STC PMC Newsletter 2008-04

April / May / June 2008 1 NEWS & VIEWS
Volume 41
Number 2
April / May / June 2008
Election Results
In This Issue
Membership Report ........... 2
President’s Podium ............ 3
Book Review .................... 4
Monthly Meeting ............... 5
Personal Perspective.......... 7
Active Members ................ 8
Calendar of Events ...........10
Drawing Winners
At the May 21, 2008 monthly
chapter meeting, a drawing
was held to select winners of
either a $300 or $150 cash
prize for STC Summit
attendees who paid for the
conference themselves. The
prizes were awarded to help
offset the cost of the
conference.
The following members are
$300 prize winners:
• Barrie Byron
• Zippy Goldberg
• David Calloway
The following members are
$150 prize winners:
• Al Brown
• Gary Samartino
Marc Gravez
President
Marianne Johnston
Vice President
Gary Samartino
Treasurer
Gary Sternberg
Secretary

NEWS & VIEWS 2 April / May / June 2008
NEWS & VIEWS
Newsletter Staff
Managing Editor
Dave Peirce
newsletter@stcpmc.org
Layout Editor
open
Associate Editor
open
Also Contributing to This Issue
Marc Gravez
Barrie Byron
Al Brown
Laura Castle
Dave Peirce
Submissions and Reprints
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.
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, 2008.
Address submissions or comments to
Dave Peirce, Managing Editor, NEWS &
VIEWS, c/o HBS, Inc., 738 Louis Drive
Warminster, PA,18974, phone (484)
919-0866; email
newsletter@stcpmc.org.
SOCIETY FOR TECHNICAL
COMMUNICATION
STC advances the theory and practice of
technical communication across all user
abilities and media.
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
www.stc.org.
May Membership Report
What does your membership
mean to you?
By Barrie Byron
STC-PMC Membership Manager
This is a great year to increase your participation in the Society for
Technical Communication Philadelphia Metro Chapter (STC-PMC).
STC has more than 150 chapters in eight regions worldwide. It is the
largest organization of its type in the world with over 14,706 members.
STC is an individual membership organization dedicated to advancing the
art and science of technical communication. Society membership provides
opportunities for ongoing learning and professional networking.
STC-PMC is your geographic community within STC international. Your
membership in our chapter is a vital part of our Society. With a member
count of 247, our chapter includes members from six states. We are a
diverse group of technical communication professionals. Your membership
in PMC provides you even more opportunities for ongoing learning and
professional networking. What does your STC PMC membership mean to
you? I encourage you to make the most of your investment. Like a gym
membership, your membership works best when you work it!
Follow these suggestions to fully enjoy the benefits of your STC PMC
membership:
• Ensure that you have access to stcpmc.org and visit our Web site often.
Write webmaster@stcpmc.org if you need access. The Web site
provides a calendar of events, program meeting announcements with
online registration and payment, and information about competitions
and the STC PMC scholarship initiative. As an STC PMC member, you
can receive a 30% discount on purchases from O’Reilly books and
partner publishers.
• Attend chapter programs and workshops.
o Even better, volunteer to organize or present at a chapter program
meeting or workshop.
• Attend the Technical Communication Summit June 1-4 in Philadelphia.
This 55th
STC annual international conference is in our home town.
o Increase your “face time.” Volunteer at our STC-PMC hospitality
booth.
• Read our award-winning News & Views newsletter.
(Continued on page 6)
Increase your “face time.” Volunteer
at our STC-PMC hospitality booth.

