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Vol. 10, Issue 2

February 2008

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LEAD STORIES

	The Dawning of the Age of Content-and why Content Convergence Matters We're all content producers. And we're all about to live through interesting times with the dawning of The Age of Content.
	Improving Your Legacy Content with Content Tagging When converting legacy documentation for use on the Web, often the most challenging aspect of a project is converting the source content into content that can be tagged with meaningful descriptors.

OTHER NEWS
- Generation Google on a Fast Track to Stupefaction?
- The Seductive Wiki - Your Mileage May Vary
- DIY DITA?
- Worth the Paper it would have been Printed On?

GREAT WEB SITES YOU'VE PROBABLY NEVER SEEN
Working it Out: Doodles, Drafts and Drawings

ASIDE ;-)
A User's Manual for Seat 21C

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

FAVORITES
Popular articles from recent issues

EXTRA
Upcoming conferences

LEAD STORIES

The Dawning of the Age of Content-and why Content Convergence Matters
February 27, 2008: DCLNews
We're all content producers. And we're all about to live through interesting times with the dawning of The Age of Content. Industry is discovering content as a commodity, as inventory with value, and the rules are changing fast. The new rules are not just for high-profit content like movies and music. What was once seen as the lowliest form of commercial content within an enterprise - technical manuals, support documentation, and other business content - is starting to take its place alongside other valued corporate assets.
Click for full article

Improving Your Legacy Content with Content Tagging
February 27, 2008: DCLNews Editorial
In the early days of digitizing information, five years ago, it was enough to just make more and more content electronic, but that's no longer enough. With the ever-enlarging mounds of data out there, it's not enough to create more 'electronic paper.' There's a tremendous need to enhance the information so it can be more readily found, more easily accessed, and more easily reorganized. Content tagging in XML and SGML is key in this effort.

This article discusses content tagging, and how one might incorporated this enhanced information into legacy documents that were not written with these tags in mind.
Click for full article

OTHER NEWS

Generation Google on a Fast Track to Stupefaction?
January 30, 2008: TheStatsBlog
Being raised in the Google-era might not be so Googlicious after all. Generation Next (those born after 1993) may be adept at finding Mickey Mouse cell phones and Hannah Montana downloads on the Web, but the advantages of being born into the cyber age stops short when it comes to kids' ability to find credible research information. A recent study commissioned by the British Library found that information literacy (for kids in the US, too) harkens back to early development of library skills taught by schools or parents, not increased access to technology. In the future, kids with library skills will have a leg up on the surfers who "get by" using Google. One big concern that surfaced in the study was the fact the Googlers didn't even recognize that they have a problem. That's the first step, right? Click for full article

The Seductive Wiki - Your Mileage May Vary
January/February, 2008: Econtentmag.com
Is a corporate wiki the answer to your collaboration needs? We heard Bob Doyle's comments on DITA in last month's edition of DCLNews. Here he shares some insights into why corporate wikis haven't gained quite the popularity that web wikis such as Wikipedia have. They may not be the answer for everyone. Most lack a few critical features that corporate wikis need to create flexible environments that encourage cooperative collaboration amongst workers.
Click for full article

DIY DITA?
February, 2008: Lone-DITA
We don't recommend DIY (Do It Yourself) DITA, like we don't recommend DIY dental surgery - both might end up costing more in the long run - but we may be biased. In any event, whether you go the DIY route, or just want to get a better handle on DITA, these resources can be very helpful. So along with our other great DITA resources organizations large or small can be well on their way to adopting a DITA solution of their own. Click for full article

Worth the Paper it would have been Printed On?
January 24, 2008: washingtonpost.com
Our December feature reported on how the office of the Irish Prime Minister began using XML and electronic documents for key cabinet reports. Now it seems that two large US federal agencies have also decided to save a few trees (and some cash) by going digital. The Government Accountability Office has stopped printing important reports in favor of electronic distribution and is asking Congress to do the same. And the Office of Management and Budget has stopped printing thousands of copies of the president's budget in favor of a Web version, leading Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.) to quip "Let us hope that they send us a budget that is worth the paper it would have been printed on."
Click for full article

GREAT WEB SITES YOU'VE PROBABLY NEVER SEEN

Working it Out: Doodles, Drafts and Drawings

The first step when going from an idea to a working design is putting it down on paper. That's why inventors sketch as their ideas come to light. So what happens to those sketches after the idea becomes a 3-D reality? Some end up on a cool Smithsonian web site. See doodles, drafts and drawings from engineers and inventors of products that have changed our lives or perhaps just added some color. Take a look at the test sheet used to develop a new formula for the orange Crayola crayon (1970's), the first drawing of a new foot-measuring device (1920's), detailed technical patent drawings for a Maidenform brassiere (1938), and plans - carefully witnessed and dated-for a telescoping shopping cart requiring no "assembly or disassembly of its parts before and after use" (1948).
Click to visit the online collection

Have an interesting digital archive you'd like to share? Contact us at digitalarchive@dclab.com.

ASIDE

A User's Manual for Seat 21C
January 3, 2008: NYT Jet Lagged Blog
New York Times travel writer, Wayne Curtis, has put together a set of passenger flight procedures from the perspective of Seat 21C. Instructions include how to claim your designated arm rest from the "ham-sized elbow of your seatmate," and correct operation of the seat back tray table. We hope these will give you a chuckle the next time you are faced with a "panoramic view of several acres of scalp" belonging to the passenger in seat 20C. Happy traveling.
Click for full article

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

"There are no shortcuts to any place worth going." --Beverly Sills, opera singer

FAVORITES

Popular articles from recent issues
February 27, 2008

Why DITA? An Interview with Bob Doyle
http://www.dclab.com/dita_legacy.asp

Some Personal Observations on Electronic Medical Records (EMR)
http://www.dclab.com/emr.asp

How the Irish Government Tricked 6,500 Workers into Using XML, Without Their Knowing It
http://www.dclab.com/xml_authoring.asp

Making Friends with Your DITA-Unfriendly Documents
http://www.dclab.com/dita_topic.asp

Is XML a Prerequisite to a Content Management System (CMS)? A Point-Counterpoint Discussion
http://www.dclab.com/cms_xml.asp

EXTRA

Upcoming conferences

Content Management Strategies/DITA North American Conference Visit the DCL Exhibit April 7-9, 2008, Hyatt Regency, Santa Clara, CA

PTC/USER World Event , June 1-4, 2008, Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach, CA. See the DCL presentation.

Mark Logic User Conference June 10-12, 2008, Intercontinental Hotel, San Francisco, CA .Visit the DCL Exhibit.