2012 Membership is Now Open!

The 2012 season for STC membership is now open!

The Society for Technical Communication provides professional development, connections, education, and so much more. And with the new MySTC Network, connecting and collaborating with colleagues is even easier than ever before! So join or renew today, and be where it all comes together.

What's New In 2012

The New TC Professional. STC introduces a new membership category in 2012: The New TC Professional. To qualify for the New TC Professional membership rate of $160, individuals must have graduated from a college/university within the past three years. Membership includes one professional chapter and one Special Interest Group.

Lower Rate for SIG Value Package. Previously $375, you can now become a member of every single Special Interest Group for just $295.

Get the 2012 Salary Database Free. All new members and members who renew before 3 January 2012 will receive a free copy of the 2012 STC Salary Database (using 2011 data) when it's published in July.

Even More Free Education. Members currently receive access to free education with 38 archived seminars. In March, even more archived seminars will be available, with roughly double the number planned.

Member Get a Member

The Member Get a Member Campaign returns this year. Refer a coworker or colleage and save money on your own application! For each new member you refer, you'll get $10 off your own membership, up to a max of $50 off. STC communities can play, too, with great prizes available for communities who refer new members. See the Member Get a Member page for full details, including resources, tips, and talking points.

See the STC membership page for more information and to join or renew. Be sure to check out the video of your fellow members talking about the benefits of STC membership!

0 Replies to “2012 Membership is Now Open!”

  1. Your email blast was completely off-brand. I almost deleted it as some kind of odd Target-brand spam from my kids’ online wish lists. I had to read it over twice to see that it was legit. STC rolled out a logo and brand guidelines set not long ago. It’s unbelievable that they’ve already been abandoned.

  2. Trying again to post. Sorry, all.

    First of all, yes, the membership email should have included the STC logo in the sidebar. Our branding document suggests that we include the logo in all communication, and we normally do. It was overlooked this time, but we’ll make that change in the future.

    However, that document is more a guideline on how to use the logo when you use the logo. It does not speak to the use of any other graphics in any marketing campaigns. And it certainly doesn’t preclude the use of other graphics, colors, or designs in STC advertising or communications. The document you cite states that “the STC logo is part of the brand.” It is not the entire brand.

    “Where It All Comes Together” is a marketing campaign we’re using for the coming year. The image — a tree with multiple gears working together — is meant to evoke how all the things STC provides can work together to help grow our members’ careers. We used that tree and slogan in a full-page ad in Intercom, we used it on the membership banner on the website, and we used it and will continue to use it on our membership renewal emails. We’re looking at a way to use it on our conference ads as well. While we should have included the STC logo in the email, nothing else about the email seems to be at odds with our branding guidelines. Many of the other comments on Twitter appear to be of a more subjective nature.

    As always, thanks for your feedback.

  3. Question: Which is (or will be) more in the coming year: The budget for the “Where It All Comes Together” marketing campaign or the budget for sponsoring research to advance the field of technical communication?

  4. I had been in a meeting and when it ended, I was met with the customary Lengthy List of Messages that had come in. As I scrolled through the list, deleting most, I deleted this one because I assumed that it was spam; there was no indication that it was affiliated with the organization. It wasn’t until I saw Bill’s tweet that I had any idea that it was from STC. Yes, I probably would have realized it if I’d actually read it, but in that split second in the preview pane it simply didn’t register as something of value.

  5. While I understand the initiative marketing, it does not take precedence over the brand. Again, from page 3:

    The Importance of a Logo
    The STC logo is part of the brand that defines the Society to its members, staff, and the public. The brand is experienced in every interaction, every visual image, every communication, and in everything the Society does. You must follow the guidelines and correct usage for the STC logo in order to reflect the powerful brand correctly. STC leaders (at both the community and Society levels) and staff should use these guidelines and strictly adhere to them.

    1. Agreed, Bill. It’s also not just about the logo. Font and color choice are key to brand recognition.

      If yesterday’s email hadn’t included “STC” in the subject line, I never would have recognized it as an STC message. Moreover, the artifacts around the text in the header graphic made the email look amateurish. Looking at the source, that PNG was scaled up 128%.

      No logo, different colors, inconsistent use of fonts, images scaled beyond 100% — these are attention to detail things. I expect the society that represents my profession to do better. Even though I plan on letting my membership expire, I still have that expectation. After all, if someone Googles “technical communication” or “technical communicator,” STC.org is the second result. Thus STC represents me regardless of my membership.

      Up until now, communcations such as News and Notes and STC’s Notebook have supported the look established by the new website design. Hopefully STC gets back on track.

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