over the past 15 years, Kim has presented at STC Phoenix Chapter meetings, participated as a CARSEF/AzSEF and Publication, Art, and Online competition judge, spoken at the STC Region 5 conference in 2005 and served as Membership Chair of the Instructional Design and Learning SIG in 2007-2008. Kim has also served as the Arizona Wing Public Affairs Officer of Civil Air Patrol, Toastmasters Y5 Area Governor, and LUNA Chix Phoenix Triathlon Team Leader.

Currently self-employed as an instructional designer, technical writer, and marketing communications professional, Kim’s work experience includes technical writing and instructional design positions at Data Dimensions, Honeywell, and TraCorp, as well as writing articles for various aviation and technical publications. Her hobbies include running, triathlons, hot air ballooning, and learning to play the piano.

Patricia O’Shea – Candidate for Treasurer
Patricia O’Shea was introduced to STC through an ASU class participation event in 2001 and became a member in 2010.

Patricia is a technical writer with Pacific Scientific EMC and part time English composition teacher at Mesa Community College.  She graduated from ASU with a BA in journalism, minor in English, in August 1996 and began working as a technical writer for Orbital in 1997. In December 2010, Patricia graduated with an M.A. in English (rhetoric and composition). Her MA course work included electives from Multimedia Writing and Technical Communication. In her current position, Patricia functions as technical writer in the traditional sense, drawing on her extensive experience in manufacturing as a Quality Assurance Engineering Assistant. As a technical writer, she is interested in increasing awareness of the value of technical writers and writing in industry, as well as helping to promote professional status for all technical communicators. She is married and has two adult children and six grandchildren.

We also have a few dedicated volunteers to help behind the scenes to support Kim and Pat in their efforts.  (But we can always use more!)

Plans for next year are in the works.  We’ll keep you posted.

Our thanks to Tom Barnett, past chapter president and current by-laws advisor, who submits the necessary request to the governor’s office each year to make it all happen.

Tech. Comm. Week is a special time of year in which STC members and others celebrate the value of technical communicators. The official proclamation raises the awareness of our profession, our professionalism, and the ethics and the creativity we bring to our work. It’s a perfect opportunity to approach management, your co-workers and even clients about what you do. And… it can be fun!

This year the chapter is celebrating by getting together at a new venue. We’ll start the evening off with dinner and a wine tasting introduction, followed by a brief chapter service awards ceremony. In addition, Professor Michael Collins of NAU will be sharing video interviews with three successful local technical communicators for us to enjoy and discuss.

All technical communicators are welcome to attend!

Meeting Details

Date and time: Tuesday, October 16, 2012

• 5:30 Check-in & Networking
• 6:00 Dinner and Wine Tasting
• 6:45-8:00 Program: Service Awards, NAU video, announcements/discussion

Location: Total Wine & More: 1670 E. Camelback Rd. Phoenix (map)

Meal: Casual Dinner Buffet/Pasta Feast

• Chicken Pasta Prima: Penne pasta topped with with tomato-basil sauce, natural grilled chicken, topped with asiago
• Zucchini Garden Pasta: Oven- roasted herb tomatoes with organic spinach, zucchini, and artichokes, topped with asiago.

Both served with salad, focacia, dessert, and non-alcoholic beverages.

Registration/Cost Information

Dinner and Program:

• $10.00 with PayPal for chapter members and students. Or, $12.00 cash/check at the door.
• $15.00 with Pay/Pal for non-members including STC-at-large members. Or, $17.00 cash/check at the door.
• Program only: $8.00.

To register online for this event, please click here.

Registration Deadline: Friday, October 12 at NOON

• We reviewed the current state of the chapter and the need for volunteer leaders in order to be a viable STC chapter going forward.
• Our president, Jan Kruse , reviewed how other chapters in distress have evolved from the current STC model to something more sustainable.
• We discussed the need for outreach to technical communication students at Arizona universities and processes that might get them to participate.
• Speakers recalled the vitality and contributions of the chapter from past years – when membership was large — but stressed the need  for a model that will work better in the age of economic downsizing, virtual communication, and social media.
• Each meeting attendee had the opportunity to speak and to indicate a preference for one of three options under consideration:
• Remain as an STC chapter
• Merge with some other chapter or professional group
• Dissolve the chapter and re-emerge under some new, independent model

The meeting consensus was that although we have solid support from NAU and ASU as well as from the Society’s community outreach representatives, without local technical communicators to fill leadership roles, the chapter has no other recourse but to dissolve at the end of this year.

