February/March 2006

Volume 46, Number 4

Physical and Virtual Communities

by Marella Colyvas, STC RMC President

By now, hopefully you have renewed your STC membership for the year or joined for the first time. I am happy to report that several people have emailed or called, inquiring about STC in general and our chapter in particular. Look for some new faces at the April meeting!

Despite having a sense that our industry is getting strong again, I am at times taken aback by the small number of attendees at our meetings. I realize that everyone is busy and that many companies don't reimburse their employees for meetings or membership dues; I'm certain that is partly the reason for the low numbers. This year we have had the best slate of presenters in recent memory — in fact, I've been a member of this chapter for over 20 years and I can't remember when we had so much talent to showcase. But rather than bemoan the fact of low attendance or exhorting you, our members, to come out of your homes and attend the meetings, I want to write a bit about the benefits of belonging to a community of technical communicators.

The first benefit that comes to my mind is the chance to meet other like-minded individuals. By attending the meetings, we can meet technical communicators who have amazing talents to share, broaden our contact base, and get a leg up on networking. And we can also meet people who charm us just by being who they are, giving us an amazing gift in the process. Not only does meeting other technical communicators allow us to share in some local talent, it gives us the opportunity to grow our own brand of talent-sharing, reciprocating in kind with those we meet, and perhaps becoming inspired to share first without reciprocating.

Networking may be key to that next job or contract, and it is also the lifeblood of the technical communications industry. The stereotype of the introverted writer who works alone in a garret is largely myth. Let's face it, the job market has forever changed that image, even for those who actually are introverts and lone writers. The reality is that writers have to work with people, too. Working in a group teaches you skills like facilitation, diplomacy, interviewing, etc. Belonging to a community provides opportunities for you to try out these skills in a volunteer position if you are moved to do so, or at the very least, in a workshop or forum given by the community where you can practice in a safe environment. Such development is key to our profession's growth and credibility.

The second benefit to belonging to a community of technical communicators is the opportunity it affords to, well, communicate, in written form, with the community outside of the local group. I'm talking about the opportunity to — gasp — write and perhaps be published. Four people in your own Rocky Mountain Community just published articles in last month's Intercom: Carol Elkins, Bette Frick, and Linda Gallagher and Whitney Broach (writing as a team). Why not you next?

The chance to write is not limited to articles in big publications. The Rocky Mountain Community has our own newsletter, which can always use articles (contact news@stcrmc.org). And then there are the society-wide, true virtual communities. Each SIG has a mailing list where you can share information and tips. And, STC has a forum that hosts many different topics. This is the first year that I've actually subscribed to the forums and I'm really excited about it. There is a writing and editing forum that hosts discussions about the creativity of our members and writing in general. Check the forums out at http://stcforum.org/index.php. A commitment I have made to myself this year is to post something every week to at least one forum topic. As any writer knows, the more one writes, the better a writer one becomes.

Besides increasing writing skill and gaining insight into problems and challenges in the varied areas of technical communication, I think there is a second, less tangible benefit to the virtual communities: forums, blogs, mailing lists, and instant messaging create a sense of camaderie that transcends geographies and cultures. A virtual community creates its own culture. Our daughters and sons who were born into the information age have grasped this reality much faster than many of us who have worked with technology for years - witness the proliferation of instant and text messaging, as well as blogging/sharing spaces like http://myspace.com. Virtual communities also teach you to be alert, and not to immediately trust what meets the eye — like in any good communication, the writer of a blog or forum post has to be clear, concise, and honest if they are to be credible.

Here's an interesting article by Judith Herr, moderator of the Writing and Editing Forum and the manager of the Management SIG, where she shares thoughts about writing and being part of a virtual community in the very first article: http://www.stcsig.org/mgt/news/January2006Directives.pdf. This article is excellent! In fact, I loved the entire newsletter - especially the article "Technical Writer, Art Thou Artist?" by Janani Gopalakrishnan.

The benefits of STC communities, whether they be physical or virtual, are many. I encourage you to take them to heart and start reaping their many advantages — and you might actually learn something along the way.