I'd Rather Be Writing Podcast Feed

API documentation podcasts 1.0 Creating code samples for API/SDK documentation (webinar recording, slides, and audio) 1.3 API Doc presentation slides and recording (San Francisco STC chapter) 1.4 Getting a job in API documentation: Podcast with Andrew Davis 1.5 → Learning how developers think, and other API doc insights: Podcast with Joe Malin 1.6 Podcast: Automating REST API documentation, with Peter Gruenbaum 1.7 Podcast: Unifying the API doc publishing toolchain, with Mark Baker 1.8 API workshop video + audio + slides + workshop files from TC Camp 1.9 Survival strategies for API documentation -- slides and recording 2.0 Best practices for API documentation -- podcast with Andrya Feinberg 2.1 Recording of API documentation workshop (REST and Javadoc) at tcworld India 2015 2.2 API Documentation presentation to East Bay STC chapter -- slides and recording Length: 45 min. Download MP3 (right-click and select Save As) In this podcast, I talk with Joe Malin about a variety of topics within API documentation, including how developers think, best practices, and more. Joe is a former software engineer who turned to technical writing many years ago. He has worked at a variety of companies in API documentation roles, including 7 years at Google. Here are a few of the topics we cover in the podcast: Why Joe turned from software programming to writing What kind of API documentation he is currently working on Best practices for API documentation The brilliance of REST APIs as a means of interchanging information Whether REST API doc is easier than platform-API doc How much programming a person needs to know to do API documentation, particularly Javadoc How developers think, and other insights gained from learning programming Benefits of using Github and other source control repositories to share documentation His response to someone who says, "Well if I could write code, I would be a programmer instead of a technical writer." Contributions tech writers can make with code samples, including style guides for code Applications for visual communication with code You can learn more about Joe Malin by visiting his Linkedin profile. To ask questions about API documentation, see the API Documentation group on Linkedin. Add a review for the "I'd Rather Be Writing" podcast in iTunes If you like this podcast, please add a review for the podcast in iTunes. Just click this link, and then launch iTunes. Find and subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. On the Ratings and Reviews section, add a rating and optionally a review. This will help increase the visibility of the podcast in iTunes. You can help support my podcast by reviewing it in iTunes. Next: 1.6 Podcast: Automating REST API documentation, with Peter Gruenbaum

Learning how developers think, and other API doc insights: Podcast with Joe Malin

API documentation podcasts 1.0 Creating code samples for API/SDK documentation (webinar recording, slides, and audio) 1.3 API Doc presentation slides and recording (San Francisco STC chapter) 1.4 → Getting a job in API documentation: Podcast with Andrew Davis 1.5 Learning how developers think, and other API doc insights: Podcast with Joe Malin 1.6 Podcast: Automating REST API documentation, with Peter Gruenbaum 1.7 Podcast: Unifying the API doc publishing toolchain, with Mark Baker 1.8 API workshop video + audio + slides + workshop files from TC Camp 1.9 Survival strategies for API documentation -- slides and recording 2.0 Best practices for API documentation -- podcast with Andrya Feinberg 2.1 Recording of API documentation workshop (REST and Javadoc) at tcworld India 2015 2.2 API Documentation presentation to East Bay STC chapter -- slides and recording Length: 45 min. Download MP3 (right-click and select Save As) Getting a job in API documentation can be tricky. What programming skills do you need to know? How in-depth does your technical knowledge need to be? What kind of authoring tools and methods are relevant for jobs in API documentation? In this podcast, I talk with Andrew Davis, a former technical writer who turned to recruiting for technical writers. Andrew specializes in helping companies find technical writers for highly technical roles, often for API documentation or other developer documentation jobs. (In fact, when I moved out to Silicon Valley, Andrew helped me find my first job in the valley.) Here are some of the topics we talk about in this job market podcast focused on API documentation: What kinds of programming languages and skills are companies looking for in tech writing candidates? What kind of authoring tools or methodologies are most important to know? How does the API documentation market compare with jobs for GUI or traditional documentation? Can someone with a humanities background excel in the field of API documentation? Why do some software engineers turn to technical writing? Can technical writers with English degree backgrounds compete against technical writers who are former software engineers? Are remote working opportunities feasible in API documentation, or do employers expect you to be on site? When interviewing for API documentation jobs, how do you present writing samples if your materials are confidential or proprietary with your previous company? How much money do technical writers make in API documentation jobs in Silicon Valley? How do you transition to Silicon Valley from out of state and land a job in technical writing? How long should you stay employed at a company? Contacting Andrew Davis If you'd like to contact Andrew Davis, either to enlist his services in placing a technical writer for an opening at your company, or for help in being placed in a company, here's his contact information: Andrew Davis email: synergistech@gmail.com website: synergistech.com twitter: @synergistech Add a review for the "I'd Rather Be Writing" podcast in iTunes If you like this podcast, please add a review for the podcast in iTunes. Just click this link, and then launch iTunes. Find and subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. On the Ratings and Reviews section, add a rating and optionally a review. This will help increase the visibility of the podcast in iTunes. You can help support my podcast by reviewing it in iTunes. Next: 1.5 Learning how developers think, and other API doc insights: Podcast with Joe Malin

