Write Technology

Just get yourself to Boston

I could go on and on about the value of Neil Lasher's More than Instructional Design classes, but you've already read it. He's offering the class again in Boston in a couple of weeks (August 8-9). Flights to Boston are currently cheaper than you would have thought. The host hotel, being closer to the airport than the city, is also less expensive than you might believe. So sign up. I just really believe that if you do any instructional design at all - for instructor-led training or elearning - you will benefit from this intensive 2-day session.

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Code Search

Not being a coder by trade, I can't completely appreciate the value of this. However, I'm married to one of those programmer guys and he can certainly appreciate the value.

Krugle is a new search engine. However, it is different from Google or Yahoo. Krugle is a search engine for open source code. I don't think there is a limit on the kind of code - whether you're stalled because you're missing a piece of Java or you can't figure out a piece of PHP, I imagine you could find what you need on Krugle.

It's a fascinating idea - organizing and linking to the world's pieces of open source code. Suddenly code that is useful, but had been hidden, is now easy to find. Krugle also allows you to search for code-related technical information so that you can find the answer to that nagging question. I think the most interesting thing is the ability to save and annotate your findings. It's the search engine taken to Web 2.0 and it's a great idea.

As you proceed through a search session, Krugle creates tabbed “pages” for each result viewed, whether code, web pages or other documents. This makes flipping back and forth between code and related information easy.
Krugle also lets you add your own comments to entire code files or specific lines of code, allowing for useful code-centric communication between developers.

So if you're a programmer, you might want to check out Krugle.

Technorati Tags: Krugle, Search Engine, Programming

User Input: My Little Dream

Technical Writing and Wikis

I think a lot of technical writers are sort of steeped in the past. Even if we're not personally refusing to move forward, a lot of our companies tend to think of training and documentation as that little group of people in the basement. Let's get the facts to them last and cut their budgets constantly. I experienced it as a cubicle and office dweller. As an independent contractor, many of my clients find me because they realize - at the last minute - they need some sort of documentation. My best clients allow me to document as the software is being developed, factoring the documentation into the life cycle of the product.  I'd like to take it one step further.

Currently, I might create a Help system. Despite prodding, most of my clients are still attached to basic CHM files. I'm currently using Flare to develop Help systems. Because Flare is XML based, it single sources my content. I create User Guides in Word 2007 (Beta) directly from the Help. Because Word 2007 is also XML based, the transition is seamless. Once the Help and User Guide are developed, my job is done until the client decides to issue an update to the software, usually a year later.

I don't want my job to necessarily end when the release date comes around. My little dream is to post my Help (or User Guide) topic by topic on a Wiki hosted in the same spot as the product knowledge base. Maybe the customer support reps for the software have access to the Wiki; maybe the consumers access it as well. Regardless of who accesses it, the minute someone does, it becomes a live document. Users post to the topic, mentioning what was forgotten or a tip or trick that they learned. When the time comes for the next generation of product and documentation, I can refer to the Wiki to learn what else really needs to be in my Help/User Guide and what extraneous information needs to be removed. 

User input into the documentation.
Learning, and understanding, how your documentation is used.

For underappreciated technical writers, what more could they ask for? 

Oh yeah, the budget to do it. Well guess what, there are a lot of open-source and free wikis out there that are either hosted or that you can host. (TiddlyWiki is a favorite of mine, partially because of the name, I admit.)

Wikis have amazing uses beyond just user documentation. I've attended conferences where the session discussions are continued for month by accessing wikis. My husband uses wikis extensively, as a live compository of knowledge in his workplace and as an interactive guide for a role-playing game.

Web 2.0. The technical writers are ready. We just need to bring our employers/clients along with us.

Technorati Tags: technical writing, wikis, Madcap Flare, documentation

Wine & eLearning

This is such an interesting cross-section of my work and my hobby that I almost didn't know where to post it. In fact, I may still cross-post.

First, I came across a press release about Diageo Chateau and Estate offering eLearning to train their sales and distributors. What a brilliant use of eLearning! Everyday I see eLearning used where it isn't appropriate, because it is cheaper and easier for the company but not beneficial to the learners. From an instructional design perspective, not all learning has to be done in the classroom. But not all learning is appropriate online either. I think Diageo have hit the nail squarely on the head.

The DC&E e-Learning solution has a video host that greets the viewer and gives a virtual tour around the site and offers navigational tips. The result is a dynamic, personal experience that would be similar to having a private tutor, complete with pop-up facts, and extra credit quiz questions.
Further, the program allows the distributor sales force to review and train themselves from home computers, 24/7 and on their own schedule. Most important, it allows us to measure the success of our training through online tracking of testing modules by distributor.
"Training a large sales force to be effective at selling our portfolio of wine has always been a challenge," said Will Smith, Director of Education at DC&E and creator of the program. "With the speed at which brands are brought to the market and the depth of our existing portfolio, it became apparent to us that we needed a whole new approach. Our goal was to create an online-environment that instantly engages the viewer and makes the training experience both rewarding and enjoyable."

A mobile sales force is one of the best uses of eLearning methodology. A sales force (or distributors) trained by entertaining and measured learning is even better. As a note, if the training is not engaging, and the information not applied within 30 days, 90% of the information will leave the user's head. No kidding. This is why it is so important that the learning is measurable and applicable as well.

The press release got me to thinking - wouldn't an eLearning course on wine for the average consumer be just as useful? A few googles later and I realized I'm not the only one with that idea.

The European Wine Academy (EWA) is offering online programs, although they aren't aimed at the average consumer. The e-programs include a Professional Certificate and Associate Degrees, with courses including Sommeliership and Hospitality, Wine Tourism, Wine Sales and Retail, Wine Entrepreneurship, Wine Marketing, Wine Business Management, and Oenology. The EWA is using a course management system to allow students to work together on global teams, chat, and of course, participate in class discussions and assessments. The part of me that wants to study to be a sommelier is someday is quite intrigued by this.

California State University's Extended Education program offers classes targeted at the local community. With eLearning, they can now target a larger range of students and are attempting just that with Wine for Beginners. This is your basic how to sniff and swirl class - but it's online.

I could post for a while on the various Wine eLearning classes offered out there. You can no longer think of distance learning as tv screens or books and tests. Distance learning is interactive and involves web cams, webex computer sharing, interactive presentations, chat rooms and discussion boards. While it does involve self-discipline, it also lets the user learn whenever the time is right, be it noon or midnight. Admittedly I'm a bit of an eLearning evangelist, but the applications, when applied correctly, are neverending.

Technorati Tags: wine, learning, wine education, elearning