Network with peers. Find jobs. Share information. Start a blog. Upload and watch videos. Join a group. Begin a discussion. Learn about software. Find events. Ask for help. It's all here. Become a member. It’s free!
Birthdays
Intentional Design - The World of Content Convergence According To Rahel Bailie
A practical definition of content
Content is contextualized data. Context is what gives data meaning and allows people to understand it.Redefining content strategy
An argument to broaden the definition of content strategy to include more consumer-facing content types.Reading the tags, or between the tags?
There are those who read code, and those who read what's between the tags. If you care about content, arm yourself with tools to manage what's between the tags.Podcasts on usability
Userability Show: podcast series that answers usability questions.Delivering the steak, not just the sizzle
There are too many sites that deliver the sizzle without the steak - in other words, great interactivity but not enough, or the right, content.Scott Abel Live!
Notes
Using The Community
To take full advantage of all of the features of The Content Wrangler Community, complete the following tasks.
1. Complete your profile (document who you are, where you work, and what you do)
2. Upload you photo (headshot photos are best; icons are acceptable)
3. Find and join groups of interest (topic and product based groups are both welcome)
4. Add comments to interesting… Continue
Created by Scott Abel Apr 21, 2008 at 7:17am. Last updated by Scott Abel May. 9, 2008.
Videos
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CR Podcast 2010 career wise
Added by Gisane Clemos
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2010 career wise
Added by Carolina Rodriguez
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How to bag that job
Added by Carolina Rodriguez
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Added by Anne Gentle
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Photos
Paul Irish Takes A Peek At The VW Mobile Website
EMC Community Network Commercial
I've included one of several commercials created by EMC to attract new members to the site. I just joined, created my profile and started a discussion. I'll upload a document and explore the other areas of the community later. I'll also ask for help, subscribe to a feed, and seek help (just like any other user would) and report my findings at a later date.
Consider joining today! It's free and a great way to learn about EMC products as well as subjects like XML, DITA, content management, and more. With EMC's resources behind this community, I expect it to grow into one of the most useful user-powered sites in the content management arena.
Why Businesses (Don't) Collaborate: Meeting Management, Group Input and Wiki Usage Survey Results
Forum
Customer-specific vs. generic documentation 2 Replies
We are beginning to toy with the idea of switching from a generic-documentation-based model to a more "customer-specific-based" model, that is, rather than writing documents that describe a product...
Started by Yoel Strimling in Miscellaneous. Last reply by Jay Maechtlen Jun 30.
Linked2 plug-in integrates Adobe FrameMaker to Documentum
I have a plug-in that we created that integrates Adobe FrameMaker to Documentum. It allows you to: Check-out documents from the Documentum repository into FrameMaker to edit, reuse content etc. Che...
Started by Jim Fettes in Miscellaneous Jun 19.
Intellectual property rights
I have lots of web writing tips that I want to pass on through web designers I know and trust. But I still want to keep the intellectual property rights to my stuff. Apart from sticking the c on it...
Started by Ali Turnbull in Miscellaneous Jun 23.
Team Effort, Getting Work, Job Sharing
Hi Gang! Any technical writers out there who've thought about and/or acted upon the idea of two or three of us teaming up to gain an edge when seeking to fulfill contract job requirements? One thir...
Tagged: Job, Sharing, Work, Getting, Effort
Started by Linda Cullen in Miscellaneous Jun 12.
Entry ito Tech Writing Field 1 Reply
I am new to both this forum and the field of technical writing. I have only one question at this point: How and where do I begin?
Tagged: career, Writing, Technical
Started by Matthew H in Miscellaneous. Last reply by Linda Cullen Jun 12.
Web strategies for health communication
Enroll in the Tufts Summer Institute on Web Strategies for Health Communication, http://webstrategiesforhealth.com/, to learn how you can help healthcare organizations develop and implement Web str...
Tagged: website, internet, medicine, communication, strategy
Started by Lisa Neal Gualtieri in Miscellaneous May 28.
Free seminars on Content Management, Search Solutions and Marketing Through Social Media
Make sure you save the date 1st-3rd December, London and attend the IMS Exhibition, 100's of free seminars, free CM consultancy advice from CMS Watch and opportunity to see key vendors in the indus...
Started by Lizzy Mills in Miscellaneous Jun 4.
Managing business processes on paper/inspreadsheets vs. automated systems
I'm the Tech Writer for LongJump, and have posted to the Content Wrangler Community about my success using MediaWiki for online help. I'm excited today because we're doing rock-star work with Cloud...
Tagged: Cloud, Computing, Platform, Application, Business
Started by Evelyn Yoder in Advertisements - Shameless Self-Promotion Jun 2.
How I improved my English essay writing? 1 Reply
English essay writing was always a nightmare for me. It was like I had phobia of writing an essay in English. The fear of writing a essay surrounded me like the deathly hollows surrounded “Hogwarts...
