Society for Technical Communication
Dedicated to "advancing the arts and sciences of technical communication." Has information on educational programs, awards, finding local chapters, hosts and news. Also hosts an interactive jobs database.
STC International Technical Communication Special Interest Group (SIG)
Internationalization, localization, translation, cross-cultural communication, and technical communication worldwide are the focus of this site Projects include a bibliography and "kits" of articles on specific topics.
IEEE Professional Communication Society
An organization for "effective communication of business and technical information," their mission is to help engineers and technical writers hone their written and oral presentation skills. Also has interests in integrating visual communication (e.g., drawings, diagrams, 3-D models, animation).
TECHWR-L
Unmoderated asynchronous discussion group and informative Web site for technical writers. Good source for networking and understanding the inner workings of the professional culture. Listserv format to your email. Searchable discussion archives.
Training & Development Community Center
For many, it is one step from technical writing of manuals and instructions to actually providing technical instruction in training sessions. The Training & Development Community Center covers instructional design and multimedia as well as human resources career information.
Human Factors and Ergonomics Society
Professional organization centered around the interactions between human beings and the design of systems and devices. Many technical communicators find themselves part of human factors workgroups, human-computer interaction groups, or information architecture groups.
Usability Professionals' Association
Professional organization to provide networking opportunities and share techniques and methods in usability testing, as well as promote the viewpoint of usability professionals to the general public. Includes a job bank and low-cost student membership.
