My name is Chip Boyd, and I’m STC’s new Web and Content Manager. My background includes experience in Interface Design, Web Administration, and IT Management. I’m very excited to be a part of STC and Project Phoenix, and have high hopes for the future of our Web presence.
It may be cold outside here in Virginia, but things are heating up for the Project Phoenix team at STC. November’s labors produced an unbelievable amount of survey information, and it’s these results that will form and focus our efforts to produce a new website for the members of STC. I want to tell you, the STC members, about just a few things that I’m really excited about, and know you will be, too.
Communities are one of the most popular pieces of STC membership, but many of you felt that they weren’t being given enough focus. With our new site comes an increased focus on communities and networking. SIGs and Chapters will have an opportunity to build and manage successful sites that are directly tied in to our new networking platform. The interconnectivity combined with a more intuitive content-management system will provide a valuable tool for keeping SIGs and Chapters focused and productive.
Tied in with STC’s own networking platform, we will be branching out across established social networks, putting a stronger emphasis on tying our content and pages in with Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. The popularity of these sites is undeniable and their use is very important in a member organization like STC. The average Facebook user spends almost 10 hours per month on the site, and we’d like some of that time to be spent learning about STC’s news and activities. Staying connected is paramount in this bright new world, and we want to give you the options and tools to do so.
Last, and certainly not least, is the new user experience of the website as a whole. Though I’ve only been here a short time, I have heard the resounding cries for a website built by technical communicators with an emphasis on user experience for our membership—the survey was full of those comments, too. My goal as your Webmaster is to make your time on STC.org as enjoyable and smooth as possible. This will be a continual process, with tweaks spurred by your activities and comments forming the mold for the changes I will be making. This iterative process is important on the Web; if the media doesn’t constantly adapt and evolve, it will quickly fall behind.
I look forward to hearing from everyone as more of the Project Phoenix initiatives are unveiled. I am very excited about the launch and will work to be the best Webmaster I can be for STC and its members.
Many of us have complained bitterly about stc.org. We have heard earlier plans for improvement that didn’t work out very well in practice. This plan sounds great, and I know that many of us are willing to offer our time and effort to ensure that the execution matches the vision. If the work runs into problems, send up a flare, and many of us will rush to the rescue.
I appreciate the pledge of support and rest assured, I will call out to the members of STC when the need arises (and it surely will). The overhaul of a website is an unbelievably overwhelming undertaking, but with strong project management, the abilities of the membership can be harnessed effectively. I’ll keep my flare gun handy as we move forward.
I’m excited about the plans for an improved website for stc.org AND the communities’ ability to build & manage sites connected to its networking platform. It gives those of us out there in the communities a good opportunity for a fresh start.