Video Documentation: Seven Sites That Show You How To Do Things

October 29, 2007 Blog 4 Comments

By Scott Abel, The Content Wrangler If a picture is worth a thousand words, how much is a video worth? This is a particularly important question to ask (and answer), especially if your job involves communicating complex concepts or developing training or education programs. Technical, medical, science, and marketing communicators are accustomed to creating written materials—user guides, online help, website content, training materials—but times are changing. Technologies that allow anyone with a computer, a webcam, and a connection to the internet to create and distribute video content have changed user Read the full article…

LavaCon New Orleans: Technical Documentation and Project Management Groups Team Up in Big Easy

October 27, 2007 Blog No Comments

The fifth annual LavaCon takes place October 27-30 in historic New Orleans. LavaCon is a three day conference that highlights proven best practices in the fields of technical communication and technical communication management, strategies for choosing technology platforms, migrating to XML and content management, reducing training and translation costs, and more. This year’s event features a Professional Development Summit presented in partnership with the Project Management Institute Greater New Orleans Chapter. Scott Abel (The Content Wrangler) will be presenting his popular presentation, Web 2.0 and It’s Impact on Technical Communication. Read the full article…

Death By PowerPoint: Practical Advice For Improving Presentations

October 26, 2007 Blog No Comments

PowerPoint sucks. More accurately, most presentations suck, regardless of what software tool was used to create them. They suck because those who design them (often the same people who deliver them) are not skilled presentation developers nor great presenters. But Alexei Kapterev aims to help presenters worldwide improve their presentations by following his examples. Take a few minutes to view his presentation on presentations, “Death By PowerPoint” (see below). The slide deck makes the case for improving presentations by providing practical, no-nonsense advice and real-world examples. Thanks to Maxwell Hoffmann Read the full article…

Safety Signs and Symbols: Free Library Offers Downloadable Graphics

October 25, 2007 Blog No Comments

If you’ve ever found yourself needing a set of symbols to depict hazards or warn consumers about dangers of other types, look no further than CPTec. The company maintain a free online library of symbols (.gif and .eps formats) that can be downloaded individually or as ZIP archives containing the complete symbol set. Symbols and signs available: Warning and danger Mandatory action Hazardous materials Rescue Fire protection In many cases, references to standards (DIN, ISO, ANSI, SEMI) and regulations are provided. And, if you can’t find what you want there, Read the full article…

Books Content Managers Should Read (Especially If You’re Trying To Make Process Improvements)

October 23, 2007 Blog 2 Comments

If you’re a manager whose department is looking to make the move to content management, you likely need lots of information. Lucky for you, there are three very important books to help you learn what you need to know to make wise decisions and to influence others. Managing Enterprise Content: A Unified Content Strategy by Ann Rockley, Pamela Kostur and Steve Manning. In “Managing Enterprise Content”, the authors make the case for their “Unified Content Strategy”—a practical and logical way of researching, planning, preparing, testing, implementing and selling content management Read the full article…

[DocTrain East Slidedeck] The Effects of Globalization on Technical Communication and Training

October 19, 2007 Blog No Comments

’Globalization’ is the new buzz word, but what does this mean for a technical writer in the production of user documentation? In possession of specific skills, natural curiosity, and design abilities, technical writers are in a unique position to ensure their organization delivers information to a global audience that is accurate, consistent, and appropriate for local audiences. The efficient delivery of documentation is not the issue; instead, it is the efficient delivery of correct information across all content creators within the organization that is at stake. Technical writers are part Read the full article…

Virtual Ubiquity: Adobe Acquires Collaborative Online Word Processor

October 18, 2007 Blog No Comments

Adobe Systems recently announced its intent to acquire Waltham, Massachusetts-based Virtual Ubiquity, makers of the ultra-cool, Flash-based online word processor, Buzzword. “For over a decade, Adobe® Acrobat® software and PDF have been the standard way people share and collaborate on high value documents across platforms, with perfect fidelity. Buzzword will build on that leadership and enable fundamental improvements in how people collaborate on documents,” said David Mendels, senior vice president, Business Productivity Business Unit at Adobe, in a recent press release. “At the same time, it is an exciting showcase Read the full article…