Tagged: writing, help, essays, essay, college
Started by Jenny Stewart in Technical Writing - Resources for Beginners. Last reply by Mark Lewin May 27.
Information about XDocs from Bluestream 3 Replies
Hi, I was wondering whether anyone has had any experience with an XML CMS called XDocs from Bluestream. I am currently working for a client who would like to move to a xml based authoring regime, b...
Started by Mark Southee in Miscellaneous. Last reply by Mark Southee May 16.
Blog Posts
Free Chapter - DITA 101: Fundmentals of DITA for Writers and Managers
Posted by Scott Abel on June 30, 2009 at 1:58pm
New Book Aims To Make DITA Simple For Newbies
Posted by Scott Abel on June 30, 2009 at 1:57pm
What Technical Writers Know That Copywriters Don't
Find out what technical writers know that copywriters don't and watch next week for a related post on what technic… Continue
Posted by Janice King on June 30, 2009 at 12:09pm
Please Stop Talking about Yourself: Marketing is Now Publishing (and what to do about it)
Posted by Scott Abel on June 24, 2009 at 4:26pm
10 Web 2.0 Tools You Can Use Today!
Posted by Scott Abel on June 23, 2009 at 3:58pm
10 Web 2.0 Tools You Can Use Today!
Posted by Scott Abel on June 23, 2009 at 3:58pm
Web Content Editorial role in Central NJ from UserEdge
I am currently working with my client in Central NJ to help them find a talented Web Content Editor.
The right person will have Corporate Web, Project Management, and AP style...
If you are interested, please contact me Judy@useredge.com
Local only please, this is on site.
Thanks!
Posted by Judy Aron-Sellaro on June 23, 2009 at 2:53pm
I have a job
Posted by David Jones on June 17, 2009 at 7:39am
I appealed
My main… Continue
Posted by David Jones on June 9, 2009 at 4:58am
Waiting Over
Posted by David Jones on June 4, 2009 at 1:36pm
Events
October 5
Monday
October 19
Monday
Duo Consulting Web Content Management Blog
Conference Tweeting
Using Twitter during conferences is an electric and riveting experience that benefits the presenters, attendees as well as those who could not attendYou’ve Got (Way Too Much) Mail.
Stewart Mader of Future Changes and author of Wikipatterns gave a keynote presentation at the Web Content Conference this morning showing us how wikis can save the day where more familiar tools like email have failed us.Tweets and Links and Blogs, Oh My!
Rob Rose says we are in a transformational stage in marketing. Those who cringe when you hear the term “social media” will love his view that when it comes to this Web 2.0 world where there are “no rules.”JustWriteClick
What’s your favorite JustWriteClick post?
I like to keep an eye on what posts are popular, although with a blog, you can define popular in many different ways. Most comments, most views, or highest average daily views. So if you’re new to my blog, (and the recent uptick in subscribers might indicate that some of you are, so welcome!) you [...]Conversational robots
Move over qmail mailer-daemon*, Little MOO from moo.com is my new favorite polite responder. Check out the auto-response I received after asking their support team a question using their webform. New favorite polite robot responder: “Remember, I’m just a bit of software, so please don’t reply to this email. You’ll find our Service Agents far more [...]Does designing content for scanning devalue the content?
I just read a great post by Rajesh Setty on the Lateral Action blog called 9 Ways People Respond to Your Content Online. Maybe it’s because I’m in the final countdown before my book is permanently affixed to the pulp of dead trees, or maybe it’s because I’m looking at online user assistance tools to [...]I'd Rather Be Writing
Implementing a Department Wiki? A Writer Shares Some Dos and Don’ts (Guest Post)
This is a guest post by Cathy Wildhaber about her experience implementing a wiki in her department. Cathy is a technical writer in Kansas City. For the past 4 years, she has worked for a company that provides computer systems and services to financial organizations. Ever take a look at some slick wiki technology and think [...]I Need Your Human Aggregated Content
If you have a way of tagging or marking the good content you read online — such as adding it to a specific category on your blog, bookmarking it through Delicious, or putting the link on some other online site — send me the RSS feed for it, and I’ll add it to the Yahoo [...]How Google Does Help
With all the talk about latest trends and avoiding extinction as communicators, and integrating web 2.0 and wikis, blogs, podcasts, and other interactive social media into help, it’s a good time to look at how Google — practically the leader of the web — does help. Last week Google released Google Voice, a service that allows [...]White River - Technical Writing-Related Articles
Feedburner Add Customizable Subject Lines to Email Subscriptions
Feedburner Add Customizable Subject Lines to Email Subscriptions. Holy smokes, I’ve been waiting for Feedburner to roll out this feature forever. For all of your subscribed to email updates of my posts, you can now look forward to customized subject lines of the actual post, rather than just seeing the blog name.Mind Hacks: In our wildest dreams
Mind Hacks: In our wildest dreams. Okay, I realize this has little to do with technical communication, but it will change the way you view your dreams at night. Rather than escape, fantasy, or just plain nonsense, dreams are “night-time survival training.” Those dangerous situations of aggression or pursuit are your body’s way of conditioning [...]From the Desk of David Pogue – What’s in Pogue’s Travel Bag? Literally. – NYTimes.com
