ETWR 2374 Online Helps & Help-Authoring Tools:
Class E-Mail Archive

Original e-mail (sent Mon May 7 20:36:30 CDT 2012)
From:
Subject: ETWR 2374 Flare Version 8 License
It took some work MadCap folks FINALLY got us a key for version 8, if anyone needs it.

Here is a 15 user key, each student will have to activate it with v8.

kxii5-k0804-b66dc-5680f-41f38-eefa2-8d577-70979

Sorry for the delay-

Leah

Original e-mail (sent Sun May 6 12:30:15 CDT 2012)
From:
Subject: ETWR 2374 Cross-references
I am trying to implement a cross-reference but the option is greyed out in RH9 when I select properties on the entry from my Index pod. I followed the RH9 Help directions below but get stuck with the greyed out option. Is there a trick to doing this?

Cross-reference index keywords

You can cross-reference index keywords so that when users select the cross-referenced keyword in the index, an alternate keyword appears. The user can select it to display the topic.

You can cross-reference only index file keywords.

In the Index pod, add a keyword to cross-reference. (This keyword links to the alternate keyword).

Right-click a keyword. Select Properties.

Select Cross-References. From the pop-up menu, select an alternate keyword.

The cross-reference appears in the lower panel of the Index Designer.

E-mail reply (sent Thu May 3 22:01:56 CDT 2012)
From: Steve K
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Some Robohelp questions
Karmon,
I rename the CHM to DOC and ACC mail usually takes it. If I need to send the entire folder, I ZIP with password and rename extension. ACCmail reads header info on files and will reject ZIP files as a security concern. There may an easier way but this has worked for me this semester.

I have bookmarked specific locations that I can access through sub-index entries using forward slashes if that's what you mean by cross-references. Did this help ?

E-mail reply (sent Thu May 3 21:40:32 CDT 2012)
From: karmon h
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Some Robohelp questions
Send your renamed .chm file to leahvanceacc@yahoo.com and it will accept it Karmon

Original e-mail (sent Wed May 2 17:22:43 CDT 2012)
From: karmon h
Subject: ETWR 2374 Some Robohelp questions
Hi everyone,
Now that I've switched to a different computer in order to run a second Robohelp trial, I'm suddenly having trouble emailing the .chm files. I know that we are supposed to rename them to .txt or .xxx or something like that, and then zip them, and gmail should accept those. That used to work for me, but now it's not. Anyone else having the same problem? I've had to resort to using YouSendIt.
Also, anyone know, in an index, how to cross reference to a SUB entry? Main entries seem to be the only options for cross referencing.
Thanks!
Portia

E-mail reply (sent Sat Apr 28 14:47:15 CDT 2012)
From: PortiaZ
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Problem with Flare License/Educational Key
The problem is that the license key was valid for a previous version of Flare which is not the most
recent version. Eaton was working on getting that resolved with Madcap so I'd check with her (I couldn't
stand Flare so I'm borrowing a computer to download another Robohelp trial).

Original e-mail (sent Sat Apr 28 14:41:51 CDT 2012)
From: PortiaZ
Subject: ETWR 2374 Problem with Flare License/Educational Key
Hi,
I'm trying out Flare. I downloaded Flare as a trial copy and installed it. When I start Flare, I try to enter the educational key Leah sent us in a Feb. 19 email and I get a message that the code is invalid.
I can use the trial version except letters in the text are switched around. The functions work correctly, but Flare intently changes spelling of words.
Did anyone else have a problem with the educational key?
Maybe our ability to enter this educational key had a time limit from Feb. 19 though if you have already used the key it lasts until May 21?
Thanks.

E-mail reply (sent Mon Apr 23 13:59:12 CDT 2012)
From: Shrie S.
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Disappearing quiz grades?

I still have one missing that I just took... I guess I will wait to see if it populates and if it
doesn't take it one more time! Thanks.

E-mail reply (sent Mon Apr 23 13:57:31 CDT 2012)
From: David McMurrey
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Disappearing quiz grades?
I think I fixed everything. Were a number of blanks for handles. I'll fix that!

-- David

E-mail reply (sent Mon Apr 23 13:40:32 CDT 2012)
From: Shrie S
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Disappearing quiz grades?

AND I just retook 4 missing quizzes, two of which showed up after I took them, and two of
which didn't. Awesome. I guess I'll wait til Leah and Dr. McMurrey take a look before I
retake anymore!

E-mail reply (sent Mon Apr 23 13:29:13 CDT 2012)
From: PortiaZ
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Disappearing quiz grades?
And now that I've checked, yes, I'm missing grades for Helpfuls 5 and 8.

E-mail reply (sent Mon Apr 23 13:21:51 CDT 2012)
From: PortiaZ
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Disappearing quiz grades?
I can't log into the gradebook at all with my laptop. It doesn't recognize my handle and password. Yet when I use my iPhone, it works. But that's such a pain.

E-mail reply (sent Mon Apr 23 13:21:44 CDT 2012)
From: David McMurrey
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Disappearing quiz grades?
As the systems guy, let me look into this

-- David McMurrey

Original e-mail (sent Mon Apr 23 13:18:16 CDT 2012)
From: David McMurrey
Subject: ETWR 2374 Disappearing quiz grades?

Has anyone else experienced issues with their taken quizzes not appearing
in the graded section? I'm having to retake several quizzes I remember
taking because they're now showing up. Thanks.

E-mail reply (sent Mon Apr 23 13:29:13 CDT 2012)
From: PortiaZ
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Disappearing quiz grades?
And now that I've checked, yes, I'm missing grades for Helpfuls 5 and 8.

E-mail reply (sent Sun Apr 15 11:58:30 CDT 2012)
From: David McMurrey
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Quizzes link not working
That quizzes link next to Gradebook was a temporary fix to a problem. I had forgotten to take it out of the schedule. You can see quiz scores in your regular gradebook view.

