Volunteers needed for the 2007 Bay Area Networking Guide (BANG)

What

The Bay Area Networking Guide (BANG) is a directory of local companies that need the services of technical communicators. Several previous editions of this guide were published by the San Francisco chapter of STC, but the last one appeared in 1994. At a minimum, the next edition should contain the following information:

1. the company's name, physical address, switchboard telephone and main fax numbers, main and employment-related URLs, and a brief description of its products and/or services
2. whether there's a formal in-house technical publications, training, or marketing communications service (and if not, is there a need for a contract solution)
3. the titles, contact information, and key responsibilities of any technical communications department managers
4. which tools are in use in technical communications department(s)
5. whether the company creates content for a global audience
6. the credentials the company typically seeks in its candidates

Why

Now that the tech economy is back on track and many of our former employers have disappeared or moved their technical communications activities offshore, a new BANG will let us find out who's still hiring in the Bay Area, which skills they need, and where we fit.

In short, San Francisco Bay Area technical communicators need another edition of the Networking Guide to help them focus their quest for meaningful work. Just as significantly, STC headquarters has dramatically reduced its funding for individual chapters' operations, so those chapters must augment their revenue. Networking Guide sales could substantially benefit their budgets.

Finally, such a project requires a talented, committed project manager and dedicated researchers.

How

The BANG Coordinator's primary role is to marshall and train researchers, then help them be productive as they fact-check and augment data.

Essentially, the BANG is the ultimate team effort. Many hundreds of phone calls and emails, followed by plenty of data entry, coalesce into a document that lists invaluable details about Bay Area employers of technical communicators.

The BANG:

1. lets employers educate would-be employees and contractors about their needs, corporate infrastructure, and marketplace
2. helps job seekers focus their search and avoid the HR black hole, and
3. generates revenue for STC through sales of the completed document.

Specifically, to make another BANG come together, the following tasks need to be accomplished:

1. Gather the data. As indicated below, Synergistech will provide as much raw data as is needed.
2. Recruit volunteers through STC chapter meetings and newsletters. With 20-30 volunteers each contributing five (5) hours/week, the project should come together quickly.
3. Train volunteers on a phone script and role-playing scenarios. Synergistech will supply the MySQL database for data entry.
4. Supervise volunteers, answering their questions as they gather the information listed under 'What' (above).
5. Publish.

Synergistech's role and incentive (truth in advertising)

Synergistech needs help validating and fleshing out a huge amount of data we've gathered recently about local technology industry employers. We would supply all the raw material for volunteer researchers, including:

• company name
• physical address
• main phone and fax
• main URL
• employment URL (if one exists), and
• (usually) a description of what the company does

Synergistech's legal relationship with the BANG 2007 project is to a) supply the raw data, b) pay for the design and hosting of the target database, and c) underwrite an initial print run should STC decide to distribute in this way. In return, Synergistech will own the resulting data and lease it to STC for free for one 'edition' as well as making it available for further research (on the same terms) at STC's option.

Everyone else's incentive

Volunteers participating in this project get first access to fresh data. As such, the project is attractive to students and those who are out of work, and less appealing to those who work full-time or are unavailable during working hours. At STC's option, volunteers who complete a given number of records might be able to acquire a free or discounted copy of the completed publication.

The Coordinator gets to orchestrate something truly worthwhile and relevant, as well as of substantial economic value to STC.

Employers get free publicity with a motivated workforce as well as the chance to specify the kinds of talent they seek.

And local STC chapters benefit by publicizing their own existence and generating revenue to continue funding valuable chapter operations.

What now?

If you are interested in the role of BANG Project Coordinator, or just want to help with the research effort, please get in touch with Andrew Davis at Synergistech by email.

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