RE: [inframe] Single-sourcing = myth? (and other topics)

[Jim Stauffer <JStauffer@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I just read the 'single sourcing' article and tend to agree with the author
(Jane Hemmi).

The main point she's making is that print and online are such completely
different mediums, how can one source document serve both? Printed docs are
organized in linear progression; online help is disparate information chunks
linked by hypertext. Printed docs read best with serif fonts; online help
reads best with san serif. Printed docs are mostly B&W; online help uses
color as part of its structure. And online help provides much more
flexibility in organization and presentation.

Her conclusion is that true single sourcing, that meets the unique criteria
for each medium, would have to come from a "tag-enriched repository of raw
data." Like SGML?

I have limited experience creating online help, but that experience was as
described by Ms. Hemmi. I copy&paste chunks of information from a
print-document file, change the font, add some color, and link to other
chunks. Maybe some of you more experienced online writers can point out the
error of our ways.


Jim Stauffer
Sr. Technical Writer
BeamReach Networks
Sunnyvale, CA
www.beamreachnetworks.com


-----Original Message-----
From: Bill Swallow [mailto:wswallow@nycap.rr.com]
Sent: Wednesday, July 17, 2002 2:39 PM
To: framers@frameusers.com; framers@omsys.com; hatt@yahoogroups.com;
inframe@yahoogroups.com; singlesourcing-mgmt@yahoogroups.com;
stc-mohawk@yahoogroups.com; stc-single-sourcing-l@lists.stc.org;
Techwr-L; wwp-users@yahoogroups.com; albany-framers@egroups.com
Subject: [inframe] Single-sourcing = myth? (and other topics)


Am I alone here, or was anyone else really taken aback by the
July/August 2002 Intercom article "Differentiating Online Help from
Printed Documentation"?

I *KNOW* single-sourcing isn't a myth, as I've done it and know many
others who do it with great success. I guess I'm just amazed that such
misinformation would get past the editors of the magazine and become
published word, especially given the STC now has a brand new
single-sourcing SIG.

The article is full of sweeping generalizations and misinformation. It
mentions "myths", yet counters them with very weak evidence and,
ironically, more information stemming from age-old misinformation.

To go into detail in this e-mail would result in a passage longer than
the original article. If you get Intercom and have read the article,
please feel free to comment. I don't think I am alone in thinking that
this article needs to be addressed very quickly before more
misinformation is communicated through the industry.

B I L L   S W A L L O W
Information Design & Development Professional
tel/fax: 518.371.1867    wswallow@nycap.rr.com
List Owner: HATT, WWP-Users, InFrame
Co-Moderator: SingleSourcing-Mgmt
WebWorks Wizard     Editor of InFrame Magazine



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