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WritersUA regularly publishes original articles, product reviews, surveys, and industry news. All of it is free. We send our monthly email updates to everyone on our contact list with information about our latest offerings. You are welcome to join our mailing list to receive these updates. We also have an RSS news feed for your convenience.
News: 4.ST Announces HelpServer, Version 4.6
A new release of HelpServer has been announced by 4.ST. This produce combines enterprise content management, document management and Help authoring. HelpServer is equipped with server-side scripting which enables you to deliver dynamic personalized HTML & PDF.
Web Form Design: Filling in the Blanks
Luke Wroblewski has published Web Form Design: Filling in the Blanks. This engaging book offers valuable insights and detailed, practical examples to help you develop more effective form-based interactions.
Article: Agile Technical Documentation
This article by Jean-Luc Mazet offers lessons learned about implementing Agile development in a publishing environment, including the unique challenges of applying it to single-sourcing.
News: Wiki Features Announced for ePublisher
WebWorks.com announced the Fall 2008 release of its ePublisher platform. WebWorks ePublisher 2008.3 includes a multi-input/multi-output "Publish to Wiki" functionality.
News: Antenna House Releases Rainbow, v. 2.0
Antenna House announces the release of their Rainbow PDF Server-Based Converter, Version 2.0. The software can transform Microsoft Office 2007 files (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) to PDF and SVG on the fly.
Free Webinar: Convergence of UA and eLearning
WritersUA has joined with the eLearning Guild to present a free webinar - The Convergence of UA and eLearning. The recording of the webinar consists of three hours of informational sessions discussing cross-disciplinary issues.
DITA Help Initiative Offers Info and Tools
The DITA Help sub-committee, governed by OASIS, is in the process of developing information and recommendations to ease the creation of user assistance with DITA. The latest draft of the Best Practices Guide, plug-in information, and sample files, are available for free download from the DITA Help Public Documents site.
Interviewing SMEs — Make Them Feel Valued
Establishing and maintaining healthy, productive, and mutually rewarding relationships with subject matter experts is imperative to project success. This article by Sherry Shadday and Kyle Draney presents techniques for maintaining such relationships.
Editing Modular Documentation: Some Best Practices
A number of best practices for developing modular documentation are described in this article by Michelle Corbin and Yoel Strimling. The concepts discussed include chunking text, labeling topics, and linking topics to each other.
Mobile and Agile: The Floating Writer's Survival Kit
Agile development is a popular methodology used by software companies. This article by Alyssa Fox and Meredith Kramer describes how to to transition to and continue to use agile development when floating among cross-functional project teams.
Handbook of Usability Testing Released
Scott DeLoach has just published The CSS to the Point, quick solutions to over 150 to common questions about using Cascading Style Sheets. , is a nuts-and-bolts guide for beginners, loaded with tips and tricks for effectively testing products of all types. The new edition is fully updated. By Jeffrey Rubin, Dana Chisnell, Jared Spool (Foreword).
Printed Books and Online Help Using a Wiki
This article describes a software documentation group's transition from a highly optimized FrameMaker and WebWorks Publisher-based publishing process to a Wiki-based replacement. It goes through the steps the group took to arrive at their solutions and lists the sources they used to learn about their options.
WriterUA Conference 2009 - Seattle
The Seventeenth Annual WritersUA Conference for Software User Assistance will take place in Seattle, WA, March 29 - April 1, 2009. The conference will feature seventy cutting-edge topics from fifty+ presenters, project demonstrations, and an exhibition.
Vasont Supports Structured Authoring in Word
Vasont Systems announced the completion of the extension integrating their flagship Vasont content management system with In.vision Research's Xpress Author for Microsoft Word.
Adobe Announces Technical Communication Suite 1.3
The new version of Technical Communication Suite includes support for Adobe Flash technology in Acrobat 9 Pro Extended, which enables users to include Adobe Flash Player compatible video and application files in PDF documents.
