Free-Range Content

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5 Comments

Comment by Neil Perlin on April 22, 2008 at 3:52pm

Hi folks,

This can be a really interesting group. Kudos to Karen for coming up with the idea.

The problem I see is that the topic is so wide-ranging as to intrude into several other groups - wikis, S1000D, tech comm, etc. Many of those other groups are "enablers" of free-range content - wikis are one of the intended recipients, S1000D supports the creation of that content in consistent form, and tech comm people have to create it, support others who create it, AND finally come to terms with the idea that non-professional writers will be creating content. (Karen made a number of very salient observations about the last point and the future of tech writing.)

So my first question is what is the definition of free-range content? For me, the major issue is whether we're talking about units of content that are end-products in and of themselves, such as a YouTube video, or units of content developed for re-use in other outputs, or both. To me, this is a huge question since it affects our choice of standards, technologies, authoring tools, and strategic effect. Thoughts?

BTW, is anybody planning to be in Vancouver? It would be a good topic to discuss over a beer or something. (I know a really good Indonesian place on Robson St.)

Neil

Comment by Mark Lewis on April 22, 2008 at 9:24am

Hey Karen,
This group should lead to some very interesting discussions. When I read the teaser email I was struck by the phrase "managing other communities". I was already pondering the idea that the Wrangler Community is rapidly becoming a knowledge base and how will all this content be managed/used. How different are the features at other communities? Maybe there is a discussion here.
Mark

Comment by Karen Bachmann on April 21, 2008 at 12:02pm

Larry, you bring up a key motive for this group. My hope is that our discussions help content professionals (any title or role) establish a strategic presence in deciding why, when, what, and how content by non-professionals should be used. I'll stay off my soapbox for now, but will say that I already have a couple of discussion ideas toward this very point.

Thanks to everyone who has joined so far and who will share in this exploration.

Comment by Larry Kunz on April 21, 2008 at 11:47am

Sounds like a great discussion topic (and I love the graphic).

Excellent list, Neil. As to item (e), I hope that this will be less a matter of discerning what will happen to us, as more a matter of our taking the lead in defining what will happen.

Comment by Neil Perlin on April 18, 2008 at 6:33am

Good morning,

I'm in. Here are five topics that I'd like to see discussed in this group:

a. Definition of free-range content (FRC).
b. Applications of FRC.
c. Tools and technologies for creating textual AND visual FRC.
d. *Measurable* benefits of FRC - either quantifiably or strategically.
e. Impact of FRC on the field of technical communication.

Cheers,
Neil