TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
It was brought to my attention recently that of the prior four or five
presidents of our local STC chapter, none of them are still even regularly
attending meetings. One has dropped out of sight, one has gone into another
line of work, two others have heavily busy schedules, and yet another has
moved out of state. In fact, of the past twelve presidents, only one comes
today even fitfully. I'm president this year and one of the members was
mentioning that it was almost time for me to pull a disappearing act myself
at the end of this term.
We're a medium-sized chapter of about 120 individuals, so our experience
may not be typical. But I was curious; for those of you who are members of
STC and attend local meetings regularly, is this a usual experience? Our
chapter has pretty high turnover, especially in the group that regularly
attends. Is the "presidential vanishing act" usual, or is it just a
manifestation of the general trend of rapid membership change?
Tim Altom
Vice President, Simply Written, Inc.
317.899.5882 (voice) 317.899.5987 (fax)
FrameMaker support ForeHelp support
FrameMaker Conversions
PDF Consulting and Production
Clustar (TM) Documentation Methodology