IDL CoP

What a year. I'm staying up until midnight tonight just to make sure that 2020 doesn't try to sneak back in!

But with all the lockdowns, turmoil and everything else that made 2020 the year it was, there were still some good things. I think that remote work is here to stay in one form or another. Online meetings are also going to be a fixture going forward, and that will make collaboration easier. We each know more about how much we can do when we have to.

I think every one of is stronger, knowing that we got through the worst that 2020 could throw at us.

This month, we say goodbye to Marcia Shannon as Manager of IDL COP. Jayme Sagan gives us her Treasurer's Report. And we have a Resolution Roundup for the new year!

I hope you all have a safe, happy and prosperous 2021.

From your Leadership Team

Thinking about the many challenges we all faced—and faced down—in 2020 prompted us to share our plans for making 2021 a better year.

Viqui Dill

1) In 2021, I will start my days early because I love getting off early.

2) In 2021, I will stop beating myself up for making mistakes because this is how we learn.

3) In 2021, I will continue to try to be kind because everyone is carrying so much right now.

Destiny Dudley

1)  In 2021, I will start to keep a more routine schedule, focus on exercise, eating for my health, and being proud of myself with the progress I do make.

2) In 2021, I will stop waiting until the last minute to get things accomplished, instead of trying to stay focused on what I need to prioritize.

3) In 2021, I will continue to be happy with my accomplishments toward progressing towards my career, personal, and spiritual goals. To just be kinder to myself and accept that I am not wonder woman.

Lori Meyer

New year resolutions are now very hard for me because my mindset was altered so greatly after my cancer experience. Now, I don't even think of terms of years...only of today and tomorrow.  For me, my daily resolution is “I'm alive. Let me be the best alive I can be today. “

Mellissa Ruryk

1) In 2021, I will start writing down all business purchases with date, amount, retailer, and details of the purchase and its purpose.

2) In 2021, I will stop ignoring my watch that reminds me to get up and move once an hour.

3) In 2021, I will continue to work on my art and exercising my creative side.

Jamye Sagan

1) In 2021, I will start paying more attention to my health by eating healthier foods and by exercising more.

2) In 2021, I will stop procrastinating, or at least not procrastinate so much. Although I tend to do my best work under pressure, it drains me afterwards.

3) In 2021, I will continue devoting time, even if it’s only a few minutes, to doing something fun for myself.

Marcia Shannon

1) In 2021, I will start projects sooner rather than later, so that I do better work.

2) In 2021, I will stop trying to do everything and say "no" once in a while.

3) In 2021, I will continue to write morning pages to stay grounded.

Jamye Sagan, IDL CoP Treasurer

We end 2020 on a healthy financial note – we were able to fund all of our activities, plus have some extra. As of December 26, we have a total of $656.66 in our account - $419.43 in our vested funds, and $237.23 in community funding. Vested funds can roll over each year, but any remaining community funding will be absorbed back into STC. Unlike chapters, communities of practice do not have standalone accounts. Instead, they have sub-accounts under the STC umbrella. Because we did not meet in person at Summit this year, we did not incur as many expenses such as door prizes and business lunch catering.

From September to December, we incurred the following expenses:

• Conference swag, especially mailable items
• Webinar stipends
• Door prizes for Virtual Open House and Demographic Survey
• Stipend for CoP logo redesign

As for income, we made a modest amount from our webinar net proceeds – about $15-25. These proceeds come from IDL non-members; members and students attend at no charge.

In conclusion, we are happy to announce that our 2021 budget has been approved! We take great care to ensure that our funds will benefit as many of our members as possible. Thank you for supporting us, whether by attending our webinars, reading/contributing to our newsletter, or perusing our website.

If you have any questions about SIG finances, please email me at treasurer@nullstcidlsig.org.

This is my last manager’s report for the IDL SIG.  Destiny Dudley is preparing to take over SIG leadership in January. I am looking forward to backing up Destiny and the rest of the SIG leadership team in 2021.

For most of us, 2020 may be the worst year we have had to endure. So much turmoil and fear and hardship and sorrow outweigh whatever I might say to sum up this year. For me, the pandemic-imposed isolation was reduced through virtual webinars and meetings and Summit. Volunteering kept me busy and useful, distracting me from obsessing about the daily dose of depressing news.

Right now, the focus is on gathering contributions for the Student Outreach Essay competition. All technical communication educators, in or out the SIG, are called upon to encourage your technical communication students to share their best work in our essay competition. This is not limited to a single winner; we are happy to publish as much good work as is submitted. There is the additional award of a student membership in STC for each published. You can help your students start their professional portfolios through the Student Outreach opportunity.

Programming will continue to be a frequent benefit of SIG membership. Your suggestions for topics are always welcome. We will also rely on the results of the demographic survey to determine what programs to present in 2021. Think about presenting a webinar this year. You are an expert in some aspect of tech comm and there are others who would love to hear about it.

The strength of the SIG depends on its members’ willingness to participate, volunteer, to support the programs. Thank you for your contributions toward keeping the SIG strong. There are several open positions on the leadership team. You may be one of the people we need to fill a role. It is rewarding and satisfying and challenging and a lot of fun to be a volunteer for IDL. I strongly recommend that everyone try it.

To give you all more time to complete our bi-annual demographic survey, we have extended the deadline to Friday, December 11 at 11:59 pm Central time!

We had sent a link to all of our current members via our discussion list, but if you had not received it, see below: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2020IDLSurvey.

This survey should take about 10-15 minutes to complete. As a token of our appreciation, IDL members who complete our survey can opt to enter a drawing for one of four $25 Amazon gift cards!