#10178
ACM SIGDOC (Special Interest Group on Design of Communication) 
The ACM Special Interest Group on documentation provides a forum on documentation and user support for computer products and systems. The SIG studies processes, methods, and technologies for communicating information via printed and online text, hypermedia, and multimedia. Members include technical communication professionals, educators, and researchers, as well as system designers, developers, usability specialists, and managers responsible for producing or supervising the creation of documentation, online help systems, and end user interfaces. SIGDOC offers conferences, a high-quality Web site, and The Journal of Computer Documentation, a respected quarterly publication.
#30404
Adobe Creative Suite 3 Video Workshop 
You can use the Adobe Creative Suite 3 Video Workshop to start learning about any application you're interested in, whether you own it or not. The Video Workshop shares expertise from across Adobe and the Adobe community--you'll learn tasks, tips, and tricks from leading designers, developers, and Adobe experts. There are introductory videos for new users, and more experienced users can find videos on new features and key techniques.
Adobe (2007). Resources>Documentation>Multimedia>Video
#31845
How do you best assist users whose learning styles are more visual than verbal? Tietjen discusses the benefits and the how-to of screencasting, a mixture of visuals, audio, and complementary text.
Tietjen, Phil. Intercom (2008). Articles>Documentation>Multimedia>Screencasting
#14416
Balancing Act: Keeping Your Screen Movies Small and Beautiful
Screen recordings are a valuable tool for enhancing training, tutorials, manuals and websites. Companies use this technique to produce streaming and downloadable content. The recording tools are readily available and affordable. In this article, we explore some techniques, tips and tricks for recording sound, mouse movement and happenings from your screen to an AVI file. We will talk in both general terms and use specific examples. The examples pertain to HyperCam, a downloadable screen recording application from Hyperionics Technology. Like most screen recording applications, HyperCam captures the action from your Windows screen -- including cursor movements and sound -- and saves it to an AVI movie file.
Rice, William H. IV. WilliamRice.com (2002). Design>Documentation>Multimedia>Screencasting
#26975
Behringer Multitrack Audio Mixer
Introduces how to perform multimedia audio mixing and editing using a Behringer multitrack mixer.
Pratt, Andrew and Dave Long. Studio for New Media (2004). Articles>Documentation>Multimedia>Audio
#30778
Technical communicators must adapt to the changing dynamics presented by the addition of rich media in the technical documentation space. Discover some suggestions for how to do so.
Ortega, Dan. Intercom (2008). Articles>Documentation>Multimedia>Flash
#26991
Information about how to use the Canon Elura 50 camcorders for technical communication multimedia.
Arnold, Jenni and Christina Kitson. Studio for New Media (2004). Presentations>Multimedia>Documentation>Video
#26364
Captions and Audio Descriptions for PC Multimedia
This article discusses the various types of captions, when to use captions, as well as the various types of audio descriptions.
Microsoft (2002). Articles>Multimedia>Documentation
#24787
Converting Documentation to Multimedia 
Multimedia has proven its ability to sell products and educate users. But can it also perform tasks traditionally done with conventional paper documents? Yes. This demonstration shows how several hardware and software documents were converted to multimedia and provides a plan for converting your documents. You learn whether to display, speak, or just eliminate existing text. You see how to replace action words, descriptions of motion, and arrows with animation. YOU see how sound can guide rather than distract the user. You also learn to use interactivity to give control to the user. Along the way you see the compromises needed to keep the project on schedule, within budget, and down to size.
Horton, Katherine W. and William K. Horton III. STC Proceedings (1995). Articles>Documentation>Multimedia
#20550
Creating Online Tutorials and Demos
An online tutorial or demo is a powerful way to pique interest and get users started on a new software program. Join a workshop that covers the how-to’s of creating your first project. (1) Make a plan. (2) Analyze audience needs and technical issues. (3) Form a team. (4) Write the script. (5) Design the interface. (6) Build it. (7) Test it.
Beren, Wendy G. STC Proceedings (1996). Articles>Multimedia>Documentation>Online
#27645
Determining When to Use Show-Me Helps and Demos
The availability of powerful yet easy-to-use multimedia tools enables technical writers to consider a powerful new form of embedded user assistance: show-me help. This paper provides an overview of who is currently using show-me help--some current research, some history, and some definitions. It offers some guidance in choosing tools, designing show-me help, and deciding when to include then, concentrating on consideration of your users, potential topics, subsequent releases, and translation. It also suggests how show-me helps can be reused as part of product education and single-sourced into user assistance from the Web.
Bradford, Annette Norris. WritersUA (2005). Articles>Documentation>Multimedia>Video
#13961
Editing Computer Hardware Procedures for Multimedia Presentation 
Traditionally, technical editors have ensured consistency in the voice, grammar, and terminology of print documentation. As publications departments have moved to delivering online documentation, the role of the editor has varied and expanded. Editing multimedia documentation requires an even wider scope of skills than editing online documentation.
Jackson, Sue. ACM SIGDOC (2001). Presentations>Documentation>Editing>Multimedia
#21523
Effects of Documentation Errors On User Perception of Interactive Programs: Background For a Study
Typographical errors and grammatical blunders affect the aesthetic appeal of documentation, and common belief is that they affect usability too. Many readers, however, seem not to notice such errors unless they are very frequent or flagrant. We thought it would be interesting, and perhaps useful, to test experimentally the effect of such errors on users’ perception of the information and on their performance with the product that the information supports the product.
