http://tc.eserver.org/dir/Articles/Content-Management/Single-Sourcing A listing of the most recently indexed works about Articles and Content Management and Single Sourcing in the field of technical communication. en-us Copyright (c) 2005-08 by the EServer. All rights reserved. tclib-editorial@eserver.org (TC Library Editorial Board) webmaster@eserver.org (Geoffrey Sauer) http://tc.eserver.org/images/newlogo.gif http://tc.eserver.org/dir/Articles/Content-Management/Single-Sourcing http://tc.eserver.org/35801.html http://tc.eserver.org/35801.html Single-source publishing is a zombie idea that revives itself periodically and refuses to stay dead. Its zombie supporters chant its purported benefits as a “write once, publish to many” promise and ploddingly follow it as their ultimate goal for mechanized authoring and machine translation. As an object-oriented writing methodology, it is as human as present-day robot technology—good only for conveyor belt assembly or specialized tasks, and always very expensive to implement. Single-source publishing lacks purpose in today’s world of information turnover and the dynamic nature of the Web 2.0 moving to Web 3.0 landscape. http://tc.eserver.org/35490.html http://tc.eserver.org/35490.html The concept of having control over your help content, to update it at any time, is what I’m calling content independence. Establishing content independence in your publishing environment may be a battle that can take years. For example, at a previous job, it took five years to finally convince architecture that we needed and deserved our own independent folder on a production server. In my current situation, I’ve pursued publishing routes in infrastructure that would enable on-the-fly updating, but for two years in a row I’ve come up empty-handed. With wikis, I think I’ve finally found the holy grail of content independence. http://tc.eserver.org/35053.html http://tc.eserver.org/35053.html In the field of technical communication, practitioners are being challenged to adapt to a completely new approach to creating documentation and user-assistance materials. In this rapidly-changing arena, traditional content production practices are being replaced with modular, topic-based content production practices that allow organizations to recombine content elements—often automatically or on-demand—into new, derivative products. http://tc.eserver.org/34704.html http://tc.eserver.org/34704.html There are obvious benefits to single sourcing, the ones that roll off the tongue the minute single source is mentioned: multi-format publishing, consistency of information, quicker updates of common content, lowering translation costs and so on. But beyond all those, what else is there? In this guest blog post, Gordon McLean discusses just that. http://tc.eserver.org/33990.html http://tc.eserver.org/33990.html We will cover the journey taken by J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc, a safety and regulatory compliance publisher, as they transitioned to an XML-based, single source publishing environment. http://tc.eserver.org/33739.html http://tc.eserver.org/33739.html The Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) is an XML-based, end-to-end architecture for authoring, producing, and delivering technical information. This paper describes how DITA-based documentation was implemented at CEDROM-SNi, one of Canada's leading on-line news content aggregators. The project delivers documentation as diverse as user training materials and Web Services reference guides targeted to programmers. We focus on the benefits, how tos, and lessons learned. Technical documentation has its own unique challenges. Its deliverables range from simple reference guides and educational material to complex, multilingual procedure manuals. Critical success factors of a documentation project are numerous and diverse – usability, deadlines, cost, language, delivery media (paper, online) – all of which have their own purpose and challenges. This paper discusses these issues and provides a framework for future DITA projects. http://tc.eserver.org/33707.html http://tc.eserver.org/33707.html The nature of content has been undergoing a profound shift in the past several years, beginning with single-sourcing efforts and continues as the need for portable content increases. The portability of content is not a manufactured need, but an extension of the trend to create, manage and deliver content in more efficient ways. In turn, this shift affects content development and delivery, particularly localization, which feels the impact of source-language changes exponentially. http://tc.eserver.org/33693.html http://tc.eserver.org/33693.html One of the more popular posts on this blog is titled DITA is not the answer and, whilst things are certainly moving forward, it’s a little sad that it is still valid. A recent comment on that post suggested that it’s not just DITA that is lacking, it’s the working realities of single source that is flawed. http://tc.eserver.org/32348.html http://tc.eserver.org/32348.html It all comes down to managing and reusing source. Recycling content (chapters, graphics, etc.) is not new. What is new here is the common set of back-end structure in XML form and the fact that more than one set of tools — including small, mission critical custom tools — are explicitly focused on the specific needs of a given project. Reusing and repurposing content is all about improving efficiency: automating, accelerating, and merging applications, systems, and processes. In a multichannel publishing