TOP FIVE FACTORS 
FOR CHOOSING A 
TECH COMM TOOLKIT 
Matt Sullivan, TechCommTools.com - @mattrsullivan
ASK ANY CRAFTSMAN OR 
PROFESSIONAL: 
•DOES IT MAKE SENSE TO USE 
THE BEST TOOLS?
SKILL IS IMPORTANT, BUT 
•TOOLS ARE A BIG PART OF GETTING IT 
DONE RIGHT 
•CHOOSING INCORRECTLY CAN BE 
EXPENSIVE
WE HAVE AN HOUR TO 
TALK ABOUT TOOLS* 
• Depending on how long Max’s intro took!
DEMOS 
FOR 
TODAY: 
•Interactivity 
•Publishing to 
Mobile 
•Review and 
Collaboration
FRAMEMAKER INTERACTIVITY 
• In the Frame install directory, see 
C:Program Files (x86)AdobeAdobeFrameMaker12SamplesUserGuideOutput 
• Here is the All Content As PDF version
FRAMEMAKER AND ROBOHELP 
NATIVE PUBLISHING TO MOBILE 
See 
C:Program Files (x86)AdobeAdobeFrameMaker12Samples 
UserGuideOutputHTML5 of End User Guide Product AUserGuide-Responsive HTML5
FM, RH, CP, ACROBAT 
COLLABORATION AND REVIEW
HERE IS WHERE THE 
RECORDING LINK WILL GO 
•See http://adobe.ly/Pbdp0J 
http://www.slideshare.net/mattrsullivan 
for this & other Adobe presentations
WHAT’S IN THE SUITE 
• FrameMaker 12 – Long form content, XML (including DITA) 
• RoboHelp 11 – Topic-based Help and User Assistance 
•Captivate 8 – eLearning, assessments 
•Presenter 10 – Screen, Camera, and PowerPoint movies 
• Acrobat XI – Modify and distribute PDF content
TCS IS VALUE 
Adobe TCS 5.1 Component 
• FrameMaker 12 ($999) 
• RoboHelp 11 ($999) 
• Captivate 8 ($999) 
• Presenter 10 ($499) 
• Acrobat Pro XI ($449) 
Or $1699 for the full suite 
Or $49.99/month for full suite 
Most common competitor 
• See next slide 
• Flare ($999, and subscription is $799/year) 
• Articulate Storyline ($1398, a “sale price”) 
• Articulate Presenter ($699, same “sale”) 
• Don’t know of reasonable alt product 
• MadPak is same price, different product 
mix.
WHY NO FRAMEMAKER 
“COMPETITOR”? 
FrameMaker 12 is three products: 
• Unstructured FrameMaker 
• Most like the product MS Word should have been 
• More robust referencing, reuse, and numbering than any other unstructured content tool (in my 
opinion) 
• Structured FrameMaker 
• Full XML editor, with code view, hinting, validation, and built-in support for the most widely used XML 
standards today. Competes with wildly more expensive products 
• XML Author 
• XML content authoring tool without the publishing and formatting bells and whistles. Can be 
purchased separately for a few hundred dollars.
TCS 5.1 
GIVES 
YOU: 
• PRODUCT INTEGRATION FUELING PRODUCTIVITY 
• USER-FRIENDLY AUTHORING 
(XML OR NON-XML – THE CHOICE IS YOURS) 
• SINGLE CLICK PUBLISHING 
• ENGAGING AND INTERACTIVE DOCS WITH 
ELEARNING VIDEOS AND 3D-MODELS AND 
GRAPHICS 
• EFFICIENT REVIEW AND COLLABORATION 
• A STRONG AND VIBRANT USER COMMUNITY 
• MORE RESPONSIVE AND KNOWLEDGEABLE 
CUSTOMER SUPPORT 
• ‘VALUE FOR MONEY’ WITH 54% COST SAVINGS 
RATHER THAN BUYING INDIVIDUAL PRODUCTS 
SEPARATELY 
GOT 
Questions?!
SEPTEMBER 
25
MAKING 
TECHNICAL 
DOCUMENT-ATION 
MORE 
INTERACTIVE 
• GOOD TECH COMM IS ABOUT ENGAGEMENT. WHETHER IT’S 
AN INTERACTIVE TRAINING SCENARIO, A VIDEO, OR 
EMBEDDED 3D, TCS5.1 HANDLES RICH MEDIA QUICKLY AND 
EASILY. 
