If you like writing about SEO, are looking for a high-paying affiliate program from a trusted brand, then I’d highly recommend that you sign-up for the SEOMOZ.org affiliate program.

What is SEOmoz?

SEOmoz is a collection of software, tools, and resources that make an SEO that little bit easier. Its campaign-based web app helps you resolve complex SEO management tasks.

It also sells pretty amazing SEO tools to help you rank higher, research competitors and efficiently manage your optimization. It also provides guides, webinars and a huge Q&A database on all things SEO.

‘If search-engine rankings are supposed to represent a kind of democracy—a reflection of what Internet users collectively think is most useful—then search-engine optimizers like Fishkin are the Web’s lobbyists.’ Newsweek Magazine

Some of the tools it makes and you can sell include:

• Open Site Explorer – Research and directly compare your backlinks with competitors” for intelligent and targeted link building. Identify your top pages and analyze anchor text.
• SEO Toolbar – Instant access to critical metrics. Review and analyze on and off-page factors from Firefox or Chrome browser.
• Trifecta – Enter your site and the sites of your competitors to get quick access to data from Google, Alexa, Yahoo!, Quantcast and more all in one easy report.
• Competitive Link Research Tool – Find powerful sites your competitors are getting links from but you’re missing out on.
• Juicy Link Finder – Enter the keyword you are targeting and we’ll give you up to 200 potential link opportunities. Try the Link Acquisition Assistant for next-gen link building suggestions.
• Historical Pagerank Checker – The web’s only source of a page’s historical PageRank score. Contains PageRank data from as far back as 2007 on thousands of websites and pages.

How Much Money Can You Make with SEO Tools?

You get paid based on the account type your customers choose.

There are three account types:

• PRO – Monthly $50 10% recurring and an Annual $200 onetime payout
• PRO Elite – Monthly $250 10% recurring an Annual $1000 onetime payout
• PRO Premier – Monthly $1000 10% and Annual recurring $2000

How the Affiliate System works

Once you sign up as an affiliate, you can add the tracking code to your site. Some of the key features are:

• Cookie Duration: 60 return days
• Campaign Management: Dedicated affiliate manager assistance
• Real-time tracking with Has Offers platform
• Campaign Types: You can use your website, blog, email, coupon.
• Banners: They supply a great variety of banners and text link.

Note: Paid search campaigns require affiliate manager approval.

How much does it cost to join?

It’s Free!

‘SEOmoz, by far one of the undisputed leaders in the SEO industry.’

Customer List & Endorsements

Another way to reinforce the quality of these SEO tools and software is to use ‘social proof’ and list some of the incredible customers that use their products.

Some of the customers, endorsements and testimonials come from Fortune 500s such as:

• Facebook
• Ebay
• Cars.com
• Best Buy
• Disney
• New York Times

By reminding your customers that these firms use SEOmoz tools, you reduce some of their anxiety. After all, if it’s good enough for Ebay and Disney…

‘If you are intending to build a profile online, a website alone won’t cut it anymore, says Rand Fishkin, CEO of website consulting firm SEOmoz.’ USA Today

How You Can Make Money

The next question is how can I sell these SEO tools? Or to put it another way who’ll buy these SEO tools?

There a few ways to do this:

1. Define your Target Audience – your target customers are not home-based users. Instead you’re targeting mid-sized companies, government agencies, and other SMEs that have the budget for SEO software. Before you start any Marketing Plan, do some target audience analysis and focus your marketing efforts on this demographic.
2. Price Structure – when drumming up interest in these tools, see which pricing structure best suits your customers. Instead of going in low and offering the base package, you may have more luck offering high end products.
3. Generate ROI - One way to show the ROI on these tools is to create case studies (3-5 pages) that show the cost savings and/or revenues generated. Keep these simple and focus on the industries you’re targeting.
4. Email List Building – once you have defined your target audience, written a few case studies, and prepared a high level marketing plan, you need to build your email list. This is the best long-term strategy for creating a relationship with your customers and ‘drip-feeding’ them great information… which eventually translates into sales. I use Aweber for my email list building.

Those are four things you need to consider before you start with this product.

5 Mistakes to Avoid

While this is a rocking product (or set of products), you need to be do your marketing right.

1. Be Specific – if you run a technical blog, run a series of article on very specific SEO problems. The more specific the better. Then quote SEOMoz and/or hyperlink to their site showing how they’ve addressed this.
2. Think Long Term – because if you do this on a frequent basis, you’re readers will come to rely on SEOMoz as a trusted source. You’re also positioning SEOMoz as the best developer of SEO tools on the market.
3. Use Social Media – use your favorite Social Media channels to share SEOMoz links, connect with them on Twitter and get into their loop.
4. Contact SEOmoz – don’t be shy about talking to your affiliate manager. They want you to contact them and bounce ideas around. They want you to succeed, so make connections and see what they have to share.
5. Experiment – SEOmoz give affiliates a terrific range of banners to use on your site. Chop and change these every month and see which perform best. What you think works, and what customers actually click on, may be different. Split test if possible.

Conclusion

This is one of the best set of SEO tools I’ve seen and the affiliate program is very professional.

My suggestion is that if you blog about SEO, Social Media, Ecommerce, or Marketing then there is great potential to introduce this product to your readers and generate real sales.

Why?

• The SEO tools are incredible.
• The customer list is Fortune 100s.
• The endorsements are in place (quote these in your marketing/case studies)
• The affiliate program fees are very generous.

And it’s always easier to sell a great product.

You can signup as an affiliate here and buy the SEOmoz tools here.

Let me know what you think.

Two of our family friends are single moms with kids. They asked me to give them some ideas of how they can get started and develop income by working over the web. One has a degree in software development, while the other is a real go-getter and can learn things very quickly. Here are some of the ways you can make money using your PC and working from home.

7 Web Careers For Single Moms

In no order of priority, here are the different ways you can get started and make money from home:

1. Product Reviews – setup a blog reviewing expensive technical products, such as digital cameras. Write reviews that are over 700 words and possibly over 1000 words. These will be picked up very quickly by the search engines. If you do this right, you’ll be asked to write (and get paid) by others sites.
2. Screen-casting – with the explosion of video technology, you can help software and educational companies with their training materials by developing screens casts. You can also branch out and develop services that help others to do this. You’ll need Camtasia or other Screencasting software to do this.
3. Software Testing – not every company has dedicated software testers but need people who can test software at all stages of the development process. If you have skills with computers, the ability to write reports, and analyze software, then this can work very well. You can promote your services with a niche site that talks about software testing and the benefits of outsourcing this task.
4. Virtual Assistant – I use oDesk all the time for project work that my Virtual Assistants can do faster than me. I’ve found two that are very reliable and use them most every week. So far, I’ve spent over $2,000 dollars this year on Virtual Assistants. If you can provide a high-quality reliable service, then register with oDesk and develop your profile. Link it to your blog and get as many endorsements as you can. Focus on one area, such as bookkeeping, design, finance, coding, typing and nail this.
5. Market Researcher – if you have good writing skills and like to gather information, then Market Research is for you. Who do you target? Any company that develops products, especially mid-size ones that may not have dedicated Market Researchers. You can work with the Sales team and use Social Media, Google and other tools to gather data on trends, brands and customer expectations.
6. iPhone app developer – this is a very lucrative area if you have software skills or know how to develop new products. For example, you can learn how the process of developing iPhone apps works and then offer to do this for other companies. Most businesses want to be on the iPhone but don’t know how to start. If you can solve that problem, and have the development team lined up, then you’re in business. Your development team is out there on oDesk
7. Translator – one of the big surprises when I lived in China was the number of US and European students coming there to learn Chinese. Some of these were charging 50 USD per hour to do translation and interpreting work, which isn’t bad for a 20 year old. I got to know two of these and they made very good incomes teaching other English over Skype and doing translation work. If you have language skills, then target the business sector and you’re setup.

