The Not-Boring Tech Writer

In this episode, I’m excited to be speaking to Caity Cronkhite, Seattle-based founder and CEO of Good Words LLC. 

We talk about her experience of starting up as a tech writer both in-house and freelancing, before starting and growing her own successful business in the technical writing industry, and the successes and struggles of operating Good Words LLC in these strange and unpredictable pandemic times.

Additional topics: U-Haul montage; Something Big and Impactful; (not) going the way of the startup; nurturing your network; adult, painstaking colouring.

Read the full transcript for this episode here.

Show notes:

• Good Words LLC
• Email Good Words LLC
• LinkedIn - Caity Cronkhite
• LinkedIn - Good Words LLC
• Society for Technical Communication

In such a complex and fast-moving industry as tech writing, it can be interesting to see how burgeoning tech writers get started - and become successful. 

Enter Philip Kiely, author of Writing for Software Developers and owner of PK&C, the world's smallest conglomerate. He graduated from Grinnell College in May 2020 with a degree in computer science, and has only gone onwards and upwards from there!

This week I speak to Philip about being a new(-ish) entrant to the tech writing game, becoming a first-time author of a successful book, adventures during his time studying abroad in Budapest, Hungary, and how he managed to infiltrate a hackathon in Iowa during a blizzard! 

Read the full transcript for this episode.

Show notes:

• Philip Kiely’s website
• Writing for Software Developers

After four exciting years hosting The Not-Boring Tech Writer—the podcast that gives listeners the skills to break the stereotype that technical writing is a boring career—I’ve passed the podcast along to longtime sponsor KnowledgeOwl, a knowledge base software company. 

This sobers me, admittedly: What began as a medium to connect with colleagues whom I’ve admired since university gradually become a resource for new and seasoned technical writers alike to learn the skills they need to break the stereotype that technical writing a boring career. 

Now, as I begin a new career, KnowledgeOwl—who, as you’ll learn in this episode, has a relentless commitment to supporting the technical writing—will ensure the philosophy you’ve impressively fostered through this podcast continues. 

In this episode, Chief Executive Owl at KnowledgeOwl Marybeth, joins the podcast to share her vision for the podcast. In addition, upcoming host and KnowledgeOwl employee Jerrard Doran joins to share how he’ll further the philosophy while adding his own unique approach. 

Thanks, all, for your support of The Not-Boring Tech Writer—and hope you enjoy this episode. 

Read the full transcript of this episode.

Technical writers must ensure their help resources, such as documentation and video tutorials, are useful for their users. Therefore, they study language, design, and Support tickets—gathering all the context they need to ensure users can accomplish their task. 

But get this: Through feedback loops such as quizzes and interviews with subject matter experts, you can create usability tests that transform the way in which you measure the effectiveness of your documentation.

That’s why in this episode, we have Mariana Moreira on the podcast: Technical Writer at Zup Innovation and Community Manager of Brazil’s budding technical comm community, Tech Writing BR. 

Joining us, as well is Jerrard Doran at KnowledgeOwl—longtime sponsor of The Not-Boring Tech Writer—to discuss usability tests from a knowledge base software company’s perspective, as well. 

In this episode, you’ll learn everything you need to know to begin creating usability tests for your organization.

Show notes: 

• Tech Writing BR
• Knowledgeowl knowledge base software
• Skill #11: Surviving in the Dev World
• Mariana on LinkedIn

Technical communicators wield the power of plain language to ensure their readers find and understand the information they need to complete a task—no matter how complex.

Basic design principles, such as alignment, contrast, and other principles you’ll learn in this episode, give your documentation that extra lift it needs to engage readers throughout your documentation. 

That’s why in this episode, we have Laci Kettavong on the podcast: Marketing and Member Coordinator at Stoke, a coworking space based in Denton, Texas—and also a former technical communicator in both industry and academia, deploying design principles for several different mediums. 

Joining us, as well is Jerrard Dorran at KnowledgeOwl—longtime sponsor of The Not-Boring Tech Writer—to discuss design principles from a knowledge base software company’s perspective, as well. 

In this episode, you’ll learn everything you need to know to begin using basic design principles in your documentation.

Show notes: 

• Non-Designer’s Design Book
• axe-con
• Knowledgeowl knowledge base software
• Laci on Twitter
• Laci on LinkedIn
• Laci’s blog

Folk working in technical communication—whether they’re academics or practitioners—through their own unique skill sets, perspectives, and experiences, often discover best practices to excel at their job. These hard-earned insights would likely benefit others facing similar challenges; however, silos often keep folk in technical communication from quickly disseminating what they’ve learned. 

