Recently Read

First up, apologies for my absence over the past week or so. We decided to sneak a few days in Spain as a last minute holiday (before my wife starts her new job next week) and as it was all a bit rushed I didn’t have time to post anything here. Until then, here are some of the things that have pinged my interest in the past couple of weeks. Some may be a little old as I’m still catching up but… as ever, they may, or may not be of interest:

• Content is a Science, not an Art ~ “There is a ‘right’ way to write content. Sure, it may not be the ‘perfect’ way, it may not be the way Shakespeare or Joyce would have written it, but it’ll do. It’ll get results and deliver value. A production line can be set up where this content can be mass produced, tested, and measured.”
• Adobe announce new Technical Communication Suite which includes closer linking between FrameMaker and RoboHelp (closer than the standalone products that is). And, thankfully for me, Anne has an excellent roundup of the best coverage.
• Dive into Web 2.0 ~ a comprehensive guide to what it is, and what you can find ‘in it’.
• Ishikawa Diagram ~ also known as a fishbone chart. I’d come across these before but never knew that much about them. I do now.
• And so, to Wiki – I’ve to hand in my presentation for TICAD in a couple of weeks, so I’ve been doing some additional research about Wiki technologies and usage:
  • I started by asking readers on my other blog for their thoughts and was treated to some excellent insights and ideas.
  • This excellent and informative interview is a must if you are considering using a Wiki as part of, or a means towards, your documentation.
  • I’ve been asking myself this question recently: Is Using Customer-Accessible Wikis for End-User Documentation Gaining Momentum?. Whilst the conclusion isn’t particularly revealing, the article is full of examples and useful information.
  • Wikipedia is not the real world ~ covers a point I’ll be making in my presentation (although I derived my view from Chris Anderson’s book, The Long Tail)
  • I also stumbled across the Wiki Patterns website which is full of useful ideas and prompts.

There’ll be a lot more on Wikis in the coming couple of weeks, and I’d love to hear YOUR thoughts and feedback. But more on that, later.