February program review: STC’s Transformation – More Value For More Members
by Amy Kearns

STC-SWO gathered on Wednesday, February 16th at Panera Bread in Springdale to discuss STC’s transformation initiative. STC immediate past president and former SWO president Thea Teich led the discussion and offered insight into how members will benefit from this effort.

Thea started the discussion by sharing her belief that as a professional, you should always be a member of your professional society. For example, doctors and attorneys do not think twice about joining their professional organizations. Why should technical communicators?

The purpose of the transformation is simply to bring STC into alignment with what is already happening in our industry. We have all seen the profession change – our jobs and roles, business and economic models, and technology have all evolved. Technical communication now encompasses a number of different activities – all aimed at making it easier for people to get the most from technology in their lives. Some of us serve a very specific role in our job (such as a usability expert or an indexer), while others fill many roles. Regardless of our specific job duties, our core skills are still important and something we all share in common. We can help each other as experts, both with these core skills and more specialized areas.

The vision of the transformation is to provide more value to more members through communities of practice while remaining financially viable. Thea emphasized that STC is a member-based organization. Simply put, we are a group of professionals who get together – either in person or virtually – to help each other. Some of us give and receive help and value from STC primarily through face-to-face chapter meetings. Others prefer “a place” to go on their own time to connect with other professionals, such as an electronic bulletin board, listserv, or chat room. Many of us do both. Thea told our group, “I love this chapter! The people I met through this chapter helped me know I was doing good work because of peer review and feedback.”

Regardless of your communication preferences, the transformation will help the Society reach more people so together we can connect with others who do similar work no matter where we are based geographically. STC is now an “umbrella” over a wide variety of communities based on geography, products, tools, industries, and work approach, just to name a few factors.
In the future, new communities may form based on other factors.

As you have probably seen in your membership renewal materials, STC now offers the new membership options. These options are designed to reach and provide value to a broader membership. The new membership options are:

• Classic membership: Includes printed copies of Intercom and Technical Communication and membership in either 1 chapter and 1 Special Interest Group (SIG) or 3 SIGs
  
• E-membership: Includes online access to Intercom and Technical Communication and membership in either 1 chapter and 1 SIG or 3 SIGs
  
• Limited membership: Includes printed copies of Intercom and Technical Communication. No chapter or SIG memberships
  
• Student membership: Includes membership in an unlimited number of SIGs and 2 chapters.Applicants for student membership may select 1 professional chapter and 1 student chapter
  
You can join additional SIGs or chapters for a small fee in addition to the annual dues. Thea pointed out that she is a member of STC-SWO and three SIGs, and has been for several years.

As you can see, both chapters and SIGs are key components of this new membership structure. SIGs are composed of STC members with common experiences and interests who share their skills and knowledge with each other and with other STC members virtually. Some of these interests are based on the type of work members do. In other cases, the interests pertain to the nature of members' employment situation. SIGs are active both on the international and chapter level. Locally, the chapter has sponsored SIG meetings to encourage more specialized networking.

Overall, we will continue to see changes in the Society to become more aligned with our needs and interests as technical communicators. Now, we have more options for collaborating and learning with others in our field. We can all benefit from becoming more active in STC’s communities. Additionally, we are fortunate to have an active chapter that continues to grow and change as our profession evolves. Regardless of the way you choose to participate in our professional organization, remember that it is OUR organization and we all have the responsibility and power as professionals to get and stay involved to help better ourselves and our peers.

For more information about the transformation, visit http://www.stc.org/transformation/. You can also sign up to receive transformation updates at this site. If you have any questions, please contact transform@stc.org.