web 2.0 101: understanding web 2.0 and its impact on technical communication

web 2.0understanding the semantic web

and its impact on technical communication

presented by Scott Abel, The Content Wrangler, Inc.

scott abelnightclub dj, investigative reporter, technical

writer, trouble-maker, entrepreneur, evangelist

Tampa, Amsterdam, Indianapolis, New York City, San Diego, on route to Key West

advocate for change

technical writing skills are easy to duplicate;user expectations are changing faster than we are

blogs, user-generated content, handhelds, virtual worlds, podcasts, geospatial positioning

the problemcontent -- it’s everywhere --

and managing it is getting out of hand

signage, brochures, user manuals, maps, books, websites, online help, telephone scripts

the semantic webalso referred to as Web 2.0;

seeks to leverage the internet to deliver service

web 1.0publishing to the web;

users surf and “read stuff” (if they can find it)

web 1.0 sites: STC website, AirCheck, IUPUI, Yahoo!, NBC, Time

web 1.0content is published to websites;

writers create content to fill these virtual places

“the medium is the message”

web 1.0users inefficiently search the “visible web”;

search fails to meet goal: finding information

web 2.0brings service to the web;

helps users “do stuff”

web 2.0technologies improve access, management, and reuse of digital content; supports end-user goals

web 2.0syndication allows users to remix content;

structured content makes it possible

really simple syndication

an XML standard; provides structure and semantic value to content

without style,without style,RSS feeds provide aRSS feeds provide aless-than-desirableless-than-desirable

user experienceuser experience

with style,with style,RSS feeds provide a RSS feeds provide a

positivepositiveuser experienceuser experience

publish/subscribeextends the reach of content;

users reuse content in unlimited ways

publishwrite it once and let go of control;

content is both human and machine readable

subscribeservices provide relevant information, delivered

how, when, and where users want it

old info, new viewslooking at content from all angles helps us make meaning of content;

new technologies make content accessible in meaningful ways

the S.I.M.I.L.E. project

Semantic Interoperability of Metadata and Information in unLike Environments

TimelineA DHTML AJAX timeline widget

for visualizing temporal information

Exhibitpublishing framework that lets you create web pages with support for

sorting, filtering, and rich visualization without a database; make mashups

your turnhow might you use this capability to better serve

your customers or improve your productivity?

?

blogstwo new blogs are created every second of every day

hosted softwareonline office applications are exploding in popularity; open standards

and ease of use drive adoption; offline access now available

blogs for documentation?

blogs provide a low cost entry point;blogs that support DITA are being developed now

structured blogging

allows us to create structured XML content;uses microformats (granular structured content)

incredibooks.comstructured blogging is so easy even kids are doing it

(and earning money for their efforts)

your turnhow might you use this capability to better serve

your customers or improve your productivity?

?

wikisweb-based collaboration tools that support user-generated content;

users can consume, create, correct, corrupt, and cut content

wiki toolsthere are many available (free to expensive)

wikis for documentation?wikis are being used to create documentation;

there’s even a wiki based on DITA

your turnhow might you use this capability to better serve

your customers or improve your productivity?

?

taggingtagging helps us stay organized;

sharing tags helps us help others quickly;what we tag can help improve documentation

podcastsanyone can create bad audio faster than ever!

iTunes is the secret

new audiences can find your content;syndication is increasingly popular option

your turnhow might you use this capability to better serve

your customers or improve your productivity?

?

user-generated content

users are creating their own documentation whether you want them to or not

video documentation

user expectations are changing; are you?

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

social networksnetwork effects; users share with one another in

uncensored online communities

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

your turnhow might you use this capability to better serve

your customers or improve your productivity?

?

findabilityweb 2.0 makes finding relevant content easy; enhanced findability combined with personalized recommendations improve relevance

Pandoraprovides customized music recommendations

through streaming internet radio

seeqpodhelps you find and listen to music almost instantaneously; it also works for videos

tape failureno more guessing what website users like; watch them use your

site and make changes based on real user experiences

jotthelps you remember what you don’t want to

forget; audio in, text out

for additional information

contact Scott Abel at TheContentWrangler.com317.466.1840 scottabel [at] mac [dot] com

www.meetingwizard.comwww.jott.comwww.simile.mit.eduwww.pandora.comwww.slideshare.netwww.confabb.comwww.del.icio.uswww.structuredblogging.orgwww.microformats.orgwww.edgio.comwww.pipes.yahoo.comwww.docs.google.comwww.plazes.comwww.twitter.comwww.tapefailure.com

Save time. Arrange meetings in a snap -->Create “to do” lists with your cell phone -->Provide differing views of your content -->Create/share personalized radio station -->Find/rate/reuse slide show presentations -->Find a conference; rate events/speakers -->Tag content so you/others can find it later -->Create structured content using a blog -->Standards for popular content types -->Syndicate classifieds from your blog -->Mashup RSS feeds and create new ones -->Collaborate on spreadsheets/documents -->Tell others where you are/find others -->Tell others what you’re doing right now -->Watch videos of how users use your site -->

Web 2.0 sites of interest