Quiz 9 is working; server must have been down briefly.

-- David McMurrey

E-mail reply (sent Sun Apr 15 10:26:39 CDT 2012)
From: Shrie S
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Quizzes link not working

UPDATE: When I click the quizz link in the schedule then it goes tot he correct place.

Original e-mail (sent Sun Apr 15 10:25:19 CDT 2012)
From: Shrie S
Subject: ETWR 2374 Quizzes link not working

I'm trying to take my Help 9 quiz and the quiz link is not working. It takes
me to an error page. Is anyone else having this problem?

E-mail reply (sent Mon Apr 23 13:29:13 CDT 2012)
From: PortiaZ
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Disappearing quiz grades?
And now that I've checked, yes, I'm missing grades for Helpfuls 5 and 8.

E-mail reply (sent Thu Apr 5 21:11:00 CDT 2012)
From: PortiaZ
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 opening helpfiles to evaluate
Duh, the class site explains how to unblock them. My bad!
http://www.prismnet.com/~tcm/etwr2374/guides/chm_error.html

E-mail reply (sent Thu Apr 5 20:48:10 CDT 2012)
From: Steve
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 opening helpfiles to evaluate
I am seeing the same thing and had to review the help files from my XP system. I was not able to figure out any work around ;((

Original e-mail (sent Thu Apr 5 19:28:21 CDT 2012)
From: Steve
Subject: ETWR 2374 opening helpfiles to evaluate
Is anyone running Windows 7 and having problems opening the helpfiles we're supposed to evaluate by tonight? I got a notification saying I needed to download an update, which I did and ran, but they still don't work. .chm files will open and I can see the TOC and use the search function, but I can't view any of the topics. .hlp files plain won't open. Thanks.

E-mail reply (sent Mon Apr 23 13:29:13 CDT 2012)
From: PortiaZ
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Disappearing quiz grades?
And now that I've checked, yes, I'm missing grades for Helpfuls 5 and 8.

E-mail reply (sent Mon Apr 2 22:38:29 CDT 2012)
From: Leah Vance
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Modeling Project / 7% of our grade
Sandy-
Modeling projects are being graded this week. You will receive an email tell you what, if anything, needed work. You'll be given the chance to revise the project for a better grade, if needed.

Thanks-
Leah Vance

Original e-mail (sent Sun Apr 1 15:33:47 CDT 2012)
From: Leah Vance
Subject: ETWR 2374 Modeling Project / 7% of our grade
has anyone got their modeling project graded?

thanks

E-mail reply (sent Mon Apr 23 13:29:13 CDT 2012)
From: PortiaZ
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Disappearing quiz grades?
And now that I've checked, yes, I'm missing grades for Helpfuls 5 and 8.

E-mail reply (sent Sun Apr 1 22:08:07 CDT 2012)
From: Leah Vance
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Copying, renaming, importing practice
Steve (and class) - from the RH9 online help-

Rename a project
When you rename a project, the main project file (.xpj) and all other project files are renamed.
Note: The TOC, index, and glossary files are not renamed.
When you rename a project, the project closes and reopens. Any changes made since last saving are saved.
Note: You cannot rename projects under version control.

Open the project.

Select File > Rename Project.

In the Project Name box, enter the new project name (do not enter a filename extension).

Click OK. To make the changes take effect, the program closes and then reopens the project.

Note: If you are creating Microsoft HTML Help, the name of the compiled HTML Help file (CHM file) is based on the project filename. If you change the project name, the name of the CHM file changes as well. You can rename the CHM file to restore the old name.

I don't think I can include graphics here but the graphic Steve sent does show Rename Project as as option in RH9 - it's just below Close Project.

Thanks-
Leah

E-mail reply (sent Thu Mar 29 20:57:43 CDT 2012)
From: Steve
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Copying, renaming, importing practice
This is what I ended up turning in(this is text of my email to Professor Vance):

I did not see any option to rename a project under RH9(please see JPG attachment). Adobe Help forum said this was a feature request. I had to manually rename to xpj file. However, I wanted the title of the CHM file to reflect the change I made in the project name but it always retained the original name. I attached the copy of the project with CHM extension renamed to DOC.

I imported the browsing sequence project topics and made a new(basic) CHM file with the imported topics. It is also renamed to DOC.

I also imported a MS WORD 2010 DOCX with hyperlinks and built a CHM file. The links took me the actual websites when I click on them. The CHM file is also renamed to DOC.

Original e-mail (sent Thu Mar 29 13:43:35 CDT 2012)
From: Steve
Subject: ETWR 2374 Copying, renaming, importing practice
Is anyone turning anything in on this, due tonight? Doesn't really seem like anything we could prove that we actually did.

E-mail reply (sent Sun Apr 1 21:45:47 CDT 2012)
From: Leah Vance
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 License for RoboHelp
Class-
This is the note that Dr. McMurrey included with the cirriculum for this course. I hope this helps answer your questions regarding the software.

http://www.prismnet.com/~tcm/etwr2374/help_options.html

Let me know how I can help.

Leah

E-mail reply (sent Wed Mar 28 14:39:42 CDT 2012)
From: Diane W
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 License for RoboHelp
I'm in the same situation. I agree with Jeff, I'm not crazy about downloading Communications Suite to get another 30 days. Then what do we do when the 30 day trial ends at the end of Apirl and we still have more of the class left?

I've thought about switching over to Flare, but all the online materials and tutorials are for Robohelp. I understand I could try to find my way with Flare's Help informaton.

