From tech writing to building lovable neighborhoods with Jacob Moses
In this episode, I talk with Jacob Moses, the founder and original host of The Not-Boring Tech Writer podcast, about how the skills and values he developed as a tech writer have shaped his journey into community development and real estate. We discuss his concept of building "lovable places," how user-centered thinking and empathy translate from documentation to neighborhood development, the power of tight feedback loops and self-service documentation for tenants and clients, and how the Write the Docs Pac-Man rule has changed his life and his work.
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Jacob and I discuss his path from studying technical communication at the University of North Texas to founding The Not-Boring Tech Writer podcast in 2016 to his current work as owner of Care Block Development, a real estate development company specializing in historic rehabs in Denton, Texas. Throughout his career transitions, Jacob has carried core tech writing values with him, including user empathy, iterative improvement, and the importance of tight feedback loops. We explore how Care Block's mission of building "lovable places" connects to ideas about product lovability in the software world and why solvency matters for any organization that wants to do good work for the people it serves.
We dig into the ways Jacob applies tech writing skills and principles in his real estate and community development work. He walks us through examples like creating onboarding documentation for new tenants with laminated cards and QR codes, offering multiple communication paths for work orders to accommodate different engagement preferences, and providing self-help guides for emergency situations. On the general contracting side, he shares how he uses project management software to give clients real-time transparency into the estimating process, a move that was counterintuitive to others in his industry but aligned with his commitment to centering humans in every interaction.
We also discuss the Strong Towns approach to public investment, which centers on humbly observing where people struggle, doing the next small thing to address that struggle, and repeating. Jacob connects this to tech writing's iterative, user-centered mindset and to Elinor Ostrom's concept of "cheap talk," which emphasizes meeting people where they are and letting them communicate in ways that feel comfortable. We touch on AI's role in documentation and the irreplaceable value of human empathy, and Jacob shares the piece of advice that has most impacted his life and work: the Write the Docs Pac-Man rule of always leaving room for another person to join the circle.
About Jacob Moses:
Jacob Moses is the founder and original host of The Not-Boring Tech Writer podcast, which he launched in 2016 to celebrate tech writers and push back against the stereotype that technical writing is boring. He studied technical communication at the University of North Texas, and his first gig out of college was as a tech writer at Rainmaker Digital (formerly Copyblogger Media). Since then, he's carried the skills and values he cultivated as a tech writer into community development and real estate.
Today, Jacob is owner of Care Block Development, a real estate development company that acquires, rehabs, and manages historic buildings in Denton, Texas. Pairing historic preservation with thoughtful improvements, Care Block honors the culture of the neighborhoods in which it works to create lovable places for the people it serves. He's also the owner of Sardinha, a premium tinned seafood pop-up pushing premium tins in Denton. If you need a tinfish plug in Denton, Jacob is your guy.
In this episode:
- [00:01:00]: Jacob's origin story: a chance meeting at a coffee shop that led to tech writing
- [00:08:06]: From Blue Bag Market to affordable housing to Care Block Development
- [00:10:11]: Care Block's mission: building lovable places through historic rehabs
- [00:13:51]: Lovability as a concept for software, documentation, and community
- [00:24:51]: Tenant onboarding documentation: laminated cards, QR codes, and multiple communication paths
- [00:27:59]: Self-service documentation and accommodating different engagement preferences
- [00:31:33]: Using project management software for transparency in the general contracting process
- [00:37:15]: Tech writing skills that translate beyond documentation
- [00:40:13]: The Strong Towns approach: observe, do the next small thing, repeat
- [00:41:20]: Elinor Ostrom's "cheap talk" and meeting people where they are
- [00:45:38]: Humility, listening, and centering the end user as the expert
- [00:51:02]: AI, empathy, and what makes good documentation good
- [00:54:19]: Resource recommendations: Bird by Bird, Death and Life of Great American Cities, and more
- [00:59:46]: Best advice: the Write the Docs Pac-Man rule
Resources discussed in this episode:
- The Pac-Man Rule at conferences by Eric Holscher
- Strong Towns
- Books:
- Governing the Commons by Elinor Ostrom
- Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
- Joe Jones by Anne Lamott
- The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs
- Dying and Living in the Neighborhood by Prabhjot Singh
- The Mayor of Castro Street by Randy Shilts
- The Book of Hope by Jane Goodall and Douglas Abrams
- We Learn Nothing by Tim Kreider
- Joanne Rohde's "On knowing when to get in, and to get out" (New York Times)
- Related TNBTW episodes:
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We love hearing your ideas for episode topics, guests, or general feedback:
Contact Kate Mueller:
Contact Jacob Moses:
- Jacob Moses on LinkedIn
- Care Block Development website
- Care Block Development on Instagram
- Care Block Development on Substack
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Creators and Guests
Host
Kate Mueller
Kate is a documentarian and knowledge base coach based in Midcoast Maine. When she's not writing software documentation or advising on knowledge management best practices, she's out hiking and foraging with her dog. Connect with her on LinkedIn, Bluesky, or Write the Docs Slack.
Producer
Chad Timblin
Chad is the Head of Operations for The Not-Boring Tech Writer. He’s also the Executive Assistant to the CEO & Friend of Felines at KnowledgeOwl, the knowledge base software company that sponsors The Not-Boring Tech Writer. Some things that bring him joy are 😼 cats, 🎶 music, 🍄 Nintendo, 📺 Hayao Miyazaki’s films, 🍃 Walt Whitman’s poetry, 🌊 Big Sur, and ☕️ coffee. Connect with him on LinkedIn or Bluesky.
Guest
Jacob Moses
Jacob Moses is the founder and original host of The Not-Boring Tech Writer podcast, which he launched in 2016 to celebrate tech writers and push back against the stereotype that technical writing is boring. He studied technical communication at the University of North Texas, and his first gig out of college was as a tech writer at Rainmaker Digital (formerly Copyblogger Media). Since then, he's carried the skills and values he cultivated as a tech writer into community development and real estate. Today, Jacob is owner of Care Block Development, a real estate development company that acquires, rehabs, and manages historic buildings in Denton, Texas. Pairing historic preservation with thoughtful improvements, Care Block honors the culture of the neighborhoods in which it works to create lovable places for the people it serves. He's also the owner of Sardinha, a premium tinned seafood pop-up pushing premium tins in Denton. If you need a tinfish plug in Denton, Jacob is your guy.