• JOIN MATT SULLIVAN FOR A ONE-HOUR DISCUSSION OF RICH 
MEDIA CREATION AND PLACEMENT USING TCS5.1 
APPLICATIONS. 
• YOU WILL SEE EXAMPLES OF:CAPTIVATE OUTPUT LINKED IN 
FRAMEMAKER AND ROBOHELP PROJECTS 
• CREATION AND PLACEMENT OF ADOBE PRESENTER OUTPUT 
• CREATION AND PLACEMENT OF ADOBE PRESENTER VIDEO 
EXPRESS OUTPUT AND OTHER VIDEO FORMATS (YOU WON’T 
WANT TO MISS THIS ONE!) 
• PLACEMENT OF U3D FOR WORKING 3D MODELS IN OUTPUT 
• MATT WILL ALSO SHOW EXISTING DEEP INTEGRATION WITH 
NATIVE ILLUSTRATOR AND PHOTOSHOP DOCUMENTS. IN 
SHORT, IF YOU HAVE GRAPHICS IN YOUR TECH COMM, YOU 
WON’T WANT TO MISS THIS.
OCTOBER 9
PUBLISHING 
YOUR 
TECHNICAL 
CONTENT ON 
MOBILE WAS 
NEVER THIS 
EASY 
• FRAMEMAKER 12 NOW NATIVELY CREATES 
THE MOST POPULAR ELECTRONIC 
FORMATS! JOIN MATT SULLIVAN FOR A ONE-HOUR 
DISCUSSION ON HOW EASY IT IS TO 
CREATE THE FORMATS DIRECTLY FROM 
FRAMEMAKER. MATT WILL SHOW YOU: 
• OUTPUT FROM THE 5 NATIVE OUTPUTS IN 
FRAMEMAKER 12THE BASICS FOR SETTING UP 
THE OUTPUT, INCLUDING CUSTOMIZING 
RESPONSIVE HTML5 SKINS 
• MATT WILL ROUND OUT THE SESSION WITH A 
COMPARISON OF THE ROBOHELP 11 
RESPONSIVE HTML5 OUTPUT, AND WHY YOU 
MIGHT CHOOSE EITHER OF THESE EXCELLENT 
MOBILE CONTENT SOLUTIONS.
NOVEMBER 
6
NEXT-GENERATION 
REVIEW & 
COLLABORATE 
WORKFLOWS IN 
TECH COMM 
• AS TECH COMM PROFESSIONALS ARE ASKED TO DO MORE 
WITH LESS, WORKGROUP COLLABORATION AND SHARED 
REVIEWS CAN HELP EVEN OUT THE LOAD. JOIN MATT 
SULLIVAN FOR A ONE-HOUR DISCUSSION ON BOTH NEW AND 
EXISTING REVIEW AND COLLABORATION OPTIONS IN TCS5.1. 
• BY THE END OF THE SESSION, YOU’LL BE MORE COMFORTABLE 
WITH: 
• DROPBOX AND OTHER CLOUD-BASED COLLABORATION 
• FRAMEMAKER 12 AND ROBOHELP 11 CONTENT 
MANAGEMENT OPTIONS 
• PDF-BASED REVIEWS FOR FRAMEMAKER 12, ROBOHELP 
11, AND CAPTIVATE 
• 8THE FREEDOM TO EDIT CONTENT DURING SHARED 
REVIEWS 
• APPROVING/REJECTING COMMENTS FROM REVIEWS 
• REVIEW ON THE GO WITH MOBILE PDF REVIEW OPTIONS 
• MANY OF THESE FEATURES ARE NEW, OR GREATLY IMPROVED 
OVER PREVIOUS VERSIONS, SO MAKE SURE YOU MARK YOUR 
CALENDARS TO GET UP TO SPEED ON THESE VALUABLE TIME-AND 
LABOR-SAVING TIPS.

Adobe webinar aug2014 Choosing a tech comm toolkit

  • 1.
    TOP FIVE FACTORS FOR CHOOSING A TECH COMM TOOLKIT Matt Sullivan, TechCommTools.com - @mattrsullivan
  • 2.
    ASK ANY CRAFTSMANOR PROFESSIONAL: •DOES IT MAKE SENSE TO USE THE BEST TOOLS?