President’s Podium
Helping Hands
By Marc Gravez
STC-PMC President
It’s an exciting time to be part of STC-PMC! We have a lot to which to look
forward.
Our May 21 chapter meeting on Career-Centered Progression was a success
with four stimulating presentations. Also, that night I truly enjoyed holding the
drawing for and announcing the members who have won either $150 or $300
awards to help defray some of the cost of their STC International Conference
registration.
From June 1 to June 4, the STC International Conference comes to our town. I
hope you'll be there if it’s at all possible. Only rarely does an opportunity like
this come within an easy train ride for most of us.
Since our chapter is so much about helping each other, I also want to mention
mentoring this month. Many, if not most, of us have benefited from someone's
help at some time or another. My greatest mentor is a faithful member of our
chapter, although I'm not sure whether he's ever attended a meeting. He's
more the quiet type, but I'd be very happy if he did appear some time. This
gentleman took me “under his wings” many years ago when I first started as
an editor/formatter.
When I "moved up" and started writing, he'd make my pages "bleed" red. But
no matter how extensive the criticism, it was always delivered with kindness,
sometimes even with apologies. He never emphasized the gaps in my learning
to management, but he always made sure they knew when something was my
unique contribution. I can't think of a way I could have better learned the
attention to detail necessary to be a good technical communicator.
Although I know it’s awfully belated, I want to thank you now for teaching me
so much! Your help changed my life in a very positive way! I've tried to keep
you anonymous, although people who know us both probably know who I'm
talking about and probably think the world of you as I do.
There are many other STC-PMC members who also deserve my thanks; for
example anyone who ever reviewed my resume or provided some other help.
The point I'm trying to make is that it’s so important for all of us to remember
the importance of giving back when we can. It makes a difference.
For example, STC-PMC always needs volunteers. That's one great way to help
our profession! If you can't volunteer for STC, remember that any time you
help another writer in some way, you help our whole profession. Passing along
a job lead may mean one fewer unemployed writer. We all have opportunities
to help.
I've already signed up for my shifts manning the Hospitality Booth for the
Conference. I look forward to meeting many of my friends in the technical
communication world, regardless of whether they live on Rittenhouse Square,
Pittsburgh, London, or even further! Are you as excited as I am? See you in
Philly! ♦
STC-PMC LEADERSHIP
Chapter Officers
President
Marc Gravez
president@stcpmc.org
Vice President
Marianne Johnston
vicepresident@stcpmc.org
Treasurer
Gary Samartino
treasurer@stcpmc.org
Secretary
Gary Sternberg
secretary@stcpmc.org
Immediate Past President
Lori Corbett
pastpresident@stcpmc.org
Chapter Committee Managers
Careers
Stephen Adler
Marianne Johnston
careers@stcpmc.org
Programs
Anthony DeRose
programs@stcpmc.org
Membership
Barrie Byron
membership@stcpmc.org
NEWS & VIEWS
Dave Peirce
newsletter@stcpmc.org
Website
Steve Lungren
Stephen Adler
webmaster@stcpmc.org
Public Relations
Lori Corbett
marketing@stcpmc.org
Education
Timothy Esposito
education@stcpmc.org
STC-PMC Conference
Gary Samartino &
Steven Lungren
conference@stcpmc.org
Competition
Marc Green
Barrie Byron
competitions@stcpmc.org
Send correspondence for the
Philadelphia Metro chapter of
STC to: president@stcpmc.org