Conclusion

One of our friends is half Spanish and now works with clients translating documents over Skype. There are almost no setup costs. She gets paid very well as these are business documents, such as Request For Proposals.

The other helps small companies setup Facebook pages. She’s used Facebook for years now and has it inside out. Why not monetize what she knows? She charges $299 to setup a new Facebook account with pages and links it into their Twitter account. She works when the kids are off in bed and restarts before they begin their work day.

What other careers can you do online?

Making money from niche blogs in an inexact science. What works in one blogs, fails on another. I’ve launched over 200 websites since 1998 (mostly ecommerce) and about 30 blogs (technical). If your blog has a technical slant, for example, its target audience is technical writers, analysts, architects, or others micro-niche areas, then use some of these search engine techniques will increase your traffic.

29 Ways to Increase Traffic to a Micro Niche Blog

1. Monthly Interview – do a profile every month or a day in the life of your target audience. Rule #1, people like to read about people.
2. Company Profile – same as above but focus on how the company developed, what it’s doing right AND mistakes it made. Rule #2, people like to read how others solved problems.
3. Product review – don’t do a short review. Aim for 1000 words. Look at this review of Camtasia Studio. This will live long in the Google index and generate more backlinks. Short reviews melt like dew in the morning sun.
4. Guest articles – do them and take them. I take guest articles all the time (send me text files, please not Word). Make sure these people have a brain, i.e. that they remember to share the buzz on their site, their twitter, their Facebook page, and maybe on other Social Media networks. I’m still amazed at people who take the effort to submit, write and publish an article but forget to promote it.
5. Be the Hub – make your site the hub for your niche. This means others in the field will flock here to see what’s happening, who’s been hired, rates, buzz, gossip – whatever rocks their boat. And it’s ok to throw in the odd joke to lighten things up. Don’t take yourself too serious.
6. Deep Link – instead of linking to the main page, link to a page within a site. This increases the number of trackbacks. You can also do a Google search for sites that offer back-links and add these to your ping requests.
7. BusinessWeek – has a professional network that that accepts links, i.e. yours!, which get indexed v quickly by Google. You can also connect your account here with LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com/in/ivanwalsh)
8. LinkedIn – you use this, right? If not, sign up and join groups that match your target audience. Get involved. Be active. Ask and answer questions. Check in once a week. Link your RSS/blog to your profile. More back-links for little effort.
9. Connect with Startup blogs – while everyone wants to get on C Brogan, you’ll get further if you connect with people starting out. They appreciate the value and will share the link love. If they don’t, well… PS: here’s the right way to add a comment to chris brogan’s blog.
10. Google Adsense – not very fashionable these days but it still pulls in $750 per month, which pays for the Frappuccino, Cable, and Brazilian waxes. Ok, one of those isn’t true. It’s cable, isn’t it?
11. Calendar – use Google Docs to get it up. Simple way to create high-traffic pages.
12. Add Photos – don’t be shy. Show us your mug! Take photos whenever you go to an event, conference or client. Let others into your world. Remember rule #1.
13. Use Creative Commons – share. Make it easy for others to get your message out there. Why don’t you share?
14. Setup a Newsletter – use Aweber, not Feedburner, if you are serious about making money & getting the news out. The money is in the list. Share useful information. No one cares about your cat’s dysentery.
15. Reach out to Other Bloggers – mention other bloggers, writers etc in your articles. Why? They might pop over and leave a comment or respond in their blog. Don’t write in a vacuum.
16. Add Short Video – use YouTube to increase traffic, cross-links, and to establish yourself as an authority.
17. Offer Incredible PDFs – create PDFs of your best work, upload it to Slideshare and index it in your Sitemap. Why? Google indexes PDFs. Include links back to your site + you’ll see the page rank increase.
18. Create Unique Twitter Lists – create unique and interesting twitter lists. As Twitter has become a wall of noise, people use lists to share, aggregate, and curate information. Make your list as specialized as possible. Then link to the list, not your twitter page. See the difference? Twitter followers will go thru the roof!
19. Twollow – use this to follow others by keyword, e.g. follow those interested in video marketing. AND use it to un-follow deadbeats that don’t follow back.
20. Ejunkie – use this to sell digital goods, information products, online training, or ebooks. 100 times better than Clickbank. $5 per month. How can you go wrong?
21. Optimize Money Pages – log into Google Analytics. Find your top 10 posts. Go into each of these pages and fine-tune them over more. Add 1 product to each page. These are your MONEY pages. Start making money here.
22. Google Analytics – learn how Google Analytics works. ‘I know how it works’. No, you don’t, otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this article! Spend 5 hours here. Do split testing, setup reports, check entrance paths, bounce rates and duplicate headers. All the heavy-weights do this.
23. Posterous – use this to publish your blog posts across all your Blogger, WordPress, Typepad, Flickr, YouTube with one click. Now you can add tags and use Google Analytics as well.
24. Contact Journalists – identify 5 journalists in your industry. Tell them what you write about and why they should read your blog, i.e. to give them material for their articles. See your PageRank shoot up if you connect with one high-profile journalist.
25. Create 2 Sitemaps – add an XML site for Google to read and a HTML one for the humanoids. Check this with Google Webmaster Tools.
26. Title tags – don’t do all the hard work and forget to add the correct title tags to each post. It takes 5 min to get this right but it’s worth the effort. Use SEO in a Box plugin to do this.
27. Google Webmaster Tools – like Google Analytics, spend 30 min in here every week and see how Google in indexing your blog. Look for duplicate headers (i.e. pages with the same title tags) as these lower your PageRank. Also check for crawl errors and others horrors.
28. Leverage Facebook – forget pigville and join groups, fan pages that compliment your business. Add useful comments, not just high fives. Say something that others have overlooked. Add videos, photos and RSS feeds to your pages.
29. Create a Publishing Process – saving the last til best. Develop a workflow for publishing your material. Don’t just write and hit publish. Stand back and see how you can gather information, identify your audience, focus on pain points (i.e. their problems), develop content that will be evergreen, source photos, respond to comments, and get busy promoting. No one knows about your site.

Now, get out there and tell them.

Ok, that’s how I do it. What did I miss?

Photo: invisiblekid

MadCap Mimic 4.0 is a native XML application designed for creating software simulations and tutorials. The newest version lets you import PowerPoint files, has a new Flash engine, print and output options that support conditionalized publishing. While it will take time to dislodge Adobe FrameMaker, especially legacy users, publishing managers and those responsible for running Technical Writing depts should download a trial copy of this.

PowerPoint Import Simplifies Reuse of E-learning Content

You can now directly import files from Microsoft PowerPoint.

