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Duration: 45 min.

Having taken a three-month podcasting break, it feels good to be back. In this podcast, I talk with Charles Jeter and Heidi Hansen about what’s new in the field of technical communication. See the sections below for the four main topics we discuss.

Note: If you’ve never listened to a podcast before, see my brief page on How to Listen to Podcasts.

Hosts

• Heidi Hansen (see Heidi’s blog)
• Charles Jeteter (see Charles’ blog)
• Tom Johnson

Major Topics Discussed 1. Flossmanuals.net

Will this new wiki/help authoring/publishing tool hybrid take off?

• Flossmanuals.net: free manuals about free software
• About Flossmanuals
• Charles’ post on Flossmanuals: Getting FLOSSy: Acrobat Killer or HAT Replacement?
  
• Anne Gentle on Booksprint Results

2. Google Chrome’s comic book white paper

What can technical writers learn from Google’s Chrome comic book?

• Google’s Comic Book White Paper
• Discussion of the comic book on Techwr-l

3. “Why I Hate PDFs”

Is the PDF a dying format?

• “Why I Hate PDFs,” by Mike Hughes
• “Some more PDF Haters,” by Noel Thethy

4. “Technical Writing — Look Before You Leap”

Is a career in technical writing incompatible with a secret life as a creative writer?

• “Technical Writing — Look Before You Leap,” by Lain Chroust Ehmann

Minor Topics Mentioned

The following links point to topics briefly mentioned during the podcast:

• Articulate
• Silke Fleisher going around the world
• Silke work with bicycles
• Writer River
• WordPress as a Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde application
• Pete’s comment about the interview style of podcasting
• Interview of a person who actually uses DITA in real life
• Captivate
• Anne Gentle’s blog
• Uncompetition (Peer Review) at the Puget Sound Chapter
• Howcast.com
• Free PDF Alternatives
• WordPress seminars
• Contest to win a free copy of Flare 4
• Technical writing in India
• Intercom Online
• Technical Communication Journal
• Keeping up with the latest technologies (chat transcript)
• Reasons for the break in podcasting
• Curt Rosengren’s blog
• Sharon Burton’s blog
• Charles’ podcast with Mike Hamilton last year

Other Podcasts You Might Like

If you like the Tech Writer Voices podcast, you’ll also like Alistair Christie’s IT Author podcast and the DMN Communications podcast. Check them out. Alistair has recently posted two new podcasts within the past couple of weeks.

I also enjoy This Week in Tech and the WordPress Podcast.