About the Chapter

Chapter Guide

2001-2002

Table of Contents

Overview

Mission

Organization

STC International

Region 7

Rocky Mountain Chapter

Seminars

For More Information

Meetings

Locations

Programs

Agenda

Council Meetings

Membership

Why Join STC?

How to Join

Dues

Types of Membership

Membership Directory

Renewals & Updates

Application Problems?

Online Resources

Web Page

Member Websites

Discussion List

Employment Resources

Job Listings

Job Table

Salary Survey

Information for Employers

Jobs & Freelance Resources

Educational Resources

Programs

Workshops & Conferences

Scholarships

Mentoring

Other Resources

Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteer Corner

Community Service

Many Opportunities

Special Interest Groups

How to Join a SIG

Consulting & Independent Contracting (CIC)

Society Level

Chapter Level

FrameMaker

Information Design and Usability

Society Level

Information Design SIG

Usability SIG

Chapter Level

Online

Society Level

Chapter Level

Northern Colorado

Western Slope

Competitions

Awards

Art

Online

Publications

Ethical Principles

Legality

Honesty

Confidentiality

Quality

Fairness

Professionalism

1

Overview

The Society for Technical Communication (STC) is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to furthering the art of communicating technical information and promoting the education, improvement, and advancement of its members. Membership is open to those employed in, interested in, or concerned with the profession of technical writing, publishing, or associated disciplines.

Mission

The Rocky Mountain Chapter (RMC) of the STC serves the diverse needs of its members by promoting professionalism and the exchange of information among its members, and educating the community on the value of technical communication.

Organization

Please Note: All contact information provided in this Chapter Guide is published to facilitate contact among the members for STC purposes only. It is not intended, and we request that it not be used for commercial purposes.

STC International

All STC chapters are governed on a Society level by an elected board of directors. Membership is divided into eight regions that each contain approximately 20 local Chapters. In addition to the Society leaders, each local chapter elects a set of chapter-level officers.

STC International: Contact Information

Society for Technical Communication

Region 7

STC International is divided into eight international regions. Each region is comprised of area chapters. Region 7 contains 21 chapters: eight U.S. (including our Rocky MountainChapter), two Canadian, and three Asian.

Region 7

• Alaska
• Brigham Young Univ.*
• Inland Northwest
• Intermountain
• Mid-Valley
• Montana Tech*
• Oregon Inst. Of Tech.*
• Puget Sound
• Rocky Mountain
• Snake River
• Southern Colorado
• Tri-Cities
• Univ. of Washington*
• Utah State Univ.*
• Willamette Valley

• Alberta
• Canada West Coast
• Vancouver Island

• Rep. of China
• Singapore
• Tokyo

Region 7: Contact Information

Ellen Fenwick, Director-Sponsor

P.O. Box 3403

Boise, ID 84703 USA

Home Phone:208-322-9075

Home Fax:208-322-9075 (same as voice)

Work Phone:208-429-6220

Rocky Mountain Chapter

Founded in 1958, the Rocky MountainChapter is based in Colorado. Although most of our members live and work along the Front Range, we are geographically diverse. Some of our members live as far away as Grand Junction, Steamboat Springs, and Cheyenne. Over the past five years, the Rocky MountainChapter has grown to approximately 700 members. It is among the largest of the STC’s more than 140 chapters worldwide.

Members joining STC who live in the following zip codes are automatically assigned to the Rocky Mountain Chapter:

80001-80759

81501-82034

82301-82336

Our membership represents diverse areas of technical communication including:

• Desktop Publishing
• Document Design And Management
• Editing
• Graphic Design And Illustration
• Indexing
• Information Design
• Interface Design
• Online Documentation
• Project Management
• Proofreading
• Software Development
• Usability
• Web Page Design
• Editing
• Writing

Rocky Mountain Chapter: Contact Information

STC Rocky MountainChapter

STC Feedback

Listserv

1. Go to
2. Scroll down and type your email address carefully. Choose immediate or digest delivery.
3. Press Submit. Wait until the list owner verifies your STC membership. This may take several days.

Rocky Mountain Chapter: Contact Information (Continued)

Rocky Mountain Chapter: Contact Information

Rocky Mountain Chapter: Contact Information

Seminars

Rocky Mountain Chapter: Contact Information

For More Information

Ongoing information about the RMC is available through several resources:

• The STCRMC website at
• Email queries to
• RMC’s monthly newsletter Technicalities

Meetings

Chapter meetings are generally held on the third Thursday of every month except for July, August, and December. Both members and the public are welcome. Admission is $5 for members, $8 for non-members, and students are admitted for free. Please pay admission fees at the sign-in table near the door. Exact dates, locations, and program information are published in the newsletter and on the chapter website at *

*Note: The URL suffix of month and year (oct01) will change monthly.

