Comments on: ITauthor podcast #27 – Rambling tech writer http://www.itauthor.com/2009/04/13/itauthor-podcast-27-%e2%80%93-rambling-tech-writer/ Stuff about technical writing and software Sat, 04 Feb 2012 23:42:54 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: itauthor http://www.itauthor.com/2009/04/13/itauthor-podcast-27-%e2%80%93-rambling-tech-writer/comment-page-1/#comment-7309 itauthor Tue, 09 Nov 2010 17:55:19 +0000 http://www.itauthor.com/?p=1289#comment-7309 Gil Thanks for commenting. You asked: "how do you feel about Twitter over a year later?" To tell you the truth, I can't remember what I said about Twitter - I'll have to go back and have a listen to this podcast myself. What I can tell you though is that I find Twitter much more useful than I ever thought it would be. This is mainly because of hashtags. I subscribe to the #techcomm and #techwriting hashtags and I've got a lot of information from those feeds that I'd never have picked up on any other way. I never use an RSS reader now. I just pick up on things via Twitter. As for the rest of social media - I don't get a whole lot out of it. I'm not much of a Facebook user - although I do have it in there as a column in my Tweetdeck and I guess I get to know more about my work colleagues thanks to Facebook. I don't find LinkedIn at all useful. But Twitter is undeniably useful. I often go days without looking at it, but - unlike other tech fads I've picked up and then lost interest in - I keep coming back to Twitter. My advice on using Twitter (for what it's worth) is to use any of the good Twitter desktop applications (like Tweetdeck), don't turn it on if you're busy, and don't worry about missing stuff. It's like Dave Winer's classic river analogy for RSS: the river keeps on flowing day and night, and you just go down there for a paddle when you feel like it. Gil

Thanks for commenting. You asked: "how do you feel about Twitter over a year later?" To tell you the truth, I can't remember what I said about Twitter - I'll have to go back and have a listen to this podcast myself. What I can tell you though is that I find Twitter much more useful than I ever thought it would be. This is mainly because of hashtags. I subscribe to the #techcomm and #techwriting hashtags and I've got a lot of information from those feeds that I'd never have picked up on any other way.

I never use an RSS reader now. I just pick up on things via Twitter. As for the rest of social media - I don't get a whole lot out of it. I'm not much of a Facebook user - although I do have it in there as a column in my Tweetdeck and I guess I get to know more about my work colleagues thanks to Facebook. I don't find LinkedIn at all useful.

But Twitter is undeniably useful. I often go days without looking at it, but - unlike other tech fads I've picked up and then lost interest in - I keep coming back to Twitter. My advice on using Twitter (for what it's worth) is to use any of the good Twitter desktop applications (like Tweetdeck), don't turn it on if you're busy, and don't worry about missing stuff. It's like Dave Winer's classic river analogy for RSS: the river keeps on flowing day and night, and you just go down there for a paddle when you feel like it.

]]> By: Gil Vinokoor http://www.itauthor.com/2009/04/13/itauthor-podcast-27-%e2%80%93-rambling-tech-writer/comment-page-1/#comment-7300 Gil Vinokoor Wed, 27 Oct 2010 05:26:26 +0000 http://www.itauthor.com/?p=1289#comment-7300 Hi Alistair, Well, I thought I should listen to other tech comm podcasts (Tom can't have sole hegemony here ;)) and started with this podcast of yours. I have to admit that hearing you chat about the stupendous hilltop view, jumping over logs, escaping the wind, etc. really made me feel like I was along for the hike! Your personal and down-to-earth approach alone has made me download a few more podcasts to listen to. :) In regards to the content of this podcast, how do you feel about Twitter over a year later (since this podcast was recorded)? Only in the last couple months have I really started to get into Twitter, and I find it a fabulous resource of information and a great way to meet and interact with other tech comm pros. I have yet to find an optimal way to handle the flow of information - I've created a filtered folder for #techcomm labeled tweets - since I always seem to "fall behind" them. Any thoughts or advice? Again, I enjoyed the realness of this podcast and hope some future ones I listen to are as amusing and delightful! Gil Hi Alistair,

Well, I thought I should listen to other tech comm podcasts (Tom can't have sole hegemony here ;)) and started with this podcast of yours.

I have to admit that hearing you chat about the stupendous hilltop view, jumping over logs, escaping the wind, etc. really made me feel like I was along for the hike! Your personal and down-to-earth approach alone has made me download a few more podcasts to listen to. :)

In regards to the content of this podcast, how do you feel about Twitter over a year later (since this podcast was recorded)? Only in the last couple months have I really started to get into Twitter, and I find it a fabulous resource of information and a great way to meet and interact with other tech comm pros.

I have yet to find an optimal way to handle the flow of information - I've created a filtered folder for #techcomm labeled tweets - since I always seem to "fall behind" them. Any thoughts or advice?

Again, I enjoyed the realness of this podcast and hope some future ones I listen to are as amusing and delightful!

Gil

]]> By: Tom Johnson http://www.itauthor.com/2009/04/13/itauthor-podcast-27-%e2%80%93-rambling-tech-writer/comment-page-1/#comment-7053 Tom Johnson Thu, 23 Apr 2009 03:14:15 +0000 http://www.itauthor.com/?p=1289#comment-7053 Hey Alistair, I just read a post by Shanghaitechwriter that makes an interesting contrast to the productivity/work-time topic you talked about. <a href="http://www.shanghaitechwriter.com/2009/04/23/surfing-the-web-during-work-boosts-productivity/">Surfing the Web During Work Boosts Productivity</a> Hey Alistair, I just read a post by Shanghaitechwriter that makes an interesting contrast to the productivity/work-time topic you talked about. <a href="http://www.shanghaitechwriter.com/2009/04/23/surfing-the-web-during-work-boosts-productivity/">Surfing the Web During Work Boosts Productivity</a>

]]> By: Alistair http://www.itauthor.com/2009/04/13/itauthor-podcast-27-%e2%80%93-rambling-tech-writer/comment-page-1/#comment-7052 Alistair Wed, 22 Apr 2009 21:34:57 +0000 http://www.itauthor.com/?p=1289#comment-7052 Tom Thanks for that. Maybe I'll do more of these al fresco recordings over the summer. It's good to walk the dog <em>and </em>knock off a podcast at the same time. I also find it's the best way to record a single-handed podcast where I haven't prepared anything beforehand. If I just sit down at my desk and try talking into the microphone nothing remotely interesting ever comes out. Tom
Thanks for that.
Maybe I'll do more of these al fresco recordings over the summer. It's good to walk the dog and knock off a podcast at the same time. I also find it's the best way to record a single-handed podcast where I haven't prepared anything beforehand. If I just sit down at my desk and try talking into the microphone nothing remotely interesting ever comes out.

]]> By: Tom Johnson http://www.itauthor.com/2009/04/13/itauthor-podcast-27-%e2%80%93-rambling-tech-writer/comment-page-1/#comment-7051 Tom Johnson Wed, 22 Apr 2009 16:28:40 +0000 http://www.itauthor.com/?p=1289#comment-7051 Alistair, I loved this podcast. The scene and sounds and all the environmental elements made it really interesting, as well as the content of what you said. Alistair, I loved this podcast. The scene and sounds and all the environmental elements made it really interesting, as well as the content of what you said.

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