STC’s 2010 elections are taking place and your vote is needed to help the organization decide where to put its focus in the coming year.

Three vital question about the needs of Canadian chapters were posed to candidates in the upcoming STC election.

If you let your STC membership lapse this year, STC-Montreal would like ask you to also unsubscribe from any SIGs to which you might also have memberships.

STC-Montreal invites members to connect with Concordia students and answer their questions about pursuing a career in the field of technical communication at the Social Sciences & Humanities Career Fair, Thursday, February 4, 2010.

The results from STC-Montreal’s member survey are in. The survey was performed in December 2009, and polled the membership about their expectations of STC.

Even though the earthquake in Haiti is past, the recovery and rebuilding process will continue for months and years. More lives will be lost if aid agencies are unable to continue supporting the Haitian people. Click through for a summary of how you can help.

The 2009 Christmas event was held at Hôtel de la Montagne in the “Le Cabaret” on December 9, 2001 at Antico Martin. Photos from the event are below.

If you are working in a field related to Technical Communication, please take a few minutes to answer this quick 10-question survey.

The 2009 season opening event was held at Hôtel de la Montagne in the “Le Cabaret” on September 21.

With STC facing a significant shortfall in funds this year, the Society is looking at ways to deal with the situation. STC-Montreal President Everett Larsen brings us up to date.

If you’re a technical writer these days, there’s a good chance you are dealing with contract work. Mashable.com has compiled a terrific and exhaustive list of tools and resources for freelancers and web workers.

Many technical communicators write web copy as well as documentation. Take this quiz from the GrokDotCom marketing blog to find how sharp your web writing skills really are.

STC-Montreal is giving away two conference tickets (valued at $1299 each) for the DocTrain West Conference in Palm Springs, California. UPDATE: The contest has ended.

Held in beautiful Palm Springs, CA, the theme of the conference is Moving From Unstructured to Structured Content. STC-Montreal members are entitled a deep discount on the registration fee.

WritersUA has posted the results of its 2009 Salary Survey for the USA and Canada. The survey provides detailed and comprehensive information about compensation for user assistance professionals.

Documentation can come in more creative and useful packages than just books and online help.

Emru Townsend died Tuesday night after a year-long fight to beat the disease that ultimately took his life.

As technical writers, we always need to consider our audience.

It would be nice if we all spoke dozens of languages; no one wants to be the ignorant tourist who can’t communicate with the natives. But the most common communication problems arise when we assume the other person thinks the way we do.

Writer and blogger Emru Townsend, who was diagnosed with leukemia in mid-December, has found a matching donor for a desperately-needed bone marrow transplant.

It’s become painfully clear to me how few people ever learn to organize and run an effective meeting.

Regulated industries have conflicting usability and compliance requirements, and within all of them the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) is the primary document that provides both instructional content and regulatory compliance.

A longtime friend of STC-Montreal needs our help.

Building a web site is a multidisciplinary job. So what should you expect from your web guy?

One of the common processes in semantics is that of generalization. A word starts having a specific application, but its sense broadens over time.

It’s a brand new STC year! Paula Berger, has chosen the slogan “The New World of STC” for this year. And a new world it is!

Are you self-employed? What’s the precise meaning of the term? What guidelines are there to guide self-employed people through the tax minefield?

Today’s question to STC-Montreal is about choosing the right tool for high-end publishing work.

A bevvy of questions about technical writing, information architecture, and jobs in Montreal.

Where in Montreal is FrameMaker training offered?

A reader asks moving back to Montreal: What do I need to know about the job market here?

A reader asks: Are there any courses or certificate programs that could be taken to become an official Technical Writer?

A reader asks about the best way to update a batch of RoboHelp projects.

A reader asks which skills are most valuable in the current job market.

A reader asks how to price freelance writing services in different markets.

What’s the best way to trim the size of images in a Word document?

A reader asks how best to write instructions for taking things apart while respecting recycling and toxic hazard laws.

A reader asks: Is there anything better than old-fashioned CHM files or PDFs?

Reader Leanne Tonkin asks us how to find reputable online technical and medical writing courses. Have a suggestion? The comments are open for your input.

Real-world companies have started to use virtual worlds such as Second Life to improve their corporate communications. Is this science fiction, frivolous gaming, or the next place where you will encounter your audience?

The presentation slides from Jon Druker’s presentation “Expert Tips for Gaining Feedback” are now available for download.

Aiessa Moynam, the Treasurer for STC International, discusses the financial crunch still facing STC, and the funding issue facing local chapters.

STC announced that, under its new fee structure, monies paid by members for chapter membership will not be passed along to the chapters in 2010.

STC-Montreal is pleased to announce that Rolf Hecken has assumed the role of Treasurer on the STC-Montreal administrative council.

STC-Montreal announced a bumper crop of seven award-winning entries in the 2008-2009 Technical Publications Competition. The awards will be presented at the chapter’s spring banquet on June 17, 2009.

Twenty-five votes were cast, representing nearly 24% of eligible STC-Montreal Chapter members at the time of the election. All positions were uncontested.

Nominations for the STC-Montreal Administration Council are now closed, and voting has begun.

Find out who is running for the administrative council for the 2009/2010 season.