Avoiding an extinction event
The elimination of the distribution monopoly for content is upending the publishing industry and technical communication specifically.
Opinion
Intelligent Content conference thoughts
Palm Springs provides a spectacular setting for the Intelligent Content conference. But despite the beautiful scenery (and outside temperature!), conference-goers were more likely to be found in the chilly, windowless meeting rooms.
Webcast: The Changing Role of the Professional Technical Communicator: What’s Next?
In this webcast recording, Scott Abel, The Content Wrangler, and Val Swisher, CEO of Content Rules, host a lively discussion with technical communication industry professionals Jack Molisani and Sarah O’Keefe. The four discuss the impact of globalization, outsourcing, off-shoring, technological advances, and mobile devices on the technical communication landscape.
Webcast: Trends in technical communication, 2012
In this webcast recording, Sarah O’Keefe and guest presenter Char James-Tanny discuss tech comm trends for the upcoming year and beyond. Topics include use of the cloud, help authoring tool innovation, business value, adoption of standards, shift to mobile, and more.
“Trust me” isn’t a business plan
Knowing you can rely on someone is vital to professional relationships. But when it comes to proposing process change, the words “trust me” are never, ever enough.
Another peril in ebook publishing: Amazon KF8 compatibility
KF8. Nope, it’s not K2‘s long-lost mountain cousin. It’s Amazon’s new ebook format.
While dealing with this new format probably isn’t as daunting as scaling a 28,251 ft. mountain, KF8 is providing a particularly bothersome challenge right out of the gate: it’s not compatible with any Kindle devices other than the Kindle Fire!
The dawn of digital publishing
Is a week long enough to gain some perspective on the new landscape in ebook publishing?
Tempus fugit
I’ve been thinking about how time affects communication. We have constant deadlines, some of which are easier to meet than others. But there are other ways in which time affects content strategy.
Drink me: starting small like Alice
“What a curious feeling!” said Alice; “I must be shutting up like a telescope.”
And so it was indeed: she was now only ten inches high, and her face brightened up at the thought that she was now the right size for going though the little door into that lovely garden.
Lewis Carroll in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
2012 predictions in technical communication
It’s time for that annual exercise in humiliation known as the “review of last year’s predictions” followed by the “some people never learn” event in which I soldier on with new predictions.
The passion quotient
You’ve never heard of the passion quotient? That’s because I just made it up. For example, if 5 authors report that they use Tool X and it is very important (5 on a scale from 1 to 5), then Tool X scores a perfect 5 PQ.
Do as a politician does (but just this once!)
My cynical streak makes me very leery (and often weary) of what politicians say and do, particularly around election time. But an article about President Obama’s re-election strategy really resonated with me—mostly because it offers some insight into what we should be doing in technical communication right now.
Joining Sally Field’s “like me” revolution
In 1985, a few eyebrows were raised (and many eyes rolled) when Sally Field gave her “You like me!” Academy Award acceptance speech.
The “Meh” Strategy
Amidst all this discussion of content strategy, one common approach has been neglected. There’s little discussion of the no-strategy content strategy, even though this approach is probably the market leader.
Orthodoxy versus nuance
Simple answers are appealing and are easy to remember. [Refrain from gratuitous political joke here, mostly.] But the real world is full of complex issues that are not easily reduced to soundbites. This also applies to technical communication and XML adoption.
Tekom thoughts
You know you’ve had a bad travel week when you cannot wait to compose the complaint letter to the airline. But sandwiched between flight problems, I had a great time in Wiesbaden at tekom/tcworld 2011.
Banishing our black berets
In my junk mail, the capital letters were screaming in bright red: WE’RE NOT ARTISANS.
You don’t have to bet the farm…
A wise man once told me that the goal of marketing is to frame the question so that what you are selling is the best possible answer. In the world of tech comm publishing, the default question has been: “What tool should I use?”
Curation analytics take a step forward
My 2011 predictions post included a brief mention of curation analytics. This week, we have news from MindTouch that supports my thought that accountability in technical communication will increase.
The (work)force is strong…
Technical communication is in the midst of a huge transition from a craft/artisan model to an engineering model. Our consultants are the vanguard of this transition, and as a result, we are experiencing significant challenges in finding new employees.
Spinning tech comm improvements into marcomm strategies
This morning, I was among the many who received an email from Netflix CEO Reed Hastings. He was responding to criticisms that Netflix “lacked respect and humility in the way [the company] announced the separation of DVD and streaming and the price changes.”
DITA, The Sequel: Refining your DITA workflow
The initial wave of DITA implementations is still building, but we are already seeing the early adopters move on to what I am calling DITA, The Sequel.
The perversion of indexes
In addition to mixed column and copyfitting, the shift from desktop publishing to structured authoring may result in the demise of the traditional index.
The economics of information
Originally published in tcworld e-magazine, July 2011
In Europe before the 1450s, books were precious, rare objects and were usually copied by hand over a period of months or years. Johannes Gutenberg and his printing press changed the economics of information distribution.
