The Cherryleaf Podcast

We talk about an episode from the Smart Passive Income Podcast (Smart Passive Income Podcast 471 How to Become a Better Communicator with Kolarele Sonaike) and discuss why technical communicators' communication skills may not be enough for them to progress up an organisation's hierarchy. 
 
More information:
Cherryleaf newsletter
To contact Cherryleaf: info@cherryleaf.com

In December 2020, a "Reuse Files" button mysteriously appeared in the browser version of Microsoft Word. There doesn't appear to be any documentation about it on the Microsoft website.
What does it do? 
In this episode, we do some investigating to find out. 
More information:
Cherryleaf newsletter
To contact Cherryleaf: info@cherryleaf.com
 

On social media, we asked "what are the most common problems organisations make with developer portals and API documentation?"
 
In this episode, we look at the responses we received. We also discuss some of the other common mistakes that we've come across. 
 
More information:
Cherryleaf's API/developer documentation writing services
Cherryleaf newsletter
To contact Cherryleaf: info@cherryleaf.com

We look at some of the common content challenges organisations face with their developer portals, and ways to fix them. We also look at creating a friction log, and the complexity of banking related APIs. 
 
More information:
Cherryleaf's API/developer documentation writing services
Cherryleaf newsletter
To contact Cherryleaf: info@cherryleaf.com

We discuss the lessons we've learnt so far from training in a virtual classroom environment during the Lockdown. 
 
More information:
Cherryleaf's training courses
Cherryleaf newsletter
To contact Cherryleaf: info@cherryleaf.com

Ellis donned his finest brocade waistcoat and riding boots for an episode that was recorded in one of the locations used in the Bridgerton TV series. 
He discusses the location, and the impact of Brexit on technical writing companies such as Cherryleaf. 
 
Image by Maxwell Hamilton, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52540109
EU/UK TRADE AND COOPERATION AGREEMENT (see Annex 4 CPC 84)
More information:
Cherryleaf website
Cherryleaf newsletter
To contact Cherryleaf: info@cherryleaf.com

We spoke to Deborah Reid, Lead Tester at Bloom & Wild, about usability testing. 
We discuss:
What is testing?
Is it only about accessibility?
Where is it used?
Why should organisations worry about testing/do testing?
Does it need a specialist to do it?/ What skills are needed?
How did you become a tester/what attracted you to it?
How is it done?
Browser developer tools
When should you test? 
Deborah's Twitter account:
@deborah_reid19
More information:
Cherryleaf website
Cherryleaf newsletter
To contact Cherryleaf: info@cherryleaf.com

We asked the people who receive the Cherryleaf newsletter what was one goal (relating to work, career, or work-life balance) that they were setting for 2021. We received a lot of replies – thank you.
In this episode, we go through what you told us. 
More information:
Word clouds from your responses
Ankerwycke
Cherryleaf website
Cherryleaf newsletter
To contact Cherryleaf: info@cherryleaf.com

Another walking podcast, this time it's from Bedfont Lakes country park in west London.
We gaze into our crystal ball and make predictions for the future of technical communication for 2021 and beyond. We also share the thoughts of others in the profession. 
Twitter thread:
What trends do you think there will be in Technical Communication (including UX writing) for 2021 and beyond?
LinkedIn thread: 
What trends do you think there will be in Technical Communication (including UX writing) for 2021 and beyond?
 
Cherryleaf website
Cherryleaf newsletter
To contact Cherryleaf: info@cherryleaf.com

The DevPortal Awards bring together the API community to recognize, celebrate and learn from the world’s greatest developer portals and their API documentation. Ellis is one of the judges. In this podcast, he talks about the criteria the awards use to assess the different developer portals.  
 
DevPortal Awards
Cherryleaf website
Cherryleaf newsletter
To contact Cherryleaf: info@cherryleaf.com
Cherryleaf 
Image of Penton Hook by Motmit