Four Email Productivity Tips: Smart Advice From A Time-Challenged Communicator

June 30, 2006 Blog No Comments

Getting more organized is a good thing and I’ve been working on this for myself. No matter how organized I get, and how much faster I get things done, it seems though that the to-do list manages to grow longer. One of the main things that I have discovered takes up my time these days is email. I respond to questions in email. I send out files that are requested via email. I have long volleys of conversation with friends, clients, and peers. Clients and I exchange files and commentary, …

User-Generated Content and the DITA OASIS website

June 30, 2006 Blog No Comments

It’s a Web 2.0 world—and I think it’s about time we started to take advantage of it. One great place to start making changes is the OASIS dita.xml.org website, a site dedicated to the Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA). It’s useful in the old school web 1.0 paradigm, but lacks the value-added content needed to make the site more than a glorified listing of stuff about DITA. Take for instance the DITA training service listings. In its current state, it’s nothing more than free advertising for training vendors. Sure, you …

Identity Theft Bonanza: More Missing Personal Data

June 29, 2006 Blog No Comments

June 18, 2006, insurance giant AIG reported it lost personal identifying information on 970,000 of its consumers as a result of a burglary that occurred nearly three months prior. The company said it was slow to report the theft to authorities because it “didn’t want to inadvertently inform the thief that he had a computer with sensitive information on it.” AIG said the data loss included Social Security numbers and personal medical notations for those seeking supplemental catastrophic medical group coverage.

Managing IT As An Investment by Ken Moskowitz and Harris Kern

June 23, 2006 Blog No Comments

It’s no secret. To win at business, you must perform better than your competition. Better. Stronger. Faster. You get the picture. In “Managing IT as an Investment: Partnering for Success�, Ken Moskowitz and Harris Kern explore how changing the way you think about IT can help you develop solutions that exceed your strategic goals. To achieve the highest levels of profitability, the authors say, IT organizations must be well-tuned and in alignment with the goals of the enterprise to which they belong.

Using Technology To Control Laptop Theft Risks

June 21, 2006 Blog No Comments

Secruity experts estimate that one in ten laptop computers will be stolen during their lifetime. The results of the 2005 Computer Crime and Security Survey (a project of the Computer Security Institute and the Federal Bureau of Investigation) show that at least half of all U.S. businesses have had a mobile business device stolen. The actual figures are likely to be higher as many organizations don’t report the losses to authorities due to fear of negative publicity.

Lessons From The Trenches: DocZone.com Is Doing It With DITA

June 13, 2006 Blog No Comments

In this Rockley Bulletin interview with Christopher Hill of DocZone.com, the application support pro speaks candidly with Scott Abel about his company’s experience moving into the world of the Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA). Lessons learned, suggestions for improving DITA, warnings, and practical advice are included. Read the interview.

Examining the Impact and Cultural Consequences of XML

June 10, 2006 Blog No Comments

In Technical Context and Cultural Consequences of XML (IBM Systems Journal), the authors discuss “the broad consequences of XML and argue that XML will take its place among the technical standards having the greatest impact on the world in which we live.” The authors say we are only now beginning to see the true potential of XML. They are careful to point out that before XML dreams become reality, many issues will need to be resolved.

37signals Fails To Deliver The Customer Service They Offer

June 9, 2006 Blog No Comments

37signals makes some really useful web-based software tools. I thought several of their products were so useful I took time to explore their website to learn more. They tempted me with cool, elegantly designed interfaces, and an offer to “get in touch”. I tried to take them up on their offer to chat via telephone. I sent them an email (actually three) requesting an appointment to discuss my needs. Each email garnered a reply— “we don’t provide any phone support, sales, etc. We’re entirely email based.” Then they encouraged me …

Not Enough Interoperability – Or Too Much About DITA

June 8, 2006 Blog No Comments

In Key Content, Too Many Pieces (June 2006, Rough Draft) , Bill Albing expresses his dissatisfaction with the lack of interoperability between existing software tools and proclaims the need for a “system that will allow us to develop, deliver and maintain our enterprise’s content.” He continues: “Until individual components can plug and play together, just as our modularized content is moving toward that goal, we will not be satisfied.”

At Target.com “Customer Service” Remains a Mystery

June 7, 2006 Blog No Comments

Target.com is the online storefront for the popular discount brick-and-mortar retailer whose bullseye logo was recently deemed one of the most recognizable brands in the world. Unfortunately for online shoppers, finding a human being to assist you on the telephone at Target.com is next to impossible. A search of the “Help Center” for the term “customer service” yields less than desireable results. Advice to Target: Try making your toll-free customer support number available to your customers. Your customers “Expect More” and deserve it as well.