environment, it is critical that content development — source development — and its management are as efficient as possible. http://tc.eserver.org/31937.html http://tc.eserver.org/31937.html The historian of technical communications, R. John Brockmann, researched efforts to document products going back centuries. He finds that some of today’s hottest new documentation ideas were present in the work of those creating, documenting, and selling the technology of manufacturing just after the revolutionary war. http://tc.eserver.org/31707.html http://tc.eserver.org/31707.html While executive management may sometimes believe that anyone can write and that a technical writer's job is to "Just Publish It", it may be time for technical writers to look at what they can do to improve the "end game" process, which Porter describes as "All the steps needed to create the desired output format – HTML, PDF, online help system, etc. – from the source content." By taking a closer look at the publishing process, without regard to content, technical communicators may discover ways they can streamline the steps it takes to get content published and ready for the end consumer. http://tc.eserver.org/31160.html http://tc.eserver.org/31160.html Documentation written for single-sourcing (topic based, like that found in DITA) has great potential for efficiency. Writing once and publishing in many publications (Developer Guides, User Guides, etc.) and many formats (pdf, html, HTMLHelp, etc.) turns into cost and time savings. However, these efficiencies can cause inefficiencies for the users. Many online help users complain they cannot find the information they need while using the search function. Readers are more likely to comprehend texts with a classical book architecture, an architecture which is often sacrificed in single sourced documents and online Help files. When texts are cohesive, readers are more likely to consider information to be clear, well organized and easy to follow. For comprehensibility, it is essential to have a manual review, even when composing is partially automated. http://tc.eserver.org/29895.html http://tc.eserver.org/29895.html Though there have been numerous conference papers, articles, and books devoted to the topic of single sourcing, there have been fewer works about potential problems that should be identified before adopting a single-source documentation strategy. This study looks at ten specific problems (including issues of training, productivity, and morale) that can arise during the implementation of a mature single-sourcing model of documentation management. This list of problems, while not comprehensive, does provide some points of reference and a framework within which technical communicators can consider the implications of adopting a single-sourcing documentation model. http://tc.eserver.org/28417.html http://tc.eserver.org/28417.html More and more businesses are expanding into international markets. A critical success factor for this expansion is high-quality, cost-effective and timely translated written content. Responsibility for this typically falls on internal translation departments or localization partners. Translation comes at a high price, exceeding the cost of writing the original content after only a few languages. http://tc.eserver.org/28003.html http://tc.eserver.org/28003.html Single-sourcing allows authors to re-use content in different deliverables. This article explores using XML and a CMS (content management system) to take a different approach--multi-sourcing. http://tc.eserver.org/25164.html http://tc.eserver.org/25164.html Getting software to cooperate reduces the amount of editing you need to do, and creates better documents. http://tc.eserver.org/24922.html http://tc.eserver.org/24922.html Considers the possible ramifications for technical communicators of device-independent publishing. http://tc.eserver.org/24439.html http://tc.eserver.org/24439.html SGML and a database can make the document building process more efficient by focusing on data instead of formatting. A database with well-designed tables, forms for data input, and queries can help put a writer’s time to better use by allowing them to focus on content. Data can be reused from project to project by simply querying for topics to change and updating the contents. SGML is used for consistency, flexibility, reliability, and reusability. One of many possible processes of creating online and print documentation using a database and SGML is: (1) Choose a Document Type Definition. (2) Design the database. (3) Export data (queries) from the database as text file. (4) Up-translate a text file to an SGML instance. (5) Down-translate the SGML instance to the desired output. http://tc.eserver.org/24291.html http://tc.eserver.org/24291.html Today's organizations must consider the effect that new tools and technologies are having on work flow. Web technology has raised the importance of information. This change in the customer/supplier market is allowing the company with the best information to have an edge. It is our responsibility as communicators to find better, faster, and cheaper ways to distribute information. An effective work flow can accomplish this. In the most common work-flow scenarios, Web technology is placed on the back end of the production schedule. All of these scenarios are flawed in different ways. Solving Web work-flow problems requires a paradigm shift. http://tc.eserver.org/23947.html http://tc.eserver.org/23947.html Documents play a vital role in Enterprise Content