The document summarizes the results of a membership survey conducted by the STC-PMC in August 2003. Key findings from the survey include: - Location and distance to meetings were the top criteria members consider when deciding whether to attend, with 41 responses mentioning these factors. - 77% of respondents said they would not be willing to pay for a full meal at meetings. Most said they would pay $15-25 for a meal or $5-10 for coffee/dessert. - Common comments and concerns from members included a desire for more networking time at meetings, more interesting and cutting-edge topics, and meetings held closer to home for those with families.

1. December 2003/January 2004 Vol. 38, No. 3
Report on the STC-PMC
Membership Survey of August 2003
by Larry Angert
his past August we sur-
veyed our membership in
an effort to determine
what you like and dislike
about our monthly meet-
ings. Our aim is to
improve both the quality
of and attendance at meetings.
Thirty-three members responded to the
survey (representing a slightly less than
ten percent response rate). The responses
were tabulated and analyzed. Your
responses to some questions disclosed
definite preferences on which we can act.
Responses to other questions were quite
evenly mixed, so that no decisions can be
made based on those responses. To
reduce postage costs, the survey instru-
ment was a single-sheet, folded mailer. A
number of respondents failed to answer
any questions on the reverse of the form,
and these omissions undoubtedly affected
the results of the poll.
Some of the most statistically signifi-
cant results are listed later in this article.
Far more difficult to evaluate, however,
were the many free-form comments and
responses. Several, voicing common con-
cerns and opinions, are included here. All
were submitted anonymously.
“I would welcome a chance to talk with
more people at each meeting...I think that
too much time is devoted to eating, and not
enough to programs and networking.”
“Does Philadelphia Metro still include S.
Jersey?”
“I am finding a lot of the topics are
repeat information...the topics just are not
very interesting. They are not cutting
edge.”
“[As a person with young children at
home] I am unable to attend meetings too
far from home. The dinner out is time away
from my family; I prefer meetings only.”
“The quality of the presentations was
inconsistent due to the variability of speak-
ers’ skills.”
“Location is the biggest [reason] why I
don’t attend meetings. I’m not driving 40
miles...”
“I would like the chapter to consider
moving to bi-monthly or quarterly
meetings.”
“We should adjust the programs to
reflect current situations impacting the
employment picture...I am more interested
in cross-skill marketing to continue being
employed than hearing (again!) about
XML.”
And Now for the Statistics
Top three criteria for deciding whether or
not to attend a given meeting:
Topic (30) 91%
Location (26) 79%
Distance (15) 45%
Note that it is not known whether dis-
tance and location are perceived as the
same thing. These were free-form
responses. If we combine the location and
distance responses, they (41) are by far
the most frequent criterion mentioned by
those responding to the question.
In This Issue
Features
1 Report on the STC-PMC
Membership Survey of
August 2003
2 Ready, Set, …
6 STC Telephone Seminars
8 Crossword Puzzle
Columns
3 President’s Podium
4 Book Review
7 Membership Update
Cost
24 out of 31 (77%) who
responded to this question
answered “No”.
Of those specifying how much they
are willing to pay for a full meal:
$15-19: 18
$20-25: 22
$30: 07
Of those specifying how much they
are willing to pay for coffee/cake/
dessert:
$5: 16
$10: 23
$15: 08
(Continued on page 7)

2. NEWS & VIEWS 2 December 2003/January 2004
STC-PMC Annual Conference
Ready, Set, …
by Sheila Marshall
ur chapter’s yearly con-
ference is scheduled for
Saturday, March 20,
2004 at Penn State’s
Great Valley campus.
Seems like a long time
away, doesn’t it?
Naaaah…it’s right around the corner!
In preparation for the big event, I wanted
to share with everyone some of the great
features we have planned for the confer-
ence, and focus on some of the benefits.
One of the highlights of any confer-
ence is the keynote speaker. The speaker
for this year’s conference has actually
changed since we first published it in the
newsletter. “But why?” you may be
secretly wondering.
Well, we took a
look at our tight
economy, low job
base, and the very
real issues facing
the technical writer
today, and decided
that we had to broaden the focus of our
keynote speaker to talk about the future
of our profession. In essence, we listened
to you, our members, and changed our
plans to accommodate your needs. In
order to do that, we needed to engage a
different speaker.
