Idea Watch: RE: Well, I Sure Won't Be in Chicago

[squarej -at- nationwide -dot- com]

Hello,

I agree with some of the recent posts about the quality of STC
publications, events, and local meetings.   Even though I must say that I
do extract some value from the STC organization,  I too am tired of the
"how to write online help" and "how to be nice to your SME" presentations.

What I suggest you to do is check out this site:

www.ideawatch.org

This site is devoted to new ideas within our field, although it won't
quench your thirst for more technical information.  It may quench your
thirst for ideas outside our field and keep up with some current trends.
A fellow STC member and I started this in response to the same feelings all
of you have been having.   Disclaimer: this site is in its infancy; we just
started it in 2001.   We would welcome any constructive criticism and
encourage those who need more technical information to start their own site
for this same concept---but focusing only on the technology trends.

Check out our white papers for a discussion of this exact topic.  Heidi
Hansen, my co-founder, wrote an excellent white paper on this same issue:
Asking the Bigger Picture Questions About Intercom.   Although we still
understand the importance of STC, we are hoping to contribute to STC to
improve its offerings.

I just had the pleasure of spending my professional development money on
the Norman and Nielsen group's recent "User Experience World Tour."  It was
money well-spent.  I decided to spend my dollars  there instead of STC this
year.  Stay tuned for our site on a report on the ideas I found there.
Some of them apply to technical communication!

Thanks,
Jennifer


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