About
PLAIN

Membership Directory

Formed in 1993 as the Plain Language Network, the Plain Language Association International is a growing volunteer nonprofit organization of plain-language advocates, professionals, and organizations committed to plain language.

Our members include professionals who plan, write, design, and create communications projects to better serve the needs of the public, clients, customers, students, and staff.

We work as authors, communications specialists, consultants, designers, editors, managers, professors, trainers and writers in business, education, government, health, law, medicine and social service.

We have members from around the world, including Canada, the United States, Australia, Finland, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Spain, and the Netherlands. We welcome all new members interested in plain language.

Membership Brochure (PDF, 213KB)
Please note: This Web site updates old contact information in the brochure, including details about PLAIN membership applications.

Our Mission

To promote the interests of plain-language professionals.
To promote standards and practices of the plain-language profession.
To promote research and development in plain language.
To provide marketing and networking services for our members.
To help people understand and use plain-language principles.

Our Draft Bylaw

The PLAIN Executive Committee completed PLAIN's first Bylaw (Word DOC, 142KB) in May 2007. We presented it to members at our Biennial General Meeting in Amsterdam and look forward to more comments.

The Bylaw is PLAIN's first step toward non-profit incorporation and more formal governance. Our committee believes incorporation will open the door to greater international member commitment, opportunities for systematic plain-language research and archival services, and the possibility of a future Plain-Language Institute with standards and certification.

We see our Bylaw as a giant step for plain language. We hope you will support this initiative.

PLAIN Executive Committee

Contact and background information about the Executive Committee:

Interim Chair, Ron Wohl (United States)
Treasurer, Ruth Baldwin (Canada)
Webmaster, Nad Rosenberg (United States)
E-mail Forum Coordinator, Gary Larson (United States)
Ad Hoc Volunteer, Janet Pringle (Canada)

PLAIN Web site address: http://plainlanguagenetwork.org/

Join us! Or renew your membership

Joining PLAIN is great value for money. Benefits of our low-cost membership include:

You're listed on our Web site as a plain-language professional or organization committed to clear writing in plain language. Your listing is a credible professional reference for marketing your work. It includes your chosen contact details so potential clients know how to get in touch with you.
You get reduced rates for our international conferences. We bring together plain-language experts from around the world every two or three years to present the latest research and techniques.
You show you want to make a real difference by advocating plain language. Its value crosses disciplines and borders around the world.

Members' contact information and Web sites are listed in the Membership Directory. Members' Web sites are also listed on the Web Sites for Writers page. We also list books written by PLAIN members. Member listings and their content are optional.

Membership start dates are continuous, valid for one or two years from any month you pay. Two-year memberships get the benefit of a discount. Membership is in either Canadian or U.S. dollars:

one year -- Can$35 or US$30
two years -- Can$65 or US$55

The low membership fee pays for PLAIN's Internet service provider and minor administrative expenses.

To join PLAIN, fill out the Membership Application: Word document (62KB) | HTML document. Send it with the required fee to:
Ruth Baldwin
893 Watson Street
Ottawa, ON K2B 6B8, Canada.

You can also join by filling out the application in our Membership Brochure (PDF, 213KB). Please use the mailing address for Ruth Baldwin listed above, not the outdated name and address listed in this brochure.

For more information about memberships, contact any of the PLAIN Executive Committee members.

Time to renew your membership? Check with Ruth Baldwin to learn if your membership dues are up-to-date and to update your contact information.

The PLAIN Forum, our friendly e-mail discussion group: plainlanguage

To subscribe to the PLAIN Forum, free for six months, send an e-mail message to plainlanguage-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

Yahoo will send you a confirmation e-mail message. To confirm your subscription, just reply to the message.

You can choose to get individual messages, or a daily digest, or read messages on the Yahoo Web site. You can also access the message archives or edit your membership. You must use your Yahoo ID at the Yahoo plainlanguage Web site:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/plainlanguage.

For more help on using Yahoo's Groups feature: http://help.yahoo.com/help/groups/.

Here are other PLAIN Forum commands:

To post a message, send a message to plainlanguage@yahoogroups.com.
To unsubscribe, send a message to
plainlanguage-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com.
To contact the Forum coordinator, send a message to plainlanguage-owner@yahoogroups.com.

PLAIN Forum Guidelines

Standards of conduct for participation in our e-mail discussion group