Book Review
Putt’s Law and the Successful Technocrat:
How to Win in the Information Age
By Archibald Putt
Reviewed by Al Brown
You probably know about the Peter Principle: “In a
hierarchy every employee tends to rise to his [sic]
level of incompetence.” The pseudonymous Archibald
Putt points out that in hierarchies involved with
science and technology, two factors act to subvert
this principle. First, many technical people employ
creative incompetence, i.e., obvious incompetence in
areas that don’t affect job performance but make it
unlikely that they will be promoted into management
positions they don’t want. On the other hand,
competence criteria for technical managers are
extremely difficult to establish. Failure to meet goals
and objectives may result from uncontrollable
factors; further, a failure may lead to an
unanticipated but successful outcome or product. A
clever manager can therefore be promoted from one
level of incompetence to another.
This leads to a dictum you may not have heard of,
namely Putt’s Law: “Technology is dominated by two
types of people: those who understand what they do
not manage and those who manage what they do not
understand.” The forces mentioned above eventually
create a “competence inversion,” in which many
outstanding technical people collect at the bottom by
choice, while the more ambitious but less technically
gifted are promoted into the highest levels of
management.
Putt’s Law and the Successful Technocrat spins this
notion into a series of aphoristic Corollaries, Rules,
and Laws. A few examples:
The Second Law of Crises: The maximum rate of
promotion is achieved at a level of crisis only slightly
less that that which results in dismissal.
Rule of Project Leadership: When leading a high-
tech project, keep your eyes on the exit doors.
First Law of Advice: The correct advice to give is
the advice that is desired.
Second Law of Advice: The desired advice is
revealed by the structure of the organization, not by
the structure of the technology.
Fourth Law of Decision Making: Technical
analyses have no value above the mid-management
level.
You get the idea. Interestingly most of the rather
cynical advice advises the manager on how to
navigate a course to the upper levels of
incompetence; there’s very little for the techie
wanting to find a comfortable and rewarding place at
the bottom of the pyramid.
Mr. Putt strings his laws together with real and
fictitious examples, the latter populated by
characters with names like Bob Plodder and Dr. I.M.
Sharp. The result lacks coherence, in spite of its
humor and insight.
Apparently Putt’s Law was first promulgated in a
research and development journal in 1976. It
appeared in book form in 1981 (Exposition Press)
and has been out of print since 1985. A cult classic
among engineers, Putt’s Law and the Successful
Technocrat was revised in 2006, the version under
review here. I haven’t been able to locate a copy of
the earlier edition for comparison, but I strongly
suspect the revisions include a fair amount of
padding. Part two, “The Successful Technocrat,” for
instance, charts the rise of a technical manager from
mediocre student to presidential science consultant in
almost novelistic detail. This would account for its
indifferent structure. The sections dealing with
contemporary information technology and the
Internet seem to disregard the book’s likely tech-
savvy audience, not to mention the average
teenager. For example: “Of greater concern is
outright fraud and theft practiced intentionally by
bogus Web sites and unintentionally by legitimate
sites that are victimized by the crafty thieves and
hooligans who pervade the Internet.” Hooligans?
Even so, this book will elicit frequent wry smiles of
recognition on the faces of technical communicators.
Part five of the book, “Putt’s Canon,” lists all of the
various laws in sequence.
This eleven-page section will give you the meat of
Putt’s Law in about five minutes. You could even read
it in the store and save the cost of the book. ♦
_____________________
Putt, Archibald (pseudonym), Putt’s Law and the
Successful Technocrat: How to Win in the
Information Age [second edition]. IEEE Press.
Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2006. ISBN 0-
471-71422-4.