Locations

Since the RMC covers a large geographic area, locations for the chapter meetings rotate throughout the Front Range to accommodate as many members as possible. Past locations have included Boulder, Golden, Westminster, downtown Denver, south Denver, and the Denver Tech Center.

Programs

One of the main benefits of belonging to STC is educational opportunity. Experts from a wide variety of fields present programs at each meeting to help members learn about various topics in technical communication. Regardless of whether the information is familiar or brand new, members increase their understanding of the latest trends in the field. Previous years’ programs included:

• Authoring computer-based training for delivery over the Internet
• Electronic document management systems
• Resources for technical communication
• Communication effectively through graphic design
• Localization and translation of information for worldwide distribution
• User interface design
• Knowledge management
• Communication with diverse populations

Agenda

For RMC members, networking is an important activity. Don’t miss your chance to meet other professionals. Take advantage of the networking session before each meeting, and be sure to bring your business cards! Refreshments are provided.

• 5:45 – 6:45 p.m.Special Interest Groups (SIGs)
• 5:45 – 7:15 p.m.Networking
• 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.Orientation for New and Potential Members
• 7:15 – 9:00 p.m.Program and Announcements

Council Meetings

The RMC council meetings are held on the first Thursday of the month at 6:00 p.m. All members are welcome to attend. If you have business before the council, let the chapter President know ahead of time. Most meetings are held at the Eugene Field Library in Denver, but please contact any officer to verify the location.

Membership

Membership is open to those employed in, interested in, or concerned with the profession of technical writing, publishing, or associated disciplines. The Rocky Mountain Chapter has approximately 700 members, with a goal to increase membership by at least 15% per year. All suggestions on ways to accomplish this objective are encouraged. Coworkers and friends are welcome as visitors, in hope that they, too, will join.

Why Join STC?

If you are contemplating joining STC, or if you wish to convince a friend to join, check out STC’s brochure of 10 Reasons to Join STC at Also, check out other benefit information at

How to Join

Access and follow the instructions to download an application form, or contact the RMC Membership Chair at

Dues

Renewing Members

Regular members renewing for 2002 pay $125 ($125 dues and no enrollment fee).

New Members

New members joining during the months of October, November, and December are paid through December of the following year, providing them with one to three months of free benefits.

Enrollment fee for new members joining through December 31, 2001 is $125 ($110 dues, plus a one-time $15 enrollment fee). New members who join on or after January 1, 2002, pay $140 ($125 plus a one-time $15 enrollment fee).

Student Members

New and renewing student members pay $45 ($45 dues and no enrollment fee).

Types of Membership

General

Individual membership is open to all those interested in technical communication.

Senior Member

The grade of senior member is conferred automatically on each member after five years of Society membership.

Student Member

To be eligible for student membership, an applicant must meet the following criteria:

1. Be enrolled in an accredited university, college, community college, or technical school.
2. Be taking at least two courses or their equivalent each term.
3. Be preparing for a career in technical communication

Sustaining Organizations

Membership in STC is available only to individuals. However, the sustaining organization program is open to companies, corporations, institutions, and other organizations interested in the aims of the Society and willing to encourage and support its work through payment of annual dues. For further information on the sustaining organization program, please visit Sustaining Member section of the STC website at

Membership Directory

As a resource to its members, STC provides contact information for most members via a searchable online database.

Please note that STC takes every precaution to protect its members’ privacy. The membership application and renewal form provides options for members to customize their contact information by indicating what they wish to include in the STCMembership Directory. If you wish to change your listings in the Membership Directory, please send an e-mail to .

To ensure that you continue to receive such publications as Technical Communication (the Society’s journal) and Intercom (the Society’s magazine) as well as other communications from the STC office, please check your listing in the online STCMembership Directory.

Renewals & Updates

Membership renewals and contact information updates are submitted at

Application Problems?

