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OK, so I checked this out. I'm baffled, to say the least.
I don't understand what these changes are really going to be and how
they will benefit anyone but the STC's own funding. I honestly believe
that the STC just doesn't get it; they don't understand the real-world
issues surrounding a professional career in the field of technical
communication. The rhetoric on the "restructuring" info dump is quite
colorful, but it's very superficial. Frankly, I don't see what the STC
has to offer anymore, especially when you have many mailing lists such
as this one that provide just as strong a network for information and
support.
The idea of a STC is good. I just think the STC needs to stop trying
to cover all the bases and focus on one or two core elements. There
was a time when we didn't have large networks of colleagues outside
the STC. We now do, and most of those networks are free. Plus, these
networks come in all flavors, from general info sharing to specific
technology/tool/workflow topics.
I don't know what the STC should be, but I think they're trying to
stretch themselves too thin. Yes, it's time for restructuring, but I
don't think SIGs are the answer, not with free resources abound. If
they truly want to restructure, they need to take a full inventory of
the issues surrounding our professions, what's currently available,
and what's still in need. They should then be prepared to discontinue
redundant services and focus on the areas of need.
Otherwise the STC is just moving from an overpriced magazine
subscription delivering outdated, irrelevant, or incorrect information
to an overpriced group of localized communities sharing the same info
that is already shared by the tech comm community, globally, for free.
Just my thoughts.
On Sun, 11 Jul 2004 13:56:28 -0400, T.W. Smith <techwordsmith -at- gmail -dot- com> wrote:
> Some of you (I apologize for forgetting who, I was supposed to get
> back to you earlier, I know) contacted me offlist asking me to explain
> what the STC transformation was and why. I believe--don't remember
> exactly since I let this slip for about a month or two--that you
> couldn't follow the link I provided because it was in a members-only
> section of the STC Website. Well, am not going to share a password or
> anything, but perhaps this explanation will help you out?
>
>http://www.stc-ct.org/STC_notices.htm
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