Documenting Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) for Cloud Technologies workshop proposal for 2015 Lavacon

1. Documenting Application
Programming Interfaces (APIs)
for Cloud Technologies
A workshop presented by
Ed Marshall
Copyright 2015

2. About this Workshop
• From now through 2020, market analysts expect the cloud computing industry to grow
globally at a 30% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), reaching $270 billion.*
Organizations that have adopted cloud computing and web services technologies use
application programming interfaces (APIs) to deliver and exchange content, data, and
other digital resources with employees, business partners, customers, and the public at
large. On the Programmable Web, the world’s largest repository of APIs, almost 13,000
APIs are updated daily.
• For technical communicators who enjoy reading and analyzing code and working directly
with developers, creating API documentation is a lucrative market and rewarding
experience. During this half-day workshop, API documentation expert Ed Marshall will
introduce you to the world of APIs and how technical communicators succeed in this
market. You’ll also create API documentation for REST (Representational State Transfer),
one of the most popular protocols used in cloud computing.
* Source: “Global Cloud Computing Market Forecast 2015-2020,” Market Research Media.
Retrieved January 17, 2015, from http://www.marketresearchmedia.com/?p=839

3. In this workshop, you will learn:
• What APIs are, who uses them, and why.
• What cloud computing and web services are and why these technologies
are growing in popularity.
• The typical types of documentation deliverables for these products.
• The benefits and drawbacks of working in this field.
• How much software code and programming knowledge you need. (Hint: Ed
is not a programmer but has worked successfully in this field for 27 years.)
• How much information you can get from the code, and from where and
how you get information that is not in the code.
• How to create a REST API document from a real-world example. By the end
of this workshop, you will have a finished document that you can show to
potential clients or employers.

4. Speaker’s Bio
Ed is the founder and owner of Marshall
Documentation Consulting
(www.MarshallDocumentationServices.com),
with over 27 years of experience in technical
writing, and a Certified MadCap Advanced
Developer (MAD) for MadCap Flare. He
specializes in technical documentation for
developers. Throughout his career, he has
developed expertise in using tools to “let the
computer do the work,” such as advanced tools
for editing files, comparing files, and searching
and replacing text. Ed has presented at many
conferences and events, including the Society
for Technical Communication (STC), WritersUA,
Information Development World, TEKOM, and
DocTrain. Contact Ed at
ed.marshall@verizon.net or on LinkedIn at
www.linkedin.com/pub/ed-marshall/0/501/898.
Also follow him on Twitter @EdMarshall.