A Dynamic Speaker
We found what we were looking for in
Ann Rockley. Ann is the founder and
president of The Rockley Group, a Tor-
onto firm specializing in information
design, single sourcing, and content man-
agement. She has 20 years of experience
developing all kinds of online documenta-
tion and has presented papers and
workshops around the world.
It was Ann’s initiative to revive the
dormant Toronto STC chapter in the
early 1980s, a chapter for which she
eventually served as President. Ann
Rockley is one of Canada’s—indeed
North America’s—foremost experts in
organizing and presenting information. In
recognition of her contributions to the
profession, Ann was named an Associate
Fellow of the STC.
In addition, Ann holds an MS in Infor-
mation Science. She has taught
information design for multiple media
and teaches enterprise content manage-
ment at the University of Toronto. Ann is
also the lead author of a recent book:
Managing Enterprise Content: A Unified
Content Strategy.
Thought-Provoking Sessions
The Annual Conference features three
sessions focusing on two different tracks:
Professional Development and Tools. For
each session, you can
choose between sev-
eral topics of interest.
What kind of ses-
sions, you ask? Why
don’t you tell us? What
topics interest you?
What do you want to
see at the conference? Now is the time to
contribute! Tell us what you’d like to see
presented or submit a proposal to present
yourself. You’ll find a call for proposals
in this mailing: fill it out and send it in!
Or email sheilam@mindspring.com with
your ideas, contributions or request for
proposal.
Last year’s topics ranged from learning
how to create PDF forms to exploring
how to choose a new career path. This
year’s topics will be just as, if not more,
interesting. Join us as we talk about the
topics that are near and dear to a tech-
nical communicator’s heart.
Networking
Did you know that most jobs are not
filled by answering ads in the newspaper
or online, but by networking with friends
and colleagues? What better time than
our Annual Conference to network with
others in your field, chat with friends
about job opportunities, and expand your
Newsletter Staff
Managing Editor
Lori Corbett stcmember@comcast.net
Layout Editor
Rose Marie Sosnowy (610) 792-4031
Associate Editors
Al Brown (856) 222-7427
Seán Fitzpatrick grendel.jjf@verizon.net
Rebecca Richardson
rebecca.one@verizon.net
Mary Shaw mary@ladywriter.net
Contributing to this Issue
Jill Cassidy (215) 590-9815
Giacomo DeAnnuntis jobs@stcpmc.org
Zsolt Olah idesign@vizitime.com
Gloria Reisman (610) 660-5118
Lois Shank lbshank@ptd.net
Mike Sharp (610) 854-2141
Submissions and Reprints
ISSN 1078-9952. News & Views, published
six times per year, is the official publication
of the Philadelphia Metro Chapter of STC.
We encourage letters, articles, and other
items for publication. Note: By submitting
an article, you implicitly grant a license to
this newsletter to run the article and for
other STC publications to reprint it without
permission. Unless otherwise noted,
copyrights for all newsletter articles belong
to the authors. The design and layout of
this newsletter are copyright STC, 2003.
Address submissions or comments to Lori
Corbett, Managing Editor, News & Views,
834 Westridge Drive, Phoenixville, PA,
19460, phone (610) 382-8683;
email stcmember@comcast.net.
You may reprint original material
appearing in News & Views, as long as
you acknowledge the source and author
and send us a copy of the publication
containing the reprint.
Toolbox
We produce News & Views with Frame-
Maker 6.0 on various Pentium computers
and Acrobat 6.0.
News & Views
(Continued on page 9)
“Right now, we need your
input for session topics.”

