RE: Myth vs. reality
As much as I think single-sourcing has value, both it and content
management using databases (if in fact that falls into a different group
at all) scare me a bit, because I don't _know_ how to do the setup part.
I'm a sole writer. I'm experienced and capable at what I do and I'm very
good with tools. So I don't think it's an issue of having the ability to
figure it out. I frequently hear people say that they have to "sell"
their departments on single-sourcing, and that's what scares me. It is
something I'd have to figure out, and what if I mess it up after my
pitch?
There's a whole range of tools and practices being used for single-sourcing. Some people are single-sourcing for one media (e.g., printed guides for different related models), while others are single-sourcing between media (print and some form of on-line).
If you want to read an article about single-sourcing related print documents in FrameMaker, check out my article on the techwr-l site. "Single-sourcing with FrameMaker" is currently on the front page (http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ ).
I think my article will help you see that single-sourcing doesn't necessarily have to be overwhelming - it depends on what you need for the different outputs and how they differ.
Even if you're considering print/on-line single-sourcing, some of the techniques I mention are still relevant (if you're using FrameMaker combined with some other tool).
Regards,
Michele Marques
msmarques -at- rogers -dot- com
http://members.rogers.com/msmarques
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Your monthly sponsorship message here reaches more than
5000 technical writers, providing 2,500,000+ monthly impressions.
Contact Eric (ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com) for details and availability.
Buy RoboHelp Deluxe starting at only $798: you'll get RoboDemo, the hot new
software demonstration tool that's taking the Help authoring world by storm,
together with RoboHelp Office. Learn more at http://www.ehelp.com/techwr-l
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as: archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit
http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
Previous by Author:
RE: seating arrangements
Next by Author:
RE: About Themes for Fake Names
Previous by Thread:
RE: Myth vs. reality
Next by Thread:
variant of "Words that should never be uttered or documented..."
Search our Technical Writing Archives & Magazine
Visit TechWhirl's Other Sites
Sponsored Ads