That’s why Dr. Chris Lam—technical communication professor at the University of North Texas—created CrowdsourceTPC: a crowdsource platform that gives folk in technical communication and opportunity to share their insights and little wins—giving others an opportunity to use and adapt them for their own needs. 

In this episode, Chris joins us on the podcast to discuss the inspiration behind CrowdsourceTPC and how others can make the most of the platform.

Show notes: 

• Chris Lam on LinkedIn
• CrowdsourceTPC

For the civically-mind technical writer, there’s a growing movement in cities across the world where technical writers can use their skills to better their community. It’s called Open Data Day: an annual celebration of open data groups around the world partnering with local governments to use open data to achieve a shared goal in the community. 

From analyzing environment data to tracking public money flows, open data day gives citizens—from data folk to advocates—an opportunity to get the data they need to take action in their communities.

As a tech writer, you may not initially see how your skills fit into open data. However, as you’ll learn in this episode, success open data day’s need compelling narratives to complement outcomes, tutorials to teach people how to access the data for their own uses, and much more—all areas in which the tech writer succeeds. 

That’s why, in this episode, I have Jesse Hamner and two-time guest on the podcast—longtime open data advocates who’ve seen first-hand the value of the tech writer. 

In this episode, Jesse and Kyle help us understand the value of open data and how the civically-minded technical writer can get plugged into this exciting movement.

Show notes: 

• Open Data Day
• Skill #14: Contributing to Open Source Projects
• Jesse Hamner on Twitter
• Kyle Taylor on Twitter

As products and services reach markets outside of their geographic origins, organizations must consider how to translate and localize their existing documentation. It’s a must, as these new users will need to refer to a knowledge base. 

But how exactly do organizations translate their documentation? Do they copy and paste all of their content into Google Translate? Do they hire technical writers who speak and write the language of the new market? 

As you’ll learn in this episode, successful organizations partner with translation and localization vendors, who ensure users in new markets understand the content. 

To help us dig deep into this skill, we have Mike McDermott on the podcast: Director of Language Translations at MadTranslations, a translation service created by MadCap software. For nearly eight years, Mike has helped clients translate their content into several different languages.  

In this episode, Mike share insights he’s learned along the way to ensure any organization has a seamless, successful translation process, including how to research the right translation service, who to get involved in the research process, and how to create content optimized for translation.

Show notes: 

• Skill #28: Researching as a Tech Writer
• MadCap Software
• MadTranslations
• Mike McDermott on LinkedIn

No matter your industry—tech, nonprofit, marketing—your organization likely needs a knowledge base software, a dedicated place to capture essential knowledge.

However, choosing the right knowledge base software can be challenging—and takes much more work then a quick Google search. You need to understand the core knowledge problems within your organization; compare softwares that, on the surface, may look a lot alike; and get buy in from key players who’d actually use the knowledge base.

That’s why in this episode, we have Kate Mueller on the podcast: Support Sorceress and—I kid you not—cheese monger at KnowledgeOwl: a knowledge base software that, as they share on their site, makes one thing - awesome knowledge base software. 

Kate has worked with several different knowledge bases throughout her career and, at KnowledgeOwl, works with current and prospective customers across the world to help them discover how knowledge base softwares can help address their needs.  

In this episode, Kate reflects on her career—both as a user of and support member for knowledge base software—to share the criterion you should consider as you choose the right knowledge base for your organization, including how to get started in your research, how to get  company buy-in, and which essential features you should look for in a knowledge base. 

And, in the end, Kate shares a few of her favorite knowledge bases—KnowledgeOwl and beyond—to jump-start your research.

Show notes: 

• Bloomfire
• Guru
• ReadMe
• Kate’s blog on The Trek
• Kate on LinkedIn
• Kate on Instagram
• KnowledgeOwl blog
• KnowledgeOwl support documentation

As prospective tech writers look for ways to get into the tech writing field, many pursue internships. And understandably so: internships give prospective tech writers hands-on experience in tech writing, giving them an opportunity to boost their skills and get a feel for the industry. 

However, finding that tech writing internship can be challenging, especially if you aren’t pursuing a tech writing related degree in university. That’s why, in this episode, we have German tech writer Joachim on the podcast, who’s six weeks into his first tech writing internship. 

Joachim has learned several lessons about how to find and thrive in a tech writing internship, which you’ll find helpful no matter where you live.