Matthew, I know that where I am located (Columbus, OH) there is a chapter of a professional organzation called Society of Technical Writers(?) or Association of Technical Writers(?). Typically, in an association such as that, there are a number of freelancers, some specialized in Software Documentation, that may be of help to you.
As far as the how and why you'd use the product, you may want to consider a strategic planner, and/or do brainstorming sessions with the development staff to come up with short blurbs which could then be organized into an outline form or model for the writing staff. I don't know if this answers your question but I HTH. Thanks, Mark -----Original Message----- From: Matthew Fusfield [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2002 11:05 AM To: CF-Talk Subject: SOT: Writing good manuals and help systems Hi there, Hoping to get a few opinions on this topic. Most of my company's CF work thus far has been custom solutions, but recently we've developed some apps that we can distribute as a product. (ie download and install on top of CF server) One of the challenges we've uncovered is coming up with a decent manual and help system. What we've found is that the developers aren't always the best people to write the end-user manual - often we'll come up with documentation that is too technical or ends up being a step-by-step tutorial through the easiest tasks, never addressing the more difficult tasks or "the big picture" of how and why you'd use our product. I've worked with firms before that have their own staff of technical writers or outsource this sort of thing; just wanted to see if anyone has any other thoughts on the topic. Thanks, Matt Matthew I. Fusfield Manager of Data Systems Development http://www.ins-business.com/es (856) 401-9000 Ext: 1015 ______________________________________________________________________ Structure your ColdFusion code with Fusebox. Get the official book at http://www.fusionauthority.com/bkinfo.cfm FAQ: http://www.thenetprofits.co.uk/coldfusion/faq Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/cf-talk@houseoffusion.com/ Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/index.cfm?sidebar=lists
