Survey results about the possible REST API workshop
Survey results
Earlier this week I asked for your feedback about a possible REST API workshop I was thinking about providing. If you would like to view the answers from the survey, you can read them here or from the screenshot below.
In summary, it seems that there is a substantial interest in a REST API workshop (particularly on a Saturday morning or weeknight), but since most people aren’t located near Mountain View, California, more people are interested in online options than in-person workshops.
Additionally, although most people are interested in REST APIs, people are also interested in learning about other APIs as well.
Most people would pay about $99 for the workshop, and the duration should last about 4 hours. The travel time was a factor in the workshop duration. Few people are willing to travel great distances for a shorter workshop. If they have to increase the travel time, the workshop duration should be longer, such as 8 hours.
Online options?
I’m weighing different options for the online delivery of the content. There are several options:
- Stream a live course
- Create an e-book
- Create an e-learning course
- Create a series of videos
The e-learning courses are popular now. The number of online learning platforms has exploded. Some of the platform options include Udemy, Audacity, Fedora, Moodle, Braincert, Code Academy, Pluralsight, Udacity, and dozens more.
Just this week Peter Gruenbaum launched his second part of his Learn API Technical Writing: Part 2 on Udemy. And Scriptorium launched Learning DITA, an e-learning course that teaches you DITA, through their own WordPress e-learning platform.
In contrast to courses, e-books and videos are also an option. Safari Books Online remains one of my favorite learning options because with books, you can adjust the pace of your study based on your technical level. If you’re a beginner, you can go slow and reread the same paragraphs multiple times, or ramp up on needed terms and concepts at a snail’s pace. Advanced users can skip ahead to the parts they have questions about.
(Safari’s library aren’t necessarily ebooks — they’re more like online books — but the concept is similar.)
Lynda.com presents a series of videos, one after the other. I like Lynda.com because the video format forces the instructor to show how to do tasks. You won’t get bogged down in concepts and abstracts. You focus on doing things.
Overall, I’m leaning towards both an e-book and series of videos. I also plan to hold a workshop in Mountain View, but I want to repurpose the content into the e-book and videos as well.
About Tom Johnson
I'm an API technical writer based in the Seattle area. On this blog, I write about topics related to technical writing and communication — such as software documentation, API documentation, AI, information architecture, content strategy, writing processes, plain language, tech comm careers, and more. Check out my API documentation course if you're looking for more info about documenting APIs. Or see my posts on AI and AI course section for more on the latest in AI and tech comm.
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