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Your Color Almost, But Different: Why Localizing Content Without Personalizing It Is A Bad Idea

May 3, 2009 Blog 7 Comments

Localization is a hot topic among software manufacturers who make tools that they claim can help you provide your customers with relevant, laser-targeted content. More than ever, it seems, these firms are hyper-busy trying to get your attention. From webinars to white papers, from free trial software to conference presentations, from text messages to Twitter tweets, localization software vendors are vying for your attention in hopes you’ll finally make the move to localized content. Localization software and services vendors usually hail from the translation industry. Some claim to have created …

Convergence Technical Communication: Strategies for Incorporating Web 2.0

January 12, 2009 Blog 7 Comments

By Nicky Bleiel, Senior Information Developer, ComponentOne “Convergence Technical Communication” (CTC) is technical communication that provides information in several forms, including Web 2.0 delivery mechanisms, to improve the user experience. Most of the content is generated by technical communicators; a portion by users. Web 2.0 makes it possible to create additional deliverables that enhance the user experience several different ways. First, it engages the different learning styles of our audience. Second, it improves user satisfaction with your product by creating communities of practice that allow users to participate in the …

Confabb.com: The World’s Largest Free Conference Database—80,000+ Listings

December 11, 2008 Blog No Comments

Need a place to promote your conference? Why not try posting your information to the world’s largest free online conference database, Confabb.com? Confabb combines an aggregate database of major conferences, conventions, and trade shows sorted by industry with social networking tools designed to empower conference attendees to improve their overall experience. Built into the site is a reputation management system to be used by conference attendees, speakers, organizers and administrators allowing people to plan for and attend conferences, and critique and review those they have attended and want to share …

[Featured Group] Information Architecture

July 15, 2008 Blog No Comments

After a not-so-smooth roll-out of mailman listserv software on the Society for Technical Communication Information Design Special Interest Group, I decided to start an Information Architecture discussion group on The Content Wrangler Community. I hope it will be an alternative to the horrible listserv discussion groups that have outlived their usefulness and are quickly being replaced by social network discussion groups that allow more natural conversations and provide a better user experience.

Over 1,200 Have Joined Our New Social Network for Content Professionals

April 1, 2008 Blog No Comments

The Content Wrangler Community, the new social network for content professionals is attracting a global audience of content professionals from around the globe. More than 1,200 knowledge workers from all walks of life are congregating online and forming special interest groups focused on software tools, content standards, information modeling, job hunting, technical communication, web 2.0, marketing and more. In addition to allowing the formation of groups, the community provides members with online forums, a blog, keyword searchable member directory, video and photo sharing, discounts on upcoming conferences, event announcements, training …

Move Over McDonald’s: My Space Now Serves Billions Daily

October 4, 2007 Blog No Comments

MySpace.com, a virtual community in which Americans spend an estimated 12 percent of all of their time online, is the highest trafficked website in the US, according to comScore.com and Compete.com. The popular social networking site generated 45 million page views from American web surfers during the month of July, 2007. Compete.com, calculates that Americans spend about 12% of all their Internet time there. CNN and Forbes prepared an excellent social networking overview article that examines recent internet usage trends and the popularity of social networking sites like MySpace.com and …

“Participation Inequality” Is Here To Stay Says Nielsen

October 10, 2006 Blog No Comments

If you’re in charge of overseeing an online community and are frustrated because you cannot get more folks to participate, get over it! That’s just the way things are. It’s not your fault. In fact, it’s the very nature of communities, online or not. “90% of users are lurkers who never contribute, 9% of users contribute a little, and 1% of users account for almost all the action,” writes international usability superstar Jakob Nielsen in Participation Inequality: Encouraging More Users to Contribute. “On any given user-participation site, you almost always …