Document (re)Presentation: Object-orientation, Visual Language, and XML    

This article demonstrates how the combination of object-orientation and Horn's notions of visual language morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics may be used to analyze and describe the mapping of marked-up XML files onto user documents. The article also raises the question of whether—or to what extent—the coupling of object-orientation and visual language might be exploited more directly for design purposes in a document production paradigm based on XML.

Johnsen, Lars. Technical Communication Online (2001). Design>Content Management>XML>Metadata

Information Modeling  

Information models are a critical component of single-sourcing, enterprise content management, and dynamic content management. This session explains how to design information models, including information product models and element models. It also explains the role of metadata and how to effectively design it.

Rockley, Ann. STC Proceedings (2002). Design>Content Management>Information Design>Metadata

What Every Technical Communicator Should Know About Metadata  

Technical Communicators who begin working with content management systems, knowledge bases, portals, data warehouses, or information retrieval systems discover they are expected to know how to work with metadata. Metadata is “data about data.” It can describe data or content (databases, data modeling, data access and reporting, data movement, data stewardship, data quality);organizations (business rules, process stewardship, data users, project management); content management and information retrieval (document properties, revision and change control, reference and navigation, document standards); and business intelligence (decision support, competitive intelligence). Metadata management can positively impact productivity and the quality of web and documentation projects.

Thomas, Gwen P. STC Proceedings (2002). Design>Content Management>Metadata

Taxonomy and Metadata Strategies for Effective Content Management

There is a lot of mumbo-jumbo like the word "taxonomy" that is being thrown around to describe how to manage so-called unstructured content like business documents, web site pages, and old fashioned technical reports and articles. On the one hand, we want to remember what we already know about how to create a useful core catalog record to describe a content object so it can be found again later when needed. On the other hand, there are some bad habits and obsolete ideas like inverted file indexes that we need to get beyond. This talk is about what we have seen in dozens of applied information management projects over the past few years, and how you can take advantage of what you already know to solve big problems like these in your own organizations.

Busch, Joseph. ASIST (2004). Articles>Content Management>Information Design>Metadata