For those students in Austin, there is a lab at the Northridge campus that I've used before when taking the FrameMaker class, the Word class, and maybe other classes I can't remember at the moment. I know when I was there for the FrameMaker class there were students there using Robohelp.
It is not as convenient as working from home. There usually are lots of lab hours available, though you have to work around the classes held in the same room/lab.
I'm trying to remember the details on this option from Professor Vance's first tutorial. I don't remember if the lab option was being offered as an option since Robohelp is or would need to be installed on the lab machines?

E-mail reply (sent Wed Mar 28 11:06:14 CDT 2012)
From: Jeff Evatt
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 License for RoboHelp
I'm in the same situation. I don't think there is a good answer. I don't think we can just
download RoboHelp and start a new free trial. There may be ways around this issue. If
you have access to a second computer, presumably you could start a new trial on that
computer. Also, I saw it suggested that people could download Adobe Technical
Communications Suite, which includes RoboHelp but apparently counts as a separate
product as far as 30-day trials are concerned.

I'm not too crazy about these options for a couple of reasons. First, the ethics of trying
to skirt Adobe's licensing requirements. Second, right after I installed the trial version of
RoboHelp, I was contacted by an Adobe rep. He wanted me, of course, to buy the
product. I explained the situation to him and he understood. But if I do the same thing
with the Technical Communications Suite and he calls me again, I suspect he might not
be so happy.

I'm going to change over to Flare and hope that things aren't too terribly different.

E-mail reply (sent Wed Mar 28 10:54:41 CDT 2012)
From: karmon hill
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 License for RoboHelp
Sorry I don't--I'm using Flare for that exact reason. Learned the hard way when my trial ran out when I took FrameMaker and had to scramble to find alternate means. Good luck.

Original e-mail (sent Wed Mar 28 09:56:11 CDT 2012)
From: karmon hill
Subject: ETWR 2374 License for RoboHelp
Can someone remind me how to get the license key for RoboHelp? My trial expired and I need to do tomorrow's tutorial. Thanks!

Original e-mail (sent Sun Mar 25 14:50:55 CDT 2012)
From:
Subject: ETWR 2374 quiz grades
Has anybody seen where the quiz grades are recorded? I see them right
after I take the quizzes, but I don't see them anywhere else.

Thanks,

Jeff

E-mail reply (sent Thu Mar 22 22:28:59 CDT 2012)
From: Steve
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Show bookmarks vs Show URLs
I ran into some issues as well and emailed Professor Vance with some of my observations. I ended up making some bookmarks(they showed up much different than in the tutorial) and then build up an index using the SmartIndex wizard. However, I did ask for clarification on the steps so that I can understand how build an index manually.

Original e-mail (sent Thu Mar 22 22:16:02 CDT 2012)
From: Steve
Subject: ETWR 2374 Show bookmarks vs Show URLs
The bookmarking isn't working for me.

After I add the bookmarks and test-run the help, the index subentry that is bookmarked leads to a URL instead (looks like a google search of the term).

Looking in the topic list pod, when I mouse over the bookmark icon, it says "show/hide URLs". When I mouse over the little earth icon right next to it, it says "show/hide bookmarks." Doesn't that seem backwards? Anyone else having problems getting the bookmarks to work?

E-mail reply (sent Sat Mar 31 16:33:13 CDT 2012)
From: Leah Vance
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 What to turn in
Pradeep,
Each of the tutorials and practices state the following:

Here are links demonstrating how to do this task in Adobe RoboHelp 7 and other help-authoring tools:

RoboHelp 7

Whichever help-authoring application you use, do the practice described below, compile the help, and send it by e-mail attachment to your instructor. (If it's multiple files, please zip them up and send the zip file.)

It's important to note that you:

1: Do the practice described
2. Compile the help
3. Send it by e-mail attachment to your instructor.

I think this is probably why we're having such a disconnect on your grades. The gradebook reflects the assignments (tutorials and practice) that are due.

Hope this helps-
Leah

E-mail reply (sent Sat Mar 31 15:51:07 CDT 2012)
From: Leah Vance
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 What to turn in
Portia is correct - like all the other assignments, you'll submit a .chm (renamed) as your assignment.

Thanks-
Leah

E-mail reply (sent Mon Mar 26 12:22:06 CDT 2012)
From: pradeep wickremasiri
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 What to turn in
I think what we do in "Tutorial Practices" applies to "Projects" which is the main assignment we should turn in every week. But I have my doubts too, I did not turn in anything for "Tutorial Practices" at past.
If Prof. Vance or somebody can help us on this regard would be great.

Thanks,
Pradeep.

E-mail reply (sent Fri Mar 23 11:58:07 CDT 2012)
From: PortiaZ
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 What to turn in
Like with all the tutorials, it says to "do tasks similar to those described in the RoboHelp tutorial above, compile the help, and send it by e-mail attachment to your instructor," so I'm pretty sure we do.

E-mail reply (sent Fri Mar 23 11:48:46 CDT 2012)
From: pradeep523
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 What to turn in
I don't think we have to turn in anything for "Context-Sensitive Help" assignment.

E-mail reply (sent Thu Mar 22 21:33:45 CDT 2012)
From: Jeff Evatt
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 What to turn in
I just sent the single pp8.chm file (appropriately renamed for emailing). I think (but could be
wrong) that that is the only file we are modifying. So Professor Eaton should already have
all the other files, which will be the same for all of us.

But again, I could be wrong.

Original e-mail (sent Thu Mar 22 21:27:44 CDT 2012)
From: Jeff Evatt
Subject: ETWR 2374 What to turn in
Sorry to bother again, but for the context-sensitive helps, what files are we supposed to email in for the assignment? Thanks.

E-mail reply (sent Sun Oct 10 12:48:09 CDT 2010)
From: David McMurrey
Subject:Re: - online RoboHelp 8 tutorials
Great. I hope we can work something out.

