Newsletter

 

Proof Sheet STC Rochester Chapter

September 2022-August 2023 Volume 64 Numbers 1-12

Next Meetings

Date: June 2023
Program: Two-hour workshop on prompt engineering
Location: Online

Date: July 20, 2023, 6:00 PM ET
Program: Books That Roc! Book discussion
Location: Online
Registration: Eventbrite

The group will discuss Word Up! How to Write Powerful Sentences and Paragraphs (And Everything You Build From Them) by Marcia Riefer Johnston, and the next book will be announced.

Future dates: July 20, 2023, October 19, 2023, January 18, 2024

Each session will follow the same format, discussion followed by a first look at the next book. You are welcome to join Books that Roc for any session. See the meeting report on this page for information about the first session. If you have any questions, contact  programs@stc-rochester.org.

Date: September 19-20, 2023
Program: Spectrum 2023
Location: Online
Registration: Eventbrite

This year’s theme is Tech Comm Stories—successes, lessons learned, innovation, career-defining moments, unique experiences, and more. The two-day virtual conference is a series of round table discussions that will span a career in tech comm, discuss technology, bring together the past and the future, and leave room for some professional networking and fun.

All registrants are encouraged to engage with the round table leaders to create a fully interactive conference. Registrants will be able to voice questions, comments, and share their own stories live and through the chat.

Redact Room

The newsletter page is a chronicle of activities of the Rochester Chapter and STC for the year. Highlights of the 2022 to 2023 year include the Alliance Competition, with judging to be completed by early December, and Spectrum 2023, to be held in September 19-20.

The Rochester Chapter celebrates its 65th anniversary on February 27, 2023; the first meeting was on February 27, 1958, at the Treadway Inn on East Avenue at Alexander Street. The chapter will share stories of that first year as we plan and carry out programs and activities for this year.

If you would like to contribute to the Rochester chapter news or write a feature article for the chapter blog, contact the editor: newsletter@stc-rochester.org.

Meeting Report

Date: April 20, 2023, 6:00 PM ET
Program: Books That Roc! Book discussion
Location: Online

The group discussed Lead Fearlessly, Love Hard: Finding Your Purpose and Putting it to Work by Linda Cliatt-Wayman.

Date: March 30, 2023, 12:00 PM ET
Program: Expert Panel: ChatGPT, AI, and Tech Writing
Location: Online

The Rochester chapter of STC held a panel discussion with Rob Hanna, CEO of Precision Content, Kirk St. Amant, Director of the Center for Health and Medical Communication at Louisiana Tech University, and Jason Kaufman, President of Irrevo.

The panel took a look at how AI and natural language processors are changing the technical communications field–what content we make, how we make it, how we store and access it, how we teach authoring, and how we interact with our robot co-workers.

Date: February 28, 2023 12:00 to 1:00 PM ET
Program: ChatGPT Brown Bag Discussion
Location: Online

Participants engaged in open discussion of questions including What is ChatGPT? How does it work? How might this affect the technical communication field?  The Rochester Chapter held this discussion to share information about this new technology and open the floor for questions people may have. There were 173 registrants and 69 people attended. Everyone who registered has access to the recording. By leaning on our community we help each other navigate Chat GPT as an emerging technology.

Date: January 26, 2023 6:00 to 8:00 PM ET
Program: Books that Roc
Location: Online

The Rochester Chapter is starting a virtual book club to build a stronger sense of community within the tech comm industry. The kick-off meeting was held on January 26, with an introduction to the first book: Lead Fearlessly, Love Hard: Finding Your Purpose and Putting it to Work by Linda Cliatt-Wayman. There were 15 registrants. The group meets again on April 20 to discuss the book and share our thoughts and takeaways.

Books that Roc is free but you must register to attend. The first five people who registered for theJanuary 26th meeting received a free copy courtesy of the Rochester Chapter. Books that Roc is open to all STC members and to the general public. The chapter encourages students, new professionals, and folks looking for a career change to join the meetings and learn more about the field.

You are encouraged to suggest books that you have found helpful, inspiring, useful, practical, and just enjoyable. Please email book suggestions to programs@stc-rochester.org. You may find the books available in you local library. You can purchase Lead Fearlessly, Love Hard: Finding Your Purpose and Putting it to Work from Unreliable Narrator, a Rochester bookshop.

