First, I’d like to introduce myself: I’m Steve Skojec, and I’m the new Director of Community Relations at STC. I come to the organization with a background in public relations and crisis communications, and I have a particular interest in social media and the positive impact I believe it can have in connecting organizations with their constituents—be they customers, employees, or members.
This is why I’m excited about the social dimension of the Project Phoenix plan and its implementation through the new STC site. Some people are put off by the idea of social media as a business practice and others are concerned that simply “engaging the conversation” going on around a brand or organization isn’t enough. The fact is, social media is just a new way of doing good business. It’s about caring enough to listen to the people your organization serves and to act on the insight they have to offer. It’s about establishing rapport and building relationships. It’s about customer service.
STC communities exist as the social dimension within the field of technical communication, so they’re a natural fit for these new tools. Networking, the sharing of knowledge and best practices, and seeking support and a sense of connection with others who understand what we do are all facilitated by our ability to communicate locally, nationally, and internationally with members of our industry, region, or specialization.
As the new STC website evolves, it will include features that will enable members of communities to stay connected more easily. Community leaders will be provided with resources that assist them in the operation and management of their chapter or SIG. Forums and networking functions will be part of a single login to the STC site, where members can exchange ideas and information. The new content management system will allow us to host community pages for those who choose not to do so on their own; for the communities that have existing sites, we’ll be able to designate a page that leads from STC back to you, ensuring better integration between the main STC site and those of our communities.
Among the most important aspects of our new website and online tools will be the ability to incorporate feedback from you on how things are working and how best to change them if they’re not. I also intend to be personally and actively involved, and am happy to work with members on areas that are important to them.
I look forward to working together with the members of our communities to build a better, stronger STC, and I welcome suggestions and feedback on how we can accomplish our goals.
Steve, welcome, glad to read of your engagement in social media. Let’s make sure this isn’t a walled garden – we need to be communicating outside of STC, especially at this time of change.