By Andrea Wenger, Chapter President



It’s January, and you know what that means: maxed-out credit cards, new year's resolutions, and renewal reminders from STC.

The STC Carolina Chapter is dedicated to providing substantial value for your membership dollars. Our regular monthly meetings are free to members, and our special events are available at a reduced rate. We webcast and record most of our program meetings, and the recordings are available on our website. Here are a few of the programs we offered in 2011.

Program Review for 2011

Lightning Strikes Thrice: Recharging Social Media Skills for Tech Comm Pros

The Carolina, Southeastern Michigan, and Rochester Chapters joined forces to discuss how technical communication professionals can leverage social media and the Internet. (recording available)

User Experience 101

Think about the products you love, and what makes them so special. This presentation discussed the goal behind user experience design: to build great products and services that meet our customers' needs and are a joy to use. (recording available)

API and SDK Workshop: Breaking into and Succeeding in a Specialty Market

This full-day training offered specialized instruction on how to document the application programming interfaces (APIs) that allow software programs to interact with other software programs.

Seeding the Clouds: How to Make It Rain on Yourself Even During a Dry Spell

Whether you’re a captive or a contractor, if you’re looking for work or you think you might be looking for work soon, this presentation offered dozens of ideas to improve your financial outlook. (recording available)

Assessing Your Corporate Value

This session, hosted by the OCSTC Chapter and webcast by the Carolina Chapter, introduced a methodology for assessing your corporate self-worth and identifying which skills you need to acquire or improve to enhance your career. (recording available)

SpeedCon Unconference on Communication

Thanks to our partnership with the NCSU SIGDOC Chapter, and the help of sponsors TPS and Scriptorium, the STC Carolina Chapter was able to bring you this all-day unconference for free. (presentation links available)

STC Carolina Competitions

STC competitions offer an excellent way for you and your team to get recognition for your technical publication, website, help system, training, art work, or any other form of technical communication. Entries that earn a Distinguished or Excellence award from the Carolina Chapter are eligible for submission to the international competitions.

Looking Ahead to 2012

The chapter will continue to provide excellent programs like these in 2012. For instance, on Saturday, January 21, Joe Welinske of Writers UA will provide a half-day workshop on user assistance. Visit our website for details and to register.

The Carolina Chapter is a leader among STC chapters in using web tools to complement local networking opportunities. We partner with other chapters and SIGs to bring you programming that otherwise wouldn’t be available locally. We also plan social events where you can get together with other technical communicators in a relaxed atmosphere.

I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished in 2011, and I’m looking forward to 2012. I hope you’ll join us!

Andrea can be reached at president at stc-carolina dot org.