3. December 2003/January 2004 3 NEWS & VIEWS
Chapter Officers
President
Nad Rosenberg (856) 848-6593
Vice President
Sheila Marshall (610) 933-9573
Treasurer
Steve Lungren (267) 620-2421
Secretary
Jill Cassidy (215) 590-9815
Immediate Past President
Jeff Stein (856) 728-1254
Region 1 Director/Sponsor
Jon Baker (978) 443-3049
Chapter Committee Managers
Employment
Giacomo DeAnnuntis (215) 482-1255
Programs
Gloria Reisman (610) 660-5118
Julia Margulies (610) 397-2448
Membership
Mike Sharp (856) 854-2141
News & Views
Lori Corbett stcmember@comcast.net
Nominating
Mike Sharp (856) 854-2141
Web site
Lois Shank lbshank@ptd.net
Online Competition
Donn DeBoard (484) 595-6216
Marc Green (610) 358-0631
Brian Winter (610) 640-4200
Address correspondence for the
Philadelphia Metro chapter of STC to
STC-PMC, P.O. Box 60069,
Philadelphia, PA 19102-0069.
Mission Statement: Designing the Future
of Technical Communication.
The Society for Technical
Communication (STC) is an organization
dedicated to advancing technical
communication. Membership is open to
those employed in, interested in, or
concerned with the profession of technical
writing, publishing, or associated
disciplines. Contact STC at 901 N. Stuart
St., Suite 904, Arlington, VA 22203,
(703) 522-4114 or http://www.stc.org.
STC-PMC Leadership
Society for Technical
Communication
President’s Podium
Offshoring and What It Means for Us
by Nad Rosenberg
ffshoring – if you
haven’t heard this word
before, you’re going to
start hearing it a lot
shortly.
That’s because it
means outsourcing jobs
to foreign shores. The main beneficiaries
of this trend, particularly in the IT area,
are countries with the appealing combi-
nation of an educated, English-speaking
workforce and labor costs much lower
than ours.
First, some facts:
❏ A recent study by Deloitte Research
surveyed 27 global financial institutions,
including 11
of the top 20
(based on
market capi-
talization),
and found
that 33 per-
cent of the
respondents have sent IT work offshore
and 75 percent said they intend to do so
within the next 24 months.
❏ Giga Information Group, a market
research firm, predicts that IT outsourc-
ing to India likely to grow by 25 percent
in 2003.
❏ And for an interesting twist on this
whole phenomenon—companies are
recruiting in Silicon Valley for jobs in
India. This recently happened at a job fair
in Santa Clara.
The big question is how this trend will
affect technical communicators. The
likely answer is—it will affect us a lot.
Here’s a real life anecdote from one of
our own STC-PMC members that mani-
fests offshore scope-creep. A technical
communicator at a local firm was
recently informed that the Indian pro-
gramming team working with his
company was asked to get involved in
designing online Help. This came as quite
a surprise to our colleague because he has
been the company’s main resource for the
design, development, and deployment of
the firm’s Help systems.
So now that we know this is hap-
pening, what can we do about it?
I sent out a query on this subject to the
STC presidents’ email list and have
received a lot of thought-provoking
responses. I’ve summarized the ones I
think are significant and have added my
own two cents when appropriate.
One response to this problem is, of
course, legislative. By this I mean, the tra-
ditional American recourse of contacting
your legislator or those running for office
to see where they stand. As was recently
reported in a Mecury News article (see
link at the
end of this
article),
“With union
support, leg-
islation has
been pro-
posed in
eight states to limit offshoring. None of
the bills has yet become law.” This
approach presumes that the current wave
of globalization, which includes off-
shoring, can be stopped or slowed down.
Realistically, because of the popularity of
this trend, I am not sure this is possible.
Another approach is to align ourselves
more closely than ever with our com-
pany’s knowledge base and business goals
— so that we are perceived as committed
partners in the business endeavor rather
than interchangeable cogs in the IT
wheel. This may work at some compa-
nies, but other, more short-sighted firms,
may be dazzled by the immediate pros-
pect of lower labor costs. Interestingly,
even though the direct labor costs
involved in offshoring are considerably
lower, CIO magazine has reported that
there are other large hidden costs
involved in setting up an offshore enter-
prise (see link at the end of this article).
One more solution would be to do
what technical communicators have
(Continued on page 9)
“The big question is how this trend will
affect tecnical communicators. The likely
answer is—it will affect us a lot.”

4. NEWS & VIEWS 4 December 2003/January 2004
Book Review
Homepage Usability: 50 Websites
Deconstructed
by Josephine Giaimo
hat does your home-
page say about your
web site and your
organization?