STC-PMC Monthly Meeting Report
Career Progression
Wednesday, May 21, 2008 – Cherry Hill Library
By Laura Castle
On May 21, 2008, approximately 15 STC-Philadelphia
Metro Chapter members gathered at the Cherry Hill
Library in Southern New Jersey to network over
dinner and learn new ways to progress in the field of
technical communication. This was the first STC-PMC
meeting that I had attended, but I knew a few of the
members from other South Jersey networking
dinners. I was warmly welcomed by familiar, and
new, faces, and encouraged to get dinner and tell
people about myself.
After about an hour of eating and networking, Lori
Corbett started the meeting with announcements,
particularly about the upcoming STC national
conference that we are hosting, and election results.
Marc Gravez was elected President, Marianne
Johnston was elected Vice President, Gary Sternberg
was elected Secretary, and Gary Samartino was
elected Treasurer. All four were present at the
meeting.
Before the discussion about career progression
started, Lori also announced the winners of the
chapter’s conference registration fee raffle. Anyone
who had paid for the conference out of his own
pocket was eligible to enter the raffle. Five winners
were chosen to receive $150 from the Philadelphia
Metro STC chapter.
Originally, the meeting was supposed to be four
different round-table discussions going on
simultaneously, but because the group was small,
and the presenters wanted to hear the other
presenters, we pushed a few tables together and
discussed all the topics as a group.
Barrie Byron started the round-table discussion by
talking about adapting technical communication skills
to changing environments. She provided us with
practical suggestions on how we can add value to a
team and get the most out of a job:
• Articulate your vision so you know exactly what
kind of job you want
• Learn to be flexible, adaptable, and optimistic in
dealing with problems
• Reuse information and use structured wikis so
co-workers can find the information they need
and you don’t have to constantly repeat yourself
Next, Gary Sternberg talked about how we can use
our technical communication skills for volunteer work
in our community. He suggested looking for subjects
that interest us, and after attending a few meetings,
see if there are any places where our skills can be
used. For example, since Gary works for the EPA, he
volunteered for an environmental action group as the
“outreach chairperson.” He gets to create a
newsletter and a website, and also write press
releases. Gary suggested a few things to keep in
mind as we look for places to volunteer:
• Let the group know what you can do
• Take it slow (don’t jump in too quickly)
• Make sure you have enough time to do a good
job
A few people brought up in the discussion that
volunteering does not necessarily have to use skills
that we already have, but it could be a very good
way for us to explore new skills that we can bring
back to our jobs. For example, I can practice
different types of writing by creating newsletters, and
I can learn new web development techniques by
creating websites, two things that I do not get to do
on a regular basis at my job.
The third speaker, Marc Gravez, offered some
practical tips for how to move forward in a technical
communication career. He mentioned the importance
of networking (such as through a LinkedIn account,
college alumni associations, or participating in STC),
and having a “30-second commercial” about yourself.
When replying to job listings, it is important to match
your skills to the requirements in a cover letter,
especially if a recruiter will be trying to convince
someone else why you should get the job. Two
helpful websites that Marc resourced were:
• http://www.prospring.net/Resource/resource.html
• http://www.reisman-
consulting.com/pages/articleMain.html

STC-PMC Meeting – Career Progression
(Continued from page 5)
The last speaker of the night was David Calloway. His
time was spent discussing the options of consulting,
independent contracting, and freelancing. He
mentioned that it is important to realize that we can
do more than just technical writing for an
organization, as evidenced in his career, which
started in computer programming.
Overall, I thought the meeting was very informative
and beneficial. I’m not looking to change jobs right
now, but the volunteering discussion made me
interested to see where else I could use my skills.
Barrie even mentioned that she enjoys “auctioning
off” her skills for charity, which is a great idea.♦
What does your membership mean to you?
o Our award winning publication brings you
feature articles, profiles of chapter members,
reviews of books and software, summaries of
chapter meetings and presentations,
schedules of conferences, workshops, and
seminars, and much more!
o Do you need a career boost? Become a
contributor! Publish an article, submit photos,
or review a software product. If you need
inspiration for an article, contact
newsletter@stcpmc.org for ideas.
• Review your work and begin the selection process
for your entry in the STC-PMC chapter competition.
STC competitions offer an excellent way for you
and your team to get recognition for your technical
publication, help system, artwork, training, or any
other form of technical communication. Each year,
• STC-PMC sponsors three competitions: Online
Communication Competition, Technical Publications
Competition, and Technical Art Competition. Plan
for greatness and visit
http://www.stc.org/comp/internationalCompetition
s01.asp for more details.
o Even better, volunteer as a judge in our
chapter competition. Competition judging is the
first week in November 2008. Contact
competitions@stcpmc.org for more information.
• Volunteer and become an active member. All
chapter leaders serve in a voluntary capacity. We
welcome your input and participation.
What does your membership mean to you? Try these
activities on for size and let me know how I can help
you get the most value from your PMC membership.♦
Technical writing a big hit at elementary school Career Day
By Barrie Byron
STC-PMC Membership Manager
Eager young minds learned about technical writing
and computer science careers on May 8 at Career
Day at Poinciana Elementary school in Boynton
Beach, Florida. As part of IBM’s EWeek
(http://www.watson.ibm.com/leo/EWeek.html)
initiative to increasing public awareness technical
career opportunities through educational outreach.
Barrie Byron, information developer, and Diondra
Tuck, college senior at Tuskegee University and
quality assurance engineer intern, spoke to four
classrooms about their careers at IBM.
The classroom teachers were motivated by our
educational requirements, reminding their students
that they must study and plan to attend college.
However, the students were motivated more by our
work lifestyle, including the option to work at home
and have flexible hours. To third-, fourth-, and fifth-
grade students, our salaries and work environments
were strong motivaters. More than 75 students
learned that technical writing is a rewarding career.
EWeek is working to expand the pool of skilled,
creative engineering talent by reaching out to diverse
individuals through educational initiatives. What can
we do to expand the pool of technical communication
talent? Share your work stories with young people in
your lives. You can make a difference! ♦

