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Content strategy

Content strategy Webcast

Webcast: The economics of information

In this webcast recording, Sarah O’Keefe discusses how the cost of developing content affects what is actually created. She leads with a discussion of Gutenberg and how we went from gorgeous, unaffordable, artistic books that took years to produce to more plebeian but affordable books. Then she considers today’s situation, with particular attention to the possibilities of video, information apps, and a look at what has NOT changed.

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Content strategy Webcast

Webcast: Content strategy for software development (with Ray Gallon)

Content strategy is usually thought of in the context of web development. But today’s software is increasingly information-rich. Software is a content vector, and we need to manage the life cycle of that content. This webcast from guest speaker Ray Gallon adapts content life cycle management principles, taken from web-oriented content strategy, to software development cycles. Some examples from real experiences illustrate this adaptation.

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Content strategy

Anyone can write

published in STC Intercom, September/October 2010

“Anyone can write.” How many times have you heard that tired cliché? And how did it ascend to a cliché? It’s pretty clear to me that most people are terrible writers. When someone says, “Anyone can write,” they actually mean, “Our writing standards are so low that anyone can meet them.”

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Content strategy XML

XML: The death of creativity in technical writing?

Originally published in STC Intercom, February 2010

I spend a lot of time giving presentations on XML, structured authoring, and related technologies. The most common negative reaction, varied only in the level of hostility, is “Why are you stifling my creativity?”

Does XML really mean the Death of Creativity for technical communicators? And does creativity even belong in technical content?

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Content strategy

Friend or foe? Web 2.0 in technical communication

The rise of Web 2.0 technology provides a platform for user-generated content. Publishing is no longer restricted to a few technical writers—any user can now contribute information. But the information coming from users tends to be highly specific, whereas technical documentation is comprehensive but less specific. The two types of information can coexist and improve the overall user experience.

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Content strategy

The State of Structure

In early 2009, Scriptorium Publishing conducted a survey to measure how and why technical communicators are adopting structured authoring.

Of the 616 responses:

  • 29 percent of respondents indicated that they had already implemented structured authoring.
  • 16 percent indicated that they do not plan to implement structured authoring.
  • 14 percent were in the process of implementing structured authoring.
  • 20 percent were planning to do so.
  • 21 percent were considering it.
  • This report summarizes our findings on topics including the reasons for implementing structure, the adoption rate for DITA and other standards, and the selection of authoring tools.

    Download PDF file (2 MB, 56 pages)

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