All I want for Christmas...

by Ron Arner

I've procrastinated long enough! It's time to share with you my long awaited, provocative, and controversial Technicalities wish list. A wish list can't be all those things, you say? You're probably correct, but I couldn't think of a better way to close the current year's volume (43) of Technicalities, and get ready for the next one, which begins with the August/September 2003 edition.

I'm sure many of you know that last year at this time Steve Wertzbaugher was the Technicalities editor, and had to relinquish those reins when layoffs at his company forced him to absorb the workload of all other tech writers on the staff. Although I had already volunteered to be on the newsletter committee, I wasn't expecting such a big responsibility so soon. Thanks to Webbies Steve Kavalec and Anne Halsey and editorial staff Jay Mead and Bridget Julian, it hasn't been nearly as difficult a responsibility as I thought it would be.

Now, before I reveal my wish list, note that it's not my birthday (you missed it already), or Christmas, or any other gift-giving holiday. Nevertheless, if you're wondering what you can do to contribute to Technicalities, I thought I would help by eliminating the guesswork. So, without further ado, here are my wishes in ascending order:

#5: Feedback/comments from the members of STC RMC. For consistency's sake, I would prefer to make any changes to the design of Technicalities starting with the next issue (August/September 2003), so that all of next year's issues follow the same format. In other words, if you have something you want to share, speak now or forever hold your peace.

#4: Letters to the Editor. I think an actual column's worth of letters to the editor would make a wonderful contribution to the newsletter. (Even two or three per issue would be great!) Send a letter right now by clicking here. Sound off about what you think of our chapter, the STC, or technical communications in general, and maybe we can get some lively discussions going about current events affecting our field.

#3: A technical column. Dana Cline was writing the "Tools and Technology" column for Technicalities until he had to resign for the same reason as Steve Wertzbaugher-too much to do at his regular job. If you are interested in writing a column about the latest technological advances in our field, please let me know.

#4: An Assistant Editor. I originally volunteered to be on the newsletter committee to help with the conversion from print to online format, and to update the newsletter bimonthly thereafter. I love being editor, and with three wonderful volunteers to edit articles (Lynnette Reveling recently joined Bridget Julian and Jay Mead on the editing staff), I have no complaints. However, two heads are better than one. I think it would improve the quality of the newsletter if someone else helped by coordinating issue themes, gathering and distributing articles for editing, writing filler material or last minute articles, and tackling other tasks. The newsletter is a large project for one person—can you help out? Just send me an email at: news@stcrmc.org.

#1: Articles. As editor for three issues now, the only thing I've found puzzling is why contributing articles don't pour in. I thought that a professional organization organized around the art of technical writing would yield reams of contributing articles on the ins and outs of our trade. I've read messages in the Newsletter Editor Listserve from other editors who have to turn articles away because their newsletters are so full. Newsletter articles provide an excellent opportunity to practice your writing and flaunt your talents. This summer, or anytime over the next year, when you find yourself feeling "blah" and need to do something to keep fit professionally, whip up an article on something you're interested in and send it to news@stcrmc.org.

The opening article of the current issue of Technicalities is about a member of our chapter, Linda Gallagher, who won the Distinguished Chapter Service Award. We all need to contribute to our chapter, even if we can't do as much as Linda does, whether it's by contributing to the newsletter or some other volunteer project. It is only by working together that we can make STC RMC successful. We have joined this organization to help ourselves professionally, but we can only do that by helping each other as well. Please send me an email if any of my requests above seem reasonable; I am looking forward to hearing from you!