Did you know that you can enjoy a $200 discount off the regular price
of admission ($999) to Documentation and Training West 2008, which
takes place May 6-9, 2008 in Vancouver, BC? It's true. But the
discount is available for a limited time only, so take advantage of it
now if you're interested in saving money.

DocTrain West 2008 is  jam-packed with presentations from technical
communication experts and content industry gurus and features tracks
dedicated to component content management, DITA, content reuse, blogs
and wikis, training, translation and localization, user assistance,
and collaboration. The theme of the event is Web 2.0 and Its Impact on
Communication, which of course has tremendous impact on the world of
technical communication and training.

Documentation and Training West 2008
May 6-9, 2008 Vancouver, BC
http://www.doctrain.com/west

KEYNOTE AND FEATURED SPEAKERS

     * Dr. Robert Glushko -- "Document Engineering"
     * Joe Gollner -- "XML in the Wilderness"
     * Jerome Nadel -- "Persuasive Design"
     * Daren Barefoot -- "Social Media 101: Now Everyone is a Tech Writer"

FREE PRE-CONFERENCE TRAINING WORKSHOPS

     * Simplified Technical English -- Berry Braster
     * An Overview of RobHelp 7 -- Neil Perlin
     * Content Engineering -- Joe Gollner
     * Single Sourcing with the Technical Communication Suite: Using
FrameMaker to Manage Print and Help Authoring -- Matt Sullivan

Learn more: http://www.doctrain.com/west/program_by_track/C290/

FREE POST-CONFERENCE TRAINING WORKSHOPS

     * Moving from Unstructured Documents to Structured XML -- Thomas
Aldous
     * Writing for Reuse: Learning How To Write Modular Content for
Reuse -- Pamela Kostur
     * The Business of Experience Workshop: Hands-On Methods to
Increase Your Influence -- Jess McMullin

Learn more: http://www.doctrain.com/west/program_by_track/C290/

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Roster of speakers: http://www.doctrain.com/west/presenters
Conference program: http://www.doctrain.com/west/program

HOW TO GET THE DISCOUNT

The discount is available ONLY via telephone. To register, call Eileen
Savary at +1 978-649-8555.

Hope to see you in Vancouver this May!

Scott Abel, The Content Wrangler
+1 317.466.1840   scottabel@...  http://www.thecontentwrangler.com

NEW THIS YEAR!
-------------------------------
Documentation and Training Life Sciences 2008
June 23-26, 2008 Indianapolis, IN
http://www.doctrain.com/life

How to Migrate to XML: Converting Content from Word
Thursday, August 2, 2007 1:00 pm  Eastern Daylight Time
Presenters: Rizwan Virk, CambridgeDocs & Jeff Deskins, Principal
Consultant, JustSystems

Register now!  http://tinyurl.com/3calqu

If you're moving to structured, topic-based authoring with XML, you
may be thinking about how to convert legacy content from Word. Don't
miss this webinar with guest speaker Rizwan Virk from CambridgeDocs to
learn best practices on moving to XML. In this webinar, you will learn:

-- How to decide what to convert and what not to
-- Key things to consider upfront before getting started
-- How to convert your legacy Word documents to XML and DITA
-- Best practices on shifting the focus of your team from writing
whole documents � to writing topics that can be reused across multiple
deliverables.

Hope to see you there (virtually speaking)

=============================================
Scott Abel, The Content Wrangler
+1 317.466.1840   scottabel@...
www.thecontentwrangler.com

Newsletter: http://ui.constantcontact.com/d.jsp?m=1101355010034&p=oi
Slideshare: www.slideshare.net/abelsp
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/scottabel
Skype: abelsp

[don't miss these events]

DocTrain EAST 2007: Advancing Your Career
October 16-20, 2007  Lowell, MA
16 half-day workshops / 40+ sessions
www.doctrain.com

Web Content Management - CM Pros Fall 2007 Summit
November 26, 2007  Boston, MA
www.cmprosevents.org

I can't say enough good things about the lineup at this year's
Documentation and Training East 2007 Conference in Lowell, MA this
year. Of course, I'm the organizer, so you'd expect me to be excited.
It's our biggest and best ever!

DocTrain EAST 2007: Advancing Your Career
October 16-20, 2007  Lowell, MA
16 half-day workshops / 40+ sessions
www.doctrain.com

Register today!

http://www.gifttool.com/registrar/ShowEventDetails?ID=1195&EID=1608

About DocTrain East
*****************************
The theme of this year's event is Advancing Your Career. It's not
about building new-fangled resumes, nor is it about marketing yourself
to recruiters, building electronic portfolios, etc. Instead, it's
about developing a career path for yourself, one that supports who you
are, allows you to focus on you're naturally good at, and what you
enjoy. Far too many technical communicators fail to take advantage of
growth opportunities and find themselves stuck in dead-end jobs. But,
not for long.

