Re: Which product should we use?

["Tom Johnson" <lists -at- idratherbewriting -dot- com>]

Sarah O'Keefe answered some of your questions about the best tools for 
medium-reuse on a podcast on Tech Writer Voices --  
http://techwritervoices.com. She compares Flare with AuthorIT and Word/Frame 
+ WebWorks ePublisher. But she was also careful to point out that you have 
to look at just how much content you're actually reusing in the first place, 
to see if it's worth it.

Tom Johnson
Suncoast Chapter: http://stc-suncoast.org
Tech Writer Voices: http://techwritervoices.com.

-----------
Behalf Of Samantha Montini
Sent: Friday, October 20, 2006 12:46 PM
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: Which product should we use?

Hi there!  I am a contract freelance writer just re-entering the field
again after taking several years off to raise my kids!  I recently
secured a contract position with a small software development company
where I will be writing training/procedure manuals and online help.

The first step involves working with the company to determine the best
authoring tool for the project.  Because I've been "out of the loop" for
5 years or so, I am no longer an expert on the available products.  I
would love to hear your expert opinions.

The company's goal is to have me document something once, then
"re-purpose" it for hardcopy and online use.  Three things they want to
be able to provide from a single source are:
 1.. Adobe PDF's for people to download and view/print on their own.
 2.. Online help organized and linked to each screen.
 3.. Customizable for clients. Ie. We deliver to them the source in
some editable format and they can edit and customize it all they want to
fit their specific needs.
Any suggestions?  I know Framemaker is a popular tool for tech writers,
but I haven't personally used it yet.  Can you create both hard copy and
online documentation with it?  I apologize for my lack of expertise, and
appreciate your feedback!

-Samantha Montini
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Easily create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to any popular Help file format or printed documentation. Learn more at http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList

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