EAC: National e-news update, February 12, 2009

News, events, tips and updates for members of the Editors’ Association of Canada

In this issue:

1. CONFERENCE: Sneak peek
2. CONNECTING WITH MEMBERS: New membership list launches February 25
3. TOM FAIRLEY AWARD POSTER: Volunteers wanted
4. SURVEY REMINDER: Last chance to take the revised PES survey
5. ONLINE DIRECTORY OF EDITORS: A rousing success!
6. CERTIFICATION: Get certified in 2009
7. NATIONAL OFFICE: Experienced Trados users needed


1. CONFERENCE: Sneak peek

Conference 2009 will have something for everyone. Ready to rev up with inspiring, challenging, practical and fun sessions? Here’s a taste of what the 30th anniversary conference will have to offer.

  • All I know about information architecture I learned from substantive editing (almost) – Lynda Chiotti
  • Lasso the power of wild wikis and bronco blogs – Janice Cunningham and Asha Jhamandas
  • Outils Web : les secrets d’un profil efficace! – Anna Olivier
  • Running a profitable business – Carolyn L Burke
  • Sexing the language: Editing for sexual minorities – Andrea Zanin
  • Traduction (et revision! ) comme jeu : ce que le réviseurs peuvent apprendre de la reception de l’œuvre de Wittgenstein en France – Zoran Minderovic

… and so much more!

Don’t forget, early-bird registration opens on February 23.

You’ve got mail

Next month, you’ll receive your EAC conference promotional material and a bonus! We’re partnering this year with MagNet, Canada’s Magazine Conference. Don’t miss the details on the two conferences. Be sure to check your Canada Post mailing in March.


2. CONNECTING WITH MEMBERS: New membership list launches February 25

On February 25 you’ll see a brand new membership list on the association website. The new list is a dynamic online tool that will give you full control over your profile.

Take advantage of these new features to connect with your fellow EAC members.

  • Log into a secure server to update your profile at any time.
  • List as little or as much of your contact information as you like—it’s up to you.
  • Protect your email address. With the new membership list, you’ll have the option of displaying your email address or directing members to an easy-to-use contact form instead.
  • Preview your updates and save them for later or publish them immediately. You decide when your profile will appear in the membership list.

Best of all, a profile in the membership list is free of charge.

The new membership list is an opt-in service for all current EAC members. Members will be asked to create an online profile account to activate, update and publish their membership list profiles.

Keep an eye on your inbox! You’ll receive complete instructions on February 25.


3. TOM FAIRLEY AWARD POSTER: Volunteers wanted

It’s a year of anniversaries for EAC. In June we’ll celebrate 25 years of award-winning editorial excellence with the announcement of the winner of the 2008 Tom Fairley Award.

We’re marking the occasion with a commemorative colour poster that features artwork from the winning entries of the last 25 years. EAC will also use the posters to bolster the Tom Fairley Award endowment fund during a fall fundraising drive.

The Marketing and Public Relations Committee is looking for volunteers to coordinate permissions from the publishers of the 1983–2007 winning works. This task will involve contacting the publishers, obtaining permissions and acquiring print-quality image files. If you’d like to volunteer, contact committee chair Barb Adamski.


4. SURVEY REMINDER: Last chance to take the revised PES survey

Don’t forget to weigh in with your opinion on the newly revised version of Professional Editorial Standards. The final review by members is now underway. This is your last chance to confirm that the revised standards are accurate, up to date, complete and clear before members with voting status are asked to ratify the document this spring.

1. Download Professional Editorial Standards—Revised Draft 2009 and review it.
http://www.editors.ca/members/readup/surv_rpts/pesrev2009.html

2. Complete the survey.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=gpqxtyksjuH7LKX3wRuA9Q_3d_3d

The survey closes tomorrow (February 13).


5. ONLINE DIRECTORY OF EDITORS: A rousing success!

We’re pleased to report that the redesigned Online Directory of Editors (ODE) is a hit! Since the launch of the new ODE in September, approximately 40,000 profiles have been viewed—that’s about 8,000 profile views per month!

“This is terrific news,” says Alan Yoshioka, Online Job Tools Committee chair. “We designed the new ODE to work much better with search engines, so it’s gratifying that members’ detailed profiles are getting so much traffic.”

ODE statistics indicate that searches by last name (used in 70% of searches), keyword (60%) and editorial skills (40%) are most popular. 

Visit EAC’s new Online Directory of Editors today.

More than 400 EAC members have already signed up for a listing in the ODE. A listing through June 2009 costs just $7.50* per month. Don’t pass up this opportunity to promote yourself. For payment instructions and more information about the ODE, visit the Your online directory listing page in the Members’ Area of the association website today.

Remember, any member can create a profile in the ODE—even before paying for it. It won’t be published until you pay for it, but you can still create and preview your profile to see how your entry would look in the ODE.

*GST extra


6. CERTIFICATION: Get certified in 2009

Looking for that editorial edge? The test dates for this year’s certification administration are set.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

  • Proofreading (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.)

Monday, November 23, 2009

  • Structural and Stylistic Editing (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.)
  • Elementary Knowledge of the Publishing Process (2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.)

The Copy Editing test will not be offered in 2009, but will be offered again in 2010.

The following test locations are planned, demand and resources permitting: Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Halifax.

Registration for the 2009 tests will open in July 2009.

Study early

It’s never too early to start preparing for the certification tests. Assess your readiness and see what the tests entail with EAC Certification: Study Guide and Exemplars.The four volumes of the Study Guide (one for each test) provide a comprehensive introduction to each of the certification tests. Working through the relevant volumes of the Study Guide is a hands-on way to review the standards and identify gaps in your knowledge and skills.


7. NATIONAL OFFICE: Experienced Trados users needed

EAC acknowledges the support of Colborne Communications. Colborne Communications’ generous donation of an SDL Trados 2007 translation software licence will help the national office keep costs down as it works with volunteers to keep translating jobs in-house.

If you have experience with Trados software and are interested in helping the national office build and manage an English/French translation library, please contact Michelle Ou.


The EAC national e-news update is produced on behalf of the national executive council by the national office.

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