In Homepage
Usability, experts
Jakob Nielsen and
Marie Tahir “deconstruct” 50 Web sites
in detail, pointing out what works and
what doesn’t. This book examines fifty
top sites and the first impressions they
make, pointing out opportunities for get-
ting and keeping users’ attention each
step of the way.
This glossy, coffee-table sized book is
not a dry presentation of do’s and don’ts.
Instead, it offers readers a strong visual
approach that features numerous full-size
color pictures of homepages captured
from the Web. The book’s distinctive and
refreshingly contemporary graphic design
makes an exceptional presentation that
stands on its own.
Nielsen and Tahir employ every oppor-
tunity to communicate critical
information in novel ways, perhaps even
suggesting glimpses of future trends in
book design. For instance, the inside
cover, typically offering a general sum-
mary, is re-appropriated, effectively
describing “How This Book Works.” We
may speculate that this and other
approaches reflect the impact that the
Web may be making on the design of
books and other media.
Homepage Usability’s first chapter
introduces and discusses Nielsen’s 113
guidelines and forms the basis for his
homepage evaluation. The guidelines,
which Nielsen warns us not to treat as
axioms, are a robust list of recommenda-
tions that most homepages should follow,
reflecting Nielsen’s common-sense
approach. Grouped into 27 subject areas,
the authors’ 113 guidelines are based on
years of extensive research with thou-
sands of users. The extremely useful
second chapter discusses homepage
design statistics for download time, page
layout, fundamental page design ele-
ments, navigation, frequent features,
graphics and multimedia, advertising,
typography, and recommended homepage
design values. Subsequent sections
present and discuss 50 homepages, one at
a time, in detail. The book’s appendix
includes “quite powerful and visually
stunning” comparisons of different
aspects of the homepages, including
window titles, taglines, breakdowns of
screen real estate, logos, search features,
and more.
Each homepage evaluation discusses
the strengths and weaknesses of the orga-
nization’s homepage in the context of the
organization and its goals. Also provided
is a color-coded breakdown of screen real
estate and a pie chart that shows the pro-
portion of real estate dedicated to specific
purposes. Zapf Dingbat callouts identify
selected aspects of each homepage, which
are discussed in turn. Each discussion is
specific and brief, with alternatives to
current implementations included where
appropriate. Taken together, these evalua-
tions provide the reader with a concrete
way to learn about what works for users,
and provides a basis for generalizing to
other homepages. Nielsen’s 50 homepage
evaluations are listed alphabetically, and
include such popular sites as Amazon,
CNET, eBay, ESPN, FedEx, General
Motors, IBM, Microsoft, MotherNature,
MTV, Philip Morris, Red Herring, Ticket-
master, Wal-Mart, and Yahoo.
To use this book, Nielsen suggests that
you “flip through the pages; mark exam-
ples that apply to your work; show the
book to your colleagues; immerse your-
self in the details.” Nielsen also invites us
to take further action, for instance, to
apply all 113 guidelines to a site and also
to determine a compliance rate. He offers
recommendations for interpreting com-
pliance rates, suggesting, for example,
that a site scoring under 50% should be
redesigned from scratch.
January 15
e-Learning, Drexel University
Come learn about e-learning from the
experts! Our January 15th meeting will
be held at Drexel University and will
feature a panel of Drexel faculty and
staff members who will discuss a
variety of topics including e-learning
tools, trends, research, etc. As an
extra bonus, free snacks will be
provided. So please join us starting at
6:00 PM.
Location: Drexel U., Phila, PA (36th
and Market Street). Parking is
available.
Note: There is no charge for the
January meeting. Registration is
required. Please check the web site
for last minute updates.
February 19
Back to School: Local Area Technical
Writing Programs at Philadelphia
University
“Back to School Night,” presented by
representatives from local Technical
Writing programs.
In this lagging economy, it's crucial to
hone your job skills and credentials to
give you that edge when competing
for limited jobs. Come discover the
educational opportunities available
right here in the Delaware Valley.
Representatives from four schools will
be on hand to discuss their masters
and certificate programs. Included are
instructional design, pharmaceutical
and scientific writing and editing,
instructional technology, and more.
Don't miss this one-time opportunity
to learn about the wealth of programs
in our area.
