Re: Proud Non-Member of STC

Subject: Re: Proud Non-Member of STC
From: Andrew Plato <aplato -at- EASYSTREET -dot- COM>
Date: Wed, 14 Jan 1998 22:12:16 -0800

Although I am a card-carrying member of STC, I do it merely for the job
listings. In my five years of experience with STC, I have decided much of
the same things that Lisa mentioned -- with a few additions. (These are my
personal, highly biased impressions and opinions. If my opinions offend
you -- then go punch a tree or something.)

Hardcore STC followers seem to TALK a lot about writing and write very
little. I was always under the impression that writers wrote, not talked.
It seems to me that the ultimate measure of a writer's abilities is how well
he/she writes. Yet, if I listened to most of my STC buddies -- they would
have me thinking otherwise.

I have yet to see an STC publication that was interesting. Do I really want
to read things like "The World of Apostrophes, Volume II" by I. Emma
Dullard of Chapter 3, Region 5, Subsector A, Pod 9, Platoon D, Company Q,
Squad X.

Many STC sponsored events seem to be a forum for collective whining. "Can
you believe that those engineers use Helvetica! My God, when are these
people going to learn the rules of Serif and Sans Serif?" There is nothing
in the world worse than a room full of Amway "distributors" -- except
perhaps a room full of technical writers. You know there is a reason why
most engineers loathe technical writers. They WHINE! People -- go back to
work and WRITE something for christsakes.

$110 to join? Why not just take my gall bladder also. For the love of God,
what does that $110 do? You can't tell me I paid $110 for that InterComm
magazine. The 14 year old goth-teen in my apartment complex puts out a
better magazine about her friends and Marilyn Manson.

STC seems to condone the holy wars. And as many of you already know, I
think the Word/Frame, Micro/Mac wars are LAME! And the religious zealots on
either side are LAME! All of you zealots should be forced to type out
transcripts of Tom Synder's Tomorrow show on a 286 with a flickering green,
monochrome monitor. I remember a recent STC article that disgustingly
expounded the immense superiority of Macs and FrameMaker. (Naturally that
whole market share thing did not seem to bother them.)

Also, Lisa is very much correct about the vendor forum crap. If I have to
hear one more inane presentation about the wonders of BlatherMaster 97 or
FrameJacker 2.0 I'll hurl.

STC is a good idea that just does not work. There are too many sour apples
spoiling it for the rest of us who work our ass off and like to write. I
say it is about time the lazy, whiners leave STC and the technical
communications profession!

But these are just my opinions. I could be wrong. And like I said, if
you're offended by this -- go punch a tree or something.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Andrew Plato
Owner / Principal Consultant
Anitian Technology Services
www.anitian.com
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

-----Original Message-----
From: lisarea -at- druak -dot- dr -dot- lucent -dot- com <lisarea -at- druak -dot- dr -dot- lucent -dot- com>
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.techwr-l
Date: Wednesday, January 14, 1998 10:24 AM
Subject: Re: Proud Non-Member of STC


>I am not Bruce Byfield, but I play him on television, so I feel that
>I am qualified to answer.
>
>I joined the STC in college and stuck around for a few years after
>that. I went to meetings and read the journal and blah blah blah.
>
>Some of the reasons I quit are as follows:
>
>1. My local chapter was pretty much a vendor forum. We were subjected
>to excruciating sales presentations on things like PAPER and SCREEN
>CAPTURE TOOLS. I'm not kidding. Paper. Was anybody else at that one?
>I was the one lying flat on my back in the middle of the floor
>screaming, "STOP! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, PLEASE STOP!!!"
>
>2. I was humiliated by one too many poorly written, poorly
>researched, and plain wrong article in the journal.
>
>3. Tech writers just make my butt itch. I am dead serious. One at a
>time, they're fine. But boy oh boy, you get a bunch of them in one
>place, and it's like somebody rubbing styrofoam on your teeth or
>something. They can talk for HOURS and DAYS and MONTHS and YEARS
>about the stupidest and most trivial things I have ever heard. You
>know what I'm talking about, too, but I am not bringing any of the
>lukewarm "hot tech writing topics" up, because YOU PEOPLE DO IT,
>TOO!!! GAAARRRRR!!!
>
>Seriously, though, I can see the value in being an STC member, and if
>you think it's worth your while, that's a good thing. But it
>shouldn't become a status thing. It's optional. If it's worth
>something to you, do it; but if it's not worth much to you, you
>shouldn't feel compelled to spend money on it.
>
>Yours,
>Bruce Byf ^W^W
>Lisa Higgins.
>lisarea -at- druak -dot- dr -dot- lucent -dot- com
>

>




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