Web 2.0 101: Understanding Web 2.0 and its Impact on Technical Communication

Slide 1: web 2.0 understanding the semantic web and its impact on technical communication presented by Scott Abel, The Content Wrangler, Inc.

Slide 2: scott abel nightclub dj, investigative reporter, technical writer, trouble-maker, entrepreneur, evangelist Tampa, Amsterdam, Indianapolis, New York City, San Diego, on route to Key West

Slide 3: 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

Slide 5: the problem content -- it’s everywhere -- and managing it is getting out of hand signage, brochures, user manuals, maps, books, websites, online help, telephone scripts

Slide 6: the semantic web also referred to as Web 2.0; seeks to leverage the internet to deliver service

Slide 7: web 1.0 publishing to the web; users surf and “read stuff” (if they can find it) web 1.0 sites: STC website, AirCheck, IUPUI, Yahoo!, NBC, Time

Slide 8: web 1.0 content is published to websites; writers create content to fill these virtual places “the medium is the message”

Slide 9: web 1.0 users inefficiently search the “visible web”; search fails to meet goal: finding information

Slide 10: web 2.0 brings service to the web; helps users “do stuff”

Slide 11: web 2.0 technologies improve access, management, and reuse of digital content; supports end-user goals

Slide 12: web 2.0 syndication allows users to remix content; structured content makes it possible

Slide 13: really simple syndication an XML standard; provides structure and semantic value to content

Slide 14: without style, RSS feeds provide a less-than-desirable user experience

Slide 15: with style, RSS feeds provide a positive user experience

Slide 16: publish/subscribe extends the reach of content; users reuse content in unlimited ways

Slide 17: publish write it once and let go of control; content is both human and machine readable

Slide 18: subscribe services provide relevant information, delivered how, when, and where users want it

Slide 20: old info, new views looking at content from all angles helps us make meaning of content; new technologies make content accessible in meaningful ways

Slide 22: the S.I.M.I.L.E. project Semantic Interoperability of Metadata and Information in unLike Environments

Slide 23: Timeline A DHTML AJAX timeline widget for visualizing temporal information

Slide 26: Exhibit publishing framework that lets you create web pages with support for sorting, filtering, and rich visualization without a database; make mashups

Slide 29: your turn how might you use this capability to better serve your customers or improve your productivity? ?

Slide 31: blogs two new blogs are created every second of every day

Slide 32: hosted software online office applications are exploding in popularity; open standards and ease of use drive adoption; offline access now available

Slide 36: blogs for documentation? blogs provide a low cost entry point; blogs that support DITA are being developed now

Slide 37: structured blogging allows us to create structured XML content; uses microformats (granular structured content)

Slide 40: incredibooks.com structured blogging is so easy even kids are doing it (and earning money for their efforts)

Slide 43: your turn how might you use this capability to better serve your customers or improve your productivity? ?

Slide 44: wikis web-based collaboration tools that support user- generated content; users can consume, create, correct, corrupt, and cut content

Slide 47: wiki tools there are many available (free to expensive)

Slide 49: wikis for documentation? wikis are being used to create documentation; there’s even a wiki based on DITA

Slide 53: your turn how might you use this capability to better serve your customers or improve your productivity? ?

Slide 54: tagging tagging helps us stay organized; sharing tags helps us help others quickly; what we tag can help improve documentation

Slide 57: podcasts anyone can create bad audio faster than ever!

Slide 59: iTunes is the secret new audiences can find your content; syndication is increasingly popular option

Slide 62: your turn how might you use this capability to better serve your customers or improve your productivity? ?

Slide 63: user-generated content users are creating their own documentation whether you want them to or not

Slide 64: video documentation user expectations are changing; are you? ﾪ QuickTime and a TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see this picture.

Slide 67: social networks network effects; users share with one another in uncensored online communities

Slide 68: ﾪ QuickTime and a TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see this picture.

Slide 73: your turn how might you use this capability to better serve your customers or improve your productivity? ?

Slide 74: findability web 2.0 makes finding relevant content easy; enhanced findability combined with personalized recommendations improve relevance

Slide 75: Pandora provides customized music recommendations through streaming internet radio

Slide 78: seeqpod helps you find and listen to music almost instantaneously; it also works for videos

Slide 80: tape failure no more guessing what website users like; watch them use your site and make changes based on real user experiences

Slide 82: jott helps you remember what you don’t want to forget; audio in, text out

Slide 86: for additional information contact Scott Abel at TheContentWrangler.com 317.466.1840 scottabel [at] mac [dot] com

Slide 87: Web 2.0 sites of interest Save time. Arrange meetings in a snap --> www.meetingwizard.com Create “to do” lists with your cell phone --> www.jott.com Provide differing views of your content --> www.simile.mit.edu Create/share personalized radio station --> www.pandora.com Find/rate/reuse slide show presentations --> www.slideshare.net Find a conference; rate events/speakers --> www.confabb.com Tag content so you/others can find it later --> www.del.icio.us Create structured content using a blog --> www.structuredblogging.org Standards for popular content types --> www.microformats.org Syndicate classifieds from your blog --> www.edgio.com Mashup RSS feeds and create new ones --> www.pipes.yahoo.com Collaborate on spreadsheets/documents --> www.docs.google.com Tell others where you are/find others --> www.plazes.com Tell others what you’re doing right now --> www.twitter.com Watch videos of how users use your site --> www.tapefailure.com