RE: STC blackmail?

Subject: RE: STC blackmail?
From: "Gordon Graham" <gordon -at- gordonandgordon -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Tue, 9 Apr 2002 16:03:47 -0400


OK, here's another data point. I first presented at an STC conference in
1987, and at that time I attended a session intended to gather thoughts
about how the STC could improve. I said I thought it wasn't right to have to
pay to attend a conference at which I was presenting, to say nothing about
the airfare and hotel.

I was roundly thumped by all those present, especially one grand dame
professorial type who announced that she was proud to have the opportunity
to present at an STC conference, had been doing it for years, and would be
doing it for as long as they let her... etc.

This is when I began to see that the STC is peopled by two types:
practitioners working in the field, and academics teaching about it. I
believe it's about 1/3 academics to 2/3 practitioners, but I could be wrong.

Unlike a murky conspiracy theory, this factual distinction explains several
things:

* the existence of the journal "Technical Communication" which clearly
provides an outlet for academics who must publish or perish (and which is
immediately pitched into the recycling by most practitioners)

* the regular resurfacing of the debate about "certification" which, if it
came in, would provide a great surge in job security for academics, since
many practitioners would feel it necessary to obtain certification to
protect their incomes

* the limited value of many books with "technical communication" in their
titles, which are clearly published by academics as potential textbooks but
bear little relation to what anyone in the "real world" actually does

* the continued spirit of "volunteerism" which reaches its highest
expression in the policy of the annual STC Conference to make presenters
pay. I submit that this policy does not rankle the academic segment of the
STC, many of whom have institutions to pay their way and others for whom
having a paper in the annual Proceedings is valuable to their career path.

Practitioners do not get the same value from publishing in the Proceedings
or the journal or speaking at STC Conferences, and in fact do so only due to
the goodness of their hearts, the fullness of their pocketbooks, and the
aggrandizement of their egos.

Therefore practitioners must run a tougher cost-benefit analysis on
belonging to the STC and attending the annual conference. Some of us get
better value by participating in techwr-l.

I have no axe to grind with the STC, in fact I do realize how difficult it
can be to please several different constituencies that make up an
association. Each year I make up my own mind whether it's worth it to
continue my STC membership (yes) and attend the conference (usually no).

So now that I've explained all this, could we get back to work?! ;-)



==============================
Gordon Graham, partner
Gordon & Gordon
---------------------------------------
(514) 488-1875
www.gordonandgordon.com
==============================


-----Original Message-----
From: bounce-techwr-l-62169 -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
[mailto:bounce-techwr-l-62169 -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com]On Behalf Of David Knopf
Sent: April 9, 2002 2:02 PM
To: TECHWR-L
Subject: RE: STC blackmail?

Well, just for the record then: I am an STC member (a senior member, in
fact), having joined sometime in the 1980s. I have been a frequent
presenter at industry conferences, including WinWriters, Help
University, HTC, and so forth, and also at STC chapter meetings (where,
oddly enough, I am never charged an entry fee and almost always am
provided with a free meal... I do not even consider presenting at STC
conferences because, frankly, I find it insulting to have to pay an
entry fee to a conference at which I am a presenter... I'm not seeking to
change
anyone's opinion here, and I'm well aware that STC can easily pull off
its conferences without my participation. This is just another data
point in the discussion.



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RE: STC blackmail?: From: David Knopf

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