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Podcast: Living Multiple Lives -- The New Technical Communicator, Interview with Noz Urbina

by Tom Johnson on May 11, 2008
categories: podcasts

Listen here:

Noz Urbina

In this podcast, Noz Urbina talks about how Web 2.0 is changing the role of the technical communicator into one who drives product R&D and interaction design. My discussion with Noz was a light-bulb moment for me at the Doc Train West conference.

Podcast topics include the following:

  • How the role of the technical communicator has evolved into a diversity of roles
  • How awareness of user needs and requirements allows technical communicators to get involved in product R&D and user interaction design
  • How implementing a backwards flow of data from hundreds of internal and external users changes the role of a technical writer to one who aggregates, synthesizes, and ensures quality rather than one who merely writes
  • How the technical communicator becomes the keyholder on the pipeline of customer data, which in turn allows the technical communicator to direct and define the product
  • How to encourage a culture of participation through surveys and other user interviews

Noz is a business development manager for Mekon. He's also heavily involved in X-pubs.com, a nonprofit conference and information resource that produces seminars, online events, white papers, and annual conferences.

To contact Noz, send an email to [email protected]

About Tom Johnson

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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