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The podcasts I record for I'd Rather Be Writing cover the latest trends in technical communication. I interview tech writing luminaries around the world as well as record STC presentations and other audio content. You can subscribe to podcast specific feeds using the subscription information below.
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Podcast: Debunking the Boredom Myth of Technical Writing
November 3rd, 2008 | Posted in Podcasts 7 Comments »
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Duration: 55 min.
Several weeks ago I wrote about my trip to Brigham Young University-Idaho and the presentation I gave there titled “Debunking the Boredom Myth of Technical Writing.” This podcast is a recording of my presentation.
My presentation was part of the professional writing conference that BYU-Idaho puts on annually for their writing and literature students. In the presentation, I talk about a prevalent myth that many students have — that technical writing is a boring career. To combat the myth, I explore the variety of content technical writers produce, including video, diagrams and illustrations, quick reference material, wikis, online help, information architecture, blogs, wikis, podcasts, and usability.
You can view my accompanying PowerPoint presentation here. Additionally, links to the three videos I played are below:
Tags: BYU-Idaho, career, diagrams, illustrations, podcasts, presentations, salary, videos, Wikis, WordPress
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMQ2eATq1OI&feature=email
This “Technical Writer” parody of he Beatle’s Paperback Writer might belong with this presenation.
Great presentation, Tom! You make technical writing sound like fun.
Thanks for the mention. You also mentioned Visio a couple of times — I just started as the writer for Visio in October, so let me know what feedback you have on the docs!
thanks
Great information in the podcast Tom. I just wanted to make you aware that the University of Wisconsin – Stout intro Tech Comm class uses this article for an assignment. I found it very useful and engaging!
Thanks Matt. It’s always good to know who’s listening. I gave that presentation at BYU-Idaho last year and had a good response from the students there as well. I still love the field of tech writing. It’s definitely the way to go if you major in English and need to provide for your family.
I thought this podcast was a relief to listen to. I have always been a little nervous about this subject. I was happy to hear the real life examples of feelings of satisfaction. That is what I really wanted to hear. I could understand all the content of the podcast and the tone kept me interested. There wasn’t anything that I still felt like I wanted to know.
Andrew, I’m glad to hear it was helpful. Real examples are what motivate me as well.