Skill #33: Getting Started with Open Data

For the civically-mind technical writer, there’s a growing movement in cities across the world where technical writers can use their skills to better their community. It’s called Open Data Day: an annual celebration of open data groups around the world partnering with local governments to use open data to achieve a shared goal in the community. From analyzing environment data to tracking public money flows, open data day gives citizens—from data folk to advocates—an opportunity to get the data they need to take action in their communities.As a tech writer, you may not initially see how your skills fit into open data. However, as you’ll learn in this episode, success open data day’s need compelling narratives to complement outcomes, tutorials to teach people how to access the data for their own uses, and much more—all areas in which the tech writer succeeds. That’s why, in this episode, I have Jesse Hamner and two-time guest on the podcast—longtime open data advocates who’ve seen first-hand the value of the tech writer. In this episode, Jesse and Kyle help us understand the value of open data and how the civically-minded technical writer can get plugged into this exciting movement. Show notes: Open Data DaySkill #14: Contributing to Open Source ProjectsJesse Hamner on TwitterKyle Taylor on Twitter