Maybe you are a user advocate, or the person most concerned with the
design of the documents you create. Perhaps you are pushing your
organization toward the adoption of interactive documentation. Or
maybe you are an evangelist of content management, fancy yourself an
information architect, have special knowledge of localization issues,
or find yourself attracted to DITA and XML authoring.

Whatever your interest (or innate skill set), you'll find something of
interest at DocTrain East. Check out our complete roster of speakers,
the three days of half-day workshops (included at no extra charge in
the price of admission), and great keynote presentations.

Management Summit
*****************************
Managers! We didn't forget you. STC Associate Fellow Rahel Bailie
leads a 2 day series of educational events designed specifically for
managers. Access to the Management Summit is included in the cost of
registration (at no additional cost).

View the Management Summit program:
http://www.doctrain.com/east/program_by_track/C52/

Links of Interest
***************************
Full program view: http://www.doctrain.com/east/program_table/
Program list: http://www.doctrain.com/program/
Speaker list: http://www.doctrain.com/east/presenters
Read our news blog: http://www.doctrain.com/east/news
Check out our featured speakers:
http://www.doctrain.com/east/featured_speakers/
Sponsors list (growing daily): http://www.doctrain.com/east/sponsors

Name Dropping
**************************
The following speakers will present at DocTrain East this year:

Scott Abel, Joel Amoussou, Rahel Anne Bailie, Nora Barnes, PG
Bartlett, Berry Braster, Brian Buehling, Bill Cava, Amanda Cross, Liz
Danzico, Bob Doyle, Seth Earley, Richard Ellis, Christie Fidura,
Timothy Garrand, Joe Gelb, Seth Gottlieb, Rob Graham, Bryan Gray,
Anthony Hand, Maxwell Hoffmann, Alan Houser, Alex Karezin, Pamela
Kostur, Mary Laplante, Steve Manning, Ben Martin, Eric Mattson, Steve
Mulder, Sarah O'Keefe, David Platt, Sarah "Intellagirl" Robbins,
Elizabeth Rogers, Sowmini Sampath, Rick Schochler, Bryant Shea, Kelly
Stirman, Amber Swope, Jessica Webster, Emily Wiese, Christina Wodtke

Okay, that's enough promotion. I just wanted you to know about this 5
day, technical communication event. Don't miss it.

STC DISCOUNT
**********************
The price of registration to DocTrain East is $999, but STC members
can enjoy $200 off if they register by August 31, 2007. This offer is
available only when you register by phone. To register contact:
Eileen Savary +1 978-649-8555.

Scott Abel

P.S. If you are shopping for tools, we're offering a $49 pass (if
purchased by August 31, 2007) that allows you to attend two days of
software product demonstrations, the keynote presentations, and access
the Technology Showcase.

Register today!

http://www.gifttool.com/registrar/ShowEventDetails?ID=1195&EID=1608


Scott Abel, The Content Wrangler
abelsp@...
www.thecontentwrangler.com

Here's a special discount registration offer for Chicago-area
information technology professionals who are interested in attending
the upcoming Web Content 2007 conference in downtown Chicago, June
18-19, 2007.

Speakers include: Ann Rockley, The Rockley Group; Salim Ismail, Yahoo!
Brickhouse; Jen Consalvo, AOL; Jason Fried, 37signals; Howard Tullman
and many more.

Seating is limited. Save $100 off regular price through June 11.
Reserve your spot today!

Discount offer:
http://www.gifttool.com/registrar/ShowEventDetails?ID=1208&EID=1536

Learn more: http://www.webcontent2007.com

Scott Abel ~ The Content Wrangler
tele: +1 317.466.1840   skype: abelsp
email: scottabel@...
web: http://www.thecontentwrangler.com

Slideshare: www.slideshare.net/abelsp
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/scottabel

Indianapolis -- TheContentWrangler.com cordially invites you to a free
lunch and product demonstration on Friday, February 9th at the
Symphony Centre in Indianapolis, from 11:30am until 2pm.  Learn about
Adobe's newest versions of RoboHelp and FrameMaker. Attendees will be
registered to win Adobe software and an iPod shuffle!  Please RSVP by
February 5th as seating is limited!

RSVP @ 317.294.2219 or email Lainey@...