  • 3.
    SKILL IS IMPORTANT,BUT •TOOLS ARE A BIG PART OF GETTING IT DONE RIGHT •CHOOSING INCORRECTLY CAN BE EXPENSIVE
  • 4.
    WE HAVE ANHOUR TO TALK ABOUT TOOLS* • Depending on how long Max’s intro took!
  • 5.
    DEMOS FOR TODAY: •Interactivity •Publishing to Mobile •Review and Collaboration
  • 6.
    FRAMEMAKER INTERACTIVITY •In the Frame install directory, see C:Program Files (x86)AdobeAdobeFrameMaker12SamplesUserGuideOutput • Here is the All Content As PDF version
  • 7.
    FRAMEMAKER AND ROBOHELP NATIVE PUBLISHING TO MOBILE See C:Program Files (x86)AdobeAdobeFrameMaker12Samples UserGuideOutputHTML5 of End User Guide Product AUserGuide-Responsive HTML5
  • 8.
    FM, RH, CP,ACROBAT COLLABORATION AND REVIEW
  • 9.
    HERE IS WHERETHE RECORDING LINK WILL GO •See http://adobe.ly/Pbdp0J http://www.slideshare.net/mattrsullivan for this & other Adobe presentations
  • 10.
    WHAT’S IN THESUITE • FrameMaker 12 – Long form content, XML (including DITA) • RoboHelp 11 – Topic-based Help and User Assistance •Captivate 8 – eLearning, assessments •Presenter 10 – Screen, Camera, and PowerPoint movies • Acrobat XI – Modify and distribute PDF content
  • 11.
    TCS IS VALUE Adobe TCS 5.1 Component • FrameMaker 12 ($999) • RoboHelp 11 ($999) • Captivate 8 ($999) • Presenter 10 ($499) • Acrobat Pro XI ($449) Or $1699 for the full suite Or $49.99/month for full suite Most common competitor • See next slide • Flare ($999, and subscription is $799/year) • Articulate Storyline ($1398, a “sale price”) • Articulate Presenter ($699, same “sale”) • Don’t know of reasonable alt product • MadPak is same price, different product mix.
  • 12.
    WHY NO FRAMEMAKER “COMPETITOR”? FrameMaker 12 is three products: • Unstructured FrameMaker • Most like the product MS Word should have been • More robust referencing, reuse, and numbering than any other unstructured content tool (in my opinion) • Structured FrameMaker • Full XML editor, with code view, hinting, validation, and built-in support for the most widely used XML standards today. Competes with wildly more expensive products • XML Author • XML content authoring tool without the publishing and formatting bells and whistles. Can be purchased separately for a few hundred dollars.
  • 13.
    TCS 5.1 GIVES YOU: • PRODUCT INTEGRATION FUELING PRODUCTIVITY • USER-FRIENDLY AUTHORING (XML OR NON-XML – THE CHOICE IS YOURS) • SINGLE CLICK PUBLISHING • ENGAGING AND INTERACTIVE DOCS WITH ELEARNING VIDEOS AND 3D-MODELS AND GRAPHICS • EFFICIENT REVIEW AND COLLABORATION • A STRONG AND VIBRANT USER COMMUNITY • MORE RESPONSIVE AND KNOWLEDGEABLE CUSTOMER SUPPORT • ‘VALUE FOR MONEY’ WITH 54% COST SAVINGS RATHER THAN BUYING INDIVIDUAL PRODUCTS SEPARATELY GOT Questions?!
  • 14.
  • 15.
    MAKING TECHNICAL DOCUMENT-ATION MORE INTERACTIVE • GOOD TECH COMM IS ABOUT ENGAGEMENT. WHETHER IT’S AN INTERACTIVE TRAINING SCENARIO, A VIDEO, OR EMBEDDED 3D, TCS5.1 HANDLES RICH MEDIA QUICKLY AND EASILY. • JOIN MATT SULLIVAN FOR A ONE-HOUR DISCUSSION OF RICH MEDIA CREATION AND PLACEMENT USING TCS5.1 APPLICATIONS. • YOU WILL SEE EXAMPLES OF:CAPTIVATE OUTPUT LINKED IN FRAMEMAKER AND ROBOHELP PROJECTS • CREATION AND PLACEMENT OF ADOBE PRESENTER OUTPUT • CREATION AND PLACEMENT OF ADOBE PRESENTER VIDEO EXPRESS OUTPUT AND OTHER VIDEO FORMATS (YOU WON’T WANT TO MISS THIS ONE!) • PLACEMENT OF U3D FOR WORKING 3D MODELS IN OUTPUT • MATT WILL ALSO SHOW EXISTING DEEP INTEGRATION WITH NATIVE ILLUSTRATOR AND PHOTOSHOP DOCUMENTS. IN SHORT, IF YOU HAVE GRAPHICS IN YOUR TECH COMM, YOU WON’T WANT TO MISS THIS.