• Technical authors and trainers can create a new movie from existing PowerPoint files or insert slides into an existing movie.
• Mimic 4.0 lets you do this by converting master PowerPoint layout slides into master frames.
• Mimic 4.0 supports “.ppt” and “.pptx” formats, as well as PowerPoint images, background images, shape groups, text boxes, and more.

Enhanced Flash

Mimic 4.0 includes a completely rewritten Flash Compiler that improves the image quality of Flash movie output.

Madcap claims that it reduces the file size by three times smaller than with previous versions.

XPS and PDF First-Class Output Types

It also enhances the print output experience.

The Adobe Portable Document (PDF) and Microsoft XML Paper Specification (XPS) print formats are now available as output types, rather than simple exports.

This will help technical writers and others involved in content creation as features associated with first-class output types—such as condition tags—can now be used with PDF and XPS formats.

Additionally, technical authors can use “Page Setup” options for PDF and XPS formats to specify information such as paper size and orientation.

Usability and Ease-of-Use Enhancements

New usability features include:

• Dynamic Help Window Pane Lock lets the translator keep the current Help topic frozen in place while moving around in the MadCap Mimic interface, making it easier to follow steps or other information placed in the relevant Help topic.
• Minimize to System Tray provides an option to place a shortcut button in the system tray (e.g., notification area) of the task bar when MadCap Mimic is minimized.
• Reorganized Frame Editor facilitates the creation and editing of images.
• Expanded Object Support includes the ability to rotate shapes, as well as add loop and arrow shapes to frames.

Other key features:

Like its other documentation and authoring solutions, Mimic offers:

Unicode support for all left-to-right languages; access to these XML files is useful for translating movies into a range of Western and Asian languages.

Mimic is fully integrated with MadCap Flare for multi-channel single-source publishing and with MadCap Lingo, for translation of multi-media elements.

Pricing

MadCap Mimic 4.0 is $299 per single-user license.

Summary

The more I use MadCap, the more I’m impressed with the quality of their products. While it will take time to dislodge Adobe FrameMaker, especially legacy users, publishing managers and those responsible for running Technical Writing depts should download a trail copy of this.

What I like about their products is how well they are inter-connected.

Price-wise, it’s also great value.

If you want a trial copy or are having difficulty getting from their site, let me know and I’ll arrange it.

Likewise, if you have used it, please drop us a line.

What do you think of MadCap so far?

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from ivanwalsh’s posterous

In this week’s process modeling tutorial, I’m going to look at what do I need to capture in my business process. Some of you have written in asking for more background on what you need to capture in your process maps. Needless to say, it depends on the complexity of the project, but, at a minimum, you’re looking to capture the following.

Business Process Design Template

So, let’s start at the top.

• You need to capture some of the following when developing your processes:
• Time to perform each task
• Time an individual or a resource is available to perform a task
• Cost of the individual/resource
• Probability of occurrence of certain events
• Frequency at which new incidents in the business process are initiated

This is just a starter of what you need to cover. If you need to know more please drop me a line of look under the Process Design section of the site.

FYI: Business Process Design Templates

You can download the completed version of these business process templates over here: http://www.klariti.com/business-process-design-template/.

As I mentioned above, we’ve partnered with Klariti Ltd (www.klariti.com) and released some very detailed Microsoft Word and Visio templates. These are on sale for only $9.99 until month end – it’s the promotional price – and after that they go back up to $29.99. They include process narratives (Word) process maps (Visio) and Excel spreadsheets for controlling your projects.

PS – If you’ve found this article useful, please consider giving us a Digg or StumbleUpon.

Regards,

Ivan

Twitter / Facebook / Flickr / Templates / Tips

In this week’s process modeling tutorial, I’m going to look at what do I need to capture in my business process. Some of you have written in asking for more background on what you need to capture in your process maps. Needless to say, it depends on the complexity of the project, but, at a minimum, you’re looking to capture the following.

Business Process Design Template

So, let’s start at the top.

• You need to capture some of the following when developing your processes:
• Time to perform each task
• Time an individual or a resource is available to perform a task
• Cost of the individual/resource
• Probability of occurrence of certain events
• Frequency at which new incidents in the business process are initiated

This is just a starter of what you need to cover. If you need to know more please drop me a line of look under the Process Design section of the site.

FYI: Business Process Design Templates

You can download the completed version of these business process templates over here: http://www.klariti.com/business-process-design-template/.

As I mentioned above, we’ve partnered with Klariti Ltd (www.klariti.com) and released some very detailed Microsoft Word and Visio templates. These are on sale for only $9.99 until month end – it’s the promotional price – and after that they go back up to $29.99. They include process narratives (Word) process maps (Visio) and Excel spreadsheets for controlling your projects.

PS – If you’ve found this article useful, please consider giving us a Digg or StumbleUpon.

Regards,

Ivan

Twitter / Facebook / Flickr / Templates / Tips

Of all the technical writing tools I’ve used over the years, Epic Editor was probably the most impressive, especially when it came to doing tech documents that involved DocBook and Dita.

It was difficult to learn – no point pretending otherwise – but once I got the hang of it, I used it non-stop for over 2 years. Then I switched companies are haven’t had the opportunity to use it again. With that in mind, here is a brief intro to EPIC Editor, Ivan’s favorite XML Authoring Software!
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What type of document types does EPIC Editor support?

First up, let’s define a document type. According to EPIC it “refers to a collection of files that together create an application for creating and publishing documents.”

Examples of different document types include:

• Schema or DTD
• Stylesheet(s)
• Sample and template instances
• Configuration files
• Programming files that further customize the authoring or publishing environment

What document types are available in EPIC?

EPIC Editor supports the following types:

ATI XML DocBook — version of the DocBook DTD extended to provide profiling and equation editing.

• ATI Simplified XML DocBook Article — extended to provide profiling and equation editing.
• ATI Very Simple XML DocBook Article is a schema-based (.xsd) XML document type based on the ATI Simple XML DocBook Article. This document type has no DTD.
• ATI Catalog is an Arbortext-developed document type, based on DocBook 4.0, for catalog applications.
• Article is an article format based on ISO 12083.
• DITA Concept, Reference, Task, and Topic — the primary categories used for technical documentation.
• Book – book format based on ISO 12083.
• DocBook V4.0 – used for computer software documentation.
• News Release – format for preparing news releases.
• Correspondence – for business letter or memo format with several styles to choose from.
• General Purpose Document  - reports, books, and other types of documents.
• ATI-MIL-M-38784C – CALS standard document type.
• HTML V4.01 – for publishing information on the web.
• XHTML V1.0.
• Free-form XML – for creating valid XML documents that do not have schema or DTD declarations.
• ASCII  - standard unformatted text character set.

How does it work?

The interface is simple and lets you get at the XML tags very easily.

This screenshot shows the results of a test on the clarity of the document (ie its readability) and the number of words.

Next is the toolbar.

This offers a range of features that should keep most all Technical Writers satisfied if they want to develop nice, compliant XML and DocBooks.

Note that you can create tags, split sections, insert tags, and check their integrity.

EPIC Editor won’t let you add tags if they are in the wrong sequence. It this sense it can be very unforgiving – but it is simply trying to retain the integrity of the underlying code. Once you understand how XML works, it gets much more intuitive.

You can also import text files from your PC and add them to the document set.

Once you have the document ready, you can compile it to Windows Help or transform it to:

• ASCII
• DITA
• Docbook source
• XHTML

You can also add entities and prolog definitions, but this is more for advanced users.

