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10, Issue 8 |
September 2008
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LEAD STORY
OTHER NEWS
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Is Component Content Management (CCM) for you?
Ann Rockley's 13 Symptom Test
- The Lazy XML defense vs. the XML Bloat Monster
- 92% of Managers Concerned about their Globalization
Preparedness
GREAT WEB SITES YOU'VE LIKELY NOT SEEN
Great Minds Speaking Out In Their Own Words
ASIDES
;-)
- Improving Lives with Fun and Games
- And the Winner is...
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
FAVORITES
Popular articles from recent issues
EXTRA
Upcoming conferences
LEAD
STORY
How our DITA Conversion Saved us 100 Grand, for Starters
A Case Study in DITA for Globalization & Localization
September 2008: DCLNews
Ever wonder how converting to a DITA/XML content management system would play out in real life? What if you added globalization? What if it showed nearly $100,000 in savings for the first two deliverables (in 9 languages)? This step-by-step plan, by Jennifer Linton of CaridianBCT (formerly Gambro BCT), tells us exactly how it played out for them. In Part One you'll learn how this multi-national, regulated medical device company planned its migration to a DITA CMS by identifying stakeholders and defining personas, establishing a high-level process and system requirements, developing a content model, and figuring out what to do with legacy documents. In an upcoming Part Two we'll cover future concerns, how they calculated cost savings, and the lessons learned.
Click for full article
OTHER NEWS
 Is Component Content Management (CCM) for you? Ann Rockley's 13 Symptom Test
August 22, 2008: CMS Watch
Early diagnosis may cure content problems. Examine your organization for the 13 most frequent symptoms of CCMP (Component Content Management Problems). This disorder has common warning signs such as, "People seem to be recreating pieces of content over and over again," or "Legal is concerned about legal liability resulting from inconsistent information in content." Use this handy on-line diagnostic tool by Ann Rockley and get an instant, confidential diagnosis.
Click for full article
The Lazy XML Defense vs. the XML Bloat Monster
September 2, 2008: Mark Logic CEO Blog
Commenting on a GCN article, Dave Kellogg, CEO of Mark Logic, suggests what to do to keep your XML from becoming a "bloated monster that's slowly taking over data storage and forcing too much data through networks during queries." Using a system with smart XML storage can help, but storage space isn't the only thing to consider when getting the most out of your content. Producing content that works for you is really what you ought to be after. And sometimes you can have both - content "that does something," and that won't balloon out of control.
Click here for full article
92% of Managers Concerned about their Globalization Preparedness
July 2008: The Gilbane Group, Inc.
A new Gilbane Group study reports that 92% of respondents are concerned about the risks of not improving content globalization processes. Gilbane first began looking at the challenges facing companies with multilingual communications in 2006 and has since established a formal practice area on the subject. This most recent research, based on interviews with 40 mid-and senior-level managers, shares those challenges and the current state of content globalization within various organizations. Results reveal gaps in what companies want and what they are doing to get there; a lack of interoperability of processes such as authoring/translation/publishing; and an "emergence of formal, organized strategies to address these issues." Download the study for free (with registration).
Click for full article
GREAT WEB SITES YOU'VE LIKELY NOT SEEN
Great Minds Speaking Out In Their Own Words
The TED (Technology, Entertainment, and Design) annual conference began in 1984 and has showcased the ideas of some of the most innovative speakers in modern time. Now, these presentations are available on the TED web site. For example, Frank Gehry presents his early ideas in architecture (1990); or Clay Shirky on Institutions versus collaboration and how the web has paved the way to true collaboration; and Jane Goodall on What Separates us from the Apes. This is a web site you might find yourself spending a lot of time on-but it won't be wasted time.
Click for full article
ASIDES
Improving Lives with Fun and Games
August 30, 2008: BBC News, September 3, 2008: Eschool News
You've known for a long time that technology improves lives. But games?! Why not? If it's fun people will do it. And if it's fun and also teaches someone to walk again, or teaches kids to read better, that sounds like improving lives to us. At University of Portsmouth (UK) a new virtual reality treadmill tricks a recovering stroke victim into thinking he's walking more slowly and on more level terrain than he really is, getting him to walk further and faster, aiding in his recovery. In Newport, NC, kids are improving reading scores (one child nearly 4 grade levels in one school year) playing video games. Playing Quest Atlantis, kids assume the role of "junior scientists, political advisors, business managers, or national park rangers," and navigate through and solve problems, while developing a keener interest in reading-and school.
BBC: Click for full article
Eschool News: Click for full article
 And the Winner is..
September, 2008: DCLNews
We wanted to share with you the winner of this year's DCL cartoon contest, announced at DCL's annual barbeque held this month. Entrants started with the same cartoon template and filled in the balloons to explain what was happening. The winning entry was submitted by Beth Friedman, Senior Project Manager at DCL, Sean Byrd, Senior Editor at DCL, drew the cartoons.
Click here for winning entry
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
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"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what
you do are in harmony."
-- Mahatma Gandhi, Indian spiritual and political leader
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FAVORITES
Popular articles from recent issues
September, 2008
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals & XML; Beyond compliance to smarter, faster, higher-quality document publishing:
An interview with Bernie Coney
http://www.dclab.com/pharma_xml_interview.asp
Structured Writing - it Liberates the Soul
(and Makes for Good DITA)
http://www.dclab.com/structured_writing_dita.asp
DocBook to DITA Conversion Automation -
Improving the Yield?
http://www.dclab.com/docbook_to_dita.asp
Striving for Success in DITA Conversion -
A Quick Reference
http://www.dclab.com/converting_to_dita.asp
EXTRA
Upcoming conferences
DCL will be exhibiting at the ATA e-Business Forum, October 21-23, 2008, InterContinental Hotels and Resorts, Budapest, Hungary
DCL will be exhibiting at the DIA Conference, October 29-30, 2008, Sheraton Philadelphia City Center Hotel, Philadelphia, PA.
Don Bridges will be speaking on "Improving the migratability of your legacy content to DITA XML" at DITA/TECHCOMM Conference 2008, November 3-4, 2008, McKimmon Conference Center, Raleigh, NC
DCL will be exhibiting at DITA Europe 2008, November 17-18, 2008, Holiday Inn, Munich, Germany
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DCLnews Staff
Publisher:
Mark Gross, President DCL
Editor:
Diane Wieland for
The Content Wrangler,
dmwiel@comcast.net
Data Conversion Laboratory, Inc.
61-18 190th St., 2nd Floor
Fresh Meadows, NY 11365
Telephone: 718-357-8700
Website: www.dclab.com
Editorial: dclnews@dclab.com
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Content Management Strategies/DITA North America 2010 Conference,
2010 ATA e-Business Forum,