Inmedius Adds DITA Storm Wiki To Product Mix

October 17, 2007 Blog No Comments

Inmedius has announced the acquisition of the DITA Storm wiki from LogPerspective. DITA Storm, a DITA editing tool that enables authors to easily create DITA-compliant content in WYSIWYG mode regardless of their DITA XML knowledge. From the press release: “There are very few truisms in business, but certainly one of them is having the brightest people who create innovative and useful products to drive a successful company,” stated Gary L. Schaffer, President and CEO, Inmedius. “DITA Storm fills an important void in the current market between the legacy XML companies, Read the full article…

Internet Radio Show Features Two Days Of Original Programming From DocTrain East

October 16, 2007 Blog No Comments

If you’re not able to attend Documentation and Training East 2007, don’t fret. The organizers will be streaming two days of original programming over Internet radio. All you need is a web browser, a PC with some speakers, and a connection to the internet. Made possible by the folks at MyTechnologyLawyer.com, the DocTrain East radio shows take place October 18-19, 2007 (schedule below) and will be broadcast live from the event venue. Listeners will be able to ask questions of the guests via email or phone (toll-free in the U.S.). Read the full article…

DITA Storm Finds New Owner: Interview with Gary Schaffer, Inmedius

October 15, 2007 Blog No Comments

In this exclusive interview with Gary Schaffer of Inmedius, Scott Abel asks the president of the technical communication software provider about his company’s recent acquisition of the DITA Storm wiki, what he thinks about the role of rich media, and the importance of content quality. TCW: Gary, tell our readers a little about yourself and your company, Inmedius. Gary: Inmedius is a company with a long tradition of bringing innovative product to the marketplace. We were founded out of Carnegie Mellon University in 1995. Our primary market up until 2001 Read the full article…

CMS Awards: Help Select The Best European Website

October 14, 2007 Blog No Comments

CNS Channel wants your help selecting the best websites in Europe. One hundred twenty contestants have entered in categories designed to select the websites with the best layout, structure, content, search engine optimization, and use of Web 2.0 technologies. The contest aims to identify the best websites and the best website management technology. Cast Your Vote!

Uncovering Wikipedia Edits: Virgil Griffith Shines Light on Anonymous Changes to Popular Wiki

October 10, 2007 Blog No Comments

In this interview with Scott Abel of The ContentWrangler.com, Virgil Griffith, a 24-year-old self-proclaimed “hacker”, demystifies his extremely popular WikiScanner project, an online resource that allows users to do something they could never do before—discover which companies have been editing Wikipedia listings. TCW: Virgil, thanks for joining us today. For those who don’t know who you are and what you do, please tell us a little about yourself. VG: By day, I am a graduate student at the California Institute of Technology where I study theoretical neurobiology and artificial life. Read the full article…

Google’s Next Target: Mobile Device Advertising or Microsoft?

October 9, 2007 Blog No Comments

While Google has been rumored to be creating its own mobile phone for some time now. But, analysts say they doubt Google is going to go head-to-head with Apple, whose highly successful and well-designed iPhone has already changed consumer expectations, setting the bar extremely high for the next generation of devices from the mobile phone market. Instead, according to a report in The New York Times, “Google wants to extend its dominance of online advertising to the mobile Internet, a small market today, but one that is expected to grow Read the full article…

[White Paper] Professionally Manage Your Content: Going Beyond Traditional Content Management

October 8, 2007 Blog 1 Comment

In recent years, technical documentation has undergone a paradigm shift. Documents are no longer exclusively being authored from beginning to end, but increasingly, they are manufactured piece-by-piece. The process involves compiling, reusing, and transforming multiple content fragments into a cohesive publication that meets the needs of the target audience. But, managers lack the tools necessary to manage and control the complete technical documentation manufacturing process. They sometimes try to compensate for the lack of tools by inventing manual processes. But, that’s not an efficient use of a mangers time. Download Read the full article…