How to get (at least some) work done
When I need to get a particular piece of writing or other work done, and I’m putting it off because it’s difficult (or I’m making it difficult), I’ve found that this simple process helps a lot.
Structured Content Meets Taxonomy: Webinar Recording
“For truly futureproof content, we need to write well, use structural markers, and associate our chunks of information with external data.”
Recording of a joint webinar with PoolParty’s Andreas Blumauer.
Managing XML in Git or Mercurial? Watch out for your merges
Using line-based diff and merge tools can result in invalid files or missing content. XML-aware merge tools avoid these problems.
Redundancy is Not a Crime
The grammar police may criticise our doubleplusungood writing, but our loyalty should be with more plausible authorities — our global audience.
What WYSIWYG Got Right About Writing
WYSIWYG wasn’t just a comfort blanket. It helped writers do their jobs. For structured/web authoring, we can’t go back, but must fill the gaps.
Author Assurance: did I do this right?
As tools designers, implementers, or authoring team managers, we have to do a better job of assuring authors when they’re doing their jobs OK, and provide clear information on how to fix things if not.
Shaping Content with the Deep Magic of Taxonomy (webinar recording)
Using a taxonomy makes you look again at what you are writing. You abandon information for its own sake, and instead shape content to fit your customers. Not only does their experience with search and navigation improve; what they find speaks directly to their needs.
Mass-Managing Adaptive Graphics in an Automated Publishing Environment
Good visual communication is essential, yet graphics are often an afterthought in structured content implementations. We need a new approach to make them work well over an increasing range of screen sizes, devices, and contexts.
Serve Content in Tasty Chunks
Well-thought-out content sets are like a good stew — each chunk has a distinct role. Carrots bring sweetness; potatoes, substance. In the same way, carefully designed information is served in purposeful pages whose structure reflects their intent.
Visualizing Complex Content Models with Spatial Schemas
An accessible way for authors, information architects, and schema developers alike to understand or refine a content model.
Data states, writing illuminates 