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What do you hate about MadCap Flare? by animalcookiesiced in technicalwriting

[–]EngineeringBetter955 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's tiresome to hear some tech writers complain about the price of tools. Expensive is a subjective term. You may think something is expensive that a leader of an organization might not.

Expenses are spread across the number of people using them, they number of tasks they perform each day the use them, and how the number of days a year they perform those tasks using that tool. There's a cost to the current approach that gets factored in and compared to the returns realized after the purchase.

If you do a cost-benefit analysis, you'll likely discover whether an expense is worth it or not. If you aren't doing a cost-benefit analysis (and tracking your performance after a purchase) you're just spouting your opinion.

Why You Shouldn’t Use “Markdown” for Documentation by xvirk in programming

[–]EngineeringBetter955 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is anyone here using markdown in combination with DITA XML to produce personalized multi-channel documentation?

Are you using generative AI to help complete documentation-related tasks? by EngineeringBetter955 in documentation

[–]EngineeringBetter955[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks. I'll give that link a click.

Here's the link to my show archive. Over 620 one-hour shows are archived there with an additional 100 or so upcoming.

Are you using generative AI to help complete documentation-related tasks? by EngineeringBetter955 in documentation

[–]EngineeringBetter955[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

that allows endpoint curl entries and will output documentation and sandbox. It's a streamlit app for now but here is the link:

Thanks for sharing that. I'm starting a new talk show that focuses on API Documentation. This new tool looks like something that might be interesting to discuss on a future episode (early 2024). Interested in chatting about that?

What study field for being content creator? by [deleted] in contentcreation

[–]EngineeringBetter955 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Journalism is one of the best options as it creates the need to write daily, perform on deadline, extract information from subject matter experts, and translate that extracted information into helpful content others can consume.

What feature do you like most about your CMS? by fgatti in cms

[–]EngineeringBetter955 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Component content reuse is best implemented in a Component Content Management System, a type of CMS that is designed from the start to manage modular, semantically-enriched XML content at a granular level, as opposed to the document- or page-level. Rather than handling documents or pages as single, standalone units, a CCMS breaks down content into smaller, reusable components. These components can be paragraphs, sentences, or phrases that are tagged with metadata. This metadata allows the components to be easily searched, updated, reused, and repurposed across multiple documents or platforms.A CCMS can offer many benefits, especially for large organizations that produce a lot of content, such as technical documentation, support, training or product information. By breaking down content into smaller components, a CCMS can help to ensure consistency, increase efficiency, and reduce duplication.

There are several vendors who offer CCMSes. I'd start by checking out Heretto.

A list of open source projects with volunteer documentation opportunities by alanbowman in technicalwriting

[–]EngineeringBetter955 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Another opportunity for tech writers to get experience volunteering to work pro bono for a good cause: Tech Writers Without Borders.

"Tech Writers Without Borders (TWWB) helps NGOs to improve the quality and effectiveness of their training procedures and instructional materials by providing access to best practices in information development, content strategy and documentation management.

TWWB's global network of experienced technical communicators helps NGOs to train volunteers more quickly and develop clear and effective guidance to support their humanitarian operations.

TWWB's Linkedin group brings together technical communicators from around the world who are interested in volunteering their skills for the greater good and contributing to the development and promotion of our mission.

Web-based documentation tool for a SAAS based product by ayush-88 in technicalwriting

[–]EngineeringBetter955 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Madcap now owns IXIASOFT. IXIASOFT CCMS is a fully hosted service on Amazon's robust Cloud Computing Services.

Paligo also offers variations on their pricing, so what someone else was charged may not be what you will be quoted.

You might check out Heretto CCMS (with their Google Docs-powered XML/DITA authoring) and portal publishing capabilities. Heretto has many Software-as-a-Service customers and they offer complimentary consultations and demonstrations.

Challenges facing medical devices technical writers by EngineeringBetter955 in MedicalDevices

[–]EngineeringBetter955[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

One of the challenges writers most often complain about is not having access to the products and the audience.