Personal Perspective
Mentoring in the 21st Century
By Dave Peirce, News & Views Managing Editor
Many of you might not realize it, but it is possible
that at different times during your education and
career, you have been both a Mentor and a Protégé,
which is the term that I prefer to use, rather than
Mentee. Even the Merriam-Webster Dictionary limits
the definition of a Mentee to “One who is being
mentored,” rather than the more descriptive
definition of a Protégé, “One who is protected or
trained or whose career is furthered by a person of
experience, prominence, or influence.”
As for me, I have been both a Protégé and Mentor
during my education and my career. Yet, in almost all
cases in which I was one or the other, there was
never a formal agreement to establish such a
relationship. However, at some point, there has
almost always been an acknowledgement that such a
relationship existed. This is not to say that a formally
established Mentor/Protégé relationship is
inadvisable. Many companies have programs in place
that are intended to promote good Mentor/Mentee
relationships. However, the formal structure of the
program might tend to work against its intended
benefits. In these cases, companies typically
arbitrarily assign a Mentor to a Mentee, without
giving much thought to the specific needs of each of
the people in their respective roles.
Mentors and protégés need to choose each other.
More than that, the protégé should have an
opportunity to express his or her interest in having a
specific person serve as a mentor. A potential
mentor, who is receptive to sponsoring a protégé,
should not necessarily look for a person with specific
skills and qualities. The potential protégé should take
on the persona of a “blank slate” or piece of
unmolded clay. If a mentor should be looking for a
specific characteristic in a person, it should be open-
mindedness. However, what the potential protégé
should look for in a mentor are characteristics that
are unique to the area of knowledge in which he or
she is interested. Typically, the less generalized a
knowledge area is, the more opportunities there are
for mentoring.
I believe that technical writing is one of those areas.
In fact, technical writing seems to be becoming an
increasingly misunderstood profession and area of
knowledge. With more and more software products
coming to the marketplace every day, there is a
tendency within some companies to take the shortest
and fastest route to publish both the software and
the documentation. Many software companies are
startup companies with less than 10 or 20 years of
experience. Such companies typically lack formal
documentation style and content standards, or if they
exist, they are sometimes overlooked or ignored.
At the same time there are new writers entering the
profession of Technical Writing. Most of these writers
have a Bachelors degree — some even a Masters
degree. Yet, due to an unevenness in curriculums
from one institution of higher learning to another, the
level of knowledge and experience of these
candidates can vary greatly.
So, where does STC and its members fit into this
picture? STC members encompass a broad range of
skills and experience. If there is a specific type of
technical writing that serves a particular niche
industry, I would venture to say that an STC member
somewhere has done it. In fact, I have wondered
why, after all its years in existence, STC has not
published a set of documentation style standards of
its own that is a compilation of the best sources of
information. Such a document would become the
recognized technical writer’s “bible.”
So, with this vast quantity of knowledge among its
members, I feel that STC as an organization should
encourage its members to actively make themselves
available as mentors to students and potentially new
technical writers at the college and university level
while they are still pursuing their undergraduate
studies.
Mentors and protégés need
to choose each other.

