Comments on: STC Intercom – themes and advice wanted

By: STC Intercom - Editorial Calendar progress

STC Intercom - Editorial Calendar progress — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 01:27:37 +0000

[...] Comments Destry on STC Intercom – themes and advice wanted Nancy on STC Intercom – themes and advice wanted annegentle on The art – and instinct – of [...]

By: Destry

Destry — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 23:37:12 +0000

I would echo Nick (post 19). For about 3 years now I’ve been an “electronic” member due to my overseas location and refusal to pay an extra $30 just for the periodical. I have no problem reading Intercom online per se, but in actuality I’ve read only one issue (April 2008) in 3-years time. Not by choice, but simply by fact that it’s not sitting on the coffee table staring me in the face.

Regarding Laure’s great comment (post 22) about GNs asking questions and vets replying…how would the magazine be different than just posting such questions in the STC Forum (http://stcforum.org/)? It seems to me the Forum would be more successful as it’s self-sustaining and easy for any veteran to respond without being appointed to do so, theoretically speaking.

By: Nancy

Nancy — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 11:02:59 +0000

I’d love to see an issue devoted to regional trends in the global marketplace. What are the skills needed in Europe versus Asia, etc. Are we seeing low service and high service skills congregated by region? How dominant is the English language in technical writing world-wide? A sort of world report about some burning questions.

What about devoting an issue to today’s global communication challenges, what we’ve achieved in remote communication / collaboration techniques. Why are pod casts effective? With the exorbitant cost of travel, we need to keep a pulse on alternative ways to manage projects remotely and create synergy with co-workers scattered around the globe. We should be taking the lead in our companies at suggesting best practices in this area. What innovations are in the works?

Another theme is business and technical communications – seeing things from the company’s perspective. Let’s hear from the MBA’s / Tech Writer Managers.

For a generational piece, it would be interesting to look at manufacturing and product design. Take a product like aVCR. What are the challenges that each generation faced in using one. Are products designed with the user in mind? Someone said at the STC this year that our goal should be to influence design useability to the point of there being no need to provide user information.

By: Laura

Laura — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:22:41 +0000

I’m a GenNext-er (age 23) and my alma mater, Cedarville University, has a good amount of students involved in STC. (www.cedarville.edu/stc). One part of the STC conference I particularly enjoyed this year was the “If I Knew Then What I Know Now” session. If there could be something like a column in every issue where people could write in questions and older professionals could answer back, I would be very interested.

By: Colleen

Colleen — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 18:57:46 +0000

Hello,

I was happy to see a variety of Agile Development sessions at the STC conference and would love to see Scrum-related articles, (best practices, pros and cons, and review processes) in Intercom. Also, I think the theme of Quality could warrant an issue. As communication becomes more modular and is produced more quickly, quality can suffer.

Thanks for all you do!

By: annegentle

annegentle — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 18:27:25 +0000

Hi Nick –
Your distribution plight is well understood by STC and the panel – Rhonda Bracey is a panelist living in Bridgetown, WA, Australia, and she also discussed the distribution problems for her – she said she couldn’t wait as long as it took for the paper version and has resorted to reading it online only.

Sorry I don’t have a complete answer for you, yet, but you’re absolutely right about the results of the cost and delay of overseas distribution difficulties. I have to admit, I had no idea until talking to Rhonda, so even just making more of us STCers aware of our global community is useful in its own right. Thanks so much.
Anne

By: Nick Rosenthal

Nick Rosenthal — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 14:43:18 +0000

Hi,

My comment would realte not to format or content, but to distribution.

Please make receiving a paper copy of Intercom a benefit for ALL members of STC, wherever they are based. At the moment, non-US members have to pay $30 per year more than US members. It makes us feel… less than equal.

Many STC UK members, for example, do not pay the extra. Real outcome? Most of us simply never read Intercom any more. So we never see the articles (however good they may be). So Advertisers get a diminished return on their investment. And non-US STC members feel uninvolved in the wider organisation.

Nick

By: Kirsty

Kirsty — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 00:55:28 +0000

Hi Anne,
You might find some Gen Nexters through the academic or student group communities in STC. Char and I went along to the Student breakfast at the Summit, which Char found out about from four students from a uni in New Mexico (??) who adopted her guidance and help in choosing sessions. There were other students there as well … and they definitely fall into Gen Next!!

By: annegentle

annegentle — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:24:22 +0000

Hi Rachel – I too, avoid boredom and my job helps with that immensely. That characteristic or trait just might be GenX.
Hi Vaish – Thanks so much for your comment, I love to hear from all parts of the world and your idea is a good one. Did you see my notes from the International Collaboration session at the STC Summit at http://justwriteclick.com/2008/06/06/stc2008-international-collaboration-in-technical-communication/?
While they did address your particular situation, I would guess they have each dealt with it in their own way. Good idea.

We’ve gathered more than 50 ideas probably, now the tough work of whittling it down to a list of 10 begins.

By: VaishVijay

VaishVijay — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 04:07:20 +0000

Hi Anne,
How about including topics covering perspectives from non-native technical writers like me, in Intercom?

I hail from India and work in Malaysia as a lone technical writer. Often my suggestions and recommendations are challenged, as am a non-native English writer/speaker. Because of this, I spend a lot of efforts in just trying to make them understand my standpoint and convince them!

Note that my colleagues are also Asians and am curious to know the experience of non-native writers who work with native speakers/writers.