*In order to serve your needs, please let us know if you have any
dietary restrictions

Venue: Symphony Centre, 32 E Washington St, Indianapolis, IN 46204,
17th Floor Conference Room


Scott Abel
The Content Wrangler, Inc.
6178 Crittenden Avenue
Indianapolis, IN 46220 USA
+1 317-466-1840
skype: abelsp
email: abelsp@...
web: http://www.thecontentwrangler.com

DOCUMENTATION & TRAINING: THE USER EXPERIENCE
APR 18-21, 2007 ~ Vancouver BC
Learn more: http://www.doctrain.com

DITA Webinar: Why VP's Fear Documentation (with JoAnn Hackos) �
September 7, 2006 at 2PM EST

Join Astoria, NCR Teradata, and Dr. JoAnn Hackos at 2pm EST, September
7, 2006 for Why VP's Fear Documentation, a free one-hour webinar that
will explore how the Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA), an
information standard adopted by leading organizations for technical
documentation, is allaying documentation fears and improving
time-to-market for products. During this webinar attendees will learn
how to adopt the latest product documentation advancements to:

* Reduce time-to-market by leveraging existing content resources
* Gain more control and visibility into document creation and management
* Create better documents in less time, with less effort, and lower
production costs

Learn more: http://www.thecontentwrangler.com

An Implementor's Viewpoint: Innodata-Isogen on DITA (Interview with
Rick Schochler)

In this exclusive TheContentWrangler.com interview with Rick Schochler
of Innodata Isogen, Scott Abel talks to Rick about his company's
experience working with the Darwin Information Typing Architecture
(DITA). While he and his firm see DITA as an excellent "option" for
some organizations, he advises readers to maintain a "healthy
skepticism" when it comes to software tools and their "support" for
DITA. "Some day we'll have tools that will provide some default
functionality," Schochler says. For those who, for whatever business
reasons, decide not to move to DITA, Schochler has this advice: "Get
your data in a tool-neutral format (XML), then choose the content
structure approach that best fits your requirements."

Learn more: http://www.thecontentwrangler.com

Tony Self of HyperWrite presents an interesting and informative
article entitled "Semantic, Structured Authoring: The Challenge for
Technical Writers" that is sure to be of use to many technical writers
struggling to find themselves in the changing world of structured XML
authoring and content management. Check it out and leave a comment to
let us know what you think.

http://www.thecontentwrangler.com

The Content Wrangler, Inc.
Scott Abel, Content Management Strategist
abelsp@...      941-359-3416
www.thecontentwrangler.com

================================
Tri-XML 2006 Conference and Expo
July 27-30, 2006 Raleigh, NC
http://www.trixml.org/confindex.shtml

Real Users. Real Workflow. Real XML.

The Rockley Group and Blast Radius just released part two of their two-
part whitepaper, "Planning for DITA Success: How to Deploy DITA, Step-
By-Step". Get your free copy today.

Visit: http://www.rockley.com

Scott Abel
Content Management Strategist
The Content Wrangler, Inc.
3421 Crystal Lakes Court
Sarasota, FL 34235
941-359-3416
abelsp@...
www.thecontentwrangler.com

The Content Wrangler would like your help determining which
publications technical writers read. Those who complete the survey will
receive a link to the survey results and will be entered into a drawing
for a $100 Amazon.com gift certificate.

Here is a link to the survey:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=124551373097

Completing the survey should only take a few minutes. Questions marked
with an asterisk (*) are required. Thank you in advance for your
valuable time. We appreciate your honest feedback.

Scott Abel
The Content Wrangler, Inc.
www.thecontentwrangler.com

Your post included a mistake in the URL for Bright Path.

> (www.trave lthepath.com). 

Should be www.travelthepath.com (no spaces).

FYI

The Content Wrangler, Inc.
Scott Abel, Content Management Strategist
3421 Crystal Lakes Ct., Sarasota FL 34235
abelsp@...      941-359-3416
www.thecontentwrangler.com
Via Skype: abelsp

TheContentWrangler.com - Look there first!
On Mar 27, 2006, at 10:32 AM, dwiel06 wrote:

> Don't forget to sign up for this hands-on workshop offered by
> Precisely Write and Kay Ethier of Bright Path Solutions (www.trave
> lthepath.com).  The special price is $299 (half off the regular
> price).  Kay is a certified Adobe instructor. 
>
> The two-day workshop (April 11-12, 2006) will be held in Fishers,
> Indiana (just north of Indianapolis) and inlcudes Building a
> FrameMaker template, Adding structure to your template, outputting XML
> or SGML, and an introduction to DITA--not to mention free snacks. 
>
> To regiser call 317-585-7701 or 800-985-7701, or visit
> www.precisely.com to see the class agenda and a printable registration
> form you can mail or fax to us.
>
> Don't miss this opportunity. Call to register or visit the web site
> now.
>
> YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS
>
>  ▪   Visit your group "IndyDITA" on the web.
>  
>  ▪   To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
>  IndyDITA-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
>  
>  ▪   Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of
> Service.
>
>
>  
> This message scanned for viruses by CoreComm

Don't forget to sign up for this hands-on workshop offered by Precisely Write and Kay Ethier of Bright Path Solutions (www.trave lthepath.com).  The special price is $299 (half off the regular price).  Kay is a certified Adobe instructor. 

The two-day workshop (April 11-12, 2006) will be held in Fishers, Indiana (just north of Indianapolis) and inlcudes Building a FrameMaker template, Adding structure to your template, outputting XML or SGML, and an introduction to DITA--not to mention free snacks. 

To regiser call 317-585-7701 or 800-985-7701, or visit www.precisely.com to see the class agenda and a printable registration form you can mail or fax to us.

Don't miss this opportunity. Call to register or visit the web site now.

DITA 2006 Live internet radio show today!

First hour: 9am-10am
Topic: What is DITA and why is it such a big deal?
Guests: Susan Carpenter (IBM), Dave Schell (IBM)

Second hour: 10am-11am
Topic: Getting started with DITA, specialization, and the DITA Toolkit
Guests: Michael Priestley (IBM), Don Day (IBM)

Third hour: 2pm-3pm
Topic: Alternatives to specialization, advice and lessons learned
Guests: Bernard Aschwanden (Publishing Smarter), France Baril (IXIASOFT)

Fourth hour: 3pm-4pm
Topic: Authoring tools and DITA, DocBook or DITA?
Guests: Bob Doyle (CMS Review), Norm Walsh (Sun Microsystems)

Listen live:
http:easylink.playstream.com/winline/mtlshow.asx

Call into the show: 1-866-685-7469
Ask a question via email: radio@...

The sponsor of this group, Precisely Write has teamed up with Bright Path Solutions of North Carolina to offer a two-day course in Adobe� FrameMaker, including a half-day overview of how the software works with Darwin Information Typing Architecture(DITA).

The results of last week's poll are in and 100% of you said you though
DITA would change how you create technical documents and on-line
information in the future?

Thank you for responding. Watch your email for future polls.

I knew you would have this type of information. I'll pass it along
to the folks who are not on this list, but were asking about this.

Thanks.
-- In IndyDITA@yahoogroups.com, Scott Abel <abelsp@...> wrote:
>
> Diane:
>
> You can find some real numbers in almost any DITA case study or
> interview. In fact, on my site, the latest DITA interview is with
ICOS,
> a Belgian firm. They estimate they'll be able to reuse 80% of the
DITA
> Topics they created. They have not yet been able to measure
translation
> savings, which with so much reuse, will also be significant
(probably
> the largest savings).
>
> www.thecontentwrangler.com
>
> There are other examples...
>
> For instance, in another interview I edited, software maker Idiom
says:
> "We are currently reusing about 5% of our docset. In the next
release,
> we expect that figure to increase to around 60%, when we single-
source
> the guides and the online help (which are currently not
> single-sourced)...We haven't translated the docset yet. By the
time we
> do, there should be enough single-sourcing that translation cost
will
> be optimized because we'll only need to translate reused content
once."
>
> http://www.travelthepath.com/structure4.html
>
> In a similar interview with Adobe, the software maker estimates
it's
> able to reuse 25% of the content it first put into DITA. They also
saw
> these additional benefits: "We were able to focus on creating
content,
> not formatting it.
> Authors did not have to worry about formatting and could
concentrate on
> the structure of the content instead. Additionally, the schema
served
> as a guide to authors on what to enter next. Content re-use meant
less
> maintenance. Authors could place content references to shared
topics
> instead of copying and pasting them into different locations.
> Consistent output was a big benefit. We could build the same
output at
> the click of a button. There was no desktop publishing work
needed.
> And, we were able to use XQuery to run powerful searches across
the
> content. It was easy to write reports to check for missing images,
> broken cross-references, erroneous index terms, etc. "
>
> http://www.travelthepath.com/structure3.html
>
> In the near future, I'll be publishing more interviews with others
> using DITA to see what we can learn from them.
>
> Hope this helps!
>
> The Content Wrangler, Inc.
> Scott Abel, Content Management Strategist
> 3421 Crystal Lakes Ct., Sarasota FL 34235
> abelsp@...      941-359-3416
> www.thecontentwrangler.com
> Via Skype: abelsp
>
> TheContentWrangler.com - Look there first!
> On Feb 23, 2006, at 12:14 PM, D Wiel wrote:
>
> > Another thing that I know you can probably answer is the
question of
> > how using DITA "pays."  This came up at the STC meeting last
> > month ("how does all that support my business/management
needs?") and
> > I thought you might know of some resourses that have shown a ROI
for
> > DITA. I thought IBM had some ficticious examples that
illustrated it
> > well, but are there any real numbers? 
> >  
> > Scott Abel <abelsp@...> wrote:
> >> Indy DITA Users:
> >>
> >> With all the chatter about the Darwin Information Typing
Architecture
> >> in technical communication circles these days, I wanted to
offer up
> >> this list of resources that might prove useful to those just
starting
> >> to learn about DITA.
> >>
> >> Scott
> >>
> >> 1) DITA 2006: March 23-25, 2006 - Raleigh, NC. Meet, mingle and
learn
> >> from IBM's Dave Schell, the creator of DITA, and other Darwinian
> >> luminaries at DITA 2006, March 23-25, 2006 in Raleigh, NC.
Hands-on
> >> workshops, case studies, and product demonstrations (including
a full
> >> vendor exhibition) will be featured along with white papers,
> >> presentations, and discussion groups. A call for papers is
expected in
> >> late August 2005 and a full conference schedule will be
announced
> >> shortly thereafter. DITA 2006 is being co-sponsored by OASIS
and will
> >> be the first event of it's kind -- dedicated entirely to
educating
> >> attendees about the Darwin Information Typing Architecture.
Learn
> >> more:
> >> http://www.travelthepath.com/dita2006.html.
> >>
> >> 2) DITA: An OASIS Standard. Link to the announcement that
spurred all
> >> the interest!
> >> http://www.oasis-open.org/news/oasis_news_06_01_05.php
> >>
> >> 3) Required Reading Resources:
> >>
> >> IBM’s Introduction to the Darwin Information Typing
Architecture
> >> includes a wealth of information about the history and usage of
DITA.
> >> Links to other online resources are also provided.
> >> Link:
> >> http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/xml/library/x-
dita1/index.html?
> >> open&l=778,t=gr,p=xmlDITA
> >>
> >> DITA Downloads at IBM includes links to DITA DTDs, DITA schemas
and
> >> more.
> >> Link:
> >> http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/xml/library/x-dita6/x-
> >> dita_downloads.html
> >>
> >> DITA Questions and Answers - Arbortext takes a look at some of
the
> >> common questions surrounding DITA and provides answers designed
to
> >> demystify the often misundersood concepts and issues.
> >> Link: http://www.arbortext.com/resources/dita_q_a.htm
> >>
> >> Specializing Domains in DITA provides guidance for those hoping
to
> >> "specialize" (i.e. customize) DITA for their own use.
> >> Link:
> >> http://wiki.astrogrid.org/pub/Astrogrid/
> >> DarwinInformationTypingArchitecture/DITA-domains.html
> >>
> >> DITA Users Group is a Yahoo! Group dedicated to the discussion
of all
> >> things DITA.
> >> Link: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dita-users/
> >>
> >> The Content Wrangler, Inc.
> >> Scott Abel, Content Management Strategist
> >> 3421 Crystal Lakes Ct., Sarasota FL 34235
> >> abelsp@... 941-359-3416
> >> www.thecontentwrangler.com
> >> Via Skype: abelsp
> >>
> >> TheContentWrangler.com - Look there first!
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Yahoo! Groups Links
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >
> > __________________________________________________
> > Do You Yahoo!?
> > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
> > http://mail.yahoo.com
> >
> > SPONSORED LINKS
> > Xml format
> > Xml
> > Technical communication
> >
> > YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS
> >
> >  ▪   Visit your group "IndyDITA" on the web.
> >  
> >  ▪   To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> >  IndyDITA-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> >  
> >  ▪   Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo!
Terms of
> > Service.
> >
> >
> >  
> > This message scanned for viruses by CoreComm
>