WriterUA Conference - 500+ in Attendance
The Sixteenth Annual WritersUA Conference for Software User Assistance has come to a close. Over 500 attendees came together, March 16-19, in Portland, Oregon. The conference featured seventy cutting-edge topics from fifty-six presenters, project demonstrations from fifteen user assistance developers, and an exhibition featuring sixteen organizations.
Doc-To-Help 2008 Released
ComponentOne announced the release of its next generation Doc-To-Help product. ComponentOne Doc-To-Help 2008 supplies streamlined new authoring features, with state of the art end-user features, all within the Microsoft Office 2007 style interface.
Adobe Captivate 3 Receives Top Industry Accolades
Adobe Systems announced that Adobe Captivate 3 was named the market leading rapid eLearning, courseware authoring and simulation tool by the eLearning Guild Research 360 Report on Authoring and Development Tools.
News from MadCap
MadCap Software announced several new developments, including the release of MadCap Blaze Beta version, a preview of four new products, and a reminder about the next Flare training event.
Survey: User Assistance Salary Survey Results Available
The results of the 2008 WritersUA Salary Survey are now available. The survey provides a variety of compensation figures — all specific to the user assistance profession. Thank you to the 1,000+ user assistance professionals who contributed their information!
News: MadCap Software Launches MadCap Analyzer
Madcap Software announced the release of MadCap Analyzer in conjunction with MadCap Lingo.
Presentation Slides: WritersUA Conference Archive
A number of presentation slides and supplemental resources from past WritersUA Conferences are still available on the WritersUA web site. You can find excellent content from 2004-2007.
Article: Review of Three User Assistance Tools
Matthew Ellison takes a look at three user assistance tools that have been developed in Europe: Fast-Help International, chm2web Pro, and E.S.T. Help Author Pro
Article: Review of Adobe RoboHelp 7
Rob Houser of the User Assistance Group offers his review of Adobe RoboHelp 7, including analysis of features and considerations for purchase and upgrades.
Article: Microsoft Help Resource List
This article provides a description of the official status of Microsoft Help technologies and points the way to additional resources. Technologies include WinHelp, HTML Help, Help 2, Assistance Platform, Sandcastle, and CE Help.
News from Vasont Systems
EContent Magazine recognizes Vasont Systems for the third year for its leadership in the content management industry.
News from MadCap Software
Madcap Software announced that as of October 31, 2007, year-to-date revenues represent a 67 percent increase over the same period last year.
Event: Peer Showcase Projects Announced
The WritersUA Peer Showcase will feature fifteen innovative projects in this informal exhibition during the WritersUA Conference. Opportunities are still available for Exhibitors and web site sponsors.
News from FinerEdge Software
FinerEdge Software adds Web-based Report Writing to its Automated Publishing Solution.
Survey: Skills and Technologies Survey Results Posted
The popular Skills and Technologies Survey measures the elements we value most in our daily user assistance work.
Article: WinANT: A Free DITA Publishing Tool
Tony Self describes WinANT - a free tool for processing DITA documents.
News: Apple Releases Help Authoring Guide
Apple has released an all-new document for help authors who want to ensure their product fits-in on Mac OS X.
News from Adobe
Adobe has announced the Technical Communication Suite - a suite that includes RoboHelp 7, FrameMaker 8, Captivate 3, and Adobe Acrobat 3D.
News from MadCap Software
MadCap Software announces a number of new developments including advanced training for Flare, live technical support demos, and more.
News: Author-it Releases Author-it 5.0
Author-it announced Author-it 5.0 which features a new interactive authoring memory feature called Xtend.
News: Author-it Releases Author-it Live
Author-it introduces Author-it Live -- an integrated Web-based authoring, content management and publishing solution.
News from MadCap Software
MadCap Software announces a number of new developments. including Feedback Server, technical support demos and a new addition to the MadCap team.
News: A!K Research Labs Releases Chm2web
A!K Research Labs announced version 2.7 of its chm2web webhelp creation utility, which enables users to create live, interactive Web-based help systems.
