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Wow! I am still on a high from PCOC. I hope you are too! PCOC was deemed a success by all who attended. It's our biannual conference, much smaller and cozier than the international STC conference, so you get to meet everyone and network. However, the speakers are absolutely top notch. Most are also speakers at the international conference, but some are local, which makes it more useful to those of us who are working in east Tennessee. If you attended PCOC this year, we would love to have you write about one (or several) of your favorite sessions. What did you learn? What did you think about the speaker? Did it inspire you to change something about your worklife, how you do your job, or perhaps change directions in your career? We will post them on our website to inspire others to attend PCOC in 2012. We'd especially love to hear from students. Send your synopsis to [log in to unmask] One of my favorite sessions was Rich Maggione's presentation on social networking, and specifically Linkedin. Linkedin has now become a networking tool that none of us can ignore. Some of you, and several in the room, expressed a fear of using Linkedin because their employer might think they are job seeking. Others are concerned about privacy. Linkedin is different from Facebook. Your profile is automatically kept private unless someone requests to connect with you, and you accept that request. People can search for your name, but unless they are connected to you, all they see is what you have given permission to show. It's quite private if you want it to be. Since Linkedin is considered a professional tool, there are very few employers who forbid employees to have a profile on it. It is actually a great way to connect with fellow employees, and can help you connect to people who can help you in your job. Just don't say you are seeking a job anywhere in your profile and you will be fine. You can be very specific about why you are using Linkedin, so if your employer checks they will be reassured. Why should you use Linkedin? Yes, it takes a hour or two a week to get any benefits from it. But you can use it to connect with people with similar job descriptions, people in similar industries, and you just might be able to use those connections to learn new things, find employees, find contractors, and then you will be connected if the worst happens and you lose your job. It can jump start a job search. In today's world, you can lose your job without any warning. It can happen to anyone. So get on Linkedin, get your profile updated, connect to people, ask for recommendations, and then take time to join the group, East Tennessee Chapter, Society for Technical Communication, http://www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=3374127 . So, I've given you two things to do before our next meeting. STC gives you the opportunity to learn and develop. Take the challenge - it's time to stretch and grow your professional life. And I'll see you in November. We'll send more details about our November meeting later. Laurel Bowen TBC Solutions PO Box 988 Clinton TN 37717 865-457-1364 (main) 865-257-1364 (cell) 1-800-615-8893 (fax) 865-259-7133 (call in for conference calls) laurel.bowen (skype) http://tbcsolutions.com http://webhaventn.com