DECEMBER 2005 (Volume 17 Number 4) About the Quill
In This Issue
President's Message
This month, Debbie talks about the different ways we present information and how our families can benefit from having an "in-house" technical communicator. Learn how you too can drive your family round the bend with a few fundamentals.
The Great Web Re-Do, Part One
Opal Gamble, webmaster for our local chapter, shares with us a recent adventure
in redesigning, or rather "realigning" a website. The first in her series focuses on a driver trying to boost his web profile in the world of motorsports. Go figure.
Introduction to Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA)
At the Novemeber general meeting, Michael Priestley introduced us to DITA, an XML-based architecture that IBM developed for authoring and producing technical documentation. Wow, our heads are still spinning!
Freelance 101: Chronicles for the Self-Employed
Can you still be a contractor and dedicated onsite resource for clients? You bet—and here's what you need to know about how to negotiate longterm contracts!
STC Education Seminars for 2006
Drum roll please...the 2006 Education Seminar topics and speakers have been booked. Brush up on your editing and instructional design skills and mark your calendars!
Calling all Student Writers!
Need a $1000 to help with your education, or know someone who does? Well, get those fingers typing: we are now accepting submissions for our chapter's Heidi Thiessen Memorial Award. The money is just waiting for us to give away to the right entry....read all about it!
Council Meeting Minutes
Read about what your council discussed at its November meeting, and the dedicated council members who battled the elements to get there.
Membership Update
Leanne reminds us to make sure our membership information is up to date, and shows us how easy it is to submit a membership profile by providing details about her professional life as a technical writer (so far).
Upcoming Chapter Meetings
Read all about the meeting topics planned for 2006, including an STC veteran's talk on the Universal Design for Learning and the annual Wine and Cheese in March!
The Editor's MessageHappy December, and welcome to our "holiday" issue of The Quill! We've hung the lights (which may push our electricity bill through the roof, but nothing is too good for our readers) and, after a busy fall, we are ready for family fun and shiny paper moments. Say goodbye to 2005...It's hard to believe that another year is almost over, and what a year this has been. We started the year with a horrific tsunami at the top of the news, are now at the tail end of the worst hurricane season on record, and even had tornadoes touch down in (and devastate parts of) Wellington county—indeed, the weather outside can be frightful! So among the many lessons I have learned over the past year, include:
Don't get me wrong, 2005 wasn't all doom and gloom: there was some good news—how about the return of hockey? I mean I enjoyed all the "quality" time with my husband last year, but it is nice to finally have a break from being Director of Family Entertainment—so thanks to the Players' Association and National Hockey League for working out their differences and giving me back my "kids are in bed and I just want to veg in front of the tv without the sarcastic commentary" nights. ...and hello to 2006My point (and I do have one) is enjoy what is left of 2005—live in each and every "moment" and build up those memories we will all live in when life breezes by and we find ourselves counting the change at the checkout. Next year is a new canvas to paint. See you in February. Happy holidays! 
As always, I welcome your articles, suggestions, and comments. Email me, Margie, at quill@stc-soc.org.
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