Tip: you can also select part of the text and validate it only.

Here you can insert markups into the content, usually as tags.

Preferences

You can configure it in different ways. For example, you can ask it to show Attributes, Comments, and Tag prompts. Whichever suits your style of working.

This gives you an idea of how it checks the xml code. Work your way through the errors and fix each one after reviewing it.

Like I said, I haven’t used this for a while. Let me know if you’ve used it recently and seen any changes.

How does it compare to other technical writing tools you have used?
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Here’s a roundup of some of this week’s news. Next week, I’ll add more info on upcoming XML authoring software releases and the new Google Wave platform.
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Adobe launches Flash Catalyst tool for rapid UI design

Adobe launched the beta release of Flash Catalyst, a new authoring tool that aims to accelerate the development of rich user interfaces with Flash. The authoring tool is a response to growing demand for more polished enterprise applications. It is intended to complement Adobe’s Flex development tool, which the company has rebranded as Flash Builder.

http://arstechnica.com

Google Docs now supports MS Office 2007 file formats

Google added support for Microsoft’s Word and Excel 2007 default file formats to its online Docs office suite. Support for PowerPoint 2007’s file format remains out in the cold. The firm has added .docx and .xlsx to the list of file formats Google Docs accepts for uploading documents.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/

How to Write Release Notes?
Our partners site, Klariti.com, released a series of articles on how to write release notes. “Release Notes cover what’s new, download and installation instructions, known issues and frequently asked questions. Creating Release Notes is fairly straightforward. Create a Release Notes template and re-use it on each release.”

http://www.klariti.com/release-notes-templates/how-to-create-release-notes.shtml

Jing Pro Released to mixed reviews
Techsmith, the makers of Snagit and Camtasia, two of my favorite technical writing tools, released a premium version of Jing, it’s online screen capture software. Feedback was mixed from the tech writing community.

Official Jing blog here: http://blog.jingproject.com and our review over
http://www.ivanwalsh.com/2009/06/review-jing-pro-–-record-hd-quality-videos-for-youtube/

5 Things I Want to Know about Project Natal

Microsoft released Project Natal, a motion sensing device that allows you to control video games and Xbox 360 menus with your body instead of a peripheral controller. Natal gives you voice and full-body motion control over your on-screen avatar using an RGB camera, depth sensor, multi-array microphone, and custom processor running proprietary software. Microsoft released the Project Natal software development kit to game makers who want to incorporate Natal functionality into their products.

http://www.pcworld.com

Hulu Desktop for Mac, PC

Hulu Labs lets you play with new products and services as they are almost ready for prime time. Among the new toys of everyone’s favorite piracy-busting online video service is Hulu Desktop, a bona fide client for the service running on both Mac OS X and Windows computers. Hulu Desktop delivers Hulu straight to your desktop with no browser required (though you will need Flash installed). Hulu Desktop is wrapped with a media-center-like bow, with a customized “lean-back” UI that can run full screen and even respond to Apple Remotes and Windows Media Center remotes.

Microsoft select St. Paul for Silverlight Offices

Gita Sitaramiah reports that Microsoft has leased space at Wells Fargo Place in St. Paul, for a software development office. The tech giant had also considered locating in Minneapolis, where it currently is operating in temporary quarters. Initially, Microsoft is leasing around 12,000 square feet of space on the 24th floor of the Wells Fargo tower, employing 26 people at the start. The St. Paul office is a key part of Microsoft’s intent to build around Silverlight, a Web browser application that competes with Adobe Flash.

http://www.twincities.com/ci_12511706?source=most_emailed

Review of Groundswell – Winning in a world transformed by social technologies

Groundswell was our book of the week and well worth a look if you want to get an insight into how social media works on a business level. In other words: how to make money from social media. Customers are writing about your products on blogs and recutting your commercials on YouTube.

They’re defining you on Wikipedia and ganging up on you in social networking sites like Facebook. These are all elements of a social phenomenon — the groundswell — that has created a permanent, long-lasting shift in the way the world works. Most companies see it as a threat. You can see it as an opportunity.”

http://www.ivanwalsh.com/2009/06/review-of-groundswell-winning-in-a-world-transformed-by-social-technologies/

Why Google Squared Makes Bing Look Good

Google Squared is a specialized search engine that creates meaningful data from large data sources and lets you compare this information by adding different attributes. Think Excel+Wikipedia+Search Engine = Google Squared. This is not Google’s finest hour by any means. Take a look at some of the results it produced.

http://www.ivanwalsh.com/2009/06/google-squared-confirm-that-richard-nixon-was-a-quaker-obama-is-a-zombie-president/

Linux/Java-based Android platform to the MIPS architecture

Technical writers with an interest in Android and open source may be interested in this. Embedded Alley completed its port of the Linux/Java-based Android platform to the MIPS architecture. The Embedded Alley Development System for Android-based Devices initially targets devices ranging from set-top boxes (STBs) to industrial equipment running the MIPS-based RMI Au1250 processor. The Embedded Alley Development System for Android-based Devices is available now. http://www.linuxdevices.com

DITA webinar
FierceContentManagement are putting on a webinar on Thursday June 11th at 2:00 pm ET called Using DITA to Streamline Your Workflow. The webinar is sponsored by Just Systems and features Gilbane Group analysts and DITA experts, Bill Trippe and Dale Waldt.

http://www.fiercecontentmanagement.com

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A groundswell is rising among your customers. Are you ready?

Download: Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies

This bestseller has really struck a chord in the web industry. So, what is this groundswell?

“Customers are writing about your products on blogs and recutting your commercials on YouTube. They’re defining you on Wikipedia and ganging up on you in social networking sites like Facebook. These are all elements of a social phenomenon — the groundswell — that has created a permanent, long-lasting shift in the way the world works. Most companies see it as a threat. You can see it as an opportunity.” In Groundswell, two of Forrester Research’s top analysts, Josh Bernoff and Charlene Li, show you how to turn the force of customers connecting to your own advantage.

They show how companies are:

1. Gaining insights
2. Generating revenues
3. Saving money
4. Energizing their own customers.

Groundswell is based on consumer data and experience with companies, from Procter & Gamble to Ernst & Young to a tiny but wildly successful winery in South Africa.

Audio interviews

If your hoping to learn how to take advantage of communities, blogs, wikis, Facebook, or YouTube, then look at the case studies. The list is just huge.

Download: Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies

Recommendations

They are all lining up to give it praise. Here is a sample.

This is recommended reading for people in any kind of web marketing role.”
How To Change The World, by Guy Kawasaki

“Li explains why companies might want to hire some good bloggers, why sending in the flaks and lawyers isn’t such a good tactic anymore (are you listening, Barbra Streisand?), and why at the end of the day companies should think people, not technology.”

Charlene Li on Flaming Laptops, Sleeping Technicians, and the Streisand Effect, Fast Company

Download: Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies

“(The book) is a dissection of online culture as it is a how-to manual for executives and mid-level managers trying to navigate this fast-changing and often confusing environment.” Financial Times

“The biggest mistake,” (Charlene Li) says, “is thinking that (social computing) is a fad, that companies can ignore it, that they don’t need to engage, that it’s for ‘those people over there’ — those wacky companies for young people.”