Hi, Greg.

Tried to respond directly to your e-mail but I couldn't get through
your server ("Denied:Spam banned infoave.net"). So, responding here.

I thanked you for the info on JoAnn Hackos's free webinar coming up.

You asked, "How did you end up in a DITA users group if you don't
use DITA?"

Answer: I'm interested in the principles of modular (aka topic-
oriented) writing. It's a great way to think when planning print
documentation of any kind, which is mostly what I do, and it will
become even more important as I come into opportunities to create
online documentation.

I've only recently learned about DITA (from an article in a recent
Society for Technical Communication journal) and thought that I
might tag along with some discussions to see what I could learn
about modular writing that could be applied in nonDITA contexts. I'm
also just curious about content management in general and find it
fascinating to hear what's going on in that world.

Marcia Poulsen
Lodi, NY

Diane:

You can find some real numbers in almost any DITA case study or
interview. In fact, on my site, the latest DITA interview is with ICOS,
a Belgian firm. They estimate they'll be able to reuse 80% of the DITA
Topics they created. They have not yet been able to measure translation
savings, which with so much reuse, will also be significant (probably
the largest savings).

www.thecontentwrangler.com

There are other examples...

For instance, in another interview I edited, software maker Idiom says:
"We are currently reusing about 5% of our docset. In the next release,
we expect that figure to increase to around 60%, when we single-source
the guides and the online help (which are currently not
single-sourced)...We haven't translated the docset yet. By the time we
do, there should be enough single-sourcing that translation cost will
be optimized because we'll only need to translate reused content once."

http://www.travelthepath.com/structure4.html

In a similar interview with Adobe, the software maker estimates it's
able to reuse 25% of the content it first put into DITA. They also saw
these additional benefits: "We were able to focus on creating content,
not formatting it.
Authors did not have to worry about formatting and could concentrate on
the structure of the content instead. Additionally, the schema served
as a guide to authors on what to enter next. Content re-use meant less
maintenance. Authors could place content references to shared topics
instead of copying and pasting them into different locations.
Consistent output was a big benefit. We could build the same output at
the click of a button. There was no desktop publishing work needed.
And, we were able to use XQuery to run powerful searches across the
content. It was easy to write reports to check for missing images,
broken cross-references, erroneous index terms, etc. "

http://www.travelthepath.com/structure3.html

In the near future, I'll be publishing more interviews with others
using DITA to see what we can learn from them.