Management. Unlike other content sources, 'document' creation and capture can occur at every desktop, in every process, and by every on-line application. http://tc.eserver.org/23749.html http://tc.eserver.org/23749.html Tools and technologies available for single sourcing and content management have grown by leaps and bounds over the last few years, and indications are that they will continue to do so for some time to come. Understanding just what they do, and what kind of tools you need for your single sourcing or content management strategy can be confusing. The tools can be expensive, and a wrong decision can be costly. This session will cover authoring tools, content management tools, workflow, and delivery tools. This session will discuss a number of representative tools and provide guidelines for developing criteria for evaluating tools. http://tc.eserver.org/23750.html http://tc.eserver.org/23750.html Life sciences companies are experiencing many pressures including electronic initiatives like eSubmissions and the eCTD, regulatory controls like 21 CFR Part 11, and decreasing times to market. Life Sciences companies are looking for ways to improve the way they create and manage content. Developing reusable content (single sourcing) is one solution. This session looks at the benefits single sourcing can bring to the life sciences industry. http://tc.eserver.org/23658.html http://tc.eserver.org/23658.html Single sourcing documentation is a hot topic among technical writers these days, but very few organizations have implemented single sourcing strategies or solutions. This session presents the problems faced by organizations that want to move towards single sourcing and steps to successfully implement a single sourcing strategy and solution in your organization. http://tc.eserver.org/23671.html http://tc.eserver.org/23671.html Single sourcing sounds good, but can you justify it in your organization? Reducing the need to maintain multiple versions of content produces real savings and improves return on investment (ROI). On the other hand, implementing single sourcing can be expensive and slow, and information developers will be on the spot to continue delivering content through every stage of the process. http://tc.eserver.org/23644.html http://tc.eserver.org/23644.html Single sourcing, which is increasingly used at the technical writer's workplace, has now reached the classroom of Technical Communication programs. This paper examines the impact of working on an XML-based single-sourcing solution on a geographically diverse graduate student team whose partners were all singlesourcing novices. It shows that managing communication within the virtual team is superordinate to managing the publication process. The paper discusses best-practice strategies for transient start-up publication teams, which rely solely on online communication, pointing to the differences between teams in the classroom and in business organizations. http://tc.eserver.org/23631.html http://tc.eserver.org/23631.html So you think you need content management? The temptation is to call your Information Technology (IT) department and ask them to help you choose a content management system (CMS). Being very tool oriented, your IT department will love buying you the latest 'silver bullet' without ever looking at your content requirements or your internal processes. This is the best prescription for failure. http://tc.eserver.org/23635.html http://tc.eserver.org/23635.html There are a dizzying number of systems on the market that are or can be referred to as Content Management Systems. Determining which content management system is right for you starts with an understanding of the different types of systems and the range of functionality available. Analyzing your needs is critical to selecting the right system. http://tc.eserver.org/23632.html http://tc.eserver.org/23632.html One of the most common mistakes that we see is a company picking the tool first, then trying to make their content management requirements fit the functionality of the tool. However, analysis of why projects fail identifies that one of the main reasons for failure is lack of analysis and design. This article draws on recent literature to identify the main reasons for why content management projects fail and provides some possible solutions. http://tc.eserver.org/23357.html http://tc.eserver.org/23357.html A presentation about the use of ECM within the CMSwatch website. http://tc.eserver.org/23054.html http://tc.eserver.org/23054.html Beware the virtual document! It may look harmless. It certainly looks helpful. It will lure you with a siren's song of reusable content components that enhance flexibility and improve efficiency. And then, if you're not careful, it will smash you into pieces upon the rocky shores of complexity. http://tc.eserver.org/22871.html http://tc.eserver.org/22871.html Information for a software product is often presented in multiple places and in multiple formats, including printed manuals, quick-reference cards, online Help, online tutorials, online product information, and training materials. Delivery formats can include Acrobat Portable Document (.pdj files, he&n ( hlp) Jiles, HTML ( htm) files, PostScript Jiles, Write (wri) files, text files, and document book$les. Delivery media can include CD-ROM, floppy diskettes, magnetic tape, Web pages, and paper. http://tc.eserver.org/22709.html http://tc.eserver.org/22709.html Technical Communication covers miscellaneous applications. So far you needed a separate tool for each purpose had to