A Publisher’s Guide to Choosing the Right XML Editor
- 1. Wednesday Webinar Series A Publisher’s Guide to Choosing the Right XML Editor August 4, 2010 ©2010 Really Strategies, Inc. | www.rsuitecms.com
- 2. Webinar Agenda Welcome, Overview, Introductions Online Poll Editing Solutions for XML Publishing Environments Q&A ©2010 Really Strategies, Inc. | www.reallysi.com
- 3. Who is Really Strategies? Founded: 2000 Consulting Services to Publishers Specialists in XML-based Content Management Solutions 2007, 2009 Project/Program Management Workflow Analysis and Reengineering Content and Metadata Modeling 2004 - 2009 Technology Assessment and Roadmaps Much more… A content management system for 2006, 2007, 2008 publishers. The first SaaS XML content management 2007, 2009 system A publishing service from authoring through production, where you pay only for the final pages produced. 2004, 2005, 2007 ©2010 Really Strategies, Inc. | www.reallysi.com
- 4. Serving over 100 companies STM Educational Media Tech Pubs 4 ©2010 Really Strategies, Inc. | www.reallysi.com
- 5. Webinar Presenter Lisa Bos CTO and Co-founder Really Strategies, Inc. 5 ©2010 Really Strategies, Inc. | www.reallysi.com
- 6. ONLINE POLL 6 ©2010 Really Strategies, Inc. | www.reallysi.com
- 7. Topics Editing Options 3 Primary Factors in Choosing Ideal Choices for Your Factors Other Factors to Consider Best Practices 7 ©2010 Really Strategies, Inc. | www.reallysi.com
- 8. Choices XML doesn’t always show up at the start of your business process Lots of choices before and after XML 8 ©2010 Really Strategies, Inc. | www.reallysi.com
- 9. But First Why Are We Talking About This? User resistance to native XML editing Users not technical enough for XML editing Users not under my control Real Issue: Creative process vs. Structuring and classifying 9 ©2010 Really Strategies, Inc. | www.reallysi.com
- 10. Common Choices Quark XML Author inside Microsoft Word with Microsoft Word Creative custom conversion or InCopy/InDesign as an XML a tool like eXtyles authoring + editor InCopy/InDesign with conversion oXygen Author conversion Arbortext XHTML editor like WYMeditorto use Easy XMetaL XML Editing Native browser controls Wiki software Serna Custom XML FrameMaker Native XML control/forms software like Ektron controls Xopus browser eWebEditPro+XML XML Mind Developer IDEs like XML Spy ©2010 Really Strategies, Inc. | www.rsuitecms.com 10
- 11. Two Approaches for Conversion from Word Copy edit codes, like <head1> or head1: and/or Conversion Styles and formatting scripting (XSLT from Word’s XML, Perl from RTF, …) Our favorite for simple content Interactive conversion More than a tools like: Best for complex icPlugIn conversion content tool 11 ©2010 Really Strategies, Inc. | www.reallysi.com
- 12. Interactive Conversion from Word with Ictect icPlugIn Prepare Clean-up and pre- process input document Intelligent Content Mark-up entire document or selected parts Check Customizable checks for quality control Format Transform document to a desired output format Integrate Incorporate changes or supplements into the base document ©2010 Really Strategies, Inc. | www.rsuitecms.com 12
- 13. Browser Controls There are fewer XML editor plug ins. There are lots of good plug in XHTML editors. This one is open source. Both are great options for small documents that are highly fielded or very simple (XHTML) ©2010 Really Strategies, Inc. | www.rsuitecms.com 13
- 14. Native (Standalone) XML Editors Creative authoring/production merged with All the standalone XML editors are structural editing to large great options for small documents of any content type and can be highly customized Has an Standalone Browser-based open XML editing source XML editing option 14 ©2010 Really Strategies, Inc. | www.reallysi.com
- 15. The 3 Biggest Factors Users Content Business Process 15 ©2010 Really Strategies, Inc. | www.reallysi.com
- 16. Targeting Editing Solutions to Users Intuitive, controlled Less tightly controlled solutions solutions Non-technical Technical Yes, but more importantly: You can’t dictate to (including You can dictate to (and train) software installation) You can’t communicate directly You can communicate with with (or just too many to be directly practical) Imply the level of customization required as well as which product to choose 16 ©2010 Really Strategies, Inc. | www.reallysi.com
- 17. Targeting an Editor to Content (or a Content Model to an Editor) Standards-based (XHTML, DITA, DocBook, NLM) If you want to use DITA, don’t choose a browser plug-in If you want to use a browser plug-in, don’t choose DITA Special content types (math, complex tables, media assets, …) Editor integrations/features matter Document length ©2010 Really Strategies, Inc. | www.reallysi.com
- 18. Targeting an Editor to Workflow Create Edit Produce/ Publish XML Early ©2010 Really Strategies, Inc. | www.reallysi.com
- 19. Targeting an Editor to Workflow Create Edit Produce/ Publish XML Late ©2010 Really Strategies, Inc. | www.reallysi.com
