by Clyde Parson

During my recent employment search, those items that I view as important were brought into full view by way of a personality profile that I was asked to complete. It was a very interesting “test” that only required me to choose a series of single words from among twenty-four groups of words. The result was astoundingly accurate. During the interview process, the results were covered and a statement was made that I’ve continued to think about each time the Admin Council’s discussion turns to the topic of membership value.

We don’t often come across technical writers who are as extroverted as you are.

Since I know that I’m recharged by my alone time, I understand that I’m actually an introvert but it is nice to receive the feedback that I do as good a job with my verbal communication as my written. I do genuinely enjoy people and I can see how this combination of factors would influence what I would want from an STC membership.

I also recall an interview with a different company during the same employment search where one former long-term technical communicator turned hiring manager shared with me his preferred work method.

I would love it if they would slide my work under the door in the morning and I could slide out the completed tasks that afternoon.

Differences like those between myself and this hiring manager have given me reasons to seriously consider exactly why I’m a member of STC and what I hope to gain from my membership. With that in mind, here the top reasons why I belong to STC (in no particular order):

• Social interaction
  I used to believe that I preferred the warm glow of a computer monitor but in recent years I’ve found that I would much rather talk to someone face-to-face (never mind the fact that LCD monitors just aren’t as cozy to snuggle up with as CRT’s once were!)
• Status associated with membership
  Several employers during my employment search, including the one that I ultimately selected, seemed quite impressed with the fact that I was a member and the chapter president. I think this speaks to one’s personal commitment to his or her chosen profession. It says that I view this as a career rather than just another job.
• Sense of belonging
  As a “lone writer,” it’s nice to know that there are others who share the same concerns and issues even if they happen to work for a different employer.
• Career related networking opportunities
  I’ve long held the belief that the sales function is significantly influenced by how good the salesperson is at building a relationship with a prospective client. In much the same manner, the hiring process can be significantly eased by the establishment of relationships outside the interview.
• Working toward a common goal
  In my Suncoast leadership position, I’ve been able to experience the synergy that can take place when multiple people are all pulling in the same direction to accomplish the same goals.
• Opportunities to express my creativity
  I tend to think in “big picture” terms but since I’m not running my own business I don’t always have an outlet for my ideas. Serving in a leadership position with our chapter has provided numerous opportunities to let my creative juices flow.

As the time for membership renewal has once again arrived, I would encourage all STC members to take a moment and reflect on exactly why they joined STC in the first place. Perhaps your list may include some of the items I mentioned. Maybe you came from a completely different angle and your list would be very different. Either way, there’s value in revisiting your original decision.

Further, I would encourage you to reaffirm that original decision by renewing your membership if you have not already done so. If you feel that you have not received all from your membership that you would have preferred, I would ask you to consider getting involved with your chapter (your *community*) at a deeper level. Remember, like many things in life, you can only get out as much as you put in.

Lessons Learned in the E-learning Trenches was the topic of our September 16 meeting. As part of my on-going quest to keep current with Web trends, I tapped into my social media network (LinkedIn) for some Web 2.0 insight into the topic.  I received several responses (the complete discussion is available here), but the following piece (from Milo Dodds via the eLearning Guild) was the best of the lot.

Keys to Effective Editing

by Margaret VanWinkle

Tech writers document processes, organize procedures, and pay great attention to detail. One of their often-unacknowledged activities is editing. In an attempt to strengthen my technical writing skills, I recently completed an online course from www.ed2go.com entitled “The Keys to Effective Editing”.

The instructor stated that the primary responsibility of an editor is to clarify the author’s words and intent. An editor doesn’t create additional material; an editor doesn’t insert words into the author’s mouth. A good editor does leave an author feeling that the document is still the same document, only better written.

The six-week course provided instruction in editing both fiction and non-fiction.

Course topics applying only to fiction included an introduction to copyright law and to front and back matter (content at the front and back of books). Fiction editing itself is quite different from editing technical documents. Tracking character identities and story lines would be interesting, but it requires a definite change in mindset from the typical work of editing facts and layout in a technical document.

Several topics, applicable to both fiction and non-fiction, were especially relevant to technical writing:

• Copy editor symbols (both handwritten symbols and Microsoft Word’s Track Changes)
• Techniques for better syntax and style, such as avoiding stereotyping and sexism (for example, “if the customer calls about his/her/their purchase”)
• Using active vs. passive voice
• Using parallel construction
• Guidelines for spelling, capitalization, number usage, abbreviations, and hyphens
• Common grammar and punctuation problems

I found the lesson on how to build and maintain good editor-author-publisher relationships surprisingly practical. Although technical writers do not customarily work with authors or publishers, we often work with project managers. In both cases content must be agreed upon, deadlines must be met, and personality differences must be overcome.

One lesson was devoted to illustrations such as artwork, photographs, and tables. The instructor provided rules for numbering items and labeling contents. She also demonstrated how to track these types of illustrations, especially if content is rearranged. It was also interesting to note that, although an editor seldom reviews table contents, it is prudent to confirm that formula results are correct.

The instructor emphasized the need for consistency and included an extensive list of style guides. She also illustrated clearly how to use a style sheet. Creating one for my department’s use resulted in a lively discussion regarding personal preference and consistency in presentation.

The final lesson provided information on beginning an editing career. Considering the number of tech writers who are facing employment challenges, this last topic itself may be worth the course cost in order to learn how to expand one’s technical writing skills to a related field.