Getting a job in API documentation: Podcast with Andrew Davis

Length: 26 min. Download MP3 (right-click and select Save As) While I was at Information Development World, I had a conversation with Rick Yagodich about his new book, Author Experience. This is one of the first books in The Content Strategy series of books. During our conversation, Rick and I talked about the following topics: Why do people have such poor experiences with CMSs? What are key considerations authors need in a CMS? How important is it to see relationships among content in a CMS? How important are workflows in a CMS, and why are they so problematic? Can authors have good experiences with their content without having a CMS? Do CMSs inject tags into your code to handle styles and IDs? Does this make it more difficult to work with the code? How do you figure out details about CMS vendors such as cost, features, etc, when this information is rarely published? How does AX differ from a treatment of CMSs? How can we give so much emphasis on AX over UX? Isn't UX more important? Why did you pick this topic? What about your background or experiences made you particularly interested in the author experience? You can buy Author Experience from XML Press, Amazon, and other bookstores. You can learn more about Rick Yagodich by following him on Twitter @think_info or by reading his blog at http://think-info.com or the companion book site theaxbook.com. Add a review for the "I'd Rather Be Writing" podcast in iTunes If you like this podcast, please add a review for the podcast in iTunes. Just click this link, and then launch iTunes. Find and subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. On the Ratings and Reviews section, add a rating and optionally a review. This will help increase the visibility of the podcast in iTunes. [caption id="attachment_22284" align="alignnone" width="500"] You can help support my podcast by reviewing it in iTunes.

The Author Experience -- Interview with Rick Yagodich

Voiceover techniques 1.1 Finding a Conversational Voice in Video Tutorials 1.2 The Problem with Speaking Conversationally in Video Tutorials 1.3 Finding an acoustic environment (Voiceover) 1.4 Sounding natural (Voiceover) 1.5 Avoiding a sense of rambling (Voiceover) 1.6 Avoiding plosives and breathing noises (Voiceover) 1.6 Smiling while you narrate (Voiceover) 1.8 Avoiding phlegm in your throat with voiceovers (Voiceover) 1.9 Fixing Fumbled Sentences 2.0 Adding inflection (Voiceover) 2.1 Recording with the right microphone (Voiceover techniques) 2.2 Breathing correctly (Voiceover) 2.3 My STC Summit Proceedings paper on voiceover techniques (Voiceover) 2.4 Podcast: Ten Voiceover Techniques (PodcampSLC) 2.5 The Perfect Voice -- Professional or Authentic? 2.6 Imperfect content and the difficulty of writing video scripts 2.7 → Slides and recording for "Perfecting the audio narration in instructional video" at Info Dev World Yesterday at Information Development World I presented "Perfecting the audio narration in instructional video." Here are my slides and recording. Length: 50 min. Download MP3 (right-click and select Save As) Perfecting the audio narration in instructional video from Tom Johnson PowerPoint in other format: pptx | zip Also, I know I posted it earlier, but here's the description of my presentation. Perfecting the Audio Narration with Instructional Videos No matter what tool you use to create video tutorials, getting the voice right — sounding professional, clear, and friendly — is an art. You have to know to interact with your microphone, how to read your script sounding natural and at ease (often while driving the mouse), how to post-process your audio track without ending up with choppy background shifts, how to sync your voice with the timing of the video actions, and more. In this session, you'll learn several fundamental techniques that can make your voice sound pleasing for users to listen to. By enunciating your words (opening your mouth wider), varying your pitch, reading ahead to know where the content is going, and understanding how to efficiently post-process your audio, you can transform what might be an otherwise weak voice into one that is clear, easy to understand, and professional. You'll also learn about different microphones and recording setups that work well for creating instructional videos. Other notes In the audio file, I swapped in the actual audio files of the clips I played. I also dropped in the full audio clips, so they're a bit longer than the length I actually played in the presentation. Also, I tried to even out the audio so that the clips and my voice are relatively the same level. Additionally, the questions and comments from the audience weren't loud enough to hear, so I cut those out. As a result, you may hear some jumps where it's obvious I skipped something. If you just look at the slides in the Slideshare embed, you won't be able to hear the audio clips. You will need to download the PowerPoint format of the slides to hear them. Feedback Here's a youtube video of Adam Helwah interviewing Irene Koehler about my session. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8evf63imL5M Add a review for the "I'd Rather Be Writing" podcast in iTunes If you like this podcast, please add a review for the podcast in iTunes. Just click this link, and then launch iTunes. Find and subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. On the Ratings and Reviews section, add a rating and optionally a review. This will help increase the visibility of the podcast in iTunes. [caption id="attachment_22284" align="alignnone" width="500"] You can help support my podcast by reviewing it in iTunes.

Slides and recording for "Perfecting the audio narration in instructional video" at Info Dev World

Yesterday I presented “Publishing strategies for API documentation” to the San Francisco STC chapter. Here are my slides and recording. Length: 60 min. Download MP3 (right-click and select Save As) Publishing strategies for API documentation from Tom Johnson PowerPoint in other format: pptx | zip Also, I know I posted it earlier, but here’s the Continue Reading »

API Doc presentation slides and recording (San Francisco STC chapter)

Information Development World and the Customer Experience -- A Podcast with Scott Abel and Val Swisher

Length: 26 min. Download MP3 (right-click and select Save As) In this podcast, I talk with Scott Abel and Val Swisher, organizers for the Information Development World conference, about the technical writer’s role in the customer experience. The customer experience is a major focus of the Information Development World conference. The Information Development World conference Continue Reading »

Length: 30 min. Download MP3 (right-click and select Save As) In this podcast, I talk with Scot Marvin, an API technical writer based in Oregon, about some introductory topics with API documentation. Topics covered in the podcast include the following: The prevalence of APIs 15 years ago compared to today The definition of an API Continue Reading »

Length: 30 min. Download MP3 (right-click and select Save As) In this podcast, I talk with Scot Marvin, an API technical writer based in Oregon, about some introductory topics with API documentation. Topics covered in the podcast include the following: The prevalence of APIs 15 years ago compared to today The definition of an API Continue Reading »

Introduction to API documentation: Interview with Scot Marvin