Another year, another Summit come and gone. I had a wonderful time in Dallas and enjoyed meeting many of you there. The sessions were interesting as always and gave me some ideas for future Intercom articles as well. Next year’s Summit is in Sacramento, CA, from 15-18 May, so put that on your calendar!
The Summit marks the start of our year, with newly elected officers and directors officially taking their seats. I’d like to congratulate all of them: President Michael Hughes, Vice President Hillary Hart, Treasurer Aiessa Moyna, Secretary Rachel Houghton, Immediate Past President Cindy Currie, and Directors Karen Baranich, Nicky Bleiel, Lori Corbett, Judith Herr, Rich Maggiani, Tricia Spayer, and W. C. Wiese. I wish each of you the best for a prosperous year at the helm of the Society!
For those of you who were unable to attend the Summit, we’ve printed Michael Hughes’s inaugural address in the Society Pages. As a member myself, I’m extremely enthusiastic about the coming year, and I look forward to watching Mike fill his stated goals of transparency, recognition of the profession, and re-energizing the membership. Be sure to keep an eye on his monthly “Open Mike” blog posts at http://notebook.stc.org for a healthy dose of that transparency.
One of the topics of conversation at the Summit this year was a reference to “old guard” and “new guard.” There are lots of fresh faces, novel ideas, and new energies in the membership—all things needed for Mike’s re-energize goal. At the same time, senior members are able to offer some much-needed perspective and guidance to help new leaders. Many of the articles in this issue of Intercom center on these themes—how the next generation (Alan Porter) and the millennial generation will impact the workplace (Stephanie Schrankler). Heidi Glick writes about the four generations of technical communicators working together today and provides some tips on how to benefit from the different perspectives this situation provides. And a top priority for technical communicators new to the profession is social networking. Jack Molisani’s feature presents his perspective on what’s involved in social networking, how to make it work for you, and the pitfalls to watch out for. And finally, in the Spotlight, fellow colleagues have provided what they believe are “The Most Important Skills Technical Communicators Need for the Future.” The entire June issue is an interesting glimpse of the various priorities and perspectives of our diverse membership.
It’s a new year for STC and, quite frankly, it’s a new STC that greets us, with all of the changes that have been made in the past year and in the years to come. I’m energized about the future of the Society and the field of technical communication, and I look forward to exploring it with all of you.
Liz Pohland