- 20. Targeting an Editor to Workflow Other Tasks Create Edit Produce/ Publish XML in the Middle And so on… ©2010 Really Strategies, Inc. | www.reallysi.com
- 21. Process Complexities – A Closer Look Magazines Tech Docs Textbooks Reference Journals Training Books Content and Workflow News Complexities Implications Special content types/complex content X X o X X Conversion to XML especially models difficult Irregular content X X X Lots of hierarchy X X X X Many cross-references X X X X Content re-use X o X X Need solutions to convert multiple * X X o X times per workflow or ways to External contributors to whom you can't avoid conversion such as dictate PDF/HTML commenting tools Content returns to authors after edit X X X X X o X A lot of online-only content * X o X X X X Different print and online update and delivery X X * X o X cycles Content updated during production X X X X X X X High (print) design; complex production steps o o X X X XML after print, update of XML X X X after composition, or different Particularly intense deadlines/workload print and online XML Real-time collaboration on content production o X X X X o Sometimes * Becoming a more important factor ©2010 Really Strategies, Inc. | www.reallysi.com
- 22. Best Choices Today (Clean Slate) Magazines Tech Docs Textbooks Reference Journals Training Books News Candidates Best choice for … • Content authored by external authors who work Word + Conversion to A+C A+C A+C offline or outside the publishing environment, XML especially when that content is irregular and/or long InCopy/InDesign + • Content authored by users under your influence who A+C A+C Conversion to XML collaborate on complex, varying layouts Browser Editor Plugin + A + C or ACE + ACE + ACE + • Simple, short fulltext content authored online (or Conversion to XML or ACE 100% 100% 100% 100% pasted from Word) Native XML Custom Forms + • Extremely regular content, even if complex, where ACE + ACE + Conversion to XML or the documents are short or there is potential to work 100% 100% native XML with small units (topics) • Simple, short fulltext content authored online (or pasted from Word) Desktop or Browser- • Extremely regular content, even if complex, where based Native XML the documents are short or there is potential to work ACE CE ACE ACE ACE ACE CE Editor (with appropriate with small units (topics) customization) • Longer documents inside the publishing environment • Content being cleaned up after conversion to XML A = authors C = copy editors/production editors E = editors, specialty editors, production editors ©2010 Really Strategies, Inc. | www.reallysi.com
- 23. Thoughts on All These Conversions Conversion Type Cost Range (relative) Manual Intervention Needed Document formats (like Word) to Inexpensive to very expensive Likely, ranges widely with content XML XML back to document formats Inexpensive to very expensive Can often be avoided XML to Web Inexpensive Almost never XML to print composition (like Inexpensive to expensive Almost never to always, ranges widely with InDesign) or PDF preview content/layout Print composition to XML Very expensive Almost always, but with simple content and disciplined users can be highly automated Even the expensive costs are justified if: There’s an ongoing reduction of manual labor There’s an ongoing time savings that increases revenue There’s a resulting cultural change that moves you where you need to be Understand the model for ongoing costs, and do the math 23 ©2010 Really Strategies, Inc. | www.reallysi.com
- 24. Other Factors The larger publishing environment Content management technologies Print composition strategy/technology Willingness/opportunity to change products to achieve efficiency Existing licensing Existing skillsets CMS 24 ©2010 Really Strategies, Inc. | www.reallysi.com
- 25. Best Practices KISS Add features incrementally based on experience Make content model only as complex as it absolutely must be Multiple editing solutions for different users Lots of user feedback and preparation Piloting Early engagement with key users Beta testing versus traditional acceptance Training Appropriate ongoing support and enhancements (staff and budget) Internal or at least readily accessible expertise is essential 25 ©2010 Really Strategies, Inc. | www.reallysi.com
- 26. Closing Thoughts It is a real challenge to support creative processes in a structured authoring tool The efficiency and opportunity gains of an XML- early editing environment are greater than you might imagine and worth some compromise in other areas 26 ©2010 Really Strategies, Inc. | www.reallysi.com
- 27. A Publisher’s Guide to Choosing the Right XML Editor QUESTIONS 27 ©2010 Really Strategies, Inc. | www.reallysi.com
- 28. Upcoming Webinars Start > Automate > Create! Pay-Per-PageTM push button publishing September 22, 2010 | 2:00 to 3:00 PM EST “It’s not rocket science!” Applying CMS and semantic enrichment to transform book publishing September 29, 2010 | 2:00 to 3:00 PM EST More Information: http://www.reallysi.com/webinars 28 ©2010 Really Strategies, Inc. | www.reallysi.com