“For anyone interested in social media’s impact on business, Groundswell is a great read.” ReadWriteWeb

“if social technology hasn’t rocked it already. It’s a tsunami of unstoppable force. Amazon, Procter & Gamble, Facebook, Google, and Dell are profiting from the crest of the wave. Are you? Li and Bernoff are the apostles of the tsunami. This book will be your bible.”
Scott Cook, Founder, Intuit

“Groundswell provides practical advice on how to stay nimble and flexible in an ever-morphing digital world. Enabling your company to respond to change quickly — especially when talking to and supporting your consumers — is essential for business success.”
Cathie Black, President, Hearst Magazines

“The first phase of the Internet was about getting everyone connected. In this next phase, which changes the way we work, live, play, and learn, we’re starting to realize the value of those connections as well as the new communications and experiences those interactions lead to — the ‘human network.’ Groundswell effectively documents this shift and underscores the opportunities available to all from this major market transition.”
John T. Chambers, CEO, Cisco

“Li and Bernoff have written an insightful book that takes a refreshing research-driven approach to helping businesses transform themselves and successfully navigate this new dynamic landscape.”
Steve Rubel, Senior Vice President, Edelman Digital, and columnist for Advertising Age

“Internet-style communication tools change organizational communication completely, providing a means for workers to run organizations more effectively. Groundswell describes how this can happen in any organization, focusing on the human issues, which is the hard part.”
Craig Newmark, Founder, craigslist.org

Ten Things You’ll Only Find In Groundswell

1. Rock-solid credibility. Groundswell is based on facts and experience from analysts who have advised more than 100 business clients on social technology strategy.

2. Breadth. Groundswell includes chapters for managers and executives in research, marketing, sales, support, and development.

3. Case studies and examples. Groundswell cites 65 corporate examples including 25 full case studies in a variety of industries and countries around the world.

4. Data. Groundswell features data from Forrester research consumer surveys in the US, six Asian countries, and seven European countries.

5. Web resources. Groundswell’s Web site includes links to sites in the book and notes.

6. Visionary advice. The book includes strategic and tactical advice in every chapter. The last three chapters boldly describe how the Groundswell will transform your company and your future.

7. Focus on ROI. Every case in the book focuses on the specific business return from social strategy, including three ROI calculation templates.

8. Great writing. Groundswell is written in a personal, engaging style that makes it very easy to read. It tastes good, and it’s good for you, too.

9. Prominent authors. Charlene Li, Josh Bernoff, and Forrester Research are the acknowledged social technology experts, quoted in national media more than any other source on this growing trend.

10. Groundswell’s discussion forum connects you to other social technology strategists throughout the world.

Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies

Table of Contents

PART I: UNDERSTANDING THE GROUNDSWELL

Chapter 1. Why the groundswell – and why now?
The groundswell as a social trend
CASE: Digg.com co-opted by its members
Threats from the groundswell
CASE: GM starts the FastLane blog
Chapter 2. Jujitsu and the technologies of the groundswell

Concentrating on the trend, not the technologies
Jujitsu: turn the groundswell to your advantage
Description of all social technologies with data on usage around the world
Chapter 3. The Social Technographics® Profile

Defines a data tool for analyzing social behavior of any group of customers
CASE: A community for alpha moms
Data and analysis for six examples: Gen Y, Japan/PC, politics, retail, seniors, health care

PART II. TAPPING THE GROUNDSWELL

Chapter 4: Strategies for tapping the groundswell

The POST method: people, objectives, strategy, technologies
The five objectives: listening, talking, energizing, supporting, embracing
Chapter 5: Listening to the groundswell

Market research vs. groundswell insights
CASE: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center listens to cancer patients in a private community
CASE: MINI USA uses brand monitoring, then markets to owners
Chapter 6: Talking with the groundswell

Marketing is shouting; talking is a conversation
CASE: Blendtec’s viral video
CASE: Ernst & Young recruits with Facebook
CASE: HP blogs tame marketing complexity
BOX: ROI of blogging
CASE: Procter & Gamble reaches out to young girls with beinggirl.com
Chapter 7: Energizing the groundswell

Helping your customers sell each other
CASE: eBags creates luggage evangelists with ratings and reviews
BOX: ROI of ratings and reviews
CASE: Constant Contact drives referrals
CASE: LEGO’s brand ambassador program
Chapter 8: Helping the groundswell support itself

People supporting each other to cut costs
CASE: Dell saves with a support forum
BOX: ROI of support forums
CASE: BearingPoint MIKE2.0 wiki
Chapter 9: Embracing the groundswell
Your customers can help you design products
CASE: Del Monte product insights from dog owner community
CASE: salesforce.com’s Idea Exchange
CASE: Crédit Mutuel asks its customers for ideas
CASE: Loblaw asks for feedback, continuously improves its grocery products

PART III: THE GROUNDSWELL TRANSFORMS

Chapter 10: How connecting with the groundswell transforms your company
Transformation builds, step-by-step over a period of years
CASE: Unilever’s Dove transforms its marketing
CASE: Dell puts customers in every process
Chapter 11: The groundswell within your company

Tapping into groundswell power with employees
CASE: Best Buy’s Blue Shirt Nation
CASE: AARF uses a wiki to boost efficiency
CASE: Bell Canada’s internal idea community
Chapter 12: The future of the groundswell

CASE: Stormhoek winery lives and markets in the groundswell
A working day in the future, transformed
Principles for groundswell thinkers

Case studies and examples

Some of the case studies in the book include:

GM, MINI USA, UPS, Network Solutions, Unica, Constant Contact, Salesforce.com, Ernst & Young, Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Del Monte Foods, Sony, Motorola, TiVo, Charles Schwab, BearingPoint, Digg, New Line Cinema, PodTech.net, Yahoo!, NEC/Fujitsu, Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Intel, eBay.

Download: Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies

The entrance of Bing to the search engine market has triggered the predictable Google Killer articles, denouncements of all things Microsoft, and a few insights into what it actually does. This is the first in a series of articles on Bing, where we’ll try to sift the wheat from the chaff, so you can get an idea of where Bing stands in the overall scheme of things.

Let’s get started and see what Wired, CNET, PC Magazine has to say about it.

We’ll also look at what Seth Godin sees at the real problem with Bing and go through an interview with Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO, who talks about where Bing came from (and where they got the dorky name – even he doesn’t know!) and how Bing differs from Google.

Even though Bing hasn’t been released yet, everyone has an opinion. Here’s what you need to know now.

1. Bing goes live on June 3.

2. Bing stands for But It’s Not Google. This is a joke. Don’t sue me.

3. Bing’s search strategy focuses on 4 categories: shopping, travel, health and local businesses.

4. Bing is designed to keep you on its site; Google sends you off to other sites.

5. $100 million allocated to marketing. Mix of online and offline advertising. Expect to see ads in your national newspaper, TV and even on the side of a truck.

What people are saying about Bing

Wired.com on Bing

 “Bing does much more than search for relevant links. It retrieves and processes data, and renders it smartly.

That makes finding a great restaurant or an airline ticket, a snap. But the service is far from perfect.

Beautiful data mash-ups coexist side-by-side with perplexing interface choices that make it hard to find the best features.

Meanwhile, actual search results were inaccurate in some cases, and disappointing overall in the local search category, one of the areas Microsoft hopes to make its biggest splash.”

Not the greatest start. Here’s CNET.