Date: December 14, 2022 7:00 PM ET
Program: Hot Cocoa Happy Hour
Location: Online
The Rochester Chapter holiday networking gathering was well-attended and enjoyed by all.

Date: November 14, 2022 7:00 to 9:00 PM ET
Program: Annual Meeting and Networking
Location: Online
During the annual meeting Council members reported on their work for the chapter. Discussion and networking followed. There were 16 registrants. All present recognized that local chapters face challenges. The Rochester Chapter of STC provides a range of excellent services to members and the technical communication community and is an excellent place to gain experience in planning and offering programs, including an annual conference, in membership and financial management, keeping meeting notes and organization records, and participating in evaluating publications in the competition. All are welcome to join and be part of making the Rochester Chapter a vibrant technical communication community. If you have any questions, contact  programs@stc-rochester.org.

Date: September 28, 2022, 7:00 PM ET
Program: Funding a Regrettable Necessity: How to Get Executive Buy-in for Technical Communication, presented by Amanda Patterson
Location: Online
This free, virtual webinar was presented by the Philadelphia Metro Chapter and Rochester Chapters of STC.

Dates: September 11 and 12, 2022
Program: Spectrum 2022, Sunday symposium; Monday conference day
Location: Online
There were 50 participants in Spectrum 2022. Rob Hanna was the keynote speaker. A variety of presentations addressed the theme, Communication by Design: Unleashing the Power of Design in Technical Communication.

Council Notes

The Council meets online on the last Monday at 7:00 PM  ET most months to review committee reports and identify action items and who will be responsible. The Council met each month from September to December, 2022 and on January 23, 2023.. Reports shared at Council meetings are reflected in the Chapter Chronicle.

Date and time of the next Council meeting: February 27, 2022, 7:00 PM ET
Contact: Chapter president Christine Christensen

Chapter Chronicle

Membership

As of December, 2022, the chapter had 40 members. In 2022, the chapter welcomed two new members. The January, 2023 membership report showed 23 members; three are new members. As of February 27, the chapter had 28 new and renewed members for 2023. Please join or renew now and benefit from membership for another year. The Rochester Chapter values your membership–every member matters.

As a member you have many benefits:

  • You receive STC’s publications and the best prices for STC’s educational programs
  • You can volunteer and hold office. Through volunteering in STC you can demonstrate your skills in areas where you excel and build skills in new areas.
  • You also have a great place as an STC member to build your network in technical communication.

Find out about membership options and pricing and join on the STC website.

  • You can complete the membership application online, or download a PDF of the application.
  • When you complete the application, be sure to select Rochester as a chapter, and take part in making this a vibrant professional community.

News of members

Christine Christensen was a speaker on the Annual Employment Panel of the Florida Chapter of STC on March 16.

The chapter mourns the passing of long-time member Alec Sutherland in January, 2023. Alec taught at Nazareth College. His obituary details his many interests and accomplishments, including service to STC. Alec was a dedicated volunteer in the Rochester Chapter and an inspiration to the members.

Marilyn Woelk presented an STC webinar on December 1 at Noon ET, The Pandemic Career Path: Moving Ahead in Spite of Chaos.

Ben Woelk and Lori Meyer were participants on the STC Florida Chapter Introverted Leadership Panel on November 17, 2022.

Education

The Rochester Chapter has been invited again this year to participate in the Gates Chili Careers in Demand Days. These events expose students to both emerging and high-demand careers. Volunteers will share their career stories and present to student groups during one of these sessions:

April 20th at Gates Chili High School
8:00–9:45 a.m. two 30-minute small group discussions

May 18th at Gates Chili Middle School
7:30–10:30 a.m. three 30-minute presentations

If you are in or near Rochester and interested in presenting, contact the Rochester Chapter at education@stc-rochester.org.

The Heritage Award college scholarship has been on hold this year. If you are interested in the award, contact education@stc-rochester.org.

Mentoring

In the past year the chapter has had three active mentors: Ben Woelk, Christine Christensen, and Carmel Priore-Garlock. If you would like to be a mentor or to have a mentor, contact mentoring manager Carmel Priore-Garlock.

Website and social media

The site is updated and backed up by the chapter web team, Sarah Rowe, Richard Poydock, Natalie Ward, and Christine Christensen. Allison Edwards is posting regularly to social media.

Follow the Rochester Chapter on Twitter and the chapter and Spectrum on Facebook. Look for the Rochester Chapter page and group on LinkedIn. The program team is now using Mailchimp to send out the monthly program notices and other Council members also send updates via Mailchimp. You can subscribe to the chapter mailing list.