-- David

E-mail reply (sent Thu Oct 7 19:55:43 CDT 2010)
From: Jim B
Subject:Re: - online RoboHelp 8 tutorials
It's too early for a commitment, but I might be interested - spring or summer. You don't know how the credit hours would correspond to GI Bill assistance do you? For example, I discovered you only get monthly payments for the actual dates classes are in session, even pro-rated down to how many days of the month are part of the class.

Jim

Original e-mail (sent Wed Oct 6 12:03:43 CDT 2010)
From: Jim B
Subject: - online RoboHelp 8 tutorials
Our ACC program has some really nice and worldwide popular online tutorials for FrameMaker 9:

http://www.io.com/~tcm/etwr2472/guides/frame9/

We will eventually get Adobe InDesign out there. Would anyone (even several of you) like to take on getting a set of RoboHelp 8 tutorials out there?

I can offer you 3-hour credit. This could be this spring, summer, or even both. It's also a great way to get your name out there.

-- David

E-mail reply (sent Thu Mar 22 21:03:51 CDT 2012)
From: PortiaZ
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 .mpj file
Thanks! I had just created a folder on the desktop for the app and when I tried to open it from within RH, I was told the folder was empty. It wasn't until I dragged the pp8.mpj file out and onto the desktop that I could open it from within RH.

E-mail reply (sent Thu Mar 22 20:52:07 CDT 2012)
From: Jeff Evatt
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 .mpj file
Open RoboHelp and then open the .mpj file from within RoboHelp rather than from
Windows.

Original e-mail (sent Thu Mar 22 20:43:59 CDT 2012)
From: Jeff Evatt
Subject: ETWR 2374 .mpj file
So the only .mpj file I'm finding in my unzipped simple_app is pp8.mpj and windows can't open the file. Help!

E-mail reply (sent Sat Mar 24 12:08:25 CDT 2012)
From: Paul G
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Anyone using Madcap Flare? (from Karmon Hill)
It's paul.grote@g.austincc.edu

I'll be in and out of the house this weekend, so it may take me a little while to reply.

E-mail reply (sent Sat Mar 24 10:43:29 CDT 2012)
From: Karmon H.
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Anyone using Madcap Flare? (from Karmon Hill)
Paul, that was not the issue I was having. What is your email address? I have two questions to ask you about one of the assignments...

Thanks,
Karmon

E-mail reply (sent Thu Mar 22 20:06:05 CDT 2012)
From: Paul G
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Anyone using Madcap Flare? (from Karmon Hill)
Yes, I'm trying to complete the context-sensitive help practice and having difficulty, too. It looks like I can't open the assignment's .mpj file with Flare. Is that the same problem you're running into?

With the other assignments, I've just been reading the help files in Flare and adapting the process as necessary. It takes me a little longer than I'd like, but other than that, I'm getting the desired result.

Paul

Original e-mail (sent Thu Mar 22 18:59:21 CDT 2012)
From: Paul G
Subject: ETWR 2374 Anyone using Madcap Flare? (from Karmon Hill)
Wondering if anyone is using Flare. I'm finding that I'm running into a bit of difficulty at times because I'm using the RoboHelp directions and trying to make them work in Flare. Looking for someone to bounce ideas off. Thanks! Karmon

E-mail reply (sent Thu Mar 22 19:54:33 CDT 2012)
From: Shrie S
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Context Sensitive Help question

That helped immensely! Thanks. It didn't say whether to replace it or not, so I was
confuzzled.

E-mail reply (sent Thu Mar 22 19:23:22 CDT 2012)
From: Jeff Evatt
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Context Sensitive Help question
I think you went wrong when you renamed the file. I think the application program specifically expects to find a file with
name pp8.chm on the desktop. It wouldn't know how to look for your file. Copy your new chm file to the desktop and
leave the name the same, even if that means overwriting the old .chm file.

Original e-mail (sent Thu Mar 22 18:52:00 CDT 2012)
From: Jeff Evatt
Subject: ETWR 2374 Context Sensitive Help question

Hey guys. This assignment worked just fine for me down until the last
part where it says "Double-click that EPro.exe program file, which is still
in the directory where you unzipped all the files from simple_app.zip.
In the program window, click File > New.
Press F1. You should see the new topic you created with context-
sensitive help related to this specific dialog!"

At that point when I tried to copy my CHM to the desktop I had the pp8
there already with the same name, so I renamed my file before copying it
to the desktop, then clicked the application, new and did F1 and nothing
happened. Did it work for you guys?

E-mail reply (sent Mon Mar 19 22:26:09 CDT 2012)
From: Leah Vance
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Grading
Hi class-
I hope everyone had a great Spring Break.

As far as grading, I've got a couple of you that we've had some difficulty getting the right file format (renamed) submitted. Please check your emails as I have requested those files again from you.

If you haven't had any file submission problems, you're probably clicking right along. The projects are looking great. I can tell that some of you are having a little fun with this, and I think that's great.

I've glanced over the Help Modeling projects and will take a deeper look at them this week.

If you have specific questions about your grades, please feel free to email me directly about them. I'm happy to provide you with a list or help you if you're still having trouble with the file format/renaming.

Thanks-
Leah

E-mail reply (sent Mon Mar 19 22:17:25 CDT 2012)
From: Leah Vance
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Grading
Pradeep-
Please check your ACC email. I've sent you several messages regarding the files you have submitted. I just sent you another message with a screenshot that may help you resolve this problem.

Thanks-
Leah Vance

E-mail reply (sent Wed Mar 14 10:18:37 CDT 2012)
From: Shrie S
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Grading
I am missing quite a few grades as well. I emailed Leah to get info on what she needed but
am still waiting for a return email on that.

E-mail reply (sent Wed Mar 14 08:43:57 CDT 2012)
From: Sandy Hernandez
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Grading
I have grades all the way through TOC (2%) which is the practice of an authoring tool.

