We’re back with another Spotlight, with a closer look at the newly revived Sacramento Chapter. Our thanks to Prescott Williams for his great answers! It’s been a while since our last Spotlight, and the reason is that I’m having a heck of a time finding volunteers to be featured! Who wants some free publicity? If you’d like your chapter or SIG spotlighted, please email me to volunteer.
What’s the official name of your chapter?
Harder question than I thought at first. We are officially the “Sacramento Chapter of the Society for Technical Communication” but we commonly refer to ourselves as “STC Sacramento.” That’s the way the website was named long ago.
Who are the chapter leaders?
Officers: President, Prescott Williams; Vice President, Cherie Woodward; Secretary, Amy Andrew; Treasurer, Debra Valentine. Our bylaws call for 1 to 3 additional board (administrative council) members. The additional member of the board is Jonathan Sachs.
How many members do you have?
36 at last count, and we are continuing to generate interest as news of our revival spreads.
I understand you’re in the middle of “reviving” the chapter. What exactly does that entail and how is it going?
Yes, the Sacramento chapter died off a little over two years ago and we are working to rebuild it. We reached out to everyone in Sacramento and surrounding areas currently or previously associated with STC and let them know that we wanted their participation and input.
We were able to do this with information, contact lists, and tremendous support from Al Hood, along with Diana Buttram and others in the national organization. We sent surveys to try to tailor our effort towards what people find to be most valuable, given the current environment. From the responses, we were able to get a fantastic group of people to take on the chapter leadership roles to get the ball rolling. It will take some time to overcome the inertia of the past two years and get the word out, but we’ve made great progress so far.
Tell us a bit more about that first event and the feedback you’ve received.
We started the year off with a kickoff and social on 14 January. It was great! We had 30 people, including two staffing company reps, lots of refreshments, and tremendous energy in the room. Judith Herr came up from the Bay Area to represent the STC Board and speak.
We’ve called this a “revival” and she read the crowd like a revival preacher. We introduced ourselves, shared experiences and expectations, and generally got to know each other. Judith clarified the situation with the national organization and reassured us of the commitment and new sense of purpose at STC. We have the feeling the whole organization is moving in a positive direction, and we want to move along with it.
What’s the next event?
We will meet 11 March, and the topic is DITA. Our speaker will be a seasoned DITA practitioner, Joanne Grey of MaxiScale. She’ll cover DITA basics, but also what she wishes she’d known when she started.
How about beyond that? What are your grand plans for the chapter?
I want a chapter that offers great programs and networking opportunities. I want to build a camaraderie among the members to the extent that people participate regularly even when they’re not looking for a job. We want our members to learn from each other’s experiences, share each other’s successes, and generally enjoy coming to meetings. Our grand plans include a number of already scheduled events and speakers—one on training documentation, a session on science writing, one on Adobe tools, etc., etc.
Sacramento is hosting Summit in 2011; is there anything you can tell us about your plans for that yet?
It’s a little too early to say much. We’re a small group, and we’re still allocating our volunteer resources towards getting the chapter off the ground, but we are definitely looking forward to hosting the Summit. I’ve been in touch with the Sacramento Visitors’ Bureau, so at the very least we’ll have information about things to see and do while you’re here, and there are some great things to share. Stay tuned.
Just so I can plan ahead … where should I go for dinner my first night in Sacramento next year?
One favorite is the Tower Cafe on Broadway. Prices are moderate and it’s not too far from downtown. Cuisine might be characterized as “New Age Southwest.” River City Café on the river downtown is very “Sacramento,” it’s right on the river, and the food is fabulous. River City Brewing Comany is also very “Sacramento” and great for beer lovers. The Firehouse, also in Old Town, is classic fine dining and wins all kinds of awards. Fanny Ann’s saloon is a hoot if you’re looking for a bar (also in Old Town). And there’s Moxie’s, which has fantastic horseradish mashed potatoes!
Who are you looking for with future meetings? Who’s invited?
If you’re interested in any aspect of technical communication, please come! We want to attract as diverse a membership as we can. All of us will be enriched by contact with people whose interests and abilities are different from our own.
How can people get in touch with you to get information, attend future meetings, or even volunteer?
The first place to look is the website, www.stcsacramento.org. Please be aware that we’re rebuilding the site. You can send mail to stcsac.2010@gmail.com and I can be reached at +1 (530) 747-6526.
Finally, feel free to brag a bit—about anything you want!
Just that we’re proud of what we’ve done so far, the energy and commitment of our leadership group, and we’re looking forward to welcoming all of you to Sacramento next year!