John, To set the record straight, I pulled out of the second convention as coordinator in a meeting full of other people and with a clear path as to who would take over...the person who was already attempting to take over anyway...and I just let him.
Reason - because I was the Acting President...because the President, a very good friend of mine, was dying of a brain cancer and had given me his blessing to resign in light of the abuse I was taking. He'd asked me to take over...I took over, got abused right and left...and decided that when volunteering isn't fun...and all you get is abuse...it ain't worth it. I also envisioned myself standing up at the convention and thanking this wonderful man for his years of service to the community...knowing he would either be dead before the convention (and I'd have to thank him past tense), or close to dying. I wasn't even sure which was harder, but I knew, having lost a cousin and both my father-in-law and my mother-in-law to brain cancer, that I just couldn't do it. The accusation that everything is my ego if I don't agree is wrong. I actually didn't have an ego, but my sense of self-preservation finally kicked in. As an example, the person who succeeded me (even before I formally left), insisted I give him my contacts with Macromedia or eHelp (don't remember which) at the time. I asked him on what basis he thought I owed STC those contacts. He mumbled something about them being STC contacts and I said, listen, I've been a recognized RoboHelp expert for years. I GOT MY OWN CONTACTS. I worked with them, built it up etc. The fact that I TRIED to use my contacts to help STC does NOT mean they are STC contacts. The Admin Council agreed. I handed over EVERYTHING else...I did NOT leave them in the lurch or abandon them. And, by the way, it was my SECOND convention I was coordinating for them - I did the first one of its scale EVER held in Israel...and the idea was largely my own. I was the driving force and it became a running joke for weeks at each meeting when others thought it would fail...that I said it wouldn't. The first was an amazing success. The second...much less so because they ran it poorly on the day of the event (I paid to attend the first convention - even as convention coordinator and, having paid, I didn't attend a single session because I was running the whole time making sure it ran like clock work). I ran another conference this past January - NOT STC...and it was an amazing success as well and again, I didn't get to attend a single full session. John, be careful when you accuse someone of mixing their ego into things or laying down rules that say a definitive reason for something. The reality here is that STC has managed to turn off almost every long term volunteer it has ever had here. Another example - the membership here was FURIOUS that the president (before my friend) used STC money to travel twice to Europe. They voted, clearly, that NO funds were to be used for that again. My friend honored that request, as did I, as did the person who followed me (who was on the Audit Committee against the initial guy who did it). No sooner did that person stop being president...than the next president up and did it again (with the approval of the Admin Council, not the membership). When I brought it to the attention of the members, I was called a liar. The truth was there in the receipts. When I state what I did in the past for STC, I do so because I don't believe the ONLY way to criticize is from within and I do believe that 10+ years of membership DOES leave me and others the right to criticize. I started the discussion about the tiered system and its faults. And the answer was - we can't change it now even though we admit is isn't fair - but pay again this year and hopefully we'll change it next year. No, that isn't right. When you admit something is wrong...you stop and figure out how to fix it, not compound it. Or...at least retroactively fix it. That wasn't done. The fact that I was right wasn't the point. The fact that the system was WRONG and needed to be changed WAS the point. But the attitudes involved (like the attitude you show here and other STC leaders showed during that discussion...except for Mark in England and Char and a few others) convinced me that I could do more outside STC than in, that the usefulness of STC had passed for me as a professional in the field. When THAT changes for me, I'll consider rejoining...and NOT so I can put more money into an organization so that others think I have the right to criticize it. Paula Paula R. Stern WritePoint Ltd. www.writepoint.com -----Original Message----- From: John Posada [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, November 11, 2007 4:41 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; 'Gordon McLean'; 'Suzette Leeming'; 'TCP List' Subject: RE: [TCP] OT Vent re: STC > I was a member for more than 10 years - while I was a member, I I'm aware > complained about the pricing structure and was treated, for the most > part, like garbage for daring to raise the issue. > When it was finally corrected, the local Admin Council acted as if > they alone had thought of the problem and solved it. So you are upset not about STC and how they handled tiered membership, but because they bruised your ego. > I was the first convention coordinator. In the middle of organizing > the convention coordinator, I decided to pull out for a variety of > reasons...I attended the second convention - again, not a word of > appreciation for the efforts I'd put in. So, you pulled out in the middle of a committment, probably left them scrambling to find a replacement, and you wanted to be recognized for your effort? > I was Acting President and tried to get STC national to recognize and > do things in Israel to justify the tremendous amount of money they > were taking from our membership - nothing. Maybe they didn't agree with your position. That happens. > The complaint - you don't have a say unless you are a member doesn't > work - Yeah...it does. You don't agree with it, but others do > because I was a member and had complaints and they were ignored > consistently for 10 years. I gave STC enough of my money and my It's not a bank. You don't deposit time for withdrawl as complaints later after you leave. You get involved, you push for change. You withdraw, you watch from the sidelines I could go back and forth on the rest of the issues, but I think you aren't going to agree with my logic. Therefore, I'll just say that I maintain my position. John Posada Senior Technical Writer "They say everyone needs goals. Mine is to live forever. So far, so good." -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 269.15.28/1123 - Release Date: 11/10/2007 3:47 PM ______________________________________________ Author Help files and create printed documentation with Doc-To-Help. New release adds Team Authoring Support, enhanced Web-based help technology and PDF output. Learn more at www.doctohelp.com/tcp. 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