CNET

To be honest, I was stunned by CNET’s verdict. CNET’s pearls of wisdom includes this extract:

“Google keeps improving in the area of in-search collation and display as well, but Bing makes Google look complacent, and that’s not good for Google. For the moment, Bing’s on top in this game.”

Remember, Bing isn’t live yet!

CNET think it makes Google look complacent and Bing’s on top in this game.

The fact the Google is about to launch WAVE is overlooked.

The fact the Bing hasn’t made a dime yet is also overlooked. So much for CNET.

Seattle Times

Microsoft is based in Seattle, so you can read what you want into this piece.

“Video searches are especially cool on Bing. It returns thumbnail images, just like other search engines. But when you hover over the images, the video starts playing right there, without clicking through.”

A nice feature, I have to admit.

But how’s the copyright issue resolved with content publishers?

Does it include video from rivals like Yahoo and/or Google?

It goes on:  “Travel shopping is another highlight. (read that again -  travel shopping is a highlight in 2009!)

Other Bing standouts include listings of topics, such as local restaurants, which are displayed with maps and ratings. Buttons on the side can be clicked to tailor the search and set price ranges, again adding the sort of controls common on specialized Web sites.”

PC Magazine

I’m not a fan of this magazine but its judgment seems fairly balanced.

It leads by identifying some of the problems Bing tires to resolve and how successful it is in doing this.

“Much of the time users are not really looking for a Web page but for an answer. By providing results that answer users’ questions immediately rather than requiring them to navigate to another page and back if the first one didn’t yield the info they were looking for, Bing brings value and efficiency to Web searches.”

PC Magazine add, “I didn’t run into any cases where Google’s results were more relevant than Bing’s, whether I was looking for a specific site or for general information on a topic.”

While conceding that it’s unlikely that Bing will unseat Google, but it’s a good thing for everyone to have more appealing choices, and some competition, when it comes to Web searching.”

Agreed. Maybe I’ll start reading PC Mag again.

Search Engine Land

SEL puts it case like this: “Bing has to be at least 50 percent better” than Google to start peeling away users loyal to Google. Bing isn’t 50 percent better than Google. However, Bing does offer results that are, across the searches I conducted, highly competitive with Google and in some cases it offers features that are more user-friendly.

Given the strength of Google’s brand and its “ownership” of search Bing may struggle to make market share gains.

But SEL is optimistic and predicts it will ’gain share’.

Those potential gains may come not at Google’s expense but rather from Ask, AOL or even Yahoo.”

It’s true. Maybe against Yahoo which is struggling for direction. Against Google, hardly.

But Steve Wozniak was impressed.

Bing gets an unexpected endorsement from Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak was impressed.

“That was the most astounding software demo I’ve ever seen,” Wozniak told Tech Ticker after seeing Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer unveiled Bing at the All Things Digital Conference.

What’s the real problem with Bing?

Seth Godin is always worth reading.

He cuts to the chase and addresses the real problem

“as far as I can tell, (Bing) is trying to be the next Google.

The challenge for Microsoft is that there already is a next Google.

It’s called Google.”

He adds that in times of change, the rule is this:

Don’t try to be the ‘next’.

Instead, try to be the other, the changer, the new.

Even if Microsoft adds a few features and they prove popular, how long precisely will it take Google to improve on these features?

Google saw what Twitter is achieving. The response – Google Wave. Due out in a few months. This will be Twitter on steroids.

Seth hits the nail on the head: The internet works best when you build a network, not when you buy a brand. In fact, I can’t think of one successful online brand that was built with cash.”

Can you?

What makes Bing different from other search engines?

Shar VanBoskirk on Forrester sees it a little different. She highlights three areas where Bing is different than Google.

1. Bing delivers answers, not Web pages. 

Microsoft research shows (Forrester’s research affirms it) that users increasingly rely on search engines to make decision. Hotel reservations, movie listings, gift ideas etc.

Today it’s not enough to have a directory of Web sites. Bing wants to help you make decisions; it’s more than a database–driven web catalog.

2. Bing organizes content/results by searcher (not algorithm) relevance. 

Based on its research into which result types have proven most relevant to former searchers, Bing’s interface delivers content users are most likely to value – rather than content that matches an algorithmic formula. How accurate the results Bing delivers will be seen only when it goes live.

3. Bing filters out irrelevant results.

Bing doesn’t give you pages of search results. The focus is on relevance. Nothing wrong with that.

My concern is that the results will favor, or be skewered towards, Microsoft’s business partners rather than the most appropriate site. If this is the case, the validity of the results are called into question.

And it that is the case, will users really switch over from Google?

Unlikely.

Otherwise what’s in it for companies who have signed up to be partners?

What Steve Ballmer thinks of Bing and where the name came from?

This leads us to an interview with Steve Ballmer. All Things Digital interviewed Steve Ballmer this week and asked him about Bing, the future of Microsoft as an applications developer, and where he sees Microsoft in the search industry.

Here are the key points.

Referring to poll data, Walt on All Things Digital noted Microsoft’s paltry share of the search market.

“There’s a lot of distance between you and Google,” he says. “Is search the most important thing to you as CEO or are you more concerned with Windows, etc.?”

Ballmer: “Look, we’re obviously where we are in search and we want to do better. We’re hoping to be one of the companies that moves the industry forward. The PC business continues to be big, we’re going through an economic reset, but there’s still vibrance there.”

Why did Microsoft choose the name Bing?

When asked why Microsoft chose the name Bing, Steve Ballmer answered. “We needed a name that says this is all about search. I’m not the creative guy, people like to ‘verb up’…works globally, doesn’t have negative connotations. This is a very important step…it’s not a substitute for innovation, but we need to build brand equity in addition to technology equity.”

Hmmm…. Know you know. Clear as mud, huh!

Bing – How it works

Now, let’s look at how Bing actually works

User Interface

Bing is designed with a box and button format. It has a screensaver type  background. More cluttered than Google, sharper than MSN and Yahoo. Links to some Microsoft web services.

Search

Best Match denotes an official or definitive site, i.e. the site with the most authority. How Microsoft decides who is the authority is another matter and has not been clarified at the time of writing.

Instant Answer

This answers questions that rely on facts. such as: who won the last Oscar?
It returns a result for who won an Academy Award.

• A search for UPS returns a customer service number at the top of the page.
• A search for Microsoft customer service number produced no result.

Data Mining

Bing includes software Microsoft acquired when it purchased Powerset, which lets it “understand” pages and perform data-mining activities.

Video

Video searches generate a page with a row of thumbnails. Click on these and they will play automatically in the search pane.

Weather

Bing gives a 5-day forecast. Google offers 1 day.

City Search

Want to search for a city? Bing will give you info on the weather, events, sports games, and video mentions of the area.

Shopping

If you search for a digital camera, Bing will open a search shopping page displaying:

• Price comparisons
• User reviews
• Cashback rewards you if you’ve made purchases through the site

Flight Search

The flight search feature, Farecast, searches multiple airlines by price, hops, etc.

It offers real-time flight data and shows prices, rates, and cash back incentives. It also tracks flight pricing trends and can predict (i.e. forecast) if your fare is likely to go up or down.

Full interview at All Things Digital

The last word goes to Mr. Ballmer when asked about Ask’s redesign and subsequent fall.

Could the same thing happen to Bing?

“No,” says Ballmer.

