Re: STC Membership

[Bonni Graham <bonnig -at- IX -dot- NETCOM -dot- COM>]

David Broudy wrote:

>I'm interested in joining this organization, but the $110 fee is a bit
>steep. I can afford it, sort of, but before I write that check I'd like to
>get some feedback from STC members.

I've found STC to be very valuable. The quarterly journal keeps me up to
date on current research and theory, while the monthly national newsletter
offers a lot of useful practical tips (especially now under its new
organization!). Chapter newsletters provide information about local
activities and perspectives.

I've found that the publications alone are worth the money (which works out
to $0.30 per day, BTW, which is substantially less than I spend on coffee).
However, there's more than that to STC.

Most chapters offer a local meeting per month, sometimes year-round,
sometimes from September to June (we in San Diego take the summer off; I
don't know what everyone else does). These meetings are excellent
opportunites to meet face-to-face with other members of your profession.
It's excellent networking, and the meeting topics are usually quite
informative. I've gotten two of my last three full-time, salaried jobs at
meetings. I found my extremely capable assistant, Don Rasky, through STC.
The meetings have been a good resource. They were also a sanity-saver when I
was the Lone Writer ("You mean OTHER writers have a hard time wringing
information out of SMEs?  It's not just becasue I'm new?!")

The local and national pubs competitions offer a great way to get a reality
check on your work.  There's a fee for entering, but it's usually MUCH less
for members.

I like the sense of connection and community I get from STC. I feel like I'm
a part of something bigger than just me or my company.

I'm fast approaching senior membership (this December) and it's been very
valuable.

Bonni Graham
Manual Labour
bonnig -at- ix -dot- netcom -dot- com