From the Desk of David Pogue – What’s in Pogue’s Travel Bag? Literally. – NYTimes.com. It’s interesting to see what kind of tech gadgets David Pogue carries when he travels. Perhaps the culture of James Bond gadgets has inspired such a fondness for gadgets.How to apply syntax highlighting to code snippets in MadCap Flare
How to apply syntax highlighting to code snippets in MadCap Flare. The anonymous blogger at kungfuwit.wordpress.com describes how to use the SHJS (Syntax Highlighting for JavaScript) resources to make code snippets easier to digest, and easier on the eye. My documentation rarely ever contains code, but it's the kind of thing that may come in useful one [...]James Michelson on Marketing Content
Cross Channel / Cross Media Marketing Errors – Part II – The Conversation
It is more than coordinating across channels that is important to successful marketing campaigns. Customers must be effectively engaged and by actively soliciting their input and preferences marketers can maximize the return of every marketing dollar spent. The errors to...Cross Channel / Cross Media Marketing Errors – Part One
Depending on what vendor is selling what product, cross media or cross channel marketing is presented differently. Most combine one, or at best two, media and claim to provide a “solution” to the cross media marketing challenge. The truth of...Support Our Sponsors
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Recommended Reading
The Content Wrangler
News and Notes
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Really Strategies Acquires DocZone.com
Today Really Strategies announced the acquisition of DocZone.com. Really Strategies’ RSuite is an XML-based content management system aimed at publishing and media companies. DocZone.Com is best known for its SaaS-based DITA solution for technical publishing. At first glance this seems like a very odd match. Really Strategies has largely been focused on publishing and media [...]SDL Acquires XyEnterprise
SDL announced today that is acquiring XyEnterprise. The XyEnterprise product suite will complement SDL Trisoft. The acquisition of XyEnterprise was not a surprise, with this economy this is one of the products we had identified as ripe for acquisition, but it was a bit of a surprise to hear that it was SDL. SDL Trisoft and [...]DITA 101 is here!
There is often a lot of confusion around what DITA really is. Is it a technology? A format? A product? A process? All or any of these things? We’ve written DITA 101 to answer these questions and more. More and more companies are either adopting DITA or thinking about adopting it, yet surprisingly, there are very [...]XML and Marketing Materials
Use of XML for content has tended to be the job of technical communicators. Not so any more. This article illustrates the use of XML, structured content and reuse in marketing materials. For more information read my article XML and Marketing Materials in Quark’s newsletter The Dynamic Publisher.Author-it receives patent for Xtend
Author-it announced today that they have received a patent for their Xtend functionality, functionality which identifies potential reuse at the authoring stage. One of the greatest challenges to reusing content is knowing that the content exists to reuse it. Even with a content management system, particularly when you have large amounts of content authored by many [...]IBM Does DITA
IBM and Quark have recently announced a partnership to provide DITA through FileNet. Quark XML Author 3.0 has been integrated with IBM FileNet Content Manager P8 4.5 to provide DITA functionality in an enterprise environment. IBM has added to their content model to support new primary classes to provide for relationships between topics (e.g., parent/child). IBM [...]The second edition of the groundbreaking XML & Component Content Management Report is now ready!
Document management isn’t good enough anymore. Today we need to be able to track the creation of individual pieces of content through their entire lifecycle. We need the content to be intelligent. Intelligent content is not limited to one purpose, technology or output. It’s structurally rich and semantically aware and is therefore automatically discoverable, reusable, reconfigurable [...]Steve Manning speaking at STC Rochester Chapter’s Annual Conference, Spectrum 2009.
Steve Manning will be speaking at the STC Rochester Chapter’s Annual Conference, Spectrum 2009 on April 6-7, 2009 in Rochester, NY. Steve will be presenting: Big and Small … lessons learned from DITA implementation projects. Making the move to modular content involves more than repeatedly chanting “DITA”. It’s a change in approach and a new way of thinking [...]Ann Rockley speaking at DocTrain West 2009 Conference
Ann Rockley will be speaking at the DocTrain West 2009 Conference on March 17-20, 2009 in Palm Springs, CA. var sc_project=2956907; var sc_invisible=0; var sc_partition=26; var sc_security="e21b5692";Not intelligent content - just stupid results
After the success of our recent Intelligent Content conference, I thought I’d share a story that illustrates where two companies are working together and probably think what they’re doing is a great thing, but really what they’re delivering is an epic fail. On the Thursday of the conference, I went to the downtown main street of [...]About
© 2009 Created by Scott Abel
