9 Questions to Ask for Any Help File Project
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by: Guest |
Every technical writer or documentation manager should ask the following questions before authorizing a help file project because the answers will have a direct impact on the final cost of the help project:
1) What kind of help file you need? HTML help? Web help? Flash help? Java help? Oracle help? Winhelp?
2) How many topics will there be? What will be the average length of an average topic?
3) What is the format of the source files (if any)? MS Word? FrameMaker? PDF? XML? Other help projects? etc.
4) Or, do you need to have the source files created from scratch?
5) Do you need any “browser sequences” (RoboHelp)? How many?
6) Will you need any conditional text?
7) Is this going to be a context-sensitive help file? If so, who will generate the MAP IDs? The help-file author or the engineers in the development department?
8) Do you need any multi-media components (video clips, sound files, Flash clips, etc.) as part of your help file?
9) Do you need a hardcopy version of your help file? Is it going to be printed at a commercial printer?
********* RoboHelp vs. Flare
Let me also remind all technical writers and managers out there that RoboHelp, arguably the most widely used help file editor within the last ten years, is probably not going to be around for much longer according to insistent industry-insider rumors.
Adobe still has a product page devoted to RoboHelp X5 but you need to look hard to find it: http://www.adobe.com/products/robohelp/
I’ve read that the core engineers who wrote much of the original RoboHelp code have now joined a company called MadCap Software (http://www.madcapsoftware.com/).
Their new product FLARE is supposed to replace RoboHelp in the near future, or at least that’s the latest buzz as I write these lines in June 2006.
So if you are a technical writer or a doc manager, you may want to make your own research whether to continue with RoboHelp or take a test drive with the new Flare.
Free Flare trial download is available at http://www.madcapsoftware.com/downloads/flaretrial.asp
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Ugur Akinci, Ph.D. is a Creative Copywriter, Editor, an experienced and award-winning Technical Communicator specializing in fundraising packages, direct sales copy, web content, press releases. movie reviews and hi-tech documentation.
He has worked as a Technical Writer for Fortune 100 companies for the last 7 years.
You can reach him at writer111@gmail.com for a FREE consultation on all your copywriting needs or visit his official web site http://www.writer111.com.
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