  • 16.
  • 17.
    PUBLISHING YOUR TECHNICAL CONTENT ON MOBILE WAS NEVER THIS EASY • FRAMEMAKER 12 NOW NATIVELY CREATES THE MOST POPULAR ELECTRONIC FORMATS! JOIN MATT SULLIVAN FOR A ONE-HOUR DISCUSSION ON HOW EASY IT IS TO CREATE THE FORMATS DIRECTLY FROM FRAMEMAKER. MATT WILL SHOW YOU: • OUTPUT FROM THE 5 NATIVE OUTPUTS IN FRAMEMAKER 12THE BASICS FOR SETTING UP THE OUTPUT, INCLUDING CUSTOMIZING RESPONSIVE HTML5 SKINS • MATT WILL ROUND OUT THE SESSION WITH A COMPARISON OF THE ROBOHELP 11 RESPONSIVE HTML5 OUTPUT, AND WHY YOU MIGHT CHOOSE EITHER OF THESE EXCELLENT MOBILE CONTENT SOLUTIONS.
  • 18.
  • 19.
    NEXT-GENERATION REVIEW & COLLABORATE WORKFLOWS IN TECH COMM • AS TECH COMM PROFESSIONALS ARE ASKED TO DO MORE WITH LESS, WORKGROUP COLLABORATION AND SHARED REVIEWS CAN HELP EVEN OUT THE LOAD. JOIN MATT SULLIVAN FOR A ONE-HOUR DISCUSSION ON BOTH NEW AND EXISTING REVIEW AND COLLABORATION OPTIONS IN TCS5.1. • BY THE END OF THE SESSION, YOU’LL BE MORE COMFORTABLE WITH: • DROPBOX AND OTHER CLOUD-BASED COLLABORATION • FRAMEMAKER 12 AND ROBOHELP 11 CONTENT MANAGEMENT OPTIONS • PDF-BASED REVIEWS FOR FRAMEMAKER 12, ROBOHELP 11, AND CAPTIVATE • 8THE FREEDOM TO EDIT CONTENT DURING SHARED REVIEWS • APPROVING/REJECTING COMMENTS FROM REVIEWS • REVIEW ON THE GO WITH MOBILE PDF REVIEW OPTIONS • MANY OF THESE FEATURES ARE NEW, OR GREATLY IMPROVED OVER PREVIOUS VERSIONS, SO MAKE SURE YOU MARK YOUR CALENDARS TO GET UP TO SPEED ON THESE VALUABLE TIME-AND LABOR-SAVING TIPS.

Editor's Notes

  • #2 Hi everyone! I am the founder of Tech Comm Tools, wrote a really big FrameMaker 11 book (well, I adopted a really great FrameMaker 8 book for my colleague, Sarah O’Keefe) and help folks with tech comm, content marketing, and online branding via social media.
  • #4 Let’s face it, the most expensive part of tech comm is us, not the tools! Choose the right tools, and you’ll conserve both time and money. Maybe you don’t get 30 hour workweeks, but perhaps you avoid the occasional late night, Saturday, or call to a contractor to get you out of a hole.
  • #5 Before we get to dry comparisons and feature sets…
  • #6 I’ve got a few docs I want to show you, and a few of the changes in interface you might want to see.
  • #7 Here’s a sample of authors notes, and embedded 3d. Note the links we scraped from the U3D model, which is a common CAD/CAM output format.
  • #8 Note that there’s no easy way to represent U3D in browser output, so we’ve conditionalized it for this example. Also, the fonts and skin are simply the default, and we’ll show how easy the customizations are in Session 3, when we have more time.
  • #11 Captivate and Presenter upgrades are the focus of the 5.1 revision of the suite. Both are solid upgrades, and make a big difference in workflow and support for mobile