Competition

The STC Alliance Competition, including the Atlanta, New England, New York, Rochester, South-Central Texas, and Washington DC-Baltimore chapters, is taking place later than usual for 2022. The entry deadline was September 30, 2022 and judging will be completed early in December. Find details on the competition website. The Rochester Chapter liaison to the competition is chapter president Christine Christensen. Ann Wiley is a lead judge and presented the accessibility training for judges in September.

Spectrum 2023

The 64th annual Rochester Chapter Conference, Spectrum 2023, takes place September 19 and 20, 2023. The theme is Tech Comm Stories. If you would like to to volunteer, send a message to spectrum@stc-rochester.org.

Spectrum 2022 took place in September, 2022. The theme was Communication by Design: Unleashing the Power of Design in Technical Communication and the keynote speaker was Rob Hanna.

Community Achievement Award and Pacesetter Award

The chapter received a Platinum Community Achievement Award for the 2020 to 2021 program year. The President and Program manager submitted an application for the 2021 to 2022 program year. The chapter received a Bronze Community Achievement Award.

Rochester Chapter at the 2023 Summit

The Rochester Chapter planned a networking breakfast to be held at the STC Summit on May 16. Chapter members speaking at the Summit are Kim Chmielewicz, Christine Christensen, Amanda Patterson, and Ben Woelk. Former members Chuck Campbell and Kelly Schrank are also speaking.

Chapter elections

Elections for the 2023-2024 STC year open on June 1 and close on June 15. Chapter members will receive the ballot by email. Please vote in the election–your voice matters.

Chapter Leaders

Rochester chapter officers and Council members are listed on the Council page. Please reach out to any member to ask questions or to volunteer. Council members for 2022-2023 are:

  • President – Christine Christensen
  • Vice president, Open
  • Secretary, Tyler Mueller
  • Treasurer, Katy Koenen
  • Program Manager, Amanda Patterson
  • Membership Manager, Natalie Ward
  • Education Manager, Carmel Priore-Garlock
  • Member at Large, Chris Sloyer
  • Competition Liaison, Christine Christensen (others invited to volunteer to work on the competition)
  • PR Manager, Alison Edwards
  • Annual new page editor and historian, Ann L. Wiley

Educational Opportunities

Visit the STC website to see all of the Society’s current educational offerings. STC offers a webinar each Wednesday from 2:00 to 3:00 PM ET. Recorded webinars are available for purchase through STC by members and by non-members (at a higher price).

Society News

The STC Election is open from March 15 to March 29. Members, when you receive your notification, please vote. Rochester Chapter member Bobbi Werner is this year’s candidate for treasurer, running for re-election. Thank you to all the candidates.

Associate Fellow and Fellow nominations were due in early November and the names of those newly-elected were published in February in STC’s Notebook.

STC offered an online seminar October 3 to 4, 2022. COVID-19 has disrupted where we work, how we work, and sometimes even why we work. The impact of the pandemic was sudden, causing many to lose their jobs and shifting others to work from home to minimize contact with others. STC is offering presentations aligned with this theme such as technical communication in a pandemic-related field, building trustworthy content with a skeptical audience, and more! For details see the online seminar page on the STC website.

Join or renew via the STC website. Visit STC’s Notebook for the latest STC news.

2023 Summit

The 2023 STC Summit takes place in Atlanta, GA, May 14 to 17, to celebrate STC’s 70th anniversary. The theme is The “How to” Conference: Learn Well through Show and Tell, with presentations that focus on practical application of tech comm skills. For details visit the Summit website. Ben Woelk is speaking on “Creating a Sense of Belonging: Engaging the Virtual Workforce.”

STC and Rochester Chapter Links

Newsletter Exchange

Proof Sheet Archive

The Rochester Chapter is fortunate to have a PDF of every issue of the Proof Sheet. There are links to all of these issues in the archive. You can also see articles posted on this site back to 2010. There is also a chapter history.

2022: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

2021: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

2020: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

2019: January, February, March, April-May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

2018: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November-December

2017: June-August, 2017; September, 2017; October, 2017; November, 2017; December, 2017

2004-2017: Proof Sheet Yearbooks October, 2004 to May, 2017

2000-2004: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004

1990-1999: 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999

1980-1989: 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989

1970-1979: 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979

1959-1969: 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969