I'd Rather Be Writing Podcast

Tom Johnson
  • 4.2 (11)
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • UPDATED BIMONTHLY
I'd Rather Be Writing Podcast

A technical writing podcast about the latest trends and practices in the field of technical communication. Technical communication includes topics like technical writing (software help), AI, information architecture, usability, API documentation, information design, web design, illustration, DITA, structured authoring, content strategy, visual communication, and more. If you're a technical writer or interested in technical writing, this is the one of few podcasts in this niche. I also have a blog at https://idratherbewriting.com where the podcasts and other blog topics are published. For an index of all podcasts, see https://idratherbewriting.com/podcasts.

  1. JUL 5

    Will our next users be AI agents? The future of content delivery with Fabrice Lacroix, founder of Fluid Topics (podcast)

    In this podcast, I chat with Fabrice Lacroix, founder of Fluid Topics, about the evolution of technical communication. Fabrice describes the industry's progression from (1) delivering static, monolithic PDFs to (2) using Content Delivery Platforms (CDPs) that provide dynamic, topic-based information directly to users to (3) developing content not just for human consumption, but for AI agents that will use this knowledge to automate complex tasks and workflows.

    44 min

  2. JUN 15

    AI Book Club recording and notes for The Singularity is Nearer, by Ray Kurzweil

    This is a recording of our AI Book Club session discussing Ray Kurzweil's The Singularity is Nearer podcast: When We Merge With AI. You can watch the recording on YouTube, listen to the audio file, read some summary notes, browse discussion questions, and even listen to a NotebookLM podcast (based on the summary). There are 5 people in this book club discussion, and we focus a lot on the topics of acceleration, especially as we see it happening in the workplace. We also weigh in on Kurzweil's techno utopianism and how persuaded we are by the arguments about AGI landing...

    56 min

  3. MAY 17

    Notes and discussion for Suleyman's The Coming Wave: AI, Power, and Our Future + AI Book Club recording and transcript

    This post describes the key arguments and themes in The Coming Wave: AI, Power, and Our Future, by Mustafa Suleyman, for the AI Book Club: A Human in the Loop. This post not only breaks down the logic but also jumps off into some themes (beyond the book) that might be more tech-writer relevant, such as potential future job titles, areas of focus for tech writers to thrive now, questions for discussion, and more. It also contains the book club recording.

    1 hr

  4. APR 15

    Notes and discussion for Jonathan Warner's More Than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI + AI Book Club recording

    This post has notes and questions for discussion for More Than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI, published in February 2025 by Jonathan Warner. Warner's book, which explores what we lose when we outsource writing to AI, is the first book in the AI Book Club: A Human in the Loop.

    1 hr

  5. FEB 17

    Rethinking traditional approaches to release notes -- recording of WTD Australia presentation

    I gave a presentation to the Write the Docs Australia group on using AI to write release notes using file diffs, on Feb 16, 2025. Here's the recording, presentation description, and transcript.

    57 min

  6. JAN 5

    My 2025 trends predictions for tech comm

    It's that time of year again when we take to analyzing trends. If you know me, you're probably gearing up for a load of AI-optimistic predictions because, as I've noted in previous posts like Unpacking the issues from AI, I'm an AI optimist. However, my AI optimism isn't based on hype or the current tech zeitgeist. Rather, I'm an AI optimist because my daily experiences using AI for technical documentation, especially API docs, throughout 2024 has shown it to be invaluable.

    21 min

  7. 10/06/2024

    [Podcast] GenAI and Document360: Conversation with Saravana Kumar

    This podcast explores GenAI in technical documentation scenarios, highlighting the AI features and capabilities provided in Document360. I talk with Saravana Kumar, CEO of Kovai.co, which makes Document360, about how AI is changing search functionality and reducing support costs in knowledge bases. We discuss practical applications of AI for technical writers, including automated tagging, SEO optimization, glossary creation, and more. Saravana shares about AI agent workflows, conversational search experiences, automating screenshot captures, and much more.

    50 min

  8. 07/28/2024

    Podcast: Task decomposition and complex tree diagrams

    This tutorial will help you understand task decomposition by guiding you through the process of creating a complex tree diagram that's too sophisticated for an AI tool to create at once. Whether you're creating tree diagrams or not, it doesn't matter. This is just an example of how to break down complex information into smaller chunks and pass it into AI.

    19 min
See All (322)

Ratings & Reviews

4.2
out of 5
11 Ratings

About

A technical writing podcast about the latest trends and practices in the field of technical communication. Technical communication includes topics like technical writing (software help), AI, information architecture, usability, API documentation, information design, web design, illustration, DITA, structured authoring, content strategy, visual communication, and more. If you're a technical writer or interested in technical writing, this is the one of few podcasts in this niche. I also have a blog at https://idratherbewriting.com where the podcasts and other blog topics are published. For an index of all podcasts, see https://idratherbewriting.com/podcasts.

Information

  • Creator
    Tom Johnson
  • Years Active
    2008 - 2025
  • Episodes
    322
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2023, I'd Rather Be Writing
  • Show Website
    I'd Rather Be Writing Podcast

You Might Also Like

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates.
Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada