Another Perspective on Single-Sourcing — Interview with Sarah O'Keefe
Listen here:
In this podcast, Sarah O'Keefe talks about how to implement single-sourcing, particularly for writers with medium-level reuse needs, such as those using RoboHelp and Word. Additionally, she discusses the resistance writers have to change, how to calculate business costs versus savings, and tool options for producing online help and print deliverables.
Specific topics in this podcast include:
- Determining whether you need to single-source or not
- Strategies for RoboHelp users who produce both print and online help
- Avoiding the copy-and-paste method of reuse
- Three solutions for medium-level reuse: Flare, AuthorIT, and Framemaker/Word with WebWorks ePublisher
- Challenges for large companies such as airline industries
- Helping authors cope with change
- Pitfalls with single sourcing
- Calculating business savings/costs of single sourcing
- User habits for reading content online and in print
- Conceptual shifts when writing for a single-source output
Links mentioned in the podcast:
- Scriptorium (Sarah's company): http://scriptorium.com
- White papers at Scriptorium: http://scriptorium.com/papers.html
- Other resources at Scriptorium: http://scriptorium.com/resources.html
- Char James-Tanny's Compare/Contrast HAT matrix: http://hat-matrix.com/
- Scriptorium blog (“Palimpsest”): http://www.scriptorium.com/palimpsest/
- Sarah's email: [email protected]
To make a comment on the podcast, call Tech Writer Voices Skype e-voicemail number at 727-493-2139 and leave a message. Alternatively, use the comment feature on this post or e-mail [email protected].
About Tom Johnson
I'm an API technical writer based in the Seattle area. On this blog, I write about topics related to technical writing and communication — such as software documentation, API documentation, AI, information architecture, content strategy, writing processes, plain language, tech comm careers, and more. Check out my API documentation course if you're looking for more info about documenting APIs. Or see my posts on AI and AI course section for more on the latest in AI and tech comm.
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