Hope this helps!

The Content Wrangler, Inc.
Scott Abel, Content Management Strategist
3421 Crystal Lakes Ct., Sarasota FL 34235
abelsp@...      941-359-3416
www.thecontentwrangler.com
Via Skype: abelsp

TheContentWrangler.com - Look there first!
On Feb 23, 2006, at 12:14 PM, D Wiel wrote:

> Another thing that I know you can probably answer is the question of
> how using DITA "pays."  This came up at the STC meeting last
> month ("how does all that support my business/management needs?") and
> I thought you might know of some resourses that have shown a ROI for
> DITA. I thought IBM had some ficticious examples that illustrated it
> well, but are there any real numbers? 
>  
> Scott Abel <abelsp@...> wrote:
>> Indy DITA Users:
>>
>> With all the chatter about the Darwin Information Typing Architecture
>> in technical communication circles these days, I wanted to offer up
>> this list of resources that might prove useful to those just starting
>> to learn about DITA.
>>
>> Scott
>>
>> 1) DITA 2006: March 23-25, 2006 - Raleigh, NC. Meet, mingle and learn
>> from IBM's Dave Schell, the creator of DITA, and other Darwinian
>> luminaries at DITA 2006, March 23-25, 2006 in Raleigh, NC. Hands-on
>> workshops, case studies, and product demonstrations (including a full
>> vendor exhibition) will be featured along with white papers,
>> presentations, and discussion groups. A call for papers is expected in
>> late August 2005 and a full conference schedule will be announced
>> shortly thereafter. DITA 2006 is being co-sponsored by OASIS and will
>> be the first event of it's kind -- dedicated entirely to educating
>> attendees about the Darwin Information Typing Architecture. Learn
>> more:
>> http://www.travelthepath.com/dita2006.html.
>>
>> 2) DITA: An OASIS Standard. Link to the announcement that spurred all
>> the interest!
>> http://www.oasis-open.org/news/oasis_news_06_01_05.php
>>
>> 3) Required Reading Resources:
>>
>> IBM’s Introduction to the Darwin Information Typing Architecture
>> includes a wealth of information about the history and usage of DITA.
>> Links to other online resources are also provided.
>> Link:
>> http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/xml/library/x-dita1/index.html?
>> open&l=778,t=gr,p=xmlDITA
>>
>> DITA Downloads at IBM includes links to DITA DTDs, DITA schemas and
>> more.
>> Link:
>> http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/xml/library/x-dita6/x-
>> dita_downloads.html
>>
>> DITA Questions and Answers - Arbortext takes a look at some of the
>> common questions surrounding DITA and provides answers designed to
>> demystify the often misundersood concepts and issues.
>> Link: http://www.arbortext.com/resources/dita_q_a.htm
>>
>> Specializing Domains in DITA provides guidance for those hoping to
>> "specialize" (i.e. customize) DITA for their own use.
>> Link:
>> http://wiki.astrogrid.org/pub/Astrogrid/
>> DarwinInformationTypingArchitecture/DITA-domains.html
>>
>> DITA Users Group is a Yahoo! Group dedicated to the discussion of all
>> things DITA.
>> Link: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dita-users/
>>
>> The Content Wrangler, Inc.
>> Scott Abel, Content Management Strategist
>> 3421 Crystal Lakes Ct., Sarasota FL 34235
>> abelsp@... 941-359-3416
>> www.thecontentwrangler.com
>> Via Skype: abelsp
>>
>> TheContentWrangler.com - Look there first!
>>
>>
>>
>> Yahoo! Groups Links
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
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IndyDITA users:

I gave an introductory presentation about DITA at the February Indiana STC meeting. In my opinion, the greatest obstacle to understanding DITA lies in changing the author's paradigm from writing in books or narratives to writing topics.

I base this opinion on the number of questions I answered similar to:

�        How do I find the information I want in the database?

�        What if a topic is written, and later someone writes it in a different format?

�        OK, we have a topic. Now how do we know how long it can be and what it can contain?

In order to learn to think "topic-ally" you might consider watching a free webinar by

Blast Radius entitled DITA: Moving from Books to Topics. The speaker is

JoAnn Hackos, PhD, President/CEO of Comtech Services, Inc.