use several document formats for distribution and archiving. The xml-based format SVG cleans up with this misery, because SVG allows to use one single source for text, illustrations and animations ("Single Sourcing"). http://tc.eserver.org/22197.html http://tc.eserver.org/22197.html Everyone has heard (or experienced) stories of CMS or knowledge management initiatives that did not work because content contributors refused to use the tools deployed or were unwilling or unable to supply content in the format required. The conclusion often reached is that writers cannot give up their WYSIWYG tools and that any attempt to make them do so is doomed to failure. On the other hand there are always those who will reply with stories of systems where writers have successfully adapted to the use of XML or SGML, and the CMS is working well. All that is required to duplicate this success, they maintain, is that writers must be forced and/or trained to use the new tools. http://tc.eserver.org/22174.html http://tc.eserver.org/22174.html A case study of the implementation of a single-sourse content management system. http://tc.eserver.org/22156.html http://tc.eserver.org/22156.html Why we went to a single-source CMS and how we went about it. http://tc.eserver.org/22155.html http://tc.eserver.org/22155.html It's not about buying a tool; it's about understanding your requirements. http://tc.eserver.org/22154.html http://tc.eserver.org/22154.html A discussion of the features and functions of content management software packages. http://tc.eserver.org/22138.html http://tc.eserver.org/22138.html Discusses ways to communicate the financial benefits, customer value, learning and growth opportunities, and internal process improvements made possible by single sourcing. http://tc.eserver.org/22142.html http://tc.eserver.org/22142.html In brief, documents are created everywhere by everyone. They each develop the documents any way they like, with no common look and feel. Company officials have vehemently opposed hiring technical communicators for the R&D teams. They feel that the engineers know the products best and should be able to write about them. Marketing materials are created independently by many different marketing staff and even by executives who regularly post announcements to the company intranet and Internet sites. http://tc.eserver.org/22094.html http://tc.eserver.org/22094.html There is no single best authoring environment provided by a content management system. Instead, the authoring tools must be matched to the job at hand to ensure they are easy and efficient to use. http://tc.eserver.org/22098.html http://tc.eserver.org/22098.html A content management system (CMS) is critical to the success of almost every website and intranet, and yet many organisations are not familiar with this technology. http://tc.eserver.org/22090.html http://tc.eserver.org/22090.html An important first step is to gain an understanding of the CMS marketplace. This briefing outlines a few of the practical ways of doing so. http://tc.eserver.org/22097.html http://tc.eserver.org/22097.html This article explores the role of XML in the context of content management systems, focusing specifically on the business issues. http://tc.eserver.org/22081.html http://tc.eserver.org/22081.html There is considerable confusion in the marketplace regarding the definition of various information management terms. The scope and role of specific information systems is particularly blurry, in part caused by the lack of consensus between vendors. With the aim of lessening this confusion, this briefing provides an at-a-glance definition of terms for a range of information systems. http://tc.eserver.org/22084.html http://tc.eserver.org/22084.html While the web design house did a great job, you don't want to have to go back to them for every change. http://tc.eserver.org/21768.html http://tc.eserver.org/21768.html Content reuse is fundamental to a successful unified content strategy.This chapter defines content reuse and the benefits ofits use.It explores how other industries have employed reuse for decades to improve their processes and the quality oftheir products. Content can be reused in many ways. The choice ofthe different methods and options for reuse are dependent upon your organization’s needs and technology.This chapter details the pros and cons ofusing each method and the associated options,and it provides the concepts that underlie the remainder ofthe book. http://tc.eserver.org/21515.html http://tc.eserver.org/21515.html This demonstration describes the process and pitfalls encountered during the conversion of paper documents to online, CD-ROM documents that occurred at Cisco Systems, Inc. http://tc.eserver.org/21521.html http://tc.eserver.org/21521.html As computers have evolved from limited-purpose, limited audience, multi-million dollar, room-sized machines to desktop machines with almost unlimited use, computer documentation has remained geared toward describing the technical attributes of software, not the use of the software. Increased competition, cost, and environmental considerations make it increasingly important to change from the paradigm of reference documentation to task-oriented documents and to consider all of the alternatives available. These include simple one-page cards, videos, online systems, and example-based user guides. http://tc.eserver.org/21474.html http://tc.eserver.org/21474.html Doc-To-Help gives Help authors complete control over the look, feel, and content of a project's printed manual, Windows Help