Membership in the STC Lone Writer SIG is worth the additional fee and offers many benefits, including:

• The SIG’s popular mailing list
• An additional mailing list for off-topic conversation
• A LinkedIn group
• Access to the member-only sections of the website, including the photo gallery, member pages, and wiki
• Our newsletter-turned-blog, Solitary Scrivener
• Lone writer events at the 2010 Technical Communication Summit

Whether you’re a current member or are new to the SIG, please consider joining us in 2010!

Create your member page today (STC user name and password required)! Only other members of the SIG can view your member page. Use it to tell other members about yourself, your career as a lone writer, and your life outside of technical communication. Feel free to include pictures, links to personal websites and profiles, and so on.

We made some minor improvements to the gallery over the summer to make it easier to navigate. Check it out!

STC’s Notebook

STC’s Notebook is a blog that replaces the monthly electronic newsletter. As the newest publication for the Society, it presents relevant information for STC members and those interested in technical communication as it happens. News stories, pertinent announcements, and informative articles will be posted frequently as the blog grows and changes to meet the Society’s needs. Visit STC’s Notebook at notebook.stc.org and sign up to receive the blog routinely via the RSS feed.

Job Seeker Boot Camp

STC’s Job Seeker Boot Camp is a free program for members who are currently seeking employment or wish to expand their contract work. The Boot Camp includes unlimited access to the STC Career Center, unlimited access to more than a dozen articles written by and for technical communicators with tips and advice on finding a tech comm job, access to audio podcasts by well-known STC recruiters, and the latest STC Salary Survey. To sign up for the Boot Camp, visit the Job Seeker Boot Camp webpage. (Member log in is required.)

Salary Database

STC’s Salary Database is a tool that members can use to conduct more productive job searches, make a strong case for a raise, or prepare department payroll budgets. The Salary Database provides more than 100 pages of detailed regional and industry specific statistics on the number of jobs and salaries for technical writers. The report covers 160 municipalities and 21 non-metropolitan areas in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. View STC’s Salary Database. (Member log in is required.)

Online Buyers Guide and Consultant Directory

STC’s Online Buyers Guide and Consultant Directory will include listings for companies offering tools, products, and services used by technical communicators. A special Consultant Directory section has been added which features 600 STC members that responded to the initial offering.

Online Certificate Courses

Beginning in September, STC will offer four online courses where participants can earn a certificate. The courses are divided into 90-minute sessions and presented live online over five to eight weeks. Individual sessions may also be purchased without a certificate.

STC certificate programs let you explore a subject in depth over the course of several weeks. In addition to the practical work skills that you will develop, participating in a certificate program provides you with a unique live opportunity to learn directly from an instructor and to also exchange ideas and tools virtually with the other participants in the program.

Some of STC’s finest and best known instructors will be teaching the courses.

See www.stc.org/edu/online-certificate-courses.asp for more information.