Grice, Roger A. STC Proceedings (1994). Articles>Documentation>Interactive>Multimedia
#21650
Enhancing Documentation with Video
Presents guidelines for developing videos from technical material and discusses the process of video production.
Steiner, Leonard T. Intercom (2004). Articles>Documentation>Multimedia>Video
#25207
FlashHelp: The Ideal Online Help Format for Web Applications
As the web transitions from a relatively static, information-oriented environment to a highly interactive, task-oriented environment, web developers must provide on-demand user assistance to ensure the usability of their applications.
Sibley, Jake. Adobe (2004). Articles>Documentation>Multimedia>Flash
#28786
Harry Miller on Multimedia Documentation
Miller, a technical editor at Microsoft interested in multimedia documentation, talks about why multimedia documentation is a growing trend and how writers can get started. He discusses Microsoft's Channel 9 and the human element with instructional screen demos.
Miller, Harry and Tom H. Johnson. Tech Writer Voices (2007). Articles>Interviews>Documentation>Multimedia
#24408
Impact of Multimedia on Online Documentation
Multimedia is commonplace in entertainment and the Internet is proliferating the use of multimedia in electronic materials. Online documentation has traditionally been composed of text and some graphics. The proliferation of Intranets and online documentation is pushing the acceptance of multimedia in reference and procedural materials like Help. However, there is little research on the value of multimedia in online documentation nor its effective use.This paper describes an exploratory study done for a Master of Information Science thesis to determine the impact of multimedia on online documentation.
Rockley, Ann. STC Proceedings (1998). Articles>Documentation>Online>Multimedia
#30088
Jump into Digital Video for Multimedia
Digital video (DV) is relatively easy and inexpensive to produce and has an expanding role in technical communication. It is a powerful media for communication and can be included in favorite online formats such as WinHelp, HTML help, Acrobat (PDF), and web pages, as well as training presentations produced with tools such as Asymmetrix Toolbook and Macromedia Authorware. Delivery of DV spans a range of electronic media including CD, DVD, and the Internet. New technology offers the potential to synchronize the presentation of video, audio, and other multimedia forms. This paper introduces DV concepts. It gives practical tips for investing in DV equipment and producing video and audio.
Robbins, David B., Kathleen Wyrwas and Alice Davinich. STC Proceedings (1999). Articles>Documentation>Multimedia>Video
#26978
Introduces lighting digital video, particularly when using the OmniPro Lighting Kit.
Bergeland, Erik and Paul Friemel. Studio for New Media (2004). Articles>Documentation>Multimedia
#22845
Planning and Designing Multimedia
Multimedia can add another dimension to electronic documentation (Help and manuals) and computer-based training. The process of planning and developing a multimedia project draws on new skill sets. This workshop focusses on the key role of the technical writer as writer, designer, and project manager.
Rockley, Ann. STC Proceedings (1997). Articles>Documentation>Multimedia
#24789
Multimedia can add another dimension of information to online documentation. This progression discusses the optimum methods of presenting information (text, graphics, multimedia) and the planning and design process.
Rockley, Ann. STC Proceedings (1995). Articles>Documentation>Multimedia
#31892
Podcast: Using Video in Training and Documentation, Interview with Todd O’Neill
In this podcast, rich media specialist Todd O’Neill explains how to add video to your training and documentation deliverables. Many technical writers are intimidated by the learning curve, equipment costs, and software they think they need to create video, but actually you can create engaging videos with minimal equipment (e.g., $150 for a Flip video camera) and using software you probably already have (e.g, Windows Movie Maker or iMovie). In this podcast, Todd lays out the basics for those who know nothing about video. He explains the equipment you need, techniques for minimizing editing time, ways to publish the video online, filming techniques to focus on, and creative ways to package your video for your users.
O'Neill, Todd and Tom H. Johnson. Tech Writer Voices (2008). Articles>Interviews>Documentation>Multimedia
#30548
Proposed Multimedia Courseware Documentation Design
With the growth of multimedia, design techniques to manage the contents and data structures for the media are becoming required We call this courseware in distinction from hardware or software, and we produce a production model by developing a uique technique not in imitation of the conventional ones using the following three points, layout, framework and linkage management.
Hayashizaki, Akira. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>Education>Multimedia>Documentation
#29679
Putting the Poetry of Film to Use Online
This article helps technical communicators become better informed producers of interactive, cinema-like new media objects (help systems, public information and ordering kiosks, promotional technical presentations on the web, and so on) by providing a summary of how cinema works, and then by proposing a few ways that some basic cinema editing and display techniques can be integrated into on-screen technical communications practice. The author makes the claim that if we are to begin thinking and working like film makers, the fundamental poetics and information designs we use in our new media design and development work must also change.
Gillette, David. STC Proceedings (2005). Articles>Documentation>Multimedia>Video
#26977
Sennheiser Wireless Lavalier Microphones
Discusses how to use Sennheiser EW112P(A) Wireless Lavalier Microphones to ensure high-quality audio in video multimedia projects.
Tesdell, Ramsey and Zach Paskiet. Studio for New Media (2004). Articles>Documentation>Multimedia>Audio