system, HTML files, and HTML Help system. Maintaining different content is controlled using Doc-To-Help's conditional text feature, which allows authors to mark content for print-only, online-only, WinHelp-only, and so on. In this article we discuss how you control the appearance of the printed manuals and Help using Word templates, and HTML output using cascading style. http://tc.eserver.org/21316.html http://tc.eserver.org/21316.html Mescan's article helps technical communication managers determine which content management solutions are best for their particular goals and problems. http://tc.eserver.org/20973.html http://tc.eserver.org/20973.html You have written a user’s manual for Microsoft Word for Windows. Now you have been asked to write a user’s manual for Microsoft Word for the Macintosh. The two word processors are essentially the same; the primary differences emerge from the differences between Windows and Macintosh systems. You feel that you should be able to prepare the second manual in next to no time, because you can essentially use the information you wrote for the Word for Windows manual again, with some technical changes. This is an example of re-using information and it is a common task among technical communicators. As the demand for information grows faster than the availability of people to develop that information, technical communicators are showing increasing interest in reusing information. http://tc.eserver.org/20762.html http://tc.eserver.org/20762.html Until recently, single sourcing has been limited to the process of putting identical information into multiple information products. However, the results of a singlesourced approach need not be identical. You can customize the outputs to contain only the information that is appropriate for the specific situation. This presentation provides a high-level overview to the advantages of single sourcing and how to implement and maintain such a solution. http://tc.eserver.org/20508.html http://tc.eserver.org/20508.html Streamline your review process with the robust collaboration tool set in Adobe® InCopy™ 2.0. With InCopy, you can track changed text, and add notes and comments without disturbing line breaks. Later, others on the team can easily identify who. http://tc.eserver.org/20478.html http://tc.eserver.org/20478.html In this tutorial, we’ll show you how we adapted content from a full-color, printed brochure to create a visually rich Web site for attendees at a fictional design conference. As you follow along, you’ll learn tips and tricks that can help you move content from InDesign to GoLive to get the results you want. http://tc.eserver.org/20484.html http://tc.eserver.org/20484.html When one layout just isn’t enough, you can easily tag your Adobe® InDesign® document and export the content to an XML file. Different InDesign templates and Adobe GoLive® dynamic Web pages can then import the XML file and repurpose the content. Say goodbye to copy-and-paste and hello to the future of publishing! http://tc.eserver.org/20463.html http://tc.eserver.org/20463.html No term has caused such a sensation in recent years among technical writers and illustrators as 'Single Sourcing.' The reasons: Enormous amounts of text and image material builds up in documentation and illustration companies. It is not uncommon for individual documents to contain several thousands of pages. If this is translated into several languages, then the administration needs are greater for both texts and graphics (graphics can contain text which must also be translated). http://tc.eserver.org/20337.html http://tc.eserver.org/20337.html Four years ago, the Publications department at J.D. Edwards was challenged with delivering documentation for a global customer base in both print and on-line media. Based on the principle, 'Write it once, use it many times,' they developed a single repository that contained information about 38 multiple-platform software products translated into seven languages. By managing each paragraph of information through a relational data manager, J.D. Edwards has leveraged this database to deliver user guides, training manuals, on-line helps, and CD-ROMs that provide users with targeted software information that is both high yield and just in time. http://tc.eserver.org/20314.html http://tc.eserver.org/20314.html A discussion of single-sourcing using FrameMaker and WebWorks Publisher. http://tc.eserver.org/20302.html http://tc.eserver.org/20302.html This paper outlines the development of the Software Technology Reference Guide—a 500-page directory of software technologies— from the planning phase to its publication in both hard copy and HTML. It explores the problems of coordinating multiple, remotely located authors; producing frequent drafts when material is changing rapidly; managing a large documentation project; maintaining a source document for publication in multiple media; and handling the conversion of a complex hard-copy document to a usable online document. http://tc.eserver.org/20182.html http://tc.eserver.org/20182.html Printing from the Web is an unsolved, and often unrecognized, problem. Readers need hard copy for many documents they use online, but the Print command from a browser often does not meet their need. Other solutions are for the author to deliver printed documents, to deliver PostScriptJiles, and to deliver PDFJiles. In the nearfuture, Cascading Style Sheets may make the Print commandfrom the browser produce a more usable printed copy. For all of these solutions, the author needs a single source for the