Sandy

Original e-mail (sent Tue Mar 13 20:48:58 CDT 2012)
From: Sandy Hernandez
Subject: ETWR 2374 Grading
Hi all,
Can anyone tell me which level to be grade up to now, because I have grade only for "Article review"?

E-mail reply (sent Thu Sep 30 09:04:28 CDT 2010)
From: David McMurrey
Subject:Re: Trouble with Help Evaluations
I'm hoping this is just a matter of a refresh/reload of your browser. FF = Ctrl_R; IE = F5

-- David

E-mail reply (sent Thu Sep 30 06:46:33 CDT 2010)
From: Joane R
Subject:Re: Trouble with Help Evaluations

For Online Helps: http://www.io.com/~tcm/etwr2374/sched_online.html

For XHTML: http://www.io.com/~tcm/etwr2473/sched_online.html

E-mail reply (sent Wed Sep 29 23:12:28 CDT 2010)
From: Ian A
Subject:HELP!
I had my laptop stolen today and without my bookmarks I cannot find the URL for our
syllabus!

(Also, if anyone in here is in the XHTML class, I need that link as well!)

Thank you!!!!!!

- Ian A

E-mail reply (sent Wed Sep 29 20:21:25 CDT 2010)
From: Ian A
Subject:Re: Trouble with Help Evaluations
I'm getting the same result, in IE and Chrome. I've tried to submit each eval 3 times now!

E-mail reply (sent Wed Sep 29 13:07:47 CDT 2010)
From: David McMurrey
Subject:Re: Trouble with Help Evaluations
All fixed -- sorry

Original e-mail (sent Wed Sep 29 12:33:03 CDT 2010)
From: David McMurrey
Subject: Trouble with Help Evaluations

I'm trying to send in my evaluation (for the Web editor), and when I click on Send evaluation, I'm taken to a blank browser screen. When I check the evaluations, mine isn't showing up in the list.

Help!
~ Joane

E-mail reply (sent Sun Mar 11 16:40:07 CDT 2012)
From: Sandy Hernandez
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 3 easy questions on Help Modeling Project
Hi Jeff,

Thanks so much for your useful answers.
I was able to now see the content in the reading panel off the high.chm file.
A million thanks.
Now, I remember that email you had sent.

Thanks,
Sandy

E-mail reply (sent Sun Mar 11 16:25:16 CDT 2012)
From: Jeff Evatt
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 3 easy questions on Help Modeling Project
Sandy,

1. I sent an email the other day with this information about viewing the .chm file:

To open high.chm, navigate to the directory where you downloaded it in Windows
Explorer. Right click on the high.chm file. Click on the "General" tab and then, at the
bottom of the window, where it says "This file came from another computer and might be
blocked to help protect this computer," click on the "Unblock" button.

2. I assume that we're probably supposed to have the caption be "Highlighting: Quick-
Reference," since that's what it is in high.chm. When I submitted my project, I did
name it something with my name in it. I didn't find the specific naming instructions that
were referred to in the assignment.

3. Yes, I think you will have to rename the file. I think that gmail will reject any
attachment with the extension .chm.

I hope this helps.

Jeff Evatt

3.

Original e-mail (sent Sun Mar 11 16:18:22 CDT 2012)
From: Jeff Evatt
Subject: ETWR 2374 3 easy questions on Help Modeling Project
Hi Class,

I am working on my Help Modeling Project.

I have 3 simple questions:

1) The "high.chm" file is not working/ showing properly on my end.
I was able to download it, but I can not see anything on the reading panel. The only thing I can see is the book and topic icons in the TOC panel.
Is someone else having this same issue with the "high.chm" file

2) So we we are suppose to name our file "Help Modeling Project" per the instructions , right ? Well the schedule page (in our case syllabus) calls this project "Help Modeling Project", so I guess this is how we are suppose to name it.
I would love to add my initials at the end though, such as "Help Modeling Project_SWH-A" to differentiate it.

3) So I suppose we are suppose to submit a .CHM file again; oh but like always--- we would have to rename the extension to be able to make it through our email. Right?

Good luck everyone in our "Help Modeling Projects"

Sandy

E-mail reply (sent Sun Mar 11 12:11:06 CDT 2012)
From: Jeff Evatt
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Window Captioning
Does it say "Window Properties (HTML Help)" at the top of the Window Properties dialog
box? If is says something like "WebHelp" instead of "HTML Help," try deleting the window
and creating a new one.

Original e-mail (sent Sat Mar 10 12:37:14 CST 2012)
From: Jeff Evatt
Subject: ETWR 2374 Window Captioning
Hi all,
I'm having no luck changing the caption of my window. I do exactly as the tutorial says: In project set up->windows->new window and then rename the window caption. I hit OK, recompile, but nothing changes. The caption still says "Please enter the Project title here." Any thoughts??
Thanks,
Portia

E-mail reply (sent Sat Mar 10 14:47:17 CST 2012)
From: Karmon H.
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Help Modeling Projects due on 3/11
Pradeep, I think Jeff's post was accurate. It's the same project--she's just reminding us a few times that 's due. So, it's the same link each time it is opened.

E-mail reply (sent Sat Mar 10 11:32:07 CST 2012)
From: pradeep wickremasiri
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Help Modeling Projects due on 3/11
That link is for evaluation which to state our opinions, and it is optional, so I would not too much worry about that. But my question is that, does anyone see a different between help modeling projects for week of February 27 and week of March 5?

Thanks for the information provided for how to view the high.chm, actually some times I do my home work and assignment using other computers and at the end I copy final .chm file to flash drive but some of those .chm,s are not viewable other than the computer which is, they were generated. Now I can view these form any PC thanks to your method.

