99% of the people who buy iPods don't realize several simple things ...

iPod doesn't mean MP3 player. Even though most people use the term iPod interchangeably to mean MP3 player,  iPods are only a brand of MP3 players. Unfortunately, iPod is a term now like Band-Aid or Kleenex. (My wife is often asking me where my iPod is, even though I have an iRiver.)

You can't get music anywhere with your iPod. With an iPod, you have to use iTunes for your music service. For external audio files not in iTunes, you have to import the files into iTunes to add them to your iPod. 

Other MP3 players are comparable and less expensive, and they're selling well. In the latest New York Times Tech Talk podcast, the reviewers mention the iRiver Clicks, Sansa View, Creative Zen Vision, and Archos as all good alternatives to the iPod Touch.

The type of device matters less than the content on it. It's not so much about the hardware at all -- it's about the content you put on it. In the same NYTimes Tech Talk podcast, the reviewers assert that "content is the king for all of this stuff. Hardware isn't necessarily the big thing. It is what you're going to be playing on it...." Service providers are becoming more player-agnostic.

You aren't limited to just music in your iPod. I rarely listen to music on my MP3 player. Pandora, Yahoo Music, and dozens of other online music sites provide all the music I need. Instead, my MP3 player is full of podcasts. Even though it's an old iRiver (without video) and only half a gig of memory, I probably listen to more podcasts than most.

That's enough about hardware. Now it's time to check out the latest podcasts on Tech Writer Voices.

Latest Podcasts on Tech Writer Voices

The following podcasts are the latest episodes on Tech Writer Voices.

Show Me Demos and Captivate -- Interview with Kevin Siegel

Kevin Siegel, president of IconLogic, talks about show-me demos and Captivate. In this audio-visual age, technical writers need an easy way to deliver Flash-based, dynamic screen demos for their help content. Topics Kevin and I discuss in the podcast include:

• The effects of video games on learning styles
• The power of audio in show me demos
• The role of show me demos alongside written documentation
• New features in Captivate 3
• How Captivate 3 integrates with RoboHelp 7
• Techniques for recording screen demos when you’re pressed for time
• Best practices for show me demo length
• When and how to use voice talents

Are you Hurting Your Career By Not Blogging or Podcasting?

Scott and Aaron from DMN Communications talk with me about the value of blogging and podcasting. Although this is a DMN Communications podcast, they allowed me to post the audio on Tech Writer Voices as well. During this 45 minute podcast, we talk about myths, rewards, trends, tips, and issues surrounding blogging and podcasting, especially in terms of how it affects your career.

Top 10 Worst Things SMEs Say or Do

Brenda Huettner talks about strategies for overcoming the top ten worst things SMEs say or do. The top 10 list includes the following:

1. “The user will know how to do this. Don’t worry about it.”
2. “I just don’t have time to review all of this.”
3. “Oh, I’ll just write it myself” (and then it’s awful/useless, and they get insulted if you try to correct or fix it)
4. “Documentation isn’t necessary, the interface is obvious”.
5. “I can’t give you access to this …”
6. Is generally mean/nasty and rude to you. You have no rapport with them.
7. Keeps him or herself unavailable to you, or is evasive and rarely present to help you with the information you need.
8. Gives you explanations, but goes extremely fast and falls into masses of acronyms and other jargon. Or, gives you a screen demo, but blows so fast through the application that you can’t follow it. Then is impatient when you ask for slower instructions, or for them to repeat something.
9. Promises to review the document, but never does, or does so only superficially, noting typos.
10. Forgets to tell you about changes to the application that affect documentation.

Downoad each episode at Tech Writer Voices. Enter your e-mail here and you'll get e-mail notifications whenever I post a new podcast.

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Complete list of columns at elephant.org.il