Re: Question about learning to develop online help

[Paul Branchaud <paul -at- VEDGE -dot- COM>]

On Thu, 26 Jun 1997, Paula Puffer wrote:

> Okay, I found some Winhelp software that I could afford for my budget, and
> I want start learning how to do online help. Problem is that I don't have a
> piece of software to document. I'm also one of those people who learn
> better if they have a practical reason to learn something. So any
> suggestions where I might find a place where I could hook up with a
> programmer so that I can document an actual application.

Although you most likely know how to use one, why not create an online
help for a telephone? True, you won't get to incorporate the help into a
piece of working software, but you will get the hang of writing a help
system with your new software. You can use a clipart image of a phone
to learn about hypergraphics and simulate context-sensitive help.

IMHO, a phone is a great way to start learning online help. You already
know how it works, so research is kept to a minimum and you can "get your
hands dirty" asap. You can easily create online help for the phone's
interface and associated tasks. Once you get the hang of online help with
a familiar object, you can "graduate" to applications that use
context-sensitive (or What's This?) help.

It is similar to the RoboHelp tutorial I used, where I had to create
online help for a "robo dog" (documented in their user guide). The phone
idea is inspired from my former boss whose "writing test" consisted of
explaining how to use a rotary telephone (to dial a specific number) to
someone who had never seen a telephone before in their life. It's not
until you try to explain all the minutia that goes into making a telephone
call that you realize how complex the process actually is.

Anyways, that's my $0.028 Canadian (2 US cents at 40% exchange)

Paul
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Paul Branchaud                  "Men, do you fear that, one day, your
paul -at- vedge -dot- com                   wife will run her hands through your
Technical Writer                 hair... and you won't be there?!"
Visual Edge Software, Ltd.             -- Richard Jeni (on hair loss)
--My opinions are rarely shared by Visual Edge and other smart folks--

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