E-mail reply (sent Fri Mar 9 18:19:30 CST 2012)
From: Shrie S
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Help Modeling Projects due on 3/11
Thanks for that tip about view the high.chm! I would have never figured that out on my own.
Did anyone else find the the evaluation link at the bottom of the assignment was broken?

E-mail reply (sent Thu Mar 8 19:54:49 CST 2012)
From: Jeff Evatt
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Help Modeling Projects due on 3/11 - high.chm
One other thing....

To open high.chm, navigate to the directory where you downloaded it in Windows
Explorer. Right click on the high.chm file. Click on the "General" tab and then, at the
bottom of the window, where it says "This file came from another computer and might be
blocked to help protect this computer," click on the "Unblock" button.

After I did that I was able to view the pages with no problem.

E-mail reply (sent Thu Mar 8 19:46:59 CST 2012)
From: Jeff Evatt
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Help Modeling Projects due on 3/11
The way I interpreted this was that there is only one assignment, and it's due March 11.
We were supposed to have started working on it during the week of February 27.

Original e-mail (sent Thu Mar 8 18:39:56 CST 2012)
From: Jeff Evatt
Subject: ETWR 2374 Help Modeling Projects due on 3/11
Hi all,
I'm working on help modeling projects which are due on 3/11, I did the first one which is for the week of February 27th, now I'm trying to do second one which is for the week of March 5th, it looks to me both are same. So I'm somewhat confusing, anyone have any information?
By the way, high.chm did not work for me, I downloaded it, but pages were not viewable, then I had to type all the text.

Thanks,
Pradeep.

Original e-mail (sent Sat Mar 3 16:16:31 CST 2012)
From:
Subject: ETWR 2374 Article Summery - iPad and Kindle Reading Speeds
I choose the article named "iPad and Kindle Reading Speeds" from the list, which is posted in www.useit.com by Jakob Nielson on July 2nd, 2010.
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/ipad-kindle-reading.html

This is a very interesting topic because more and more people tend to use digital reading devices during last 3 to 5 years. This article says, electronic book readers will be one of the main ways that people read long-form text in future, but they choose this over a PC monitors because still many people feel uncomfortable when reading on PC motors. Tablets offer higher screen resolution as well as more comfy reading posture over traditional PC monitor.

But the question was tablets can beat the printed books, to find out, they conducted a readability study of people reading fiction, and they used two major tablets for study, and they are Apple's iPad and Amazon's Kindle.

According to the article they hadn't not tested user's skills over a how to choose and install software nor their user interface's learnablitiy on those two devices. So they taught participants how to use devices and started their reading devices. They let each participant to read printed book, PC, iPad, and Kindle. At first, on each device they asked to each participant to read a short story by Earnest Hemingway, on average they had taken 17 minutes and 20 seconds to complete a story. After the reading each participant was given a questionnaire to test their understanding of the story. Article reported almost every participants got all the questions right, and the exam's main purpose was to ensure participant would take it seriously. Twenty seven users were qualified for main study, and testing was carrying under a home like comfortable environment. Among the participants, there were readers who read books frequently and others are average readers but article said they deliberately didn't include any low-literacy users. They have conduct a few session of testing and each session started with REALM literacy test (This test asks people to read words of varying difficulty and scores them based on the number they mispronounce).

The result was quite impressive, The iPad measured at 6.2% lower reading speed than the printed book, whereas the Kindle measured at 10.7 slower than print. So research completed as tablets still haven't beaten the printed books. And finally they let users to rate the each devices using 1-7 scale, iPad, Kindle and printed book all scored fairly high which 5.8, 5.7, and 5.6 but PC scored very low 3.5.

It is a trend in the society people look increasingly to use electronic reading devices. When comparing the reading speeds on those devices vs printed books, printed books are still in ahead but we can't assure it, because we can expect higher quality and much sophisticated reading devices in future.

E-mail reply (sent Sun Feb 26 18:22:54 CST 2012)
From: Karmon H.
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Question on: Online-Help Analysis Form/ due tonight
Sandy, yes, that's exactly it. My husband uses a voice recognition program called Dragon, so I analyzed their online help. I also analyzed SiteSpinner's and Madcap Flare's online helps. I did make a mistake and analyze Firefox's help, only to later realize that theirs is a series of web pages and not really an online help. Analyzing goes by pretty fast.
Karmon

Original e-mail (sent Sun Feb 26 17:17:17 CST 2012)
From: Karmon H.
Subject: ETWR 2374 Question on: Online-Help Analysis Form/ due tonight
Hello Professor Vance and classmates!

Our Online Help Analysis Form assignment is due tonight.

I have a question:

Are we suppose to select an "Online Help" such as a tutorial, guide, reference, or thoubleshooting guide and analyze it accordingly per this Online-Help Analysis Form?

For example, could I select to analyze the "Online Help" provided by MS Word 2007 ?

Thanks for the input.
It is highly appreciated.

Sandy W. Hernandez

Original e-mail (sent Sun Feb 26 01:58:34 CST 2012)
From:
Subject: ETWR 2374 emailing .chm files
I managed to email the file following pretty much the same procedure as
Diane.

After using RoboHelp to generate the .chm file in the way described by
Professor Vance in the tutorial, I found it in

(My Project Directory)\!SSL!\Microsoft_HTML_Help.

To change the extension for emailing (under Windows 7), I clicked on the
little folder icon at the bottom of the screen to start Windows Explorer
(not Internet Explorer). (Or I could have clicked on the Start menu and
started Windows Explorer from there.).

Then, in Windows Explorer, I went to

Organize -> Folder and Search Options.

Then I chose the "View" tab and selected the "Show hidden files, folders,
and drives" radio button.

Then I navigated to the directory where the .chm file was located There I
was able to see the extension and change it to something else.

After I did that, I could email it with no problem.