News: MadCap Software Feedback Service and Flare Update
MadCap Software has just released its newest version of MadCap Flare - Version 3 and the MadCap Feedback Service.
News: Adobe Releases Upgrades for Captivate and FrameMaker
Adobe announced the release of FrameMaker 8 and Captivate 3.
News: HyperSTE 2.4 - New version released
Tedopres has released version 2.4. of HyperSTE and HyperSTE DMT (Dictionary Maintenance Tool), quality assurance software for technical content. HyperSTE increases the quality of technical documentation and reduces the costs for translations and technical publications by ensuring clear and consistent terminology and style.
Book: Managing Virtual Teams
Virtual collaborative team environments face unique challenges because their communication is not face-to-face. Managing Virtual Teams: Getting the Most from Wikis, Blogs, and Other Collaborative Tools provides practical advice for managers of distributed teams who must design the internal systems and meet deadlines with a diverse team, and for team members who want to develop and maintain professional relationships.
Article: Screen Capture Tools Review (Updated)
Matthew Ellison has updated his popular review of screen capture tools. The article describes the important attributes of a capture tool and examines and compares the features of seven popular products.
News: WinHelp for Vista Available for Download
Microsoft has released the file necessary for viewing WinHelp files on the Vista operating system.
Article: Using DITA for Help
Tony Self offers up a design analysis for the viability of delivering Help with DITA. This includes an examination of windowing, topic navigation, and content presentation. The article includes a prototype that addresses context mapping using the HTML Help API.
Survey: User Assistance Salary Survey Results Available
The results of the 2007 WritersUA Salary Survey are now available. Thank you to all of the user assistance professionals who contributed their information!
Review: What's New in RoboHelp 6?
A new version of RoboHelp has been just been released. Rob Houser offers a detailed evaluation of the long-awaited release from Adobe.
Review: XMetaL Author 5.0 DITA Version
Andrea Dickson takes you on a tour of the latest version of XMetaL Author DITA Edition, a tool designed specifically to support structured authoring in a DITA architecture.
News: ExtremeEase Software Releases WebHelp Author
ExtremeEase Software Inc. has announced the release of WebHelp Author 2007. This product is a tool for creating web-based help systems, online product manuals, product demos, FAQs, and knowledgebase solutions.
News: MadCap Software Releases Mimic
MadCap Software announces Mimic - a software simulation application. Mimic lets individuals create movies that simulate actions on a computer screen and produce interactive instructional videos.
Event: UA Course Offered by Bellevue C.C.
Bellevue Community College, in Bellevue, Washington, is offering a special four-week course starting February 22: Key Trends in Software User Assistance. The hands-on computer course is taught by Joe Welinske, President of WritersUA.
Review: Review of XMLmind XML Editor 3.5
Tony DaSilva examines the latest version of XMLmind, an affordable structured authoring tool.
News: 4.ST Announces Help Server Assist
HelpServer Assist is a new feature of the HelpServer platform, a solution to organize all help and documentation throughout an enterprise.
News: ComponentOne Releases New Version of Doc-To-Help
This press release from ComponentOne announces the release of Doc-To-Help 2006 v.3, the third installment of the tool's yearly subscription release cycle.
Survey: Skills and Technologies Survey Results Posted
The popular Skills and Technologies Survey measures the elements we value most in our daily user assistance work.
News: AuthorIT Launches Website Manager
AuthorIT Software Corporation announces the release of AuthorIT Website Manager.
Review: Help & Manual Version 4
Matthew Ellison takes a test drive of the latest version of the Help & Manual tool from EC Software.
Article: A Revived Life for RoboHelp
Developments with the RoboHelp product in recent weeks indicates that the product may be around for awhile. This article by Joe Welinske describes the surprising turn of events for this popular Help authoring tool.
Article: Review of Cladonia Exchanger XML Editor
This article by Tony Self is a review of the Exchanger XML Editor. The issues brought up in the article are relevant to a variety of XML editors.
