10-Minute Tech Comm

Freelance writer Allison Augustyn (http://araugustyn.com/) talks about her work as an exhibit writer for the Field Museum and the Pacific Science Center. Follow @TechCommUAH or email Ryan Weber at rw0019@uah.edu for more information about the show!

Dr. Emily January Petersen shares insights from her 2017 article "Articulating Value Amid Persistent Misconceptions about Technical and Professional Communication in the Workplace." The article reports on interviews with 39 female technical communicators who talk about how their work often goes overlooked and underappreciated.

Andrew Etter, author of Modern Technical Writing: An Introduction to Software Documentation, shares strategies for producing effective software documentation. Follow @TechCommUAH or email Ryan Weber at rw0019@uah.edu for more information about the show!

Dr. Kirk St. Amant talks about script theory and prototypes, two concepts for researching UX in international contexts. St. Amant offers plenty of examples, especially relating to medical care. Our conversation is based on two recent articles by St. Amant, "Mapping the Cultural Context of Care: An Approach to Patient-Centered Design in International Contexts" and "Of Scripts and Pro...

Dr. Lauren R. Kolodziejski talks about writing her Technical Communication Quarterly article "Harms of Hedging in Scientific Discourse: Andrew Wakefield and the Origins of the Autism Vaccine Controversy." Kolodziejski talks about how she came up with the idea for the piece, her writing process, and her interactions with peer reviewers. Follow @TechCommUAH or email Ryan Weber at rw0019@ua...

Dr. Lauren R. Kolodziejski explains how the rhetorical features of a 1998 scientific article by Andrew Wakefield et. al. helped fuel unnecessary skepticism about vaccines. Follow @TechCommUAH or email Ryan Weber at rw0019@uah.edu for more information about the show!

Jeff Gerding of Purdue University talks about how the government can use technology to foster civic engagement, especially when gathering feedback about new policies. Follow @TechCommUAH or email Ryan Weber at rw0019@uah.edu for more information about the show!

Amelia Chesley, a graduate student at Purdue University, talks about her research into how the LibriVox community uses both control and freedom to help volunteers achieve a shared mission. LibriVox (www.librivox.org) is an online group for volunteers who record public domain audiobooks, and the community uses online communication to make complex decisions about its mission, policies, and procedure...

Dr. Marte Otten shares insight from her recent article "A social Bayesian brain: How social knowledge can shape visual perception," authored with Anil K. Seth and Yair Pinto. Otten argues that social knowledge can shape what we see and that perception begins with predictions informed by past experience and social context. Follow @TechCommUAH or email Ryan Weber at rw0019@uah.edu for more...

Diane Murphy, Content Strategist at Airbnb, defines content strategy and tells us about her work.

Krista Van Laan, author of Insider's Guide to Technical Writing, shares tips for people wanting to break into the field of technical writing. Follow us on Twitter @TechCommUAH or email Ryan Weber at rw0019@uah.edu for more information on the show!

Dr. Ehren Helmut Pflugfelder talks about his recent Technical Communication Quarterly article "Reddit’s 'Explain Like I’m Five': TechnicalDescriptions in the Wild," which argues that the technical description genre is alive and well online. Follow us on Twitter @TechCommUAH or email Ryan Weber at rw0019@uah.edu for more information about the show!

Dr. Aimee Roundtree talks about her recent article "Social Health Content and Activity on Facebook: A Survey Study," which examines how people use Facebook for health-related activities.

In honor of the holiday spirit of making the world a better place, Dr. Natasha Jones shares insight from her recent article "The Technical Communicator as Advocate: Integrating a Social Justice Approach in Technical Communication." Plus, technical communicators share their New Year's Resolutions!

Dr. Tammy Rice-Bailey discusses findings from her new article "The Role and Value of Technical Communicators: Technical Communicators and Subject Matter Experts Weigh In," published recently in Technical Communication Quarterly. She explains how subject matter experts (SMEs) and technical communicators perceive the technical communicator's role, and she offers advice for technical c...

Eric Shepherd, senior technical writer at Mozilla corporation, talks about his mission to document the entire web and invites you to join a Mozilla meeting.

Dr. Barbara Reynolds talks about developing a communication strategy for the mosquito-borne virus Zika. Dr. Reynolds is a Senior Advisor at the Centers for Disease Control on Crisis and Risk Communication and author of the book Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication.

Jennifer Morse, a product evangelist for MadCap software, defines topic-based authoring and helps technical communicators get started with this approach.

A discussion with two scholars of medical rhetoric. Dr. Lisa Meloncon analyzes websites available for adolescent boys with depression and Dr. Amy Reed discusses competing pamphlets about Down Syndrome given to expectant parents.

Dr. Leah Ceccarelli from the University of Washington discusses her recent article, Scientific ethos and the cinematic zombie outbreak: Science in fictional narratives, which analyzes how scientists are portrayed in World War Z, I Am Legend, and 28 Days Later.

Kristin Cantrell, a Technical Writer II at Southwest Airlines, talk about getting into tech comm, developing the skills a technical writer needs, and getting FAA approval.

Tom Johnson of idratherbewriting.com talks about writing API documentation for developers.

Jonathan Saunders, technical writer at Uber, discusses his career and upcoming trends in technical communication.

Katherine Spivey discusses the law and techniques of Plain Language. Spivey serves as the General Services Administration’s Plain Language Launcher, coordinating GSA’s plain language program. She is also co-chair of the Plain Language Action and Information Network (PLAIN) and teaches plain language courses for Digital Gov University and numerous federal agencies.

A supersized holiday variety special featuring Edward Smyda-Homa talking toy instructions and tech comm, Dr. Keith Botner giving evidence-based strategies for improving charitable giving, and special guest technical communicators sharing their New Year's resolutions!