online and printed documents and converters for the output forms. http://tc.eserver.org/20034.html http://tc.eserver.org/20034.html HTML Help is the Windows Help standard for 32-bit operating systems (for example, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT, or Windows 2000). Your users must have Internet Explorer installed on their systems (or at least the necessary core components). http://tc.eserver.org/19985.html http://tc.eserver.org/19985.html XML can simplify production of documents for print, help and web delivery. It can make document components reusable, portable between platforms and easier to maintain. XML also has a dark side. Parts of the standard are turbulent, vendors are rushing XML products to market that are not fully standard-compliant, implementation requires careful planning, and porting of legacy documents to XML is not trivial. Technical communicators can prosper by identifying the parts of XML that can be implemented immediately, by preparing documents to exploit support for XML available in new versions of Microsoft Word and Adobe FrameMaker, and by using hybrid HTML/XML for document delivery. http://tc.eserver.org/19981.html http://tc.eserver.org/19981.html Most technical communicators create materials that help users perform tasks. Such task-based manuals, help files, web pages, or training materials are often expensive and difficult to write and maintain. Frequently, this is the fault of poor structure and process. Simply Written’s Clustar Method makes it cheaper and easier to create and maintain task-based documentation by emphasizing structure and process. http://tc.eserver.org/19979.html http://tc.eserver.org/19979.html That we need to write separate documents for on-line display and the printed page is a technical writers’ axiom, but using a single source has practical advantages. Tools that enable you to write and print with a desktop-publishing program and automatically convert to an on-line format make writing and maintenance easier and keep information consistent. FrameMaker serves as a useful and widely-used desktop-publishing package and WebMaker converts FrameMaker sources to HTML for the World Wide Web. http://tc.eserver.org/19953.html http://tc.eserver.org/19953.html 6 Sigma is a proven strategy to improve quality, economic value, and practical utility to the company and its customers. http://tc.eserver.org/19912.html http://tc.eserver.org/19912.html This paper describes the experiences of SAS Institute Inc. in developing single-source software documentation for presentation in multiple formats. The project is an ongoing team effort from all areas of the Publications Division. Our main goal is to develop online and hardcopy reference documentation. Toward this end, we set goals of using single-source files, reusing information, and tracking all information chunks and the relationships among them. To accomplish these goals we had to make decisions about the tools we are going to use, what information we are going to include, how we will design and present the modular information, linking and indexing strategies, and testing. This paper discusses the choices we made in light of our goals. http://tc.eserver.org/19915.html http://tc.eserver.org/19915.html With electronic publications moving solidly into the mainstream, it is becoming apparent that steps must be taken to streamline the production process. Compared to the relative simplicity of traditional hard copy output, the electronic medium introduces new capabilities — and complexity — for publishers. Indeed, electronic publishing is not much different than programming; publishers must address issues like user interfaces, hypertext linking and context-sensitive intelligence. http://tc.eserver.org/19845.html http://tc.eserver.org/19845.html Modular documentation is a variation on single-sourcing methodology developed by Interim Technology Consulting in response to a client’s needs. Our client needed documentation on multiple formats that could be easily modified for multiple customers of their customized software package. The process of developing the modular methodology required considerations such as how to define, structure, and access the information modules in a way that worked for the current project and also provided a foundation for future projects. Interim Technology also wanted a methodology we could use for other clients. http://tc.eserver.org/19812.html http://tc.eserver.org/19812.html Identifies and discusses the effects of single sourcing on the writing process. Provides suggestions for incorporating the teaching of single sourcing into technical communication courses http://tc.eserver.org/19823.html http://tc.eserver.org/19823.html We developed a database publishing system that uses raw data from a database and produces camera ready copy using Microsoft Access, FrameMaker, and Brio Publish. This type of project requires a project plan that defines the scope of the project, a complete understanding of the various relationships in the database, selection of the right tools for the task, and a sensitivity to the needs of the users who face dramatic change in their environment. This demonstration focuses on all aspects of this effort. http://tc.eserver.org/19809.html http://tc.eserver.org/19809.html Surveys four books that examine methods of single sourcing, including publishing tools, XML, and content management systems. Reviews articles describing the roles of writers and editors, the tool set and its implementation, and ways to make dynamic content more effective