Summary: Creating Online Help

[Jennifer Zilliac <jennifer -at- SMARTDB -dot- COM>]

WOW! Thanks for all the helpful help help!

People really came through with detailed, useful suggestions.
Here is a brief summary:

ONLINE DOCUMENTS
There was overwhelming consensus about how to put docs online:
Go with Adobe Acrobat. The viewer is free, and if we upgrade
to FrameMaker 5.5, we'll get Acrobat included.

I should create a separate template for use with online docs.
This template should be smaller and possibly use different
fonts -- fonts that are easier to read online an ones that
our customers are likely to have.

The online version of the documents should be more minimalist.

ONLINE HELP
Most people felt that three months is not enough time to create
a new help system given that I have not done it before and that
I still have a full load of paper books to get out. People
tended to think that if I tried it, the result would be poor.

I need to allow plenty of time to test every link.

I received two suggestions for products other than RoboHelp: Forehelp
and WebWorks -- WebWorks only if we want to go with HTML instead
of WinHelp. I'm leaning toward WinHelp right now, but I'd be
interested in hearing arguments for HTML.

I also received suggestions for online resources that I plan to
check out today:

WINHELP-L (WINHLP-L?)
SUBSCRIBE WINHLP-L firstname lastname
Send to LISTSERVE -at- HUMBER -dot- BITNET

http://www.kware.com/helpme.html -- go to Papers, Newsletters & Books

Great suggestions for reworking our books for easier translation to
online help were posted directly to the list--so I won't repeat
them here.

Thanks again for all the great input!!

--Jennifer
--
Jennifer Zilliac
SmartDB Corporation
mailto:jennifer -at- smartdb -dot- com
http://www.smartdb.com

        Awarded Oracle's Americas Partner of the Year
            as a Complementary Software Provider

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