Date: March 2, 2006

Time: 12pm EST

Cost: Free

Enroll at: 

https://blastradiusevents.webex.com/blastradiusevents/mywebex/epmainframe.php?rlink=https%3A%2F%2Fblastradiusevents.webex.com%2Fblastradiusevents%2Fonstage%2Fmainframe.php%3Fmainurl%3D%2Fblastradiusevents%2Fonstage%2Ftool%2Fprogram%2Fprogram_detail.php%3FcProgramID%3D12%26Rnd%3D246085790&Rnd6288=0.13334006274938037

If you have never attended a webinar, you can get help setting up your computer at:

https://blastradiusevents.webex.com/blastradiusevents/mywebex/epmainframe.php?rlink=https%3A%2F%2Fblastradiusevents.webex.com%2Fblastradiusevents%2Fonstage%2Fmainframe.php%3Fmainurl%3D%2Fblastradiusevents%2Fonstage%2Ftool%2Fprogram%2Fprogram_detail.php%3FcProgramID%3D12%26Rnd%3D246085790&Rnd6288=0.13334006274938037

It is not difficult. Only takes a couple of minutes.

If these complex URLs are not clickable, I suggest that you copy and paste to get them correct. Even a Technical Communication Wizard would have trouble typing all of that info correctly.

Greg

Indy DITA Users:

With all the chatter about the Darwin Information Typing Architecture
in technical communication circles these days, I wanted to offer up
this list of resources that might prove useful to those just starting
to learn about DITA.

Scott

1) DITA 2006: March 23-25, 2006 - Raleigh, NC. Meet, mingle and learn
from IBM's Dave Schell, the creator of DITA, and other Darwinian
luminaries at DITA 2006, March 23-25, 2006 in Raleigh, NC. Hands-on
workshops, case studies, and product demonstrations (including a full
vendor exhibition) will be featured along with white papers,
presentations, and discussion groups. A call for papers is expected in
late August 2005 and a full conference schedule will be announced
shortly thereafter. DITA 2006 is being co-sponsored by OASIS and will
be the first event of it's kind -- dedicated entirely to educating
attendees about the Darwin Information Typing Architecture. Learn more:
http://www.travelthepath.com/dita2006.html.

2) DITA: An OASIS Standard. Link to the announcement that spurred all
the interest!
http://www.oasis-open.org/news/oasis_news_06_01_05.php

3) Required Reading Resources:

IBM�s Introduction to the Darwin Information Typing Architecture
includes a wealth of information about the history and usage of DITA.
Links to other online resources are also provided.
Link:
http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/xml/library/x-dita1/index.html?
open&l=778,t=gr,p=xmlDITA

DITA Downloads at IBM includes links to DITA DTDs, DITA schemas and
more.
Link:
http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/xml/library/x-dita6/x-
dita_downloads.html

DITA Questions and Answers - Arbortext takes a look at some of the
common questions surrounding DITA and provides answers designed to
demystify the often misundersood concepts and issues.
Link: http://www.arbortext.com/resources/dita_q_a.htm

Specializing Domains in DITA provides guidance for those hoping to
"specialize" (i.e. customize) DITA for their own use.
Link:
http://wiki.astrogrid.org/pub/Astrogrid/
DarwinInformationTypingArchitecture/DITA-domains.html

DITA Users Group is a Yahoo! Group dedicated to the discussion of all
things DITA.
Link: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dita-users/

The Content Wrangler, Inc.
Scott Abel, Content Management Strategist
3421 Crystal Lakes Ct., Sarasota FL 34235
abelsp@... 941-359-3416
www.thecontentwrangler.com
Via Skype: abelsp

TheContentWrangler.com - Look there first!



Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IndyDITA/

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
IndyDITA-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com

Indy DITA Users:

With all the chatter about the Darwin Information Typing Architecture
in technical communication circles these days, I wanted to offer up
this list of resources that might prove useful to those just starting
to learn about DITA.

Scott

1) DITA 2006: March 23-25, 2006 - Raleigh, NC. Meet, mingle and learn
from IBM's Dave Schell, the creator of DITA, and other Darwinian
luminaries at DITA 2006, March 23-25, 2006 in Raleigh, NC. Hands-on
workshops, case studies, and product demonstrations (including a full
vendor exhibition) will be featured along with white papers,
presentations, and discussion groups. A call for papers is expected in
late August 2005 and a full conference schedule will be announced
shortly thereafter. DITA 2006 is being co-sponsored by OASIS and will
be the first event of it's kind -- dedicated entirely to educating
attendees about the Darwin Information Typing Architecture. Learn more:
http://www.travelthepath.com/dita2006.html.

