The STC Conference in Minneapolis this year will be a good experience for all those who attend. But for the thousands who can't make the trip, they'll be left out. I'd like to record podcasts live from the STC Conference—talking with speakers, participants, consultants, and vendors. These podcasts will have an impact on the thousands of communicators who can't attend the conference because they live too far away. The Tech Writer Voices po...
You can now list your blog in a technical writing blog directory at www.techwriterblogs.com. (I just set this up with a wiki.) If you're a technical writer/communicator and you blog, or if your blog contains information of interest to technical writers, please list it on the wiki by clicking the Edit this Page button in the upper-left corner (see image below). Then just follow the example formatting of the first entry. After one week I'll...
Neil Perlin, a well-known figure in the tech comm world, now has a blog at www.hyperword.blogspot.com. Neil's also giving away some pre-defined Flare stylesheets. He says, Flare's stylesheet editor is very powerful but can be intimidating at first, so my stylesheet's purpose is to help people get comfortable with the editor. This stylesheet, and a document that explains how to use it and discusses styles in general, are available at www...
You can advertise your product or service on Tech Writer Voices podcasts. Most podcasts have between 200-300 downloads, with a total audience of 600+ plus subscribers. I will advertise your product or service on the show for free in exchange for a copy of your product or a period of service. For example, if you make a screen capture program, I will promote your product on the show via commercials or discussion in exchange for a copy of th...
If you call 800-466-4411, Google provides you with free business information listings, equivalent to calling information, only free. This Goog-411 service is worthwhile to enter as a contact on your cell phone so you can access it while driving. When I was lost in Seattle I called Google to connect with the place I was headed. Here's a sample of me calling for Sam Ash music store:
I saw this perfect explanation of RSS on the STC-Chicago blog (original source: Commoncraft). For people who don't quite get RSS, the guy makes a neat video explanation. If all video tutorials were this fun to watch, users would love us. Click To Play There are two types of Internet users, those that use RSS and those that don't. This video is for the people who could save time using RSS, but don't know where to start. ...
Listen here: While I was at Doc Train, I recorded a few brief podcasts with several people. Unfortunately I had some microphone issues so the sound quality isn't good. But you can still hear them. I talked with experts on user personas, data conversion, and simplified technical English. I talked with Joan LaSalle of Lasselle-Ramsay about user personas, ethnographies, and user-centered design. I also talked with Don Brid...
Listen here: While driving home from the Documentation and Training Conference in Vancouver, B.C., I recorded my first carcast. It was a really interesting experience. I hadn't planned to do a carcast, and then on the way home I was a little bored and thought hey, why not try a carcast? I first heard about carcasting from a carcast Tee Morris did (see episode 3: Podcasting on the Go). Carcasting is actually a lot of fun...
I've been experimenting with a free conference call recording/podcasting service called FreeConferencing from LiveOffice — free if you don't mind calling long-distance to Minnesota, U.S.A., that is. Most people have free long-distance with their cell phone plans. Or even if you don't have free long distance, you can use Skype and get long distance for nearly free. What's cool about this service is that it allows you to record the conversa...
Listen here: In this podcast, I talk with Katherine (Kit) Brown, Brenda Huettner, and Char James-Tanny about their latest book, Managing Virtual Teams: Getting the Most from Wikis, Blogs, and Other Collaborative Tools. Some of the topics from the podcast include the following: Challenges with virtual teams How to hold meetings virtually Selecting tools for virtual interactions Managing employees on a remote team Social ...
"The See-Through CEO," an article by Clive Thompson in the March issue of Wired, provides one of the most compelling arguments for companies to start blogging that I think can be made: Google search rankings. Because Google's search results algorithm is heavily based on links (the more people who link to you, the higher you rise in the search results), getting hip-deep in the blogosphere can make you rise to the first page of Google. I'm...
I just discovered Jott today. Jott transcribes voicemail you leave on its service as text, and then sends that text to you via e-mail. So if you're driving along and you have a memo to note, instead of writing it down, you just call a special Jott toll-free number, speak your memo, and Jott transcribes it as text and e-mails it to you. You can also "jot" voicemail transcribed memos to others you've added to your Jott contact list. It's a ...
Tech Writer Voices episodes have been downloaded about 8,500 times so far. If I interviewed you at some point and you're curious about the downloads, see this Podtrac report. I have a special Podtrac redirect code on each file that allows me to measure downloads. We now have more than 500 subscribers. With each podcast, we gain about 20 new subscribers.
Listen here: Keith Hoffman, president of the Madison Wisconsin Four Lakes Chapter, talks with George Hayhoe, editor of the Technical Communication Journal, about the emergence of technical communications in China and Korea, and the forces behind the push for technical communicators. The interview touches on some of the following questions: What is the technical writing profession like in China? Did anything surprise you...
I redesigned the Tech Writer Voices site with the Leia theme. I like how it looks, even though I think the code in the Leia theme isn't the easiest to work with. Mark Ghosh, who recently mentioned my site on Weblog Tools Collection (thanks Mark), describes the Leia theme as follows: Well put together, two column, striking, well structured, featureful theme for Wordpress. Very goth (?) undertones and very cool and different look and feel....