“Bing is too tremendous a stride. It differentiates itself from Google. It might not appeal to everyone, but if it appeals to 20 percent of them, that’s a success. Ask wasn’t able to do that.”

So, what’s your thoughts on Bing?

Drop me a line or have your say in the comments box below.

One of the questions I get asked from technical writers and content managers is whether or not they should move to Madcap Flare. Many of you will have already invested time and energy in RoboHelp (when it was owned by Macromedia), and now that it is part of the Adobe family, may have some thoughts about its long term viability. RoboHelp was, and still is, a great product. But Flare has a lot going for it to. Here are few reasons you should save your RoboHelp budget and upgrade to MadCap Flare.

1) The workflow of MadCap Flare is similar to RoboHelp but better

MadCap Flare is designed from the ground up by some of the former RoboHelp product experts. The workflow is intended to be very familiar to RoboHelp users to ensure a low learning curve. It includes many unprecedented features as well as a cleaner, more user-friendly interface.

 

2) MadCap Flare uses industry standard mark-up

MadCap Flare is designed to generate pure, clean, compliant XML. There are no proprietary tags, no editor tricks, nothing to interfere with your existing XML workflow or cause conflicts with future tools.

 

3) You can leverage your existing RoboHelp projects

MadCap Flare allows you to import your existing RoboHelp projects, so you wont lose legacy content.

 

4) MadCap Software is committed to supporting converted users

MadCap Software will offer generous support incentives to customers who currently subscribe to a RoboHelp maintenance plan but wish to convert to MadCap Flare. Additionally, we will offer complimentary support to assist you with importing RoboHelp projects into MadCap Flare.

What’s your thoughts?

Is it worth making the switch to Flare? Or it is better to stick with RoboHelp?

Technical writers who use Madcap Flare may not be aware of another technical writing application, MadPak, This claims to be the industry’s first true single-sourcing product suite, resulting in the tightest product-to-product integration ever seen.

MadPak Key Features

• Single sourcing across multiple products
• Integrate media elements into your documentation
• Launch MadCap Mimic, Capture, and Echo from within the Flare interface, so you can quickly insert Mimic movies,
• Capture screen shots and Echo audio to topics.
• Improve project efficiency and consistency and add speed to your authoring with MadCap Analyzer
• The X-Edit family improves your corporate workflow by allowing subject matter experts and occasional contributors to seamlessly review and provide content for your documentation.

Cross Product integration

MadPak is not just a collection of tools; it’s a tightly integrated suite.

For example, variables are containers that hold re-usable text. Not only can you insert variables directly into Mimic movie content and screen shots, but you can also create a link directly to a Flare project.

This allows you to insert variables from that Flare project into the Mimic movie and into MadCap Capture. If the variable definition is changed in Flare, it changes everywhere simultaneously in Flare content, in Mimic movies, and in Capture images.

• Single sourcing across multiple products
• Seamlessly integrate media elements into your documentation
• Launch MadCap Mimic, Capture, and Echo from within the Flare interface, so you can quickly insert Mimic movies, Capture screen shots and Echo audio to topics.
• Improve your project efficiency and consistency and add speed to your authoring with MadCap Analyzer
• The X-Edit family improves your corporate workflow by allowing subject matter experts and occasional contributors to seamlessly review and provide content for your documentation.

Price

$600.

More MadPak Features and Benefits

Technical writers who use Madcap Flare may not be aware of another technical writing application, MadPak, This claims to be the industry’s first true single-sourcing product suite, resulting in the tightest product-to-product integration ever seen.

MadPak Key Features

• Single sourcing across multiple products
• Integrate media elements into your documentation
• Launch MadCap Mimic, Capture, and Echo from within the Flare interface, so you can quickly insert Mimic movies,
• Capture screen shots and Echo audio to topics.
• Improve project efficiency and consistency and add speed to your authoring with MadCap Analyzer
• The X-Edit family improves your corporate workflow by allowing subject matter experts and occasional contributors to seamlessly review and provide content for your documentation.

Cross Product integration

MadPak is not just a collection of tools; it’s a tightly integrated suite.

For example, variables are containers that hold re-usable text. Not only can you insert variables directly into Mimic movie content and screen shots, but you can also create a link directly to a Flare project.

This allows you to insert variables from that Flare project into the Mimic movie and into MadCap Capture. If the variable definition is changed in Flare, it changes everywhere simultaneously in Flare content, in Mimic movies, and in Capture images.

• Single sourcing across multiple products
• Seamlessly integrate media elements into your documentation
• Launch MadCap Mimic, Capture, and Echo from within the Flare interface, so you can quickly insert Mimic movies, Capture screen shots and Echo audio to topics.
• Improve your project efficiency and consistency and add speed to your authoring with MadCap Analyzer
• The X-Edit family improves your corporate workflow by allowing subject matter experts and occasional contributors to seamlessly review and provide content for your documentation.

Price

$600.

More MadPak Features and Benefits

Peter Feerick over on Tech Support Alerts reviews the best screen capture software. I’ve used Camtasia, Snagit and recently Jing, which he includes in this review.

These utilities are normally used for effectively making movies of computer screens. Such utilities are really useful in tech support, product documentation, presentations, or simply showing someone how to do something.

Jing, which is made by the same people who make Camtasia Studio (but free), puts a little icon on the top of your screen and allows you to take screen snapshots and make screen recordings that record to .swf format.

Peter adds that “The result can then be saved to your local machine, an FTP server, or put on screencast.com (100 meg free).  I’ve started using this at work and it is amazing!  Allows for audio while you record too.”I tried each and they all work fine. I liked Wink most because of its ease of use, great flexibility, and powerful annotation features. Wink also allows audio to be embedded in the presentation, allowing you to narrate the viewer through a series of steps. It only produces movies in Flash or executable file formats, though. Wink is freeware for Windows 98 and later.

Full review of Screen Capture Software here

This week we look at MindTouch 2009 Standard. This offers Wiki-style collaboration enabling users to connect with each other through Wiki pages that can be created, edited, and processed by the team in different.

Each wiki page has a familiar user interface (i.e. standardized template) linking to wiki collaboration features such as WYSIWYG text editing, multimedia content management, file attachments, page linking and organization, versioning, and user permissions. Here is list of the key features.

Wiki Collaboration

Intuitive wiki collaboration for the enterprise.

Learn More About

Wiki Collaboration

Features

• WYSIWYG Page Creation
• Hierarchical Pages
• Content Management
• Search
• Document Attachments
• Versioning, Revisioning
• Alerts & Notifications

Benefits

• Significantly easier for end-users to participate and derive value
• Increased productivity from easy finding and organizing content and great WYSIWYG interface for editing content
• Quick time to value resulting from high usability

Users & Privacy

Easily permission pages, files and workspaces by user or groups.

Learn More About

Users & Privacy

Features

• Multi-level Permissioning for pages, and workspaces
• Intuitive user management tools for roles and user groups
• Authentication support for Drupal, WordPress, Mambo, Joomla, and other systems
• Support for Active Directory and LDAP

Benefits

• Quickly and efficiently apply privacy and security rules
• Easily set user permissioning to suit all business and enterprise needs
• Quickly create new users and allow them to manage their own passwords
• Minimize management headaches by reusing existing application’s authentication

Desktop Tools

Publish and edit MindTouch pages and files directly from your desktop.

