---
title: "2021 archives"
description: "{% for post in site.posts %} {% capture year %}{{post.date | date:"
canonical_url: https://idratherbewriting.com/archives-2021/index.html
---

> For AI agents: a documentation index is available at https://idratherbewriting.com/llms.txt. Markdown versions of all pages are available by appending .md to any page URL.

# 2021 archives

1. [PDF and eBook formats available for API doc course](https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/pdf-and-ebook-formats-for-api-doc-course) | Dec 29, 2021
2. [One year later after moving to Seattle](https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/seattle-one-year-later) | Dec 22, 2021
3. [Broadcasting your meeting notes (API documentation topic)](https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/broadcasting-your-meeting-notes) | Dec 11, 2021
4. [Barefoot shoes, basketball, and how to avoid recurring calf strains](https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/barefoot-shoes-basketball-fix-for-recurring-calf-strains) | Nov 28, 2021
5. ["The writing process"-- a new section in my API doc course](https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/the-writing-process/) | Nov 19, 2021
6. [HastyDocs: A new approach to keeping API documentation up-to-date, by Jarek Piotrowski](https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/hastydocs-keep-code-and-docs-updated/) | Nov 15, 2021
7. [Urban sprawl and car dependence -- some thoughts on solutions](https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/urban-sprawl-solutions/) | Oct 31, 2021
8. [Write the Docs Podcast Episode 35: Docs for Developers book, with Jared Bhatti and Zachary Sarah Corleissen](https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/wtd-episode-35-docs-for-developers-book/) | Oct 31, 2021
9. [Presentation recording -- 'Best practices in API docs: Product overviews and getting started tutorials'](https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/presentation-on-product-overviews-and-get-started-tutorials/) | Oct 29, 2021
10. [The existentialism of technical writing](https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/the-existentialism-of-technical-writing/) | Oct 22, 2021
11. [New article in API doc course: Using Oxygen XML in docs-as-code workflows](https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/oxygen-xml-with-docs-as-code-workflows/) | Oct 14, 2021
12. [Biking and public transportation in Renton and Seattle: Solving the first-mile and last-mile problems](https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/bike-commuting-from-renton-to-seattle/) | Oct 7, 2021
13. [tcworld China 2021 keynote: 'Tech comm and marketing: How to make your tech comm group more visible to those within your company'](https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/tcworld-china-keynote-techcomm-and-marketing/) | Sep 16, 2021
14. [New article in API doc course: 'Ensuring documentation coverage with each software release'](https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/doc-coverage-for-each-release) | Aug 31, 2021
15. [Sending doc status reports -- a tool for visibility and relationship building [API doc course]](https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/sending-doc-status-reports/) | Aug 15, 2021
16. [Recording of 'Product overviews vs. getting started tutorials: striking a balance between read-first and try-first user behaviors'](https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/product-overviews-and-getting-started-tutorials-presentation/) | Aug 7, 2021
17. [Review of "Hashtag #TechComm: An Overview of Members, Networks, and Themes from 2016-2019"](https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/hashtag-twitter-article/) | Jul 22, 2021
18. [New sections in API doc course exploring causes for poor product overviews and getting started tutorials](https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/new-section-product-overviews-getting-started-tutorials) | Jul 12, 2021
19. [Five basketball strategies and how they might apply to tech comm](https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/basketball-strategies-applicability-to-tech-comm) | Jul 7, 2021
20. [Balancing product overviews with getting started tutorials](https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/balancing-product-overviews-with-getting-started-tutorials) | Jul 6, 2021
21. [Write the Docs Podcast Episode 34: Adding personality to documentation, with Fabrizio Ferri](https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/wtd-34-personal-identity-and-personality-in-docs/) | Jun 26, 2021
22. [Five project management responsibilities of senior technical writers](https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/project-management-responsibilities) | Jun 4, 2021
23. [Trying to get back to normal](https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/trying-to-get-back-to-normal) | Jun 2, 2021
24. [Paligo: Structured Authoring and Component Content Management made easy](https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/paligo-structured-authoring-xml-ccms) | Jun 2, 2021
25. [Experiments: Leaving reviews on Google Maps](https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/leaving-reviews) | May 27, 2021
26. [10 characteristics of ambiguous content](https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/what-is-ambiguous-content) | May 19, 2021
27. [Experiments: Will reading a physical newspaper improve the way I consume news?](https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/life-experiments-reading-physical-newspaper/) | May 18, 2021
28. [Experiments: What would happen if I exercised 2 hours a day?](https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/life-experiments-two-hours-of-exercise/) | May 15, 2021
29. [Balancing action with narration: Creating product overviews and getting started tutorials to satisfy both try-first and read-first learning modes](https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/balancing-action-with-narration-create-content-to-satisfy-opportunistic-and-systematic/) | May 3, 2021
30. [An in-depth look at MadCap Flare 2021’s New Markdown Import Feature](https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/madcap-import-feature-madcap-flare-release-2021/) | May 2, 2021
31. [Finding a focus](https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/finding-a-focus/) | Apr 29, 2021
32. [Updated API Getting Started tutorial](https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/updated-getting-started-tutorial/) | Apr 19, 2021
33. [Technical writing course Q&A -- 'Become a Technical Writer', with Bobby Kennedy](https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/technical-writing-course-become-a-technical-writer-bobby-kennedy/) | Apr 18, 2021
34. [Updated Stoplight tutorial](https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/updated-stoplight-tutorial/) | Apr 12, 2021
35. [Switching from Skype to Zoom for podcasting tools](https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/switching-from-skype-to-zoom-for-podcasting-tools/) | Mar 23, 2021
36. [Videocast: Micro content and Flare -- Conversation with Kate Schneider](https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/micro-content-and-flare-conversation-with-kate-schneider/) | Mar 21, 2021
37. [Updated glossary article with technical examples [API doc course]](https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/updated-glossary-article/) | Mar 18, 2021
38. [My life story, or reflections on what shaped my life's career trajectory](https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/life-story-what-shapes-your-lifes-trajectory/) | Mar 18, 2021
39. [Analyzing doc portals by looking at developer journeys -- recommended podcast episode from Cherryleaf](https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/analyze-doc-portals-by-looking-at-user-journeys/) | Mar 18, 2021
40. [Who can make documentation requests](https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/who-can-make-documentation-requests/) | Feb 18, 2021
41. [Some good decisions and minor mistakes](https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/good-decisions-and-mistakes/) | Feb 17, 2021
42. [10 observations after using my API documentation checklist in a real scenario](https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/observations-using-checklist/) | Feb 15, 2021
43. [Adding last modified timestamps to content](https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/adding-last-modified-timestamps-to-documentation/) | Feb 15, 2021
44. [Product overviews -- a tricky space where documentation and marketing overlap](https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/writing-product-overviews/) | Feb 3, 2021
45. [Q&A about Xeditor -- online XML editor -- with founder Matthias Kraus](https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/xeditor-question-and-answer/) | Feb 2, 2021
46. [Write the Docs Podcast episode 33: Simplified user interfaces, with Anton Bollen](https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/wtd-episode-33-simplified-user-interfaces/) | Jan 19, 2021
47. [Site analytics for 2020 -- trends, reflections, and thoughts](https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/site-analytics-reflections/) | Jan 18, 2021
48. [Measuring documentation quality -- a rubric for developer docs](https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/measuring-documentation-quality-rubric-developer-docs/) | Jan 12, 2021