STC Rochester Chapter

by Kathy Porray, Proof Sheet editor

Touring the Dancing Wings Butterfly Garden at the Strong National Museum of Play on the evening of September 21^st proved to be a delightful way to start the chapter’s 2010–2011 season. For those of you who haven’t had the opportunity to visit this Rochester gem, you’re missing a real treat.

Our evening began with a networking reception, which allowed us to interact with new and familiar friends after our summer hiatus. Katherine’s Gourmet Creations of Pittsford provided the catering. Nibbles included a variety of mini quiches, bruschetta, chicken-French bites, asparagus rolls with bleu cheese and garlic, fruit, and a variety of gourmet cupcakes and beverages.

For the tour, a paved path in the conservatory led us through a lush rain-forest-like garden filled with hundreds of brilliantly-colored, free-flying butterflies. It was interesting to discover that the winged adults of most of the species live only a week or two, and that the conservatory replenishes its supply with approximately 500 new butterflies weekly.

Adding to the excitement of the evening, business reporter Matthew Daneman (Democrat and Chronicle) attended the event and featured the Rochester chapter in the Sunday, September 26th business section (link below).

Chapter President Ben Woelk welcomed the 30 attendees, comprised of 18 STC members and 12 non-members, introduced the council team, and outlined chapter goals for the upcoming year. One of our major initiatives is to engage the membership to transform STC Rochester. We’ll revitalize our chapter by meeting the individual needs of our members and being relevant to our community. To do this, Ben stressed the necessity for feedback from the membership. Contact any member of your council team and let us know what you’d like to see this year.

Note from the president: Why did we choose the Butterfly Garden? Butterflies symbolize transformation in many cultures. STC is in the midst of major change; the butterfly shows us that this change can be extraordinary.

Let’s be extraordinary.

Links

• Tech Communications Group Helps Each Other (democratandchronicle.com)

The 2010-2011 Technical Publications Competition is underway! Every year we recruit new and experienced judges to help out with the competition.

Help make this year’s competition a success!

Eligibility

Judging offers an excellent opportunity to review some of the best technical communication products authored in our region.

You do not have to be a member of the Society for Technical Communication to be a judge. We welcome everyone’s valuable experience and participation!

We are looking for judges at all experience levels, from the veteran who looks forward to being a senior contributor or team lead, to the first-time judge. Each team has three judges, so new judges will be teamed with at least one experienced judge.

Benefits of Judging

Some of the benefits of judging competition entries include:

• A chance to share best practices with other judges
• A sense of goodwill from helping our local technical communication community and colleagues
• Exposure to current technical communication designs, principles, and innovations
• An opportunity to network with other well-regarded technical communicators in our community

Categories

You do not have to be an expert in every field! Types of materials include:

• Informational (annual reports, articles, white papers, periodicals)
• Promotional (brochures, catalogs, fliers, websites)
• Instructional (tutorials, training)
• User support (quick start guides, job aides, help systems, user guides)

Important Dates

October 15: Judges application deadline
October 25: Judges notified of acceptance and packet distribution begins
November 20: Consensus Judging Day. This is when all the judges meet to determine the award levels and Best in Show.

You must be available to attend the Consensus Judging Day, November 20, 2010 or make arrangements with the Judging Coordinator.

Forms to Download

Click links to view the files in your browser, or right-click and Save As to download forms.
Judge Application (to complete online)
Judge Application (to print and return)
Call for Judges (a download of this page)
General Information and Competition Rules (information about the entire competition)

Questions?

Contact Pam Greenfield, Competition Manager or Jan Peartree, Judging Coordinator.

Entries are now being accepted for the STC Rochester Chapter 2010-2011 Summit Awards.

Entry must:

• contain sufficient technical, scientific, medical, or similar content to qualify as technical communication
• have been produced or substantially revised within 24 months preceding September 1, 2010.
• have been originally prepared for and accepted for publication by a client, employer, or publisher.

Entries are subject to all restrictions listed in the General Information and Competition Rules.