Re: Interactive documentation

Subject: Re: Interactive documentation
From: "Edwin Skau" <eddy -dot- skau -at- gmail -dot- com>
To: "Shannon Wade" <SWade -at- daktronics -dot- com>
Date: Wed, 10 Dec 2008 23:11:42 +0530

Hi Shannon,

I'm sorry if I inadvertently said something insulting. I spent some time as
a consultant, and discussed many cock-eyed initiatives foisted on pubs
teams.

Many companies have technical documentation reporting in to other functions
as an additional responsibility. Some of those folks don't have a clue, but
need to log 'achievements' to weigh in at appraisal time. Then come the
buzzwords, the XML, Single-sourcing, DITA, and whole bunch of popular (read
fad) solutions.

The problem with this industry is that there are lots of solutions to pick
from. The problem is that implementing a solution often introduces problems
that didn't exist in a system that happened to work pretty well to begin
with.

I hope this background explains that I wasn't trying to be snide, but
because your initial post barely mentioned 'interactive documentation' and
asked for a tool to use to create it, I wondered if you were facing what I'd
seen and been through before.

I haven't seen your addition to the thread. If you provided more specifics
on interactive documentation, I may be able to provide some info. We're
planning some pioneering work in interactive dynamic documentation, and I
may be able to share some of that info with you offline if it fits in with
what you're doing.

Chill,
Ed




On Fri, Dec 5, 2008 at 10:31 PM, Shannon Wade <SWade -at- daktronics -dot- com> wrote:

> Ed,
>
> Yes, people at our company have a clue. If you're implying that I don't,
> then I obviously didn't state my question accurately. I am looking for
> information regarding the use of software to create documentation that
> allows the user to click on portions of the manual and see different
> processes shown using AutoCAD models. I posted a follow up to this post
> later on. If you have anything constructive to add to the discussion, please
> feel free to contact me and the list. I'm sure we'd be interested in hearing
> what you have to say.
>
>
>
> Shannon Wade
> Technical Writer
>
> tel 605.697.3219
> website www.daktronics.com
>
>
>
>
> From: Edwin Skau [mailto:eddy -dot- skau -at- gmail -dot- com]
> Sent: Friday, December 05, 2008 10:51 AM
> To: Shannon Wade
> Subject: Re: Interactive documentation
>
> What does your company mean by 'interactive documentation' ? Do they have a
> clue, or is this just someone's idea of earning brownie points by creating a
> 'buzzword' goal?
>
> Ed
>
>
>
> On Thu, Dec 4, 2008 at 3:18 AM, Shannon Wade <SWade -at- daktronics -dot- com> wrote:
> Our company is looking at creating interactive manuals to supplement our
> paper copies.
>
> What experience do any of you have with this transition? What software do
> you use? What skill set do you hire for to execute these projects?
>
> Please reply to my email as well as to the list as I subscribe to digest.
> Thank you.
>
>
>
> Shannon Wade
> Technical Writer
>
> tel 605.697.3219
> website www.daktronics.com
>
>
>
>
>
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
> ComponentOne Doc-To-Help 2009 is your all-in-one authoring and publishing
> solution. Author in Doc-To-Help's XML-based editor, Microsoft Word or
> HTML and publish to the Web, Help systems or printed manuals.
> http://www.doctohelp.com
>
> Help & Manual 5: The complete help authoring tool for individual
> authors and teams. Professional power, intuitive interface. Write
> once, publish to 8 formats. Multi-user authoring and version control!
> http://www.helpandmanual.com/
>
> ---
> You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as eddy -dot- skau -at- gmail -dot- com -dot-
>
> To unsubscribe send a blank email to
> techwr-l-unsubscribe -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> or visit
> http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/eddy.skau%40gmail.com
>
>
> To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
>
> Send administrative questions to admin -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- Visit
> http://www.techwr-l.com/ for more resources and info.
>
> Please move off-topic discussions to the Chat list, at:
> http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/listinfo/techwr-l-chat
>
>
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

ComponentOne Doc-To-Help 2009 is your all-in-one authoring and publishing
solution. Author in Doc-To-Help's XML-based editor, Microsoft Word or
HTML and publish to the Web, Help systems or printed manuals.
http://www.doctohelp.com

Help & Manual 5: The complete help authoring tool for individual
authors and teams. Professional power, intuitive interface. Write
once, publish to 8 formats. Multi-user authoring and version control! http://www.helpandmanual.com/

---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-

To unsubscribe send a blank email to
techwr-l-unsubscribe -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
or visit http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/archive%40web.techwr-l.com


To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com

Send administrative questions to admin -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- Visit
http://www.techwr-l.com/ for more resources and info.

Please move off-topic discussions to the Chat list, at:
http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/listinfo/techwr-l-chat


References:
Interactive documentation: From: Shannon Wade
RE: Interactive documentation: From: Shannon Wade

Previous by Author: Re: Home businesses and older computers
Next by Author: Re: Salary, Negotiation, and Salary Requirement/Total Compensation
Previous by Thread: RE: Interactive documentation
Next by Thread: Interactive manuals


What this post helpful? Share it with friends and colleagues:


Sponsored Ads