I'm a technical writer working for The 41st Parameter in San Jose, California. I'm primarily interes

STC Chapter provides lavish all expenses paid outing to San Diego zoo for members | I d Rather Be Writing I d Rather Be Writing A technical writing blog exploring trends, methods, and techniques for technical writers Menu Skip to content Home About About Me Presentations Contact podcasts beginner tips careers Categories blogging book reviews conference videocasts creativity findability general podcasts quick reference guides screencasting sponsored posts video tutorials visual communication web 2.0 web design wikis WordPress writing Series My DITA Journey Search engine optimization hotels near alton towers in coventry Get a Job in Technical Writing 10 voiceover techniques hotels near alton towers in coventry 7 deadly sins of blogging Intro to JavaScript From Overlooked to Center Stage Advertising hotels near alton towers in coventry DITA QRG STC Chapter provides lavish all expenses paid outing to San Diego zoo for members April 1, 2014 general 4 Replies
The West Bay STC chapter recently provided a special expedition to the San Diego zoo for all chapter members who wanted to participate. 67 members signed up for the special zoo tour, which involved several exclusive behind-the-scenes encounters with animals, including but not limited to the famous China panda, hotels near alton towers in coventry Xena the giraffe, and a habitat hotels near alton towers in coventry for Capuchin monkeys.
The task required members to use their skills for brevity and attention. Some of the attendees had recently hotels near alton towers in coventry attended Marcia Riefer Johnston s workshop on Writing Tight. There couldn t have been a better way for members to put those skills into practice, Zimmerman explained.
Asked about the logistics of the event, Janet Cooper, the program manager, explained that the chapter rented a private tour bus. The bus left the Los Altos area at 5am and arrived in San Diego zoo by 1pm. The participants then met with the zoo manager hotels near alton towers in coventry and learned of the assignments, special exhibits, and planned luncheon.
Jerry Smith said, I was so tired by 9pm, and I had only seen about half the park. I sat watching the didgeridoo guy and the contortionists for more than an hour. I meandered hotels near alton towers in coventry among elephants, lions, tigers, and bears. It was awesome!
The chapter members stayed in a hotel at a block rate for the night. Many members were joined by spouses. The following day, members were on their own for some fun and sun at San Diego s beaches, including La Jolla, Imperial Beach, and Mission beach. Some rented snorkeling gear while others chartered private fishing boats.
Although the event cost roughly $35,000 ($5,000 for the bus, $8000 for the zoo passes, $15,000 for the hotel, and $7,000 for miscellaneous), the chapter had more than enough funds to cover the costs.
Zimmerman commented, We actually have $60k in the bank. I know it s crazy, but it just keeps accumulating over the years and every time we put on an event, we actually hotels near alton towers in coventry increase hotels near alton towers in coventry our savings rather than reduce it. I haven t even mentioned the revenue from the annual writing competition , which is really more of a fundraiser.
Just to give you an example, a while ago we put on a workshop on Framemaker. We had more than 100 people attend, with an entry ticket of $150. What are we supposed to do with all of this money? If we don t charge, no one attends the events. If we do charge, we end up with a bank load of money. hotels near alton towers in coventry The venue is always free because companies where members work want to promote their place as desirable.
hotels near alton towers in coventry Cooper said they brainstormed different ways to spend the chapter money, such as sending prospective members to the STC Summit, giving away free dinner at the chapter meetings, creating scholarship funds for tech comm students, or subsidizing print subscriptions to the Intercom .
In the end, Zimmerman explained, we said to hell with it. We re going to do something fun. We ve always wanted to go to the zoo, and you can t beat the beaches in San Diego. We added the animal writing hotels near alton towers in coventry exercise just for kicks and to make it more in harmony with the chapter s mission. But that activity only took about an hour.
Zimmerman reported that membership has actually doubled since the zoo event. Members more than ever see value in having an STC membership. Which means we have even more funds coming in, Zimmerman said.
We re seriously thinking of renting a flat in the city where members could visit, like a timeshare, Zimmerman said. We think it will be a great way for members to bond with their families. Related Posts Now that debts are paid off, plan to travel the world for a year, documenting things New hot coals event to be highlight at Lavacon conference Dita Von Teese to give keynote at DITA North America 2014 Conference Started a new job Information Development World and the Customer Experience A Podcast with Scott Abel and Val Swisher Tweet
I'm a technical writer working for The 41st Parameter in San Jose, California. I'm primarily hotels near alton towers in coventry interested hotels near alton towers in coventry in topics related to technical writing, such as visual communication hotels near alton towers in coventry (video tutorials, illustrations), findability (organization, information architecture), API documentation (code examples, programming), and web publishing (web platforms, interactivity) -- pretty much everything related to technical writing. If you're trying to keep up to date about the field of technical communication, subscribe to my blog either by RSS or by email . To learn more about me, see my About page . You can also contact me if you have questions. Post navigation Now that debts are paid off, plan to travel the world for a year, documenting things Strategies for using links with DITA 4 thoughts on STC Chapter provides lavish all expenses paid outing to San Diego zoo for members Linda Oestreich April 1, 2014 at 9:13 am
What fun! I don t think the San Diego Chapter has even thought of doing something like that. You can be sure we ll have our admin council take a look! Marcia Riefer Johnston April 1, 2014 at 12:19 pm
Dang! I guessed that the year-long travel plans were an April Fool s joke, but I missed this one! I should have known I almost turned them in to the STC Office for misappropriation of membership funds! That pull was due to many years of conditioning on the STC Board of Directors. Glad I resisted! And, great posts, Tom! You truly did get me! (and many others according to the replies ) Linda O Comments are closed. Search for:
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