If you have applied for STC membership and paid your dues, but have not received an information packet and your membership card after a sufficient time has elapsed, or if you have questions concerning reinstatement, please contact one of the following people at STC’s main, or international, level where all applications are received:

Main Phone...... 703.522.4114

Christopher Ruck...... x214

Membership Director

Mary Rose Velasquez...x200

Membership Assistant

Rebecca Castro...... x256

Membership Assistant

For all other questions, contact the Membership Chairman at

Online Resources

Online resources provide valuable information for RMC members. The chapter Web page contains the most current information about contacts, meetings, employment information, educational opportunities, Special Interest Groups, competitions, and special events. Subscribing to the Internet discussion list is also an effective way to keep in touch with the latest happenings between meetings.

Web Page

The RMC has maintained a Web presence since 1995. Our current site, is the most current and comprehensive source of information about the RMC and its activities. The site offers the following beneficial information to members:

• Provides a quick reference about meetings and programs
• Lists volunteer activities
• Provides chapter news, events, and calendar
• Job postings from throughout the area
• An archive of articles from the RMC newsletter

Member Websites

Can technical communicators design Web pages? See for yourself! Several RMC members have established an online presence. Links to their sites are provided on the chapter Web page. If you’re a member and would like to be listed, contact the Web page committee manager at ..

Discussion List

One of the best things about STC membership is discussing technical communication with our peers. To have these discussions, we typically go to chapter meetings. But because of the RMC’s geographic diversity, this can be difficult. Besides, sometimes we need answers right away.

Nothing can replace the face-to-face contact we get at STC meetings, but the RMC’s Internet discussion list provides another way to communicate. The list is for the exclusive use of RMC members. It is used to discuss freelancing, how to become a technical communicator, problem solving, job leads, meeting and seminar announcements, and other issues related to technical communication.

The discussion list lets you send email to many people at one time. With a single message to the RMC list, you can reach every member who is subscribed. Go to to subscribe to the list, and follow the directions provided there. You can also unsubscribe or change your delivery from immediate to digest.

If you have problems, send an email to .

Employment Resources

Employment information is an interest shared by all our members. The Rocky MountainChapter prides itself on providing numerous employment resources. Whether you’re new to the working world, a career changer, or a seasoned veteran, you’re sure to find valuable employment information that will help you advance your career.

Job Listings

The RMC Job Line provides information on current and past job openings in Colorado. Employers submit openings to the Employment Manager, who then posts them to the Job Postings Web page Job Line and the Internet discussion list. Job postings are retained on the current list for approximately 30 days, then moved to the Archived Job Postings Page, where they are kept for an additional 90 days. The chapter Web page also provides a link to the STC International job bank, which lists job openings worldwide.

You can access the Job Listing in two ways:

• Visit the chapter Web page at
• Subscribe to the Internet discussion list. Instructions are provided in this document under Online Resources.

In addition, the chapter website provides an extensive set of jobsearch resources. You can view these pages at

Job Table

At each meeting, employers and job seekers should check out the Job Table. Employers can bring copies of job descriptions, and job seekers can bring their résumés. The Job Table is a great place for employers and job seekers to network.

Salary Survey

The RMC conducts periodic salary surveys of its members. The results are available on the chapter website, or you can obtain a hard copy by calling the Salary Survey Manager.

Information for Employers

The RMC provides Publications: Hiring the Best Technical Communicator at to help employers hire the best technical communicator.

Jobs & Freelance Resources

The chapter website at a wealth of information for job seekers. Breaking into the field, résumés, and cover letters, employer profiles, networking, and published information are just some of the topics included in the directory.

Educational Resources

Lifelong learning is crucial to success as a technical communicator. We are faced with rapidly changing technology, an expanding world market, and ever-increasing amounts of technical material that needs to be communicated. The only way to stay on the edge is to constantly focus on upgrading your skills. The Rocky MountainChapter meets this need by providing its members with ongoing educational opportunities.

Programs

Experts from a wide variety of fields present programs at each meeting to help members learn about various topics in technical communication. Regardless of whether the information is familiar or brand new, members increase their understanding of the latest trends in the field. For more information about programs, see

Workshops & Conferences

The RMC offers an ongoing series of workshops and conferences to help members increase their knowledge of technical communication. If you have suggestions for workshop or seminar topics or if you need more information, contact the Seminars Manager.

The RMC also announces classes, workshops, and conferences offered by other chapters and organizations. For more information and links to additional sites of interest, visit the chapter Web page at

Scholarships

The George Hoerter Scholarship is available to undergraduates and graduates working on a college degree in technical communication. For more information, contact the Education and Scholarships Manager.

Mentoring

About 100 senior members have agreed to provide mentoring services within their specialty. For more information about this exciting program, contact one of the Mentoring Mangers.