New York DITA Users Group

NYDUG’s mission is to provide a vehicle for technical communication professionals in the New York metropolitan area to assist each other in adopting DITA, and to promote the growth of the local DITA community via information sessions, training programs, and networking.

Membership is free. To join, send a message to NYDUG-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Next Meeting

When: Tuesday, November 14, 2006 at 6:15 pm (RSVP required for building security)

Program: Reuse and Repurposing Content With DITA

One of DITA’s key selling points is that you can reuse content in multiple places or repurpose content for multiple outputs. But what does it really take to do this? Amber Swope will explore the architectural considerations. We'll look at reusing content in maps, topics, and elements, as well as conditionally generating output. We’ll also cover repurposing content to use it in multiple deliverables.

Amber Swope, a Principal Consultant in the XMetaL division of JustSystems, Inc., is an experienced information architect with almost 20 years experience in the content development lifecycle. At XMetaL she applies her DITA and information architecture experience to help JustSystems clients address their business challenges. While at IBM, Amber led the first HTML-to-DITA migration project for the Rational division and implemented DITA in a production environment. She is a member of the OASIS DITA Technical Committee.

6:15 Networking
6:30 News & business
6:45 Presentation begins
8:00 Meeting ends

Location: midtown Manhattan, at the Information Builders Conference Center, located at Information Builders headquarters, 24th floor, Two Penn Plaza, at 32nd Street and 7th Avenue (atop Penn Station). Directly above the LIRR, New Jersey Transit, and many subway lines. One block from PATH. One subway stop from the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Two subway stops from Metro North. Parking nearby.

Allow 5-10 minutes for building security registration and clearance (have a photo ID). Bring dinner; coffee and tea will be provided. If you need to reach someone at NYDUG just before the meeting, call NYDUG November Meeting Coordinator Mark Nazimova, 917-339-6736.

You must RSVP by 4:30 on Friday, November 10th, even if you’re just considering attending, so we can list your name with building security (required for entry). Please RSVP to Jennifer_Rossi@ibi.com.

Previous Meetings

• October 3, 2006. XML, DITA, and Content Repurposing. France Baril of IXIASOFT explained how one can use DITA topics and maps to turn the same source content into different kinds of manuals and training material designed for different users and contexts. This was followed by a wide-ranging question-and-answer session.
  
  (PowerPoint slides are attached below.)
  
  (A .wmv recording of the presentation is at http://stc-on.org/online/wp-content/uploads/2006/10/2006-10-03_France_Baril.wmv. You may need to maximize your computer's wave volume; for Windows, Start > Settings > Control Panel > Sounds and Multimedia Properties > Audio tab > Sound Playback > Volume button. Our thanks to the STC Online SIG for hosting this.)
  
  France is a Documentation Architect at IXIASOFT, and serves as Project Manager for a number of technical documentation projects. She is an active member of the OASIS DITA Technical Committee, and President of the STC Montreal Chapter. She has worked as a multimedia developer, a trainer, and a technical documentation specialist.
  
• September 12, 2006. The Business Benefits Obtained from Using DITA at IBM. David Schell of IBM described some of the real-world documentation problems that DITA was designed to solve, explained how DITA addresses them, and illustrated how IBM benefited by applying DITA to produce, maintain, and deliver documentation. In the process, Dave demonstrated how to make the case for DITA to decision makers in one's corporation.
  
  (PowerPoint slides are attached below.)
  
  Dave is a senior manager at IBM (Research Triangle Park) and is the management sponsor of DITA. Dave has been responsible for the evolution and oversight of information development at IBM for the past five years. He is involved with the development and selection of authoring tools, content management systems, and information delivery solutions. Dave and his team have become the driving force behind DITA adoption and education internally at IBM, and externally at organizations around the globe. He is a member of the OASIS DITA Technical Committee.