Article: Part II - Migrating HTML to XHTML and XML
In the second installment of a two-part article, Char James-Tanny continues her discussion of strategies for migrating content to XHTML/XML.
Article: Migrating HTML to XHTML and XML
In the first installment of a two-part article, Char James-Tanny presents a detailed methodology for moving HTML files to the structure and flexibility of XHTML/XML.
Article: When to Use Show-Me Helps and Demos
Annette Bradford describes how new multimedia tools enable technical writers to develop a powerful new form of embedded user assistance: show-me help.
Tool Review: LinKit! 4.0
Matthew Ellison provides a review of the latest version of LinKit!—a utility for linking application screens to context-sensitive Help without working with the source code.
Article: Problems in Navigating Online Help
This study by Robert Krull and Angela Eaton examines the search patterns of the users of Help systems.
Article: Outsourcing Documentation Development
This article by Deborah Clifton discusses some of the aspects to be considered when evaluating the required resources and total cost of offshoring documentation development.
Article: The Future of Indexing?
Jan Wright of WrightInformation offers an essay on where the craft of indexing is headed.
Article: The Future of RoboHelp?
Joe Welinske, President of WritersUA, discusses his prediction that the RoboHelp authoring tool will fade from common use over the next two years.
Article: XML Architecture for Customized User Assistance
This article by Sarah O'Keefe describes a content-centered approach for the reuse and versioning of information
Article: William Horton on Software Simulation Design
This article describes how to improve the effectiveness of software simulations through increased interactivity and a layered approach to user control
Article: Creating "Smart Help" with Conditional Content
This article discusses several methods for making Web-based Help systems "smart", by using conditional content to customize the appearance and behavior of your pages to the users' needs.
Article: An XML Architecture for Technical Documentation
This article by a group from IBM describes DITA—an architecture for creating topic-oriented, information-typed content that can be reused and single-sourced in a variety of ways.
Article: Design Checklists for Online Help
This article by Michelle Corbin presents the design attributes of online help systems in a series of design checklists and then discusses the latest research in interface and user assistance design.
Article: Techniques for Single-sourcing with RoboHelp
RoboHelp now offers a rich set of features for delivering multiple customized outputs out of a single project. This article by Matthew Ellison provides some guidelines and tips on using the key single-sourcing features.
Article: Designing and Writing to Reduce Errors
As the documentation and interface content are designed, attention must be paid to potential problems users can have with the situation and how to correct them. This article provides an analysis of the types and causes of errors.
Article: Creating Usable, Effective Error Messages
It can be a challenge to create error messages that give users a clear indication of the problem, offer information to help them fix it, and provide tips on avoiding the same situation in the future. This article details the steps involved in creating helpful error messages and communicating the value to colleagues.
Article: Constructing a One-Stop "Answer Station" Website for Software Users
This article discusses developing an Answer Station - a website that provides software users with a centralized location to access updated documentation and information about new features, as well as links to technical support, consulting, training, and sales.
Article: Online Communities for User Assistance Professionals
Online communities have become a very valuable source of assistance for answering questions unique to our industry. This article provides an introduction to online communities and describes how to access a few of the most useful sites.
Article: How We Write: Putting the "Technical" in "Technical Writer"
Three technologies you will likely encounter in your job are programming languages, databases, and Web server technologies. This article provides a brief introduction to each, suggests specific areas to study, and offers a few ideas for doing it inexpensively.
Article: An Introduction to Structured FrameMaker
Alan Houser explains the key differences between structured and unstructured FrameMaker, provides an overview of the authoring and publishing environment, and describes what is involved in a typical migration effort. Even if you are not using FrameMaker, this article provides useful guidance on structured authoring.
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WritersUA offers cutting-edge training and information to Technical Writers, Information Analysts and Architects, Documentation Designers, Help Authors, Publication Managers, Documentation Leads, Senior Writers and Documentation Contractors, and User Education Specialists. The focus is on software user assistance, which encompasses writing, editing, planning, coding, indexing, testing, programming, localization, and standards development. |
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