The purpose of STC chapters is to provide value to members at the local level.
The LASTC does this mainly by:
- Maintaining a website: lastc.org
- Job notifications via email: lastc.org/resources/jobs/
- Periodic dinner meetings with speaker: lastc.org/events/upcoming-meetings/
- Serving as guide to the national STC: stc.org
Because the LASTC is geographically dispersed – the majority of our members live or work in the San Fernando Valley, San Gabriel Valley, or the west side of Los Angeles – in-person events are a challenge.
That being said, I personally really enjoy our dinner meetings with a speaker, so if you want to learn a particular subject at a dinner meeting or you want to present a particular subject at a dinner meeting, please contact me at president@lastc.org.
I plan on updating our website in the near future and I especially want to use the blog to provide content and to bring out comments from readers. If you would like to post something – book review, dinner meeting recap, your experience with a particular tool, and so on – contact me and we can easily set that up.
For example, in the October Technograph, there is an article from a tech writer who documents software used to buy and sell stocks. There are certain aspects about writing for that audience that are unique. I personally would like to know more about the challenges of writing in the banking and medical fields. If you have that experience and would like to share it, let me know.
I want to have more dinner meetings with a speaker: I am working towards having one in February and another in May of 2017.
The LASTC has a small but dedicated leadership team. If you have some interest in joining us and shaping the direction of the LASTC, let me know. We have periodic in-person meetings and we won’t saddle you with any responsibilities if you don’t want any. Plus we usually have pizza!
I firmly believe that those who participate in our organization should be the ones benefitting from that participation. So what can you do to participate without spending half your life on it or driving a ridiculous distance in rush hour traffic?:
- Visit the website on a regular basis: lastc.org
- Read the blog: lastc.org/blog
- Post a comment to a blog piece: lastc.org/blog
- Join our Meetup group (meetup.com/Society-for-Technical-Communication-STC-L-A-Chapter/) or LinkedIn group (linkedin.com/groups/3882268). You can easily access these groups on lastc.org.
- Attend a dinner meeting: lastc.org/events/upcoming-meetings/ (Yes, I know that this violates the ridiculous distance in rush hour traffic rule, but I’ll sweeten the pot: arrive early and I’ll meet you at the Tam O’Shanter for a preparatory beer)
- Simply let the leadership team know what you are interested in: president@lastc.org or sjwilson42@outlook.com
I am going to make this message into a blog post. Please drop by and add a comment: what do you think, what would you like to see, what matters to you.
I look forward to seeing you at the Tam O’Shanter!
Scott Wilson
president@lastc.org
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
With all the online/social media stuff nowadays, the purpose of physical gatherings has changed a bit. It may be less critical for information presentation – but some things don’t share as well online. Maybe there’s a different kind of spontaneity in person?
Well, beyond the obvious fact that it’s easier to ask questions in person, I think you are correct; there’s a lot of information presentation that can be done online, which is why I want to make better use of the LASTC blog.
The thing I like about in-person meetings is that they are better are generating relationships. I know that’s not the trend, but I like it.
That last comment was from me, Scott Wilson, logged in as admin.