Learn More About

Desktop Tools

• Efficiently share files and emails by providing a web-based wrapper with MindTouch
• Find published pages, emails and files quickly with the built-in enterprise grade search in MindTouch
• Evolve stagnate files and email threads into a MindTouch-powered collaborative knowledge base

Mashups

Flexibly surface and mashup data and behavior while still adhering to internal security and identity policies.

Learn More About

Mashups

Features

• Ships with more than 100 web-services to dozens of providers pre-configured, including: Microsoft Windows Live, Amazon, Google, Yahoo, Widgetbox, and many more…
• Mashup data and applications client side or server side
• Easily create publish-subscribe (pub/sub) relationship with in-page communication bus
• Save mashups, dynamic reports and situational applications as parameterized templates
• Register external databases, with or without pre-defined queries
• ADO.NET supported
• Easily add additional web-services and external applications
• Surface data and behavior seamlessly

Benefits

• Optimize your business processes by providing a common interface to multiple commonly used applications and data sources
• Capture your processes in mashups and situational apps stored in MindTouch Deki templates. Share and iterate to improve corporate wide or workgroup efficiency
• Consume and share information faster with dynamic reports and data visualization

Authentication & Security

Enterprise ready with LDAP(S), Active Directory, SSL and TLS supported.

Features

• LDAP and Active Directory support
• Support for internal and external users and groups
• SSL and TLS support
• Extensible 64-bit user roles leave room to grow as needs evolve
• Authenticate against any number of external applications (Drupal, Joomla, WordPress, etc..) and enterprise directory services

Benefits

• Easily adapt MindTouch Deki to your enterprise security and authentication policies and needs
• Reuse existing systems and directory services
• Ensure secure communication with encryption
• Avoid user management nightmares with built-in LDAP and Active Directory support

IT Governance

Securely add 2.0 to your enterprise with IT governance.

Learn More About

IT Governance

Features

• Expose data and behavior from enterprise legacy systems, Web 2.0 applications/services, and data stores
• Create mashups of business data
• Create composite applications from multiple systems
• Enterprise directory services support

Benefits

• Connect people, enterprise systems, Web 2.0 applications/services and data sources with IT governance
• Allow users to reorganize data and systems to suit their needs as they evolve
• Realize more value from existing systems and IT infrastructure
• Unified governance over a distributed system that is your IT infrastructure
• IT managers determine which services can be used by whom and what data can be accessed on a case-by-case basis
• Maintain security standards and practices established by the enterprise while allowing users to access the data they need in the way that suits them best
• With an integration layer and a common user interface MindTouch Deki provides an alternative interface to a variety of legacy systems that are often inherently difficult to use

Architecture

MindTouch DREAM, a web oriented service bus, and a web services orchestration engine reduces network latency because it is a distributed system.

Features

• Web Oriented Architecture
• RESTful API
• Web-service orchestration engine
• Application behavior exposed via REST web-services
• Application data accessible via REST API
• Platform independent – installs on all popular operating systems
• Technology agnostic – extend the platform in any programming language

Benefits

• Easily embed MindTouch Deki into existing applications
• Add collaborative and social capabilities to existing systems with RESTful services
• Connect disparate systems and data sources and collaborate

Read more Features and Benefits – Business Automation, Enterprise 2.0 Software

Think of Twitter with sound. Chirbits are short audio clips. Record them directly on the site with your microphone, webcam, or record the file in an external program such as Audacity if you want more creative control. Chirbits.com accept MP3 or WAV files. The next release will support other audio formats. You can create MP3s or WAVs in a number of ways.

How long can my chirbit be?

You can record as long as you like. There is no 12 second limit.

What is branching fiction?

One person starts the story with a seed sentence. The next continues it with the next sentence and so on.

What audio types can I upload?

You can upload mp3 and wav files. If you upload a wav file it is converted to mp3.

Who’s behind Chirbit?

It’s privately funded by Ivan Reyes of 23d digital media.

Free Download at: http://www.chirbit.com/home

Technical writers and information developers will be interested in the latest release from Bluestream Database Software Corp. Its flagship XML content management solutions, Bluestream XDocs is now available and offers a standards-based DITA Content Management System (CMS) meant to handle the management of content components.

The XDocs system ships with:

• Fully configured XML editor
• PDF rendering server (XEP by RenderX)
• Knowledge Base Creator.

Technical material

XDocs is ideal for creating and publishing:

• Technical documentation (user guides, maintenance and reference manuals, training guides)
• Policy and procedure manuals, particularly when multiple versions need to be published
• Web content
• Single-sourcing of technical material for publication to multiple outputs (such as a corporate knowledge base or site for use by customer service agents)
• XDocs is an out-of-the-box solution that comes preconfigured to immediately create topic-based content in the DITA format.

Smart content applications

As XDOcs is an open system, it has excellent interoperability with other systems, pulling in content and data from multiple sources and automatic publishing to multiple channels.

Finally, this single-sourcing solution enables technical communicators, content contributors and information developers to create, manage, and store large volumes of both XML and non-XML content.

Pricing Bluestream XDocs XML CCMS

3 or fewer authors, unlimited reviewers – $5,000 USD
4 or more authors, unlimited reviewers – $10,000 USD

Included in both packages:
1 site license of RenderX publishing engine
1 site license of XMLmind

Discounts

Discounts are available to OEM and volume solution providers, systems integrators, and value-added resellers.

40% educational discount from standard prices for non-commercial educational licenses (server not used in the operation of a business, and no income derived from operation of the system), available to educational institutions, students, researchers, and faculty.

XStreamDB 3.2 Native XML DBMS

Licenses are based on transaction and document capacity per server.

License Type Usage Max Storage Cost

Developer development unlimited $500/seat

Prod Level 2 deployment unlimited $3,000/server

Education instruction unlimited Free

Evaluation licenses

For 15-day evaluation copy, please contact sales@bluestream.com

DITA Content Maangment Strategies – Download

"We are at the tipping point with DITA, RSS, XML, Atom." It’s possible to provide the right content in meaningful ways,” says Whit Andrews, Vice President of Enterprise Search at Gartner.

CMS note that, “Some of the predictions were right on target, as far as I am concerned, but I’d imagine the drastic changes that are predicted are very scary for many knowledge workers.”

Mr Andrews adds that, "By 2013, more than 25% of documents workers see will be dominated by non-textual content,"

Recommended: This book presents a practical approach to creating information using the Darwinian Information Typing Architecture (DITA). It covers everything from planning the project to writing the topics that comprise an information set.

Consumers love video, especially for topic-based content like procedures (how-to instructions) traditionally encapsulated in technical documentation (user-guides, online help, etc.). The technology and standards are available.

We’re already able to create components of video content and wrap it in DITA and deliver those components on demand as video documentation.

More at http://www.cmswire.com/cms/enterprise-cms

Paul Pehrson’s review of Flare 4 is worth printing out. Yes, it’s that good.

“Direct to PDF Output – This feature, alone, is worth the price of the Flare upgrade; it is by far, my favorite feature in Flare 4. When you are creating a target, you can select PDF Output as your target type. When you build your target, Flare creates a PDF file directly. You don’t need Word, Acrobat, or Framemaker installed. When you have a PDF target as your primary target, even document previews build in a small, single-topic PDF file so you can see how your document will render in the PDF output”

Link: MadCap Flare 4 Preview (aka Ten Things to Love about Flare 4)