http://tc.eserver.org/19808.html http://tc.eserver.org/19808.html Argues that single sourcing puts pressures on the workforce and the very conception of 'writer' and 'document. Examines literature on change management for clues into managing the impacts of single sourcing on writers. http://tc.eserver.org/19814.html http://tc.eserver.org/19814.html Argues that the move to single sourcing often requires changes within teams as new skills are introduced and members' roles shift. Points out that while some changes may threaten the stability of the team, managers can anticipate and prevent problems. http://tc.eserver.org/19810.html http://tc.eserver.org/19810.html Describes how single sourcing adds layers of complexity, problem solving, and project management to the writer's task. Cautions that single sourcing is often a response to a documentation requirement for the market, not to the writer's need for less complex tools. http://tc.eserver.org/19815.html http://tc.eserver.org/19815.html Discusses the current state of technical communication in China and analyzes key Chinese cultural values compatible with single sourcing. Reports on a skills survey conducted among Chinese and U.S. participants. http://tc.eserver.org/19780.html http://tc.eserver.org/19780.html This paper describes how our publications team built a new single-sourced documentation set consisting of five printed manuals totaling 1,470 pages and seven Windows online help files totaling 7.5 megabytes. To accomplish this project, we used detailed writing guidelines, specially-designed templates, and a powerful online help authoring tool. http://tc.eserver.org/19470.html http://tc.eserver.org/19470.html In Ontario Systems’ applications, customers can install various components and can change the user interface and data storage. Further, they can modify the system’s automated work flow and add custom features. To remain accurate, Ontario Systems’ documentation must dynamically change to reflect the changing application configuration. This session discusses how Ontario Systems implemented an XML-based single source system to create dynamic documentation and provides guidelines on this process. http://tc.eserver.org/19456.html http://tc.eserver.org/19456.html Tools are a key component for the success of single sourcing. Tools should be selected to support the information model and development processes. This session reviews the types of single source tools (authoring, content management, publishing, and dynamic content (personalization) engines) that are available to you today. The session presentation will review the available tools. http://tc.eserver.org/19058.html http://tc.eserver.org/19058.html During March and April 2003, Cherryleaf carried out an online survey into the current trends in technical communication. One of the questions we asked was: Do the people directly involved with user assistance development at your organization use a single sourcing authoring solution? Our findings are summarised in the article http://tc.eserver.org/18783.html http://tc.eserver.org/18783.html Many documentation departments produce detailed and well-designed paper documentation. Increasingly, however, one paper manual is not enough. Pressure is growing to deliver your information online, perhaps on several different user platforms. You may need to reuse the information in your manuals for quick reference guides, training courses and marketing publications. This can mean that you find yourself re-creating virtually identical content over and over again. Duplicating your material for multiple media, multiple uses and multiple audiences is time-consuming and costly. http://tc.eserver.org/18322.html http://tc.eserver.org/18322.html I have seen the future and it works. We have just finished our first single-sourcing project using mif2go to convert FrameMaker source files to HTML Help *.chm files. These files are also the source of our printed user guide AND a hyperlinked PDF of the user guide placed on the distribution CD. There was considerable once-off pain setting up conversion templates (including CSS files) and conversion options but our next project will be much faster. The converted files DO NOT require ANY hand tweaking -- we just hand over to the release people to put the *.chm file on the installer CD. Our testing and support people are rapt, and consider the new help far better than the old help. An outsider would have no inkling that the help was produced in this way. http://tc.eserver.org/15121.html http://tc.eserver.org/15121.html Introduces dynamic content, a method of single sourcing that 'meets individual users' needs by assembling a series of information objects in response to the userís requests or requirements.' She walks readers through a mock project involving the creation and delivery of dynamic content. http://tc.eserver.org/14688.html http://tc.eserver.org/14688.html In the first of a two-part article, Butland examines the arguments for and against single sourcing, a method of producing documentation for several media from a single source. He also discusses the differences between manuals and help, and offers suggestions on how to conduct single source projects involving these media. http://tc.eserver.org/14700.html http://tc.eserver.org/14700.html In the second installment of a two-part article, Butland discusses obstacles to single sourcing and how to overcome them. Part 1, which explored the advantages of single sourcing and discussed the differences between manuals and help, was published in the February 2001 issue of Intercom.