From start to finish

by Tim Scapillato

Tim Scapillato is a consultant working for Public Works and Government Services Canada. Through his company, WorldWideWords Informatics, he is involved in the design and maintenance of corporate intranet sites

This issue of Stimulus represents both an end and a beginning. It marks the end of the term of office of the current executive, and the beginning of a new electronic format designed to enable readers to view the newsletter on-line. Stimulus will continue to be available on the web site in .PDF format for those who prefer to download and print their own copies (thereby helping to reduce the chapter's printing and postage costs). Those who would simply like to visit the Web site and view the newsletter on their computer screens will now have this option available to them with the introduction of the HTML version of Stimulus.

Senior member Art Johnson, former president of the Toronto chapter of the STC and member of the Stimulus production team for the past year, has been instrumental in designing the prototype for the online version of our chapter newsletter. It is designed to follow closely the layout of the paper version, but this format may change over time. Chapter members are encouraged to forward their compliments and criticisms to the editor. Your feedback is critical if we are to continue to provide a quality product that meets your needs. We look forward to hearing from you.

On behalf of Art Johnson and Lisa Dobson, I would like to welcome former

Stimulus editor, Sara Watts, to the production team, and thank her for stepping forward to fill a very important gap. Sara takes over as editorial assistant from Geneva Holloway, who has moved "back home" to Newfoundland. I would like to thank Geneva for all the assistance she has provided over the past year. Her keen eye and sharp editorial skills will be missed.

Thanks to the efforts of Art, Lisa, and Geneva, Stimulus is the winner of this year's Award of Achievement in the STC newsletter competition in the category of "Chapters with 151 to 300 Members" (a category that we have subsequently moved out of with the recent addition of 11 new members). Other winners in this category were Central Connecticut, Pittsburgh, and Southeastern Michigan. This award was very nearly the victim of our January ice storm. Due to power outages, we missed the competition entry deadline, but a very understanding organizer-in California-offered an extension upon hearing of the natural disaster unfolding in this part of the world. Many thanks to Andrea Ames for going out of her way to ensure that the STCEO remained in the competition.

This issue of Stimulus comes with a membership survey, which you are encouraged to fill in and return. We need to know what we are doing right, what we are doing wrong, and what we aren't doing that needs to be done. As any good technical communicator knows, feedback is crucial in the development of a useful product. We look forward to your comments.