Location: Philadelphia University,
Phila., PA (10 min. from 76E City Ave.
exit) http://www.philau.edu/
directions/maplarge.html
STC-PMC Calendar
(Continued on page 5)

5. December 2003/January 2004 5 NEWS & VIEWS
January 26–29. The 50th Annual
Reliability and Maintainability
Symposium (RAMS) will be held at
the Los Angeles Airport Marriott. For
more information, please visit
www.rams.org.
February 7–11. The American
Society for Training and Development
(ASTD) will hold the ASTD
TechKnowledge 2004 Conference and
Exposition at the Anaheim Marriott
Hotel in Anaheim, CA. For more
information, contact ASTD at (703)
683-8100 or visit their web site
www.astd.org.
February 12–16, 2004. American
Association for the Advancement of
Science (AAAS) annual convention at
the Washington State Convention and
Trade Center and the Sheraton Seattle
Hotel and Towers in Seattle, WA. For
more information, contact AAAS
Meetings Department at (202) 326-
6450 or aaasmeeting@aaas.org, or go
to www.aaas.org.
February 27–28. The Atlanta
Chapter STC will hold its annual
regional conference, Currents, at
Mercer University in Atlanta, GA.
Topic steps include learning new skills
and tools, contracting, satisfying
users, education/professional
development, and management. For
more information, contact Cheri
Crider at ccrider@optionsoftware.com
or visit the Atlanta chapter’s web site
at www.stcatlanta.org.
February 27–29. The American
Society for Information Science (ASIS)
will hold its Information Architecture
Summit 2004—Breaking New Ground,
at the Hilton Austin Hotel, in Austin,
TX. For more information, contact
ASIS at (301) 495-0900 or visit their
web site at www.asis.org.
STC and Related Events
Around the World
I recently applied Nielsen’s guidelines
to a site I was asked to review, and found
the resulting compliance rate consistent
with the general reports already received
regarding the site’s usability. After deter-
mining which of the 113 guidelines were
followed, and which were not, Web
designers and developers can use the
information as the basis for subsequent
redesign efforts. Nielsen’s guidelines may
offer other uses: as a starting point for
determining the scope of a Web design or
redesign project; for prioritizing addi-
tional features for an existing site; and
perhaps as the basis for evaluating the
overall quality of several different com-
peting Web designs or redesigns presented
to your organization for review.
If you take this book’s advice, says
Nielsen, “you can increase the business
impact of your homepage by a very sub-
stantial amount.” Homepage Usability
reflects the extensive and successful
efforts of Nielsen and Tahir to provide us
with an extremely usable guide to
designing homepages and web sites. I
highly recommend this book as an essen-
tial guide to anyone responsible for
developing, designing, or evaluating web
sites.
Nielsen, Jakob, and Tahir, Marie,
Homepage Usability: 50 Websites Decon-
structed. Indianapolis, Indiana: New
Riders Publishing Company, 2002. ISBN
0-7357-1102-X (paper), 322 pages,
$39.99.
Josephine Giaimo has provided usability
consulting to AT&T, NJIT, and IITRI. She is
the President of New Cognitive Systems, Inc.,
a productivity consulting firm. ■
(Continued from page 4)
STC-PMC Meetings
January Meeting
Come learn about e-
learning from the
experts!
Our January 15th
meeting will be held at
Drexel University and
will feature a panel of
Drexel faculty and staff members who will
discuss a variety of topics including e-
learning tools, trends, research, etc. As an
extra bonus, free snacks will be provided.
So please join us starting at 6:00 PM.
There is no charge for the January
meeting. Registration is required.
Please check the web site for last minute
updates.
A Seminar on E-Learning: Tools and
Trends
Thursday, January 15th, 6–8 p.m.
Drexel University, University City–
Main Campus, Stratton Hall - Room 113
Stratton Hall is located on the SE
corner of 32nd and Chestnut Sts. Parking
at meters on the street and also two pay
parking lots at 31st and Market Sts.
(about two blocks away). ■
Homepage Usability: 50 Websites Deconstructed
Check our web site at www.stcpmc.org for the latest
information on upcoming meetings.

6. NEWS & VIEWS 6 December 2003/January 2004
STC Telephone Seminars
What Is a Telephone Seminar?
