Signature Bears Your Signature |
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Newsletters have always fascinated me. Sometimes called the "purest form of journalism" because of their absence of bias, newsletters provide information (that's the "news" part) in a regular, predictable format (that's the "letter" part) to a group of people with a unique focus. In the case of Signature, the newsletter serves any technical communicator and STC member living and working in the San Diego area. When I became managing editor of Signature, I wondered what Signature ought to be for its readers. A clearinghouse of compelling ideas and news? Certainly. This month's content supports that goal. First, in the "President's Podium," San Diego Community Chapter President Lance-Robert shares his discovery of the free desktop publishing tool, RagTime Solo. In addition, in our feature article, "Ease Your Design Anguish," Deborah Gill-Hesselgrave shares her methods for overcoming obstacles in the design process. Add to that the premier of word-expert Gail Van Landingham's column "A Word on Word" and this newsletter bursts with information. But Signature offers much beyond the tools of our trade. Our newsletter is a place where readers can learn about each other. Consider this: I've spent most of my career writing software manuals and online help. And I like that. I know more about computers than I ever planned to, and each time I explain something to someone who just doesn't understand computers and dispel the person's fear of technology a little bit, I feel good about myself. But I'm fascinated by people who've taken their technical communication careers in other directions. Deborah Gill-Hesselgrave is just such a person. Talk about a fascinating career! As a successful business owner, Deborah not only uses her technical communication skills, she's developed all the skills it takes to run a company-from recruiting employees to recruiting clients, from writing manuals to writing proposals that bring in the business. In addition to all that, she's a regular contributor to Signature as its "Thinking Independently" columnist. That's why I chose to profile Deborah in the "Member Callouts" column this month as well. Deborah is a good example of where a career can go. Equally interesting, I've found, is how the careers of technical communicators start. That's why Signature's new "Reader Round Up" column asks, "What were you doing before you zeroed in on technical communication?" (See the column itself for information on my past lives.) We'd love to hear your answer to that question. Write me at newsletter@stc-sd.org. We'll publish your answer (anonymously, unless you specifically say otherwise). Last month, I wrote that Signature is a newsletter by the members for the members. You could say it's also a newsletter about the members. Someone once told me she thought technical communications people have "the most boring job in the world." I couldn't disagree more. I think we're a fascinating bunch, and this is our venue for sharing ourselves and our knowledge with each other. Best, Karen
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