Sure, but what have you done for me lately?

by Opal Gamble, President

The STC is reinventing itself to suit the needs and requests of its membership. I'm sure all of you have heard about the STC's Transformation from the STC Web site and various STC publications, so I'm not going to get into the details of the changes beyond this month's topic:

Membership.

It's that time of year again...

If you haven't seen your membership renewal in your mailbox yet, it's on its way. Big deal. You'll just sign that cheque (or get your employer to sign one) and off to the post office it goes. Right?

Well, not exactly.

This year, the process is a little more complicated, due to a new system of membership.

Now, to borrow from The Quill's Ask The Expert column from October, here is a breakdown of the new membership system:

The new membership scheme raises an interesting dilemma for those of you who want more than the STCs publications: join a chapter or join SIGs?

The scheme also raises another important question: why should you join a chapter at all?

[insert sales pitch here]

My belief is that while SIGs are useful and wonderful communities in their own right—a group of people interested in a specific topic is always a golden opportunity for learning and sharing—nothing can replace a chapter.

Now, this statement lends itself to a big, old, skeptical "what's so great about a chapter?" (Yes, you in the back row, I heard that.)

Here is just some of what's great about being an STC-SOC (Southwestern Ontario Chapter) member:

1. Monthly meetings
   Hot topics, new technologies, and networking opportunities all rolled into one, free monthly session. These meetings are free for everyone, members or non-members. Many—and by many I mean more than 80% of chapters—require an entrance fee from their members and a larger fee from non-members.
2. Phone seminars
   As a member of our chapter, you can attend these sessions for free. In the past, phone seminars have covered topics from paper prototyping and indexing. One of the upcoming session is about hazards.
3. Networking
   Even excluding the formal networking nights that our chapter is hosting this year, being a member of STC-SOC gains you valuable contacts in the local communicator community. Attending meetings (for example, general, SIG or phone seminars) introduces you to new people all the time.
4. The Quill
   You're already aware of the value of our chapter's publication, because you're reading it right now. It's the lifeline of the chapter for getting news and information to our membership (you!) and it's award winning to boot.
5. Chapter SIGS
   The Management and Contract special interest groups are alive and thriving in our community and there is room for more SIGs if the interest continues to grow.
6. Education Opportunities
   Our chapter has set a very high standard for education opportunities, and this year is no exception. Chapter members enjoy a discounted rate for our annual education days.

Now, if you're wavering between a limited membership and a e-membership or classic membership, here's the key point:
The extra funds go into your chapter to support our programs and grow the communications community in our area.

In other words, that extra $10 or $20 goes right back into your chapter, letting us provide those nice services listed above.

Without your membership, there are no events, which means there are fewer face-to-face opportunities for growth and networking.

Without you, there is no chapter.

About Opal Gamble

Technical writer, web monkey, and general geek, Opal's wanted to be a tech writer since high school; she became a STC-SOC council member in 1997. A graduate of UW's co-op Rhetoric and Professional Writing program, Opal is a Technical Writer and (unofficial) web designer at Virtek. She also runs her own freelance business.

When she's not doing STC business, Opal participates in autocross events (with a hybrid car, no less!) and tries to cultivate a green thumb in her garden.