Jeff

E-mail reply (sent Sat Feb 25 21:55:14 CST 2012)
From: karmon h.
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 .chm files
Portia, if you send a note to my personal email with your number, I give you a call to see if I can help. I'm using Flare, but I imagine RoboHelp should generate a similar file. For mine, there was a folder called Output, and in it, a file called MyHelp. The file type will show up as a Compiled HTML Help, which is your .chm file. Good luck!

karmon-hill@austin.rr.com

Original e-mail (sent Sat Feb 25 21:04:14 CST 2012)
From: karmon h.
Subject: ETWR 2374 .chm files
So, I've seen all the emails about the trouble emailing .chm files. I bought my first PC today (always been a Mac girl), did the homework, and I can't even figure out how to make a .chm file. I see my project with the 50 or so separate files, but nothing with .chm. Help?

Original e-mail (sent Sat Feb 25 19:03:40 CST 2012)
From:
Subject: ETWR 2374 Week 2 Assignment
Hi all-
I've received some pdf files and some other various flavors to this week's assignment.

What I'm needing is for all of you to compile your projects into a .chm file, rename that file in order to be able to mail it to me and send me the renamed file.

If you've sent a pdf please resend the renamed .chm file.

Thanks so much-

Leah Vance

E-mail reply (sent Mon Feb 27 15:11:58 CST 2012)
From: Shrie S
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Question-Assignment due tonight_What exact files to email the instructor?
I am STILL not having any luck renaming and sending my files. I'm going to try to do it via a
send service like YouSendIt. Hope that works!

E-mail reply (sent Sat Feb 25 23:55:51 CST 2012)
From: Diane W
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Question-Assignment due tonight_What exact files to email the instructor?
It looks like I finally got my file to email with a .doc file extension.

I had to search on Window 'how to show file extensions'.
For Windows 7, I selected Computer from the bottom left icon -- the Start icon, then I selected the question mark for Help in the upper right hand corner of the Computer information.
In the Search box I typed 'how to show file extensions'.
The result returned that I selected was 'Show or Hide File Name Extensions'.
The results had 'Click to open Folder Options' then I followed the instructions to show the hidden file extensions.

I guess there might be an easier way to get to Folder Options.

These are the instructions I found:
Show or hide file name extensions

A file name extension is a set of characters added to the end of a file name that determine which program should open it. For more information, see File names and file name extensions: frequently asked questions.

Windows hides file name extensions, but you can choose to make them visible.

To show or hide file name extensions
Click to open Folder Options.

Click the View tab, and then, under Advanced settings, do one of the following:

To show file name extensions, clear the Hide extensions for known file types check box, and then click OK.

To hide file name extensions, select the Hide extensions for known file types check box, and then click OK.

Hope this information helps.
Diane Willis

E-mail reply (sent Sat Feb 25 20:46:28 CST 2012)
From: karmon h.
Subject:ETWR2374 Anyone's file bounce back? (from Karmon H)
Has anyone successfully gotten their file to go through without bouncing back? If so, what extension did you use? I tried changing the file extension to both .chm_123 and .docx, and both were sent back with a message stating the attachment violates their email policy. Any tips?
Karmon

E-mail reply (sent Sat Feb 25 20:45:14 CST 2012)
From: Sandy W. Hernandez
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Question-Assignment due tonight_What exact files to email the instructor?
Hi Karmon,

You are not alone!
I am trying to figure out also what is the best way to email it.
I did my file(s) with RoboHelp 9.
I have a GMAIL account

My current .CHM file is named: Sandy First Project for School.chm

Gmail does not allow to email CHM files because --they are considered executable files.
I am also wondering whether to change the extension to a .doc file.

I am creating a back up copy of my CHM to experiment....

Tell me what you find out and I will too, please.

A million thanks!

E-mail reply (sent Sat Feb 25 20:07:32 CST 2012)
From: karmon h.
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Question-Assignment due tonight_What exact files to email the instructor?
When I renamed the extension to .chm_123, the email still bounced back to me due the attachment. Is it ok to send it as a .docx file as was mentioned in the class web page, or is there any other extension we should try?
Karmon

E-mail reply (sent Sat Feb 25 18:53:57 CST 2012)
From: Leah Vance
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Question-Assignment due tonight_What exact files to email the instructor?
Please mail me a single .chm file, renamed .chm_xxx for the sake of gmail.

Thanks-
Leah Vance

E-mail reply (sent Sat Feb 25 17:24:06 CST 2012)
From: Karmon H.
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Question-Assignment due tonight_What exact files to email the instructor?
Hi Sandy. I had the same question earlier. I'd wait for Prof Vance to verify, but I believe you are just mailing the .chm file (.chm stands for Compiled HTML Help). I found it in the Output folder within my project folder as a file named My WebHelp after I compiled my project. I haven't sent that file just yet, but I'll let you know how it goes when I do. Good luck. We're in the same boat. I'm using Madcap Flare, so I'm hoping that doesn't cause me to work 3 times as hard trying to make it make sense since everything we're doing is RoboHelp. We'll see...
Karmon

Original e-mail (sent Sat Feb 25 16:56:22 CST 2012)
From: Karmon H.
Subject: ETWR 2374 Question-Assignment due tonight_What exact files to email the instructor?
Hello Professor Vance and classmates!

I am halfway or a little bit more than halfway done with the assignment that is due tonight. I am using RoboHelp 9 to do the "simple sample project that contains some basic things, such as formatting, an imported document, hyperlinks, etc."

This has been my very first time using RoboHelp 9. I am a very beginner on this program.

I have an important question, "what exact files do I email the instructor?"