A telephone seminar is similar to a conference call in which the speaker makes a presen-
tation over the phone. As a participant, you simply dial the 800 number from your
phone, enter your personal identification number, and you're connected! You then sit
back and listen to the presentations and join in the lively Q&A discussion that follows.
Upcoming Telephone Seminars
January 14, 2004, 1–2:30 p.m.
Web and telephone-based seminar
Effective Web Sites: Structure, Navigation, and Graphics
Presented by Jean-luc Doumont
January 28, 2004,1–2:30 p.m.
Demonstrating the Value of Technical Communication Products and Services
Presented by Saul Carliner
February 11, 2004, 1–2:30 p.m.
Don't Make Me Do That! Making Learning Fun and Engaging
Presented by Lance Gelein
February 26, 2004, 1–2:30 p.m.
Designing Web Applications
Presented by Whitney Quesenbery
March 10, 2004, 1–2:30 p.m.
Keywords for Indexing and Searching
Presented by Seth Maislin
March 24, 2004, 1–2:30 p.m.
Winning New Business: Preparing and Submitting Proposals 101B
Presented by Judith Herr
For the latest information and to register for a seminar, please visit the STC web site at
http://www.stc.org/seminars.asp. ■
The annual STC election will be held
in early 2004, and only members who
have paid their dues by February 28,
2004, will be eligible to vote. An option
on the dues renewal forms and new
membership applications for 2004
allows members to receive their
election materials via e-mail.
In March, members who selected this
option will be e-mailed the slate,
candidate biographies, and voting
instructions. Members who did not
select this option will receive these
materials by first-class mail. The
election closes April 15.
Be sure to renew by February 28 to
have a say in STC's future!
Procedures for STC's
2004 Election

7. December 2003/January 2004 7 NEWS & VIEWS
Location
Of those specifying whether they’re willing
to meet at varying locations each month:
Yes: 18 (82%)
No: 04
Of the suggested locations, the distribution
of the most frequently mentioned was:
Others (total of 9), included: Horsham, Bucks County,
Airport, Exton, Media, Ft. Washington, Delaware County,
and “anywhere along the route 202 corridor.”
Do you prefer the same location each
month?
Yes: 04 (14%)
No: 24 (86%)
Would community/meeting rooms in
shopping malls be acceptable?
33 (100% of respondents) said Yes.
Locations where only on-street parking is
available?
Yes: 22 (67%)
No: 11 (33%)
Locations in Camden, such as the Rutgers
University campus?
Yes: 07 (23%)
No: 24 (77%)
Scheduling of Meetings
Is the current (third Thursday) schedule
suitable for you?
Yes: 25 (81%)
No: 06 (19%)
Would you prefer that meeting nights vary
throughout the year?
Yes: 11 (42%)
No: 15 (58%)
Reasons for Attending Meetings
Did presentations during the past year meet
your expectations?
Yes: 22 (81%)
No: 05
Did you choose NOT to attend many
meetings because the topic did not interest
you?
Yes: 24 (89%)
No: 03
Would structured networking make
meetings worth attending?
Yes: 16 (59%)
No: 11 (41%)
Inducements
Would you consider bringing a guest if there
was a price reduction for both?
Yes: 30 (73%)
No: 11 (27%)
Would you attend meetings where no food
or beverages served, if there was no ticket
charge?
Yes: 28 (90%)
No: 03 (10%)
If you did not avail yourself of the
opportunity to participate in this survey,
be sure to raise any concerns at the next
meeting. We hope to see you often! ■
South
Jersey
Suburbs
9
Delaware
7
King of
Prussia
5
PA Western
Suburbs — 5
Bala
Cynwyd — 3
Others
9 Plymouth Meeting
13
Center City
Philadelphia
11
Programs: 32 (39%)
Networking: 29 (35%)
Food; conversation: 11 (13%)
Night out: 07 (09%)
Other: 03
(education-2; friends-1)
We extend a warm welcome to new
chapter members who are either
joining STC for the first time or have
transferred from another chapter in
the months of September and
October:
❏ Loretta A. Augustin
❏ Rebecca A. Britt
❏ Scott Jewett
❏ Renee M. Nelson
❏ Kristin G. Peterson
❏ Julie Poindexter-Anderson
❏ Sarah Steggell
❏ Nathan Relles
❏ Derek A. Scott
❏ Mary-Elizabeth Smith
As of the end of October, our chapter
membership is 388.
