The Costs of Poor Communication

December 30, 2008 Blog 2 Comments

From lost relationships to steep financial penalties, the price of poor communication is high, research shows. By Rich Maggiani, Solari Communication, special to The Content Wrangler Poor communication costs business millions of dollars every single day. Most executives and managers understand this, yet they don’t realize how big a part they play in this miscommunication. Financial statements do not carry a line item for poor communication, although they should since, with a little effort, it can quickly be quantified. Communication is vital to the success of your organization. To be Read the full article…

2008 Typo Hunt – The Typo Eradication Advancement League Tours America Correcting Errors

April 10, 2008 Blog No Comments

Sworn members of The Typo Eradication Advancement League (TEAL), folks who pledge to dedicate themselves to “a more perfectly spelling union”, have been traveling across the US stamping out as many typos as they can find. While a typo-free society may be a long way off, TEAL members say they believe “that only through working together with vigilance and a love of correctness can we achieve the beauty of a typo-free society.” “We do not blame, nor chastise, the authors of these typos,” the TEAL website explains. “It is natural Read the full article…

Case Study in Controlling Documentation Quality with acrocheck: Assisted Writing and Editing at SAS

March 22, 2008 Blog No Comments

By John Kohl, SAS Institute (reprinted with permission from Client Side News) In a previous article, Uwe Muegge speculated about why we don’t hear about more companies using controlled languages. According to Muegge, “anyone new to the field may have a hard time finding reliable, vendor-independent information on what [controlled-language] solutions are available and what the costs and benefits of deploying those solutions are.” We found that to be true in our investigations at SAS Institute as well, but at least part of the problem is in the interpretation of Read the full article…

Too Many Words

January 14, 2008 Blog 2 Comments

By Don DePalma, Common Sense Advisory, special to The Content Wrangler When describing their products or unique selling proposition, many companies invert the old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words. They subject readers to a numbing deluge of text on websites, in printed collateral, online help systems, knowledge bases, technical user guides, and training materials. This logorrhea (excessive flow of words) has caught the attention of executives who see an ever expanding morass of content as a drag on their companies’ performance and product usability. Our research Read the full article…

Documentation and Training Slide Decks Now Available

November 8, 2007 Blog No Comments

The slide decks from Documentation and Training East 2007 are now available. A few speakers have yet to share their slides, but the bulk of the presentations are available for view within a web browser, and without the need to download additional software. This service is made possible by SlideShare.net, a site that’s a lot like YouTube for slide shows. Slide shows available today include: Achieve Dynamic Publishing with DITA and CMS Adoption: Astoria On Demand Adobe in Technical Communication and Instructional Design Avoiding the Content Conveyor Belt Trap: Enabling 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…

[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…

LavaCon New Orleans: Conference Participants Lend A Helping Hand

September 26, 2007 Blog No Comments

Scott Abel will present his wildly popular presentation, Web 2.0 and Its Impact on Technical Communication at LavaCon, New Orleans, October 27–30, 2007. This is the first year Abel has presented at LavaCon, a technical communication event that targets documentation managers. The event promises to help managers better understand best practices in the fields of technical communication and technical communication management, including strategies for choosing technology platforms, migrating to XML and content management, reducing training and translation costs, and more. The Big Easy is not just home to LavaCon 2007, Read the full article…

TC World: Improved Content Quality Through More Effective Content Management

September 25, 2007 Blog No Comments

The September/October 2007 issue of TCWorld, the magazine for international information management, includes a thought-provoking article by Scott Abel and Diane Wieland of TheContentWrangler.com entitled “Improved Content Quality Through More Effective Content Management”. The article addresses the importance of using software to effectively manage both your content and the human resources involved in the content creation process. Download the magazine (PDF file; see page 14).

Aussiespeak: One More Reason For Controlled Vocabularies

September 10, 2007 Blog No Comments

Canadians do it. Italians do it. Brits and Mexicans do it. Chances are, you do it, too. We choose words—and turn phrases—that are difficult to translate. Our native languages are full of terms that are very hard—if not impossible—to translate into numerous target languages. In this increasingly global marketplace, we need to understand how our choice of words can negatively impact our message. One resource that can help you better understand the implications of ambiguous word usage is a new book entitled Undiplomatic Activities, by former diplomat Richard Woolcott. The Read the full article…

What Fast Food Managers Have and Tech Pub Managers Need

July 31, 2007 Blog No Comments

Diane Wieland and Scott Abel of TheContentWrangler.com tell it like it is in this editorial in the July 2007 issue of DCLNews. To quote: “Technical documentation departments can learn a lot from industries that have spent decades collecting and analyzing process information, industries like the fast food industry. McDonald’s has earned four billion dollars in cash from operations the past three years. The success of McDonald’s was built on collecting information on its processes and finding ways to slash six seconds from the drive-thru line. A McDonald’s manager is far Read the full article…

Understanding The Need for Content Quality Management in Technical Publications and Training

July 3, 2007 Blog No Comments

Interview with Scott Abel by Diane Wieland, special to The Content Wrangler Diane: Scott, you’ve spoken for years about the need for organizations to control content. Now that content management is finally on the minds of the masses, can you tell us more about the difference between managing documents and managing content? That is, pieces of content? Scott: Yes, I can. Let’s start with document management, an approach to controlling files of various types. User manuals, presentations, web pages, annual reports, brochures, animations, and white papers are all types of Read the full article…