FW: Style guide for online help

[Scott Miller <smiller -at- CORP -dot- PORTAL -dot- COM>]

>>>>>
I need to produce a style guide for online help. I've done one for
our paper documents but am not sure what I should consider for online
help and where I could go for info. Any ideas?
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>Some things to include in a style guide for online help:
>
>- Conventions for wording and formatting for GUI elements (for example, you
>select a checkbox, and make the checkbox name bold)
>- Topic title conventions (for example, gerund/singular)
>- Related topics conventions (how many, how to present)
>- How to format jumps
>- Which styles to use (if you use Word)
>- What type of information do you put in different types of topics (procedure
>topics, concept topics, examples, etc.)
>- Indexing guidelines
>- Guidelines for Contents (how to title books, standard organization across
>different products, guidelines for how many topics per book)
>- How to construct a procedure
>- How to present graphics of toolbar icons
>- How to navigate between different topic types (for example, when to jump
>from one procedure topic to another)
>- How to format notes, tips, cautions
>- Common terminology (which terms to use and not use)
>- Common format for glossary topic and definition topics
>- Technical stuff such as window size and placement, which buttons in each
>type of window
>- Typographics conventions (for example, how to format user input)
>- Common phrases that should be consistent (for example, "the X dialog box
>appears.")
>- How to format key names and key combinations
>- Trademarks and copyrights
>- How to talk about using the mouse
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>Have fun!
>
>- Scott Miller
>Portal Software
>smiller -at- portal -dot- com
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