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.

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 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.

This book provides extensive insight into the possibilities and challenges of XML in building new information management solutions in networked organizations. After a brief introduction to Web communication features and XML fundamentals, the book examines the benefits of adopting XML and illustrates various types of XML use: XML in document management; XML for data-centric and multimedia components; XML as a format for metadata, including metadata for the Semantic Web; and XML in support of data interchange between software applications and among organizations. The challenges of adopting XML in large-scale information management are also discussed. In addition, applications across a broad spectrum are examined and numerous case studies pertaining to the adoption of XML are presented. The book is particularly suitable for courses offered in Information Studies, Information Systems, or Information Technology. It also serves as an excellent practical guide for professionals in information management and provides important support material for courses in Computer Science and in Business.

Written by a Microsoft interactive content developer, "XML in Action" focuses on new design benefits to the user and how to get the best results. Pardi shows how to build next-generation applications with the universal data format.

XML-based Content Management: Integration, Methodologies and Tools covers the design and deployment of XML-based solutions and how to manage content and metadata, a practice that requires a more methodological approach than those traditionally applied to the design and deployment of document and content management solutions. The extensive use of XML implies the need of adding additional activities, quality controls, and tools to the established document-management and web-application design processes. The book describes a methodology that covers the different phases of the content and metadata management lifecycle, from generation, to archiving, to compliance with existing content management and archiving standards. In addition, the book reviews the key characteristics of the tools necessary for storage, retrieval and delivery. - Focuses on methodologies for the design and deployment of XML-based content management solutions based on standards like BMPN and SPEM - Provides an updated view of consolidated technologies for structured data management - Explains the link between technologies for content storage and distribution - Presents the conceptual knowledge to understand and relate the strategic view provided by OAIS with the management of daily operations focused on content collection, aggregation and publishing

XProc 3.0 is a programming language for processing XML, JSON, and other documents in pipelines. XProc chains conversions and other steps, allowing for potentially complex processing. XProc is especially useful for applications, such as publishing, where content may come from multiple input sources, pass through multiple processing steps and result in multiple output streams. XProc 3.0 Programmer Reference is aimed at programmers and others who process XML. It explains the language in detail, provides examples, and contains a set of example use cases. Anyone who uses the XProc language will find a wealth of information in this book.

This invaluable guide places XML in context, discussing why it is so significant, and how it affects the business and computing worlds, most recently with the emergence of Web services. It also explores the full ranges of XML related technologies.

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/

Takes you inside Confluence wiki for an in-depth guide to developing and publishing technical documentation on a wiki. While the book focuses on Confluence, the concepts and strategies apply to any wiki.