February '96 Meeting Report

Roundtable Networking

by Craig Cardimon, Data Analyst
Knowledge Express Data Systems (Berwyn, Pennsylvania)

The February meeting was held at Hewlett-Packard in Delaware, and was more free-form than usual in that we didn't have a guest speaker. As this meeting had more of an experimental format, we conversed among ourselves. Each of the three tables had one of the suggested topics outlined below.

The expanding role of technical communicators in marketing

• Business-to-business sales
• Promotional literature
• Catalogs
• Technical reports and applications
• Field training

Internet

• Adding the Internet to your repertoire
• Current status (percent who use the Internet)
• Current function of the Internet
• Software maze (platforms/gateways/HTML)
• Support (role of information technology professionals and webmasters)
• What's next? Future function, customer needs and wants
• Selling on the Internet
• Role of electronic publishing

Expanded role of technical communicators

• Current perception of technical communicators in business
• Corporate perception (documentation is last in line, of least importance, and can be hired as needed)
• Metrics show that clear sales and technical literature can make a difference of up to 8% in market share
• Role of technical documentation is expanding with the Internet
• No understanding of value of in-house communications units regarding savings in time and money, enhanced productivity, and quality issues
• Do professional communicators need to become vocal value-added advocates? Do we need to spend more time educating employers?

The table at which I was seated talked about using IBM-compatibles for data crunching and Macintoshes for graphics manipulation, software compatibility between platforms, other differences between platforms, and the politics of being one of two technical writers in a small company composed mostly of engineers.

Chapter news

• Bev Bruns emphasized that volunteer opportunities abound for those who are so inclined. Both News & Views and the new Web site need volunteers.

• Mike Sharp brought us up to date regarding the Job Hotline. The phone service is now inactive, but the job listings may be received via e-mail, or via hardcopy (if you don't have access to email) by sending a batch of SASEs to the chapter's post office box in Delaware.

• Employment information is now also available online, as part of STC's Web site at http://stc.org. Job information is located at http://stc.org/jobs.html.

Copyright 1996 STC Philadelphia Metro Chapter
The Meeting Reports editor is Emily Skarzenski.

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