We introduce a new guest blogger today, 2014-2015 STC President Kit Brown-Hoekstra. Kit will be blogging regularly on STC's Notebook to share thoughts, ideas, and discussions with the membership.
Our Friendly Neighborhood Blogger has kept you updated on the fun and educational side of the conference, as have Kai Webber, Sarah Maddox, and others. Twitter (#STC14) was also fast and furious with posts from the Summit. The energy was high and the comments have been mostly positive. For me, the most gratifying part was being able to welcome all of the award winners as they came on the stage. Congratulations to all of you!
I want to again express my deep appreciation and gratitude to the staff for all their hard work, to the conference committee, to the Virtual Track coordinators, and to the student volunteers. Without their dedication and support, the conference would not be possible.
Things started off with a bang, as the keynote from Jonathan Colman of Facebook was fabulous. He provided a great look at Carl Sagan’s impressive effort to communicate intergalactically and hammered home the statement that technical communicators are “warriors against ambiguity.” He reinforced the idea that what we do matters. He also used “palimpsest” multiple times in his speech (which should make Sarah O’Keefe very happy).
Google was also present, with a recruiter at a booth in our exhibit hall. Google is looking for a few good technical communicators who have a blend of programming and content development skills. If you apply or tell others about the jobs, please let Google know that you heard about the job from the Summit, so that they see the ROI of continuing to participate. Here’s the link to Google Jobs.
We are moving in a positive direction—energized and excited about the coming year. STC CEO Chris Lyons mentioned at the conference’s Leadership Day that our member numbers are up compared to last year and we rolled out the new mission statement. With this shift in focus, we are refining our strategic plan and will be providing more information as time goes on. As you begin planning your community and committee events and activities, it’s important to keep the mission and vision in mind so that you can ensure that your activities align with those of the whole organization. This year will be a year of positive changes that position us for the next 60 years.
I am looking forward to serving you and to working with all of you this year. I will be posting periodically here on STC’s Notebook to keep you informed of what’s going on.