The conversation confusion in technical communication

We noticed last week a few tweets in our Twitter stream about how technical documentation and user assistance will be turning into a conversation. A dictionary definition of conversation is: 1. The spoken exchange of thoughts, opinions, and feelings; talk. 2. An informal discussion.   Informal, verbal, interactive, spontaneous communication is quite different from pretty much all forms… Read more »

Getting information from Subject Matter Experts

Interviews with Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) are some of the most useful sources for Technical Authors when they are gathering information about a product or procedure. This often involves asking a developer or departmental manager a series of questions focused on the types of questions end users are likely to ask. Interviewing is one of… Read more »

Estimating production times for screencasts and elearning

Screencasts and video based learning content are growing in popularity, and we’re seeing a rise in the number of enquiries for this type of content. Estimating the time required to develop this type of content can vary quite considerably. The easiest way to estimate the time required is to use metrics based on the duration… Read more »

We’ve launched our online DITA self-study elearning course today

We’ve launched our online DITA self-study elearning course on the Cherryleaf website today. This online training course teaches the basic skills, and provides an induction, in how to create content using the DITA XML standard. The learning modules in this course contain videos of the trainer with supporting slides and images. Here’s a sample from the first… Read more »