China trip,s

Thu Mar 13 08:31:33 MDT 2008

 I was sure a number of members would not appreciate the STC president's use of Wickipedia as a definitive reference source. What is interesting about the People to People listing in this sources is reading the editing notes/blog. It will give a flavor of how a company tries to control their message in the Wickipedia world.

Teresa Trujillo
Book Workshop/Mighty Designs
1501 E. Orangethorpe Avenue
Suite 130
Fullerton, California 92831
Phone (714) 525-0882
Fax (714) 879-7156
Cell (714) 926-8343

-----Original Message-----
From: Graham, Winsome           CAR <Winsome.Graham at carrier.utc.com>
To: tashuff at aol.com
Sent: Thu, 13 Mar 2008 6:03 am
Subject: RE: [stc-ac] Re: China trip

Unfortunately, the biggest surprise for me was that the 
STC president used Wikipedia as a reference for her argument. 
Hmmmm...

Winsome C. 
Graham 
Technical Writer, Carrier Transicold 
Containers and Gensets 

phone: 315.432.6636 
efax:    860.660.8935 
email: 
winsome.graham at carrier.utc.com 

From: bounce-stc-ac-277719 at lists.stc.org 
[mailto:bounce-stc-ac-277719 at lists.stc.org] On Behalf Of 
tashuff at aol.com
Sent: Wednesday, March 12, 2008 7:32 
PM
To: stc-ac
Subject: [stc-ac] Re: China 
trip

Garrett, 

I have 
said in previous postings that I am not opposed to STC sponsoring a group tour. 
I am opposed to the way this tour was offered and the misleading message sent by 
People to People.

Ask your wife--if she knew that People to People used 
deceptive marketing tactics to promote their organization would she feel the 
same way about her experience? 

The academic list serve did not post all 
of the information I made available to the Lone Writers SIG or to the STC 
president. I guess someone felt it necessary to censor the information available 
to this group. They probably do not share my belief that discussing STC's 
operations is appropriate for the list serve. I believe that sharing anything 
that STC puts on the table and into organizational operation is germane to all 
of the members. The lone writer SIG has been quite lively in the 
discussion.

It just so happens that I was driving today when a young 
mother called Dr. Laura Schlesinger to discuss the P2P special invitation that 
her 11-year-old daughter received for a conference in Washington DC. What kind 
of special qualifications does a pre-teen need to have to be invited to a 
worldwide conference in our nations capital? I guess if she is breathing she is 
qualified to travel unaccompanied for this great experience. The cost of the 
discussed trip was in the $2,000-$3,000 for a few days.

I believe in 
profit, and I believe in good corporate citizenship. They are not mutually 
exclusive ideas. I don't see Ambassador Group as a good corporate citizen when 
they willingly prey on the hopes and dreams of our nations youth. I'm the parent 
of a teenager who would take this type of invitation very seriously. The 
only recommendation he needs to be selected for this trip is to sign up to take 
his SAT exam. The P2P marketers are buying the College Board list and using 
deceptive language and practices to entice unwitting consumers 
(teenagers).

Have you ever had a conversation with a teenager who REALLY 
wants something? How many families have had to deal with the negative 
consequences of telling their kid that the trip is just not in the family's 
plans. Or worse, how many families have maxed the credit cards and mortgaged the 
house to fund their little "ambassodor's" adventures with a company that 
promotes itself as a good world citizen, when in fact it is a front for a huge 
travel agency's marketing machine?

I work with not-for-profit agencies 
and I was an advertising executive for a travel magazine. P2P's solicitation 
set-off my skeptics buttons on all fronts. It didn't feel a little wrong--it 
felt really sour. Inviting me to be part of a "professional 
delegation" and telling me that my “professional background and experience are 
primary criteria for invitation.” It went on to state that, “Only selected 
professionals are invited to participate.” I could “apply” to attend. Well, I've 
never been particularly active in STC, and there was no selective mechanism in 
my STC membership that should have triggered such a wondrous honor. 

BTW--there are oodles of tour operators who offer similar services 
for far less money. I think future travel by STC would be better served by a 
tour operator who shares our organizational values. If I am mistaken, and the 
STC values do mesh nicely with Ambassador Group, then I know that I joined the 
wrong organization.

Caveat Emptor!

Teresa Trujillo
Book Workshop/Mighty 
Designs
1501 E. Orangethorpe Avenue
Suite 130
Fullerton, California 
92831
Phone (714) 525-0882
Fax (714) 879-7156
Cell (714) 
926-8343

-----Original 
Message-----
From: 
gromaine3 at comcast.net
To: stc-ac <stc-ac at lists.stc.org>
Sent: 
Wed, 12 Mar 2008 3:30 pm
Subject: [stc-ac] Re: China trip

My two cents:

My wife is on the board of directors for the Special Libraries Association, and 

went on a People-to-People visit to South Africa in 2007. The cost was in the 

$4800 range for about 12 days, so a little cheaper than the China trip but in 

the ball park. Overall, she had a wonderful visit, and met many, many 

professional librarians there. The trip seemed to have a nice balance between 

touristy stuff (Parliament, Nelson Mandela's jail cell) and serious, 

business-type stuff. She thought P-2-P did their job and earned their money. She 

encouraged me to go on the China trip, but it could just be to get me out of the 

house. 

It looks like for the cost of one participant, about $5,000, STC gets a good 

return. We send our president, who is always going to be our most able 

ambassador, to hob-nob with the Chinese and proselytize for our cause. If we get 

an additional 20 Chinese members who stay in the Society for two years, her 

costs are covered. Even without a surge in membership, our global messaging gets 

added luster. 

If it turns out that Ambassadors Group makes a profit, I think that's permitted. 

I wouldn't want to see them turn around and peddle our membership list, and 

hopefully there are safeguards against that. Our members are free to pick and 

choose for themselves, and if the whole effort falls apart, we can try something 

else. But I do favor reaching out to members who are outside North America, and 

I think the spirit was right on this one.

-Garret Romaine

Willamette Valley chapter

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