Re: Single-Sourcing Online and Printed Documentation

Subject: Re: Single-Sourcing Online and Printed Documentation
From: "Gary Robinson" <GXR -at- ddpmi -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Mon, 13 Jan 2003 09:27:29 -0500


Hi Marie-Jo,

It's probably best to save your breath and start focusing on how to turn the online help files into the best print documentation you can. I have argued and pleaded, making every point I can with client after client, against printing online help as a manual. I have yet to have one agree. To them, apparently, the economic arguments greatly outweigh the document quality arguments. Once they have some content they only want it replicated. In my experience, having the best quality documents is not important to them. I wish it were otherwise.

Let me know if you have better success than I have had.

Regards,

Gary G. Robinson
Technical Communications Consultant
Pillar Technology Group, LLC


>>> <lightspeedchick -at- yahoo -dot- com> 01/12/03 06:26PM >>>

I am trying to convince a small, inexperienced documentation team that it
is a bad idea to simply print out the online help files to produce
manuals.

I am looking for arguments to defend this point.

I would appreciate it if someone could refer me to articles that explain
the differences in tone and content of online and printed documentation.

Thank you
Marie-Jo


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^






^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
A new book on Single Sourcing has been released by William Andrew
Publishing: _Single Sourcing: Building Modular Documentation_
is now available at: http://www.williamandrew.com/titles/1491.html.

Help Authoring Seminar 2003, coming soon to a city near you! Attend this
educational and affordable one-day seminar covering existing and emerging
trends in Help authoring technology. See http://www.ehelp.com/techwr-l2.

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