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What is it?

The practice of using content components in multiple information products.

Why is it important?

Developing reusable content that can be used in multiple places and output formats saves valuable resources, enforces consistency, and improves content quality and effectiveness.

...continue reading "Term of the Week: Content Reuse"

What is it?

Authoring an information set as a collection of discrete units called topics, rather than as a whole book or help system.

Why is it important?

Readers are increasingly information-snacking on small pieces of content which they find by searching, and small discrete units of information can be produced and managed more efficiently.

...continue reading "Term of the Week: Topic-based Authoring"

What is it?

Content, whether in a textual, visual, or playable format, that conforms to structural and semantic rules that allow machine processing to meet specific business requirements.

Why is it important?

Structure in a document involves identifying the scope and relationship of meaningful parts. Named structures enable both logical processing and independent styling of what readers see.

...continue reading "Term of the Week: Structured Content"

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What is it?

A set of organized, easily-navigated, and concise terms and phrases linked to locations in content, giving users fast access.

Why is it important?

Indexes link concepts and coordinates with metadata, providing users with a bottom-up tool for navigating content, crossing author-created boundaries such as chapters or topics, and democratizing all concepts for easy retrieval.

...continue reading "Term of the Week: Indexing"

What is it?

Adaptation of content to make it more meaningful, appropriate, and effective for a particular culture, locale, or market.

Why is it important?

Localization increases the relevance of content for a particular target audience.

...continue reading "Term of the Week: Localization"