October/November 2006

Volume 47, Number 2

STC News

News and Notes from the STC President

• The Technology Committee is looking for volunteers to investigate available off-the-shelf solutions that can quickly be implemented by communities to fulfill their technology needs (for example, on-line elections, web surveys). Details are posted at http://www.stc.org/membership/cfv02.asp. To volunteer, email Doug Woestendiek, Committee Chair, and Merrick Bechini, Director of Information Systems.
• STC is participating in World Usability Day 2006 to help make the world a better place for product users, and you are invited to participate. The STC initiatives include holding the World's Largest Online Card Sort and working on a Usability Competition. See www.stc.org/wud for more information.

STC Telephone Seminars

Telephone seminars are $99.00 USD for members and $149.00 USD for non-members. Overseas participants should contact the STC office. An additional $10.00 fee applies for registrations received less than five days before the seminar. For more information, go to http://www.stc.org/seminars.asp.

• November 8, 2006 - Choosing the Right Usability Technique (to answer the right question)
  Presenter(s): Whitney Quesenbery
  Level: Intermediate
• November 22, 2006 - Selling Technical Communication Services-Both Inside and Outside Your Organization
  Presenter(s): Robert Dianetti
  Level: Intermediate/Advanced
• December 6, 2006 - Maggie Haenel will present an STC Web-telephone seminar, Creating Training that Sticks, from 1–2:30 PM Eastern Time. The seminar will focus on how adults learn and what makes them remember information. For more information or to register, please visit: http://stc.webex.com.

New STC Web Site in Development

Dear STC Members,

STC is developing a new Web site! We want a new site that maximizes usability, follows best practices in Web design, and incorporates new functions of use to STC members. The development of the new Web site is a top-priority project within STC, with work sponsored by STC President Paula Berger and Executive Director Susan Burton.

STC wants to draw on the experience of its members across the globe. The Web team is looking for volunteers in the following areas:

• User research (focus groups and interview techniques)
• Usability evaluators (heuristic and usability testing)
• Information design and architecture
• Requirements management

Volunteers will be asked to help with one of the following:

• Conducting best practice evaluations of similar Web sites
• Conducting stakeholder interviews and gathering requirements
• Conducting content analysis of the existing Web site
• Conducting several design iterations for the information architecture and design of the new Web site
• Preparing specifications for the implementation vendor
• Designing and conducting user acceptance

We’re hoping you’ll be able to lend a hand with this effort. We’re distributing the work as much as possible—each of the roles above will be filled by two or three volunteers. Volunteers can expect to put in sixteen hours of effort per month for approximately twelve months.

To sign up as a volunteer for the STC Web site redesign, please send an e-mail with your skills, experience, and a brief explanation of why you want to be a part of the Web redesign team to both bogo_stc@bovacon.com and merrick@stc.org.

We hope you’ll be part of this team effort! The results will benefit each of us as STC members.

Regards,

Bogo Vatovec
Manager, STC Web Site Committee

and

Merrick Bechini
STC Director of Information Systems

LISA Partnership Announcement

I am pleased to announce our partnership with the Localization Industry Standards Association (LISA). This partnership will allow LISA and STC members to benefit equally from each organization's services. LISA is "the leading international forum for organizations doing business globally." LISA offers valuable guidance in conducting business internationally, including consulting services for globalization, research and publications, standards development, networking, and educational opportunities. To learn more, visit www.lisa.org.

STC members pay the same rates that LISA members pay to attend LISA events such as LISA Forum Europe: Doing Business in an Expanding Europe, in Warsaw, Poland November 13-17, 2006. For more about LISA Forum Europe, visit www.lisa.org/events/2006warsaw. Information about upcoming LISA events will be featured on the STC Web site and included in the RSS feed highlighting STC news and related events.

We are continuing to develop our relationship with LISA, and finding new ways for STC members to benefit from LISA events and services. For example, plans are being developed for a separate STC forum on the LISA Web site. Soon, STC members will be able to enter their STC membership ID numbers when they register on LISA's site. There will be similar LISA links on the STC Web site.

As our careers continue to become increasingly global, we hope that you take advantage of the complementary benefits provided by our partnership with LISA to enhance your professional skills and your international business acumen. For any questions, please contact me at mary@stc.org or (703) 522-4114, ext. 206.

Sincerely,
Mary Kabza
STC Director of Marketing and Membership