Mentoring in the 21st Century
In fact, it might even be beneficial to reach out to
students in high school and even elementary school,
as one of our members, Barrie Byron, did recently.
(See Barrie’s article on Page 6.)
Even thinking back to my own time in high school, I
was making decisions about the career that I wanted
to pursue as early as ninth grade. However, for me,
it wasn’t technical writing, it was photography.
Ironically, my father was a technical writer and
technical editor (his title was Literature Scientist).
After observing some of his work activities, I vowed
that I would never do that — photography seemed
much more glamorous and appealing. Yet, ten years
later, I found myself on that same career path.
Laura Castle, another contributor to this edition of
News & Views and a recent first-time attendee to an
STC-PMC monthly meeting, revealed to me that in
high school, she knew that she wanted to be a copy
editor. She has already achieved far beyond that
goal. Her undergraduate studies curriculum at an
Ohio institution of higher learning prepared her for
this field far better than do those of many other
colleges and universities. In speaking with Laura, I
asked her if during her time at school she had
opportunities to talk to working technical writers and
even benefit from one being a formal advisor to her,
and she affirmed that she had. But not every student
has this kind of opportunity presented to them.
Over the years I have maintained a close association
with a local community college, even volunteering my
time to tutor English Composition. Through my
experience as a tutor, I discovered that many
students, even those in their second year of college,
have not yet been inspired to pursue a specific career
path. Many of these students thoroughly enjoy
writing and at the same time have a strong interest
in technically oriented and scientific topics.
Yet very few had ever been exposed to the world of
technical writing. To add to that, the college itself has
nothing in its curriculum that even hints at technical
writing. Ironically, many of the computer application-
based graphic arts courses, such as those for the
Adobe suite of products are not even allowed to be
part of the Applied Communications curriculum,
which is the one that most closely resembles a
Technical Writing curriculum at that school.
Thus, I have begun to perceive a widening gap
between the academic requirements and programs of
colleges and universities and the currently increasing
demands of the computer software industry for
highly skilled technical writers. However, I believe
that STC and similar organizations can help to narrow
that gap and help to ensure that there will be a
continuing flow of highly competent technical writers
from the country’s colleges and universities.
If your alma mater is close by, or if there is a college
or university in your own community, talk to the
appropriate Dean or administrator and let him or her
know that you are interested in volunteering your
time as a tutor or mentor to students interested in
pursuing a technical writing career. Raise the school’s
awareness to STC and the Philadelphia Metro Chapter
and its activities. Encourage students to join the
chapter and offer to help to match them with an
appropriate mentor.
I think that if each of us agrees to mentor at least
one person in the next two years or to volunteer our
time as a tutor, we will begin to make a difference.
Until recently, I have not observed many younger
writers getting involved with STC. I would like to
think that this is now beginning to change and more
writers who are new to the business will be attending
STC-PMC meetings in the future. ♦
Congratulations, Active Members!
The following chapter members have earned enough activity points throughout the year to receive an Active
Member polo shirt at our upcoming June meeting.
• Stephen Adler
• Albert H. Brown
• Barrie Byron
• Lori Corbett
• Donn DeBoard
• Todd Deluca
• Anthony DeRose
• Timothy Esposito
• Zyppora Goldberg
• Marc Gravez
• Marc Green
• Marianne Johnston
• Steven Lungren
• Gary Sternberg
• Julia Margulies
• Dave Peirce
• Gary Samartino

Calendar of Events
The information in the following table was correct at the time NEWS & VIEWS was published. Be sure to check the
website (www.stcpmc.org) for details and late-breaking updates to the schedule. For all Thursday meetings,
reservations are due by the Monday before the meeting.
Date Meeting Topic Location
Sun-Wed,
6/1-4
Technical Communication Summit
STC's 55th Annual Conference and EXPO
Philadelphia Convention Center
1101 Arch St
Philadelphia, PA
Thurs,
6/19
Conference Summary
Snippets from the STC Conference
Presented by STC Conference Attendees
Plymouth Meeting DoubleTree
640 West Germantown Pike
Plymouth Meeting PA
See you at the Summit!
Deadline for
July/August/September Issue of
NEWS & VIEWS
Monday, August 4, 2008

STC PMC Newsletter 2008-04

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