Membership Update
(Continued from page 1)
Report on the STC-PMC Membership Survey of August 2003

8. NEWS & VIEWS 8 December 2003/January 2004
Crossword Puzzle
by Zsolt Olah
ACROSS
1 Resolution (A spooky ghost movie by
Spielberg)
11 The 8th dwarf that hung himself when
he learned what his name means in
British slang
12 Shortly illuminate
13 One of our serious states
15 told you “_”
17 Government out of order
19 To produce some mouth-activated
pompous manner
22 Depression in a lonely bone cell
25 NIN
26 To reduce itensity (backwards)
27 Trinitrotoluene, and it’s not even a
character from the Matrix
28 Volcanos become violent
30 Your chance to win something with
this crossword
31 DOSPA
33 Ends of the year
34 Semi-transparent water dweller
38 Sweet, sticky liquid variant
39 Nairobi is its capital
41 Human construction worker
DOWN
1 Bad boys go here
2 Object-oriented
3 LPE
4 Temptation’s doing
5 Lense holder organ
6 Spasmodic laugh about naughty stuff
7 Speech in an elevator
8 ILN
9 One of the evil succubi
10 TMY
14 Half road
16 Deciding word
18 Prosecutor or yes in Russian
20 Not your typical hero
21 Sum of the internal energy of the sys-
tem plus the product of its volume
multiplied by the pressure exerted on
it by its surroundings
23 Baggage claim playground
24 British diaper
29 Mayonnaise-based violent sauce that
killed the fish & chips
30 Intensifying word
32 Conditional word
34 Boom of a derrick
35 LUD
36 IKI
37 Hand with vowels on strike
40 YE
1
P
2
O
3
L
4
T
5
E R
6
G
7
E
8
I
9
S
10
T
11
R O P E Y
12
I L L U M E
I
13
E M E
14
R G E N C Y
15
S
16
O P
17
O G V C
18
D
19
O R
20
A T
21
E
22
L A
23
C U
24
N A
N
25
N I N
26
E T A B A
27
T N T
28
E R U P
29
T
30
S L I G H T
31
D O S P A
O H A
32
I U
33
Y R
34
J E
35
L L Y F
36
I S
37
H T
38
S I R U P
39
K E N
40
Y A
41
B O D Y B U I L D E R
STC MEETING EVENT
RECEIPTS FOR ALL EVENTS
ARE SELF-SERVE FROM THE
CHAPTER’S WEB SITE:
http://www.stcpmc.org
Guidelines: Not your
typical crossword. The
definitions may be vague,
associative, even funny. A
single word CAPITALIZED
(e.g., across 31) is your
guide. Use it ‘as is’.
‘Backward’ (e.g., across 26)
reverses letter order.
Puzzle solution on p. 9

9. December 2003/January 2004 9 NEWS & VIEWS
STC Annual Conference
May 9–12, 2004
Baltimore Convention Center
A grand opening reception on Sunday
night opens the conference on a
festive note. Three days of sessions
cover everything from the nuts and
bolts of management, writing, and
editing, to the latest trends in tools,
usability, and information design.
A fourth day (May 13) presents half-
day or full-day post-conference
workshops and tutorials covering the
same range of topics in greater detail,
at an additional charge. See the STC
web site (www.stc.org) for details.
Puzzle Solution
Navigating the Future of
Technical Communication
1
P
2
O
3
L
4
T
5
E R
6
G
7
E
8
I
9
S
10
T
10
R O P E Y
11
O
12
I L L U M E
I L
13
E M E
14
R G E N C Y E
15
S
16
O P E
17
O G V
20
D C
21
I
18
D
19
O R
20
A T
21
E
22
L A
23
C U
24
N A
N
24
M
25
N I N
25
I
26
E T A B A O
27
E E
27
T N T
28
R E
28
E R U P
29
T
30
S L I G H T
31
D O S P
34
A
O E H
36
K A
32
I E U
33
Y R
39
E
34
J E
35
L L Y F I S H
42
I T
38
S I R U P R O
39
K E N
40
Y A
46
M
41
B O D Y B U I L D E R
horizons? STC-PMC consists of almost
400 members—what an awesome oppor-
tunity to meet and greet professionals who
may know of a job opening, either now or
in the future!
