Re: online help vs. paper (how did Mark Twain get into this?)

[Susan Fowler <sfowler -at- EJV -dot- COM>]

My rule of thumb is: whatever you do online, put online; whatever you do
 offline, put offline.

In other words, pressing a button is something you do online, so you put
 step-by-step instructions and "what this option means" online so they're there
 _where_ and _when_ the user needs them.

Explaining how your tax accounting system meets NY requirements but not
 California requirements (say) is something that you read at your desk and share
 with your CIO. That kind of information goes on paper.

Another advantage to this split is that programs change and necessitate changes
 in the docs. But it's relatively quick and easy to keep the docs current with
 the program if they're distributed the same way at the same time--online.

Underlying business information, on the other hand, doesn't change much, so you
 don't have to reprint the books every quarter or every six months. Ergo, you
 can lavish more care on what I, at least, find infinitely more interesting to
 write about--the business purpose of the software.

Susan Fowler
sfowler -at- ejv -dot- com