In the winner's circle again by Christie Williams

Level: All Works with: All Updated: 04-Feb-2002

For the third time, Iris Today has been honored with a STACI award from the Boston Chapter of the Society for Technical Communications (STC). We entered our Special Security Issue in the 2001 Online Communication Competition, and we're proud to say that out of 39 entries, we were awarded an Excellence award.

In 1999, we won an Excellence award for our R5 Special Edition, and in the 1998 competition, we won two Merit awards: one for The History of Notes and Domino in the Technical Marketing category and one for Iris Today in the Web site category. (In 2000, we were so busy we forgot to enter!)

What's a STACI?
STACI stands for STC Achievement in Communicating Information. The STACI awards are held annually by the Boston Chapter of the STC to recognize outstanding examples of technical communication.

This year, there were three categories of competition: Technical Publications, Technical Art, and Online Communication. Each category had three levels of recognition: Distinguished, Excellence, and Merit. Winners of the Distinguished award qualify for entry in the STC's International competition.

The judges are not compelled to make any award if entries do not warrant that distinction; by the same token, they can select multiple winners for any award level. This year, out of 39 entries in the Online Communication Competition, there was 1 Distinguished award, 8 Excellence awards, and 11 Merit awards.

With 25,000 members, the STC is (according to its Web site) the largest organization for technical communicators in the world. Members include "technical writers, editors, graphic designers, videographers, multimedia artists, Web and Intranet page information designers, translators, and others whose work involves making technical information available to those who need it."

The STC has over 150 local and regional chapters and publishes the magazine Intercom and the quarterly journal Technical Communication. It hosts an annual conference and provides a variety of education opportunities to its members. The STC is also a member of INTECOM, an international alliance of technical communications organizations.

Comments from the judges
The judges for the competition are technical communication professionals with expertise in the particular category they are judging. They judge each entry on its own merit and evaluate how well it meets its purpose and the needs of its audience. They consider writing, graphics, organization, usability, aesthetics, and the integration of these elements.
As entrants, we receive the judges comments and feedback. Here are some of what they had to say about the Special Security Issue of Iris Today:

• "Not quite Distinguished, but close."
• "A very good site overall. The site serves its audience, is clear and logical in navigation, and very appealing to the eye. I liked this site the most of those tested."
• "Good basic screen design and graphics. Easy to navigate. Theme issue is a good approach."
• "Overall, the articles and entries were well written. Loved the roll-over navigation buttons. Good color and basic screen design. Good use of photos and graphics."
• "Very attractive, works well as a webzine, balancing content with the ability to read leisurely without having to click to get to every paragraph that's parsed into a separate page. Writing is very good, tone is engaging. Many very nice graphics. Clear presentation of user's level with each article."

How do you think we're doing?
It's great to win awards, but the real thing that keeps us working day-to-day to provide you with the best technical information possible is the feedback we receive from you—and we receive a lot of it. Sometimes you thank us for helping you out, sometimes you ask for more information, sometimes you point out an error or typo, and sometimes you complain that an article didn't live up to your expectations. We read each and every article feedback form we receive, and while we don't have time to send a response to your comments, we do consider them carefully, especially when planning future articles and issues.

So let us know how we're doing. Send us a message at ideas@notes.net or click the "What do think about this article?" link below (or on any Iris Today article) and fill out a feedback form. Thanks!