Xml In Technical Communication

In recent years Extensible Markup Language (XML) has had a major impact on software development and data interchange and has begun to have a similar effect in technical communication. This resource fills an important gap in the market by providing a broad introduction to XML and its role in technical communication.

The Rhetorical Nature of XML is the first volume to combine rhetoric, XML, and knowledge management in a substantive manner. It serves as a primer on XML and XML-related technologies, illustrating how the naming of XML elements can be understood as a rhetorical act, and detailing the essentials of knowledge management practices that illustrate the need for intelligently conceived databases in organizations. Authors J.D. Applen and Rudy McDaniel explain how technical knowledge and rhetorical knowledge are symbiotic assets in the modern information economy, emphasizing that skilled professionals and apprentice learners must not only adapt to and become adept with new technological environments, but they must also remain aware of the dynamic social and technological contexts through which they communicate. Applen and McDaniel use this subject as a catalyst to encourage interdisciplinary connections and projects between experts in fields such as technical communication, digital media, library science, computer science, and information technology. The authors demonstrate techniques for working with XML in interdisciplinary projects with attention to single sourcing and content management. Interviews with practitioners working with XML for research and in industry are also included, to illustrate how XML is currently being used in a variety of disciplines, such as technical communication and digital media. Combining applied theory and XML technology to solve real-world problems in technical communication and digital media, this work provides an entry point for students and practitioners who do not have an extensive background in markup languages, enabling them to begin developing user-centric projects using XML. Visit the book’s companion web site: http://rhetoricalxml.com/

The Handbook of Technical Communication brings together a variety of topics which range from the role of technical media in human communication to the linguistic, multimodal enhancement of present-day technologies. It covers the area of computer-mediated text, voice and multimedia communication as well as of technical documentation. In doing so, the handbook takes professional and private communication into account. Special emphasis is put on technical communication by means of web 2.0 technologies and its standardization in system development. In summary, the handbook deals with theoretical issues of technical communication and its practical impact on the development and usage of text and speech technologies.

Every complex product needs to be explained to its users, and technical writers, also known as technical communicators, are the ones who do that job. A growing field, technical writing requires multiple skills, including an understanding of technology, writing ability, and great people skills. Whether you're thinking of becoming a technical writer, just starting out, or you've been working for a while and feel the need to take your skills to the next level, The Insider's Guide to Technical Writing can help you be a successful technical writer and build a satisfying career. Inside the Book Is This Job for Me? What does it take to be a technical writer? Building the Foundation: What skills and tools do you need to get started? The Best Laid Plans: How do you create a schedule that won’t make you go crazy? How do you manage different development processes, including Agile methodologies? On the Job: What does it take to walk into a job and be productive right away? The Tech Writer Toolkit: How do you create style guides, indexes, templates and layouts? How do you manage localization and translation and all the other non-writing parts of the job? I Love My Job: How do you handle the ups and downs of being a technical writer? Appendixes: References to websites, books, and other resources to keep you learning. Index

"The Language of Technical Communication" has a dual objective: to define the terms that form the core of technical communication as it is practiced today, while predicting where the field will go in the future. The choice of terms defined in this book followed two overarching principles: include all aspects of the discipline of technical communication, not just technical writing, and select terms that will be relevant into the foreseeable future. "The Language of Technical Communication" is a collaborative effort with fifty-two expert contributors, all known for their depth of knowledge. You will probably recognize many of their names, and you will probably want to learn more about the ones who are new to you. Each contributed term has a concise definition, an importance statement, and an essay that describes why technical communicators need to know that term. You will find well understood terms, such as content reuse and minimalist design, alongside new terms, such as the Internet of Things and augmented reality. They span the depth and breadth, as well as the past and future, of technical communication.

Details the skills you need as a technical writer to create both printed and online content. This valuable reference describes the entire development process-planning, writing, visual design, editing, indexing, and production. You also get tips on how to write information that is more easily translated into other languages. You'll learn about the importance of following templates and about how structured authoring environments based on Extensible Markup Language (XML) streamline the content development process. This updated third edition features new information on the Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) standard for structured authoring, and it explains the impact of Web 2.0 technologies-blogs, wikis, and forums-on technical communication.