The chapter management group (CMAC) is scheduled to meet October 4th to consider all feedback at the meeting and make a final decision on the chapter’s future. If you would like to offer your thoughts, please contact Jan Kruse by the end of the September. We will communicate additional information about the chapter direction and model in the next few weeks.

Find your best works and enter them in one or more of these competitions!  Read more…

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may want to consider running for one of next year’s Phoenix chapter positions. Or, if you aren’t a member of the chapter but would like to contribute to chapter activities, we have opportunities for that too. Are you up for the challenge? If so, consider applying for one of the open positions below.

• President
• Treasurer
• Secretary
• Membership Manager
• Communications/PR Manager
• Website Administrator
• Program Manager
• Arrangements Manager

For more details on any of these positions, see PHX Community Roles on the Phoenix Chapter website.

If interested in learning more about these positions, contact any of the following officers by September 30th.

• Jan at president@stc-phoenix.com
• Miachelle at vice_president@stc-phoenix.com
• Kim at treasurer@stc-phoenix.com
• David at secretary@stc-phoenix.com

Any doubts about becoming a leader?  See the Forbe’s article Why introverts can make the best leaders.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Jan, Miachelle, Kim, & David

(If desired, jump to meeting details)

Since January, our chapter has had a number of firsts:

• We began providing access to the advisory council (CMAC) meeting minutes so that members could be aware of chapter management activities.
• We were given the STC Pacesetter award for our innovative approach to our longstanding community service project, AZSEF.
• We conducted a Saturday morning chapter program meeting.
• We participated in a Technical Communication promotional video produced by NAU.
• We partnered with the Presentation Summit to provide unique volunteer and learning opportunities.
• We saw a rise in new contributors to our chapter’s LinkedIn group. The group currently has 74 members.
• Our chapter membership number fell below 50.

In the coming months, more firsts:  

• We will be working with NAU on a student chapter/mentoring program.
• We will be recognizing chapter service as part of our celebration of Technical Communication Week and will also be trying out a new venue.

At the end of the year, another first: We will be losing some key members who have contributed to chapter operations for several years, both as officers and as managers. For some, retirement is calling, and for others, it’s just time to move on…

So where does that leave the chapter?
If we decide to remain as part of STC:

1. We can change the chapter paradigm and the scope of what we are doing. This would be an opportunity to use technology and creativity to change what we offer to members and how we offer it. It also would require committed leaders and volunteers. (The minimum number of leaders to run a chapter per STC: a president and secretary/treasurer. At this time, these chapter positions will need to be filled for 2013.)
2. We can merge with another chapter such as the Kachina chapter in New Mexico who, like us, is in need of leaders. This would require communicating and planning with this chapter as well as reaching agreement on which chapter would dissolve.

If we decide to disassociate ourselves from STC:

3. We can dissolve the chapter and return our assets to STC. This opens up another set of options that could occur naturally as leaders emerge.

For our September meeting:
We are inviting members and non-members to attend to learn more about the options open to us. For the Open MIC segment of the meeting, we’d like to hear from you about the following:

• Which of the three options listed earlier is most appealing to you and why?
• If you would like us to remain as an STC chapter, how do you plan on contributing to the chapter to help it succeed? Can you commit to running for office in October? Will you volunteer for a manager’s position?

We invite everyone in Arizona’s Technical Communication community to join us for this discussion. We look forward to hearing from you.
Date: Thursday, September 13, 2012
Location: The Old Spaghetti Factory –  1418 N Central Ave Phoenix, AZ 85004  Map
Meeting Details

• 5:30   Check-in
• 6:00   Announcements and dinner orders taken. Everyone pays their own way.
• 7:00   Program

Format: Open MIC – sign up for a speaking slot.  You will have a few minutes to make your point or to ask questions.
RSVP: Email programs@stc-phoenix.com by Tuesday, September 11.  Specify dinner or program only and whether or not you plan to speak.

STC New York is conducting a low-cost content strategy workshop on Saturday, August 4th, which you can attend from the comfort of your own home.  (Or, if you happen to be in New York that weekend, you can attend in person!)

You will need to be an early bird - the workshop will start at 9:30 a.m. EST (6:30 Phoenix time). To learn more and to register, see http://bit.ly/Nx45Ia. The registration deadline is August 2.  A web link for virtual participants will be sent on August 3.