Networking with colleagues also keeps
you on top of the hot issues in the field.
Want to know more about ISO 9000? Talk
to someone who has already implemented
it. Considering XML as a single sourcing
solution? Find out more from someone
who uses an XML-based content manage-
ment system everyday.
Come on out and enjoy the day. Meet
new people, chat with old friends, scope
out the job market. STC-PMC’s Annual
Conference has it all.
Continuing Education
The Annual Conference also provides
you with the opportunity to talk with local
colleges and universities who have tech-
nical communication or related courses. If
you have been considering taking a few
classes or returning for that master’s
degree, the conference is the place to find
out more!
Awesome Raffle Prizes
Last year we gave away free T-shirts,
software packages and more. This year,
we’ve got even more goodies for you!
More to come…
As we work toward finalizing the plans
for the conference, we’ll update the web
site and the newsletter. Right now, we
need your input for session topics.
If you wish to help in any way, please
contact sheilam@mindspring.com. I look
forward to seeing you at the conference in
March! ■
always done—accumulate new skill sets so
that, if needed, we can morph into instruc-
tional designers, web masters, quality
assurance specialists and even managers of
offshore (as well as domestic) projects. A
multiplicity of skills will inevitably make
us more valuable to our current
employers, and will provide extra insur-
ance for the whatever lies ahead.
The approach you take to this growing
issue depends upon your outlook and your
personal circumstances. Certainly there
are other approaches that I have not
addressed in this article—and I would be
very interested in hearing from you in this
regard. Just drop me an email at presi-
dent@stcpmc.org. I’ll share any insights I
receive with all of you in the next
newsletter.
For some interesting reading on this
subject, take a look at the following:
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/
mercurynews/business/7225976.htm
http://www.cio.com/archive/090103/
money.htm
http://www.outsourcing-offshore.com/
■
(Continued from page 3)
(Continued from page 2)
Offshoring and What It Means for Us
Ready, Set, …

10. Newsletter Address
News & Views
Lori Corbett
834 Westridge Dr.
Phoenixville, PA 19460
stcmember@comcast.net
First Class Mail
NEWS & VIEWS 10 December 2003/January 2004
Upcoming Meetings
The information in the following table was correct at the time News & Views was published. Be sure to
check the web site (www.stcpmc.org) for details and to check for late-breaking updates to the schedule. For all Thursday
meetings, reservations are due by the Monday before the meeting. Note that the Conference in March will require special
registration.
Date Meeting Topic Location
December, 2003 No Meeting This Month—Happy Holidays to All
January 15, 2004 e-Learning Drexel Univerity, Philadelphia, PA
February 19, 2004 Back to School: Local Area Technical Writing Programs Philadelphia University
March 20, 2004 Second Annual Philadelphia Metro Conference Penn State University, Great Valley, PA
April 15, 2004 Contracting Panel TBD
May 9—12, 2004 STC Annual Conference
Special Registration Required
Baltimore, MD
May 20, 2004 Content Management presented by Cheryl Lockett Zubak Doubletree, Plymouth Meeting PA
June 1, 2004 Authorit Workshop presented by Cheryl Lockett Zubak TBD
October 9, 2004 Philadelphia Mural Tour Philadelphia, PA
A Look Inside...
❏ Larry Angert gives the results of the
membership survey taken in August 2003.
(p. 1)
❏ Sheila Marshall talks about the
upcoming STC-PMC Annual Conference.
(p. 2)
❏ President Nad Rosenberg talks about
what offshoring means to STC-PMC
members. (p. 3)
❏ Read a review of Homepage Usability:
50 Websites Deconstructed by Josephine
Giaimo. (p. 4)
❏ Check out the list of STC telephone
seminars offered next year. (p. 6)
❏ Check your crossword puzzle skills in
our newest feature by Zsolt Olah (p. 8)
Deadline for next issue: January 15