> -----Tarage wrote: ----- > Two things to keep in mind: > > 1) Is the technology applicable to your job? Not every technology is, > yet you wouldn't know that by listening to the overheated tech-whores > peddling every new idea as if it were better than the wheel, fire, and > moveable type combined. XML did not CHANGE EVERYTHING. Just stop it. I > still brush my teeth, drive my car, and use the bathroom the same way. >
In my department's case, XML is definitely applicable, and it will definitely change how we do everything regarding out documentation, even though it may not affect our hygiene and other personal habits. ;-) For one, XML will make it possible for us to do more and better things with less people (not sure yet if this is a good thing!). We've been investigating XML for a couple of years now and are taking baby steps toward it by setting up our content in a way that will ultimately allow us to move into XML. One of the reasons we haven't progressed farther that way yet is because of the huge learning curve and the fairly hard-to-use interfaces for XML (we don't have enough down time to learn it). The DITA aspect will hopefully take care of some of that and make life with XML easier than it would be otherwise. I'm not fooling myself into thinking DITA will make using XML easy, just *easier*. And if another new technology comes along that may work even better than DITA appears that it might, we'll be all over it so we can evaluate its effectiveness. > 2) Will you get to use it? Even the greatest idea is meaningless if > you're not allowed to implement it. Tech writers usually aren't the > ones who make decisions on tools or paradigms. That's the stuff of > managers. > Our manager welcomes our input on new technology, and she frequently purchases hardware and software based on our recommendations. We're fortunate to have a manager like ours. I know not everyone has the input that we do. It's easy to get excited about new stuff if you think you may actually have a chance of getting to work with it. Donna - CONFIDENTIAL- This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential, and may also be legally privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, you may not review, use, copy, or distribute this message. If you receive this email in error, please notify the sender immediately by reply email and then delete this email. _______________________________________________ Are you a Help Authoring Trainer or Consultant? Let clients find you at www.HAT.Matrix.com, the searchable HAT database based on Char James-Tanny's HAT Comparison Matrix. Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] for details. Interested in Interactive 3D Documentation? Get the scoop at http://www.doc-u-motion.com -- your 3D documentation community. _______________________________________________ Technical Communication Professionals To post a message to the list, send an email to [email protected] To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://techcommpros.com/mailman/listinfo/tcp_techcommpros.com or, via email, send a blank message [EMAIL PROTECTED] Visit the TCP site at http://www.techcommpros.com To find out more about the list, including archives and your account options, visit http://techcommpros.com/mailman/listinfo/tcp_techcommpros.com If you need assistance with the list, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