2) DITA: An OASIS Standard. Link to the announcement that spurred all
the interest!
http://www.oasis-open.org/news/oasis_news_06_01_05.php

3) Required Reading Resources:

IBM�s Introduction to the Darwin Information Typing Architecture
includes a wealth of information about the history and usage of DITA.
Links to other online resources are also provided.
Link:
http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/xml/library/x-dita1/index.html?
open&l=778,t=gr,p=xmlDITA

DITA Downloads at IBM includes links to DITA DTDs, DITA schemas and
more.
Link:
http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/xml/library/x-dita6/x-
dita_downloads.html

DITA Questions and Answers - Arbortext takes a look at some of the
common questions surrounding DITA and provides answers designed to
demystify the often misundersood concepts and issues.
Link: http://www.arbortext.com/resources/dita_q_a.htm

Specializing Domains in DITA provides guidance for those hoping to
"specialize" (i.e. customize) DITA for their own use.
Link:
http://wiki.astrogrid.org/pub/Astrogrid/
DarwinInformationTypingArchitecture/DITA-domains.html

DITA Users Group is a Yahoo! Group dedicated to the discussion of all
things DITA.
Link: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dita-users/

The Content Wrangler, Inc.
Scott Abel, Content Management Strategist
3421 Crystal Lakes Ct., Sarasota FL 34235
abelsp@...      941-359-3416
www.thecontentwrangler.com
Via Skype: abelsp

TheContentWrangler.com - Look there first!

Enter your vote today!  A new poll has been created for the
IndyDITA group:

Do you think DITA will change how you create technical
documents and on-line information in the future?


   o Yes
   o No


To vote, please visit the following web page:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IndyDITA/surveys?id=2144338

Note: Please do not reply to this message. Poll votes are
not collected via email. To vote, you must go to the Yahoo! Groups
web site listed above.

Thanks!

Webinar: Global Information Management Success at Siemens Medical
Solutions

Join Frank Gilbane, publisher of The Gilbane Report, for an online web
conference where you�ll hear:

� The latest trends in information management strategy
� Why DITA and XML Content Management are being adopted as industry
standards
� How to leverage global information management to optimize product
information publishing processes
� How an effective information architecture can help you reach global
markets

Register:  http://web.meetme.net/r.aspx?p=1&a=70541370449681

The Content Wrangler
Scott Abel, Content Management Strategist
3421 Crystal Lakes Ct., Sarasota FL 34235
abelsp@...      941-359-3416
www.thecontentwrangler.com

==================
I'm a CM Pro. Are you?
http://www.cmpros.org

SiberLogic is giving away several tickets to the DITA 2006 conference,
the first US conference to focus solely on the OASIS Darwin Information
Typing Architecture Standard. Hey, someone's got to win, eh?

Best of luck!

Free ticket drawing: http://www.siberlogic.com/dita/
SiberLogic: http://www.siberlogic.com
DITA 2006 conference: http://conf.travelthepath.com

The Content Wrangler
Scott Abel, Content Management Strategist
3421 Crystal Lakes Ct., Sarasota FL 34235
abelsp@...      941-359-3416
www.thecontentwrangler.com

==================
I'm a CM Pro. Are you?
http://www.cmpros.org

Don't forget the presentation on Thursday evening by Greg Whetsel on
Discovering DITA.  Information can be found on the STC Indiana Chapter
web site, but the basics are as follows:

When:       Thursday, February 16, 2006
                STC Monthly Meeting

Time:         6:00 pm
Networking session from 5:30-6:00 pm

Where:     The IU Emerging Technology Center
               Bose-McKinney Room
              351 West 10th Street
             Indianapolis, Indiana

The meeting is free and open to the public. For directions call 317-
278-1901.
Snacks and coffee provided.

Comtech offers a 2-day workshop called "DITA - Getting Started".  I
attended this is December and found it extremely helpful.

They post a schedule on their website: www.comtech-serv.com


--- In IndyDITA@yahoogroups.com, "dwiel06" <dwiel06@...> wrote:
>
> Has anyone been to any good classes on DITA or are there any
> introductory courses anyone could recommend?
>

Yes, there is a great Introduction to DITA class available from Michael
Priestley on March 22. More info:

http://www.travelthepath.com/conf/day0.html

Hope to see you there!
==================================
The Content Wrangler
Scott Abel, Content Management Strategist
3421 Crystal Lakes Ct., Sarasota FL 34235
abelsp@...      941-359-3416
www.thecontentwrangler.com
========================

Recent posts to TheContentWrangler.com

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   ~ The Next Big Thing In Searching

On Feb 6, 2006, at 11:50 AM, dwiel06 wrote:

> Has anyone been to any good classes on DITA or are there any
>  introductory courses anyone could recommend?
>
>
>
>
>
>
> SPONSORED LINKS
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> Xml
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Has anyone been to any good classes on DITA or are there any
introductory courses anyone could recommend?

I am a technical writer/editor working at Precisely Write, Inc. in
Fishers, Indiana. I am familiar with HTML and Information Mapping. I
recently attended the FrameMaker conference in North Carolina where
dita was a major topic [no pun intended:-)].

Be sure and check out the links posted for the group. Click Links in
the menu to the left.