This is what I show so far for my project:

The main folder of my project is called "Sandy First Project for School".
This main folder is 6.10 MB
My main folder has 50+ files, including three subfolders:
These 3 subfolders are called !Language!, !SkinSubfolder!, !SSL!
Within those 50+ files, I can see identify the four main files I created using RoboHelp 9, which are:
- Welcome to my Project.htm
- My first topic.htm
- My second topic.htm
-My third topic.htm

Am I suppose to email the instructor in an attachment my entire main folder named "Sandy First Project for School" which is 6.10MB so the professor can view correctly the four files I created with RoboHelp9?

Any help is appreciated? Thanks.

Sandy W. Hernandez

E-mail reply (sent Sat Feb 25 18:04:59 CST 2012)
From: Karmon H.
Subject:Thanks Diane!!
Thanks so much Diane!
Karmon

E-mail reply (sent Sat Feb 25 17:51:46 CST 2012)
From: Diane W
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Madcap Flare key
Hi Karmon,
I just emailed you the info on the key for Madcap Flare.
Diane Willis

E-mail reply (sent Sat Feb 25 17:38:09 CST 2012)
From: karmon h.
Subject:Can someone send me the Madcap Flare licese product key?
Hi Pradeep (and everyone else), can you email me the license product key that we were given for Madcap Flare. I don't have the original email that was sent with it. I want to send in my finished project, but the trial version scrambles the letters so my output is fairly unintelligible. You can send it directly to me or through this email system. My address is
karmon-hill@austin.rr.com (it's a dash, and not an underscore in the address). Thanks much!
Karmon

E-mail reply (sent Sat Feb 25 14:16:40 CST 2012)
From: Pradeep_wickremasiri
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Google Chrome issue
I had the same issue, but I was using Madcap Flare, then I changed my default browser to Firefox to Internet explorer, and it didn't work that way at all. I thought the issue is with Madcap Flare, but it should be something that I did miss in my project, because I struggled little bit with Madcap, finding same commands and buttons which Adobe Robohelp has.

Anyway, finally I'm in Adobe Robohelp, so I can do exactly the same thing, Professor Leah is doing.

Later,
Pradeep.

Original e-mail (sent Sat Feb 25 13:45:17 CST 2012)
From: Pradeep_wickremasiri
Subject: ETWR 2374 Google Chrome issue
There is a apparently a known issue about viewing WebHelp output from
RoboHelp stored locally in Google Chrome. So when you generate
WebHelp output and indicate that you want to view it, you may have
problems if Chrome is your default browser. I did.

Apparently there is a workaround, but I just changed my default browser.

Jeff

E-mail reply (sent Sat Feb 25 18:04:59 CST 2012)
From: Karmon H.
Subject:Thanks Diane!!
Thanks so much Diane!
Karmon

E-mail reply (sent Sat Feb 25 17:51:46 CST 2012)
From: Diane W
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Madcap Flare key
Hi Karmon,
I just emailed you the info on the key for Madcap Flare.
Diane Willis

E-mail reply (sent Tue Feb 28 09:40:03 CST 2012)
From: David McMurrey
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Request regarding Students' Grade Page
After thinking about this a good bit, I just cannot do this without a lot of reprogramming. Could you create a page in which you put these two sets of data together?

-- David McMurrey
Department Chair
Business & Technical Communication
Austin Community College

E-mail reply (sent Thu Feb 23 18:50:27 CST 2012)
From: Leah Vance
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Request regarding Students' Grade Page
Hi Sandy-
I will check with Dr. McMurrey - he maintains the online gradebook for all the classes. I'm not sure though what value it adds to have the due date to a grade. It seems like the most value comes from having the due date with the assignment, but please share your thoughts with me on this so I can convey those to Dr. McMurrey.

Thanks again for your note.

Leah Vance

Original e-mail (sent Thu Feb 23 17:32:10 CST 2012)
From: Leah Vance
Subject: ETWR 2374 Request regarding Students' Grade Page
Hello Professor Vance,

I am glad to be taking this class.

If you do not mind, I have a request in regards our grading page.

Would it be possible that it could be added the "due date" immediately after ALL the listed assignment/project/quiz/etc ?
It would make it easier to cross reference it with our online syllabus.

For example, the 2nd one is listed as follows:

Help analysis (2%)

Could it read instead as follows?

Help analysis (2%) / due Feb. 26

I would appreciate it.
It would really make things easier to cross reference with our syllabus and have them listed in chronological order, if at all possible. =)

Thanks.

E-mail reply (sent Sat Feb 25 18:04:59 CST 2012)
From: Karmon H.
Subject:Thanks Diane!!
Thanks so much Diane!
Karmon

E-mail reply (sent Sat Feb 25 17:51:46 CST 2012)
From: Diane W
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Madcap Flare key
Hi Karmon,
I just emailed you the info on the key for Madcap Flare.
Diane Willis

Original e-mail (sent Thu Feb 23 00:16:51 CST 2012)
From:
Subject: ETWR 2374 HELP! Assignments due 23rd involve us using RoboHelp as a trial version?
Are we actually supposed to download RoboHelp to do the assignment listed that's due on the 23rd? I thought there was a class license for us that we were going to download/use later?? Or, are we only reading the tutorial part of those and not doing the lesson part?
Karmon

E-mail reply (sent Sat Feb 25 18:04:59 CST 2012)
From: Karmon H.
Subject:Thanks Diane!!
Thanks so much Diane!
Karmon

E-mail reply (sent Sat Feb 25 17:51:46 CST 2012)
From: Diane W
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Madcap Flare key
Hi Karmon,
I just emailed you the info on the key for Madcap Flare.
Diane Willis

Original e-mail (sent Tue Feb 21 17:39:43 CST 2012)
From:
Subject: ETWR 2374 Finding files
I AM having a hard time finding files on my Mac. I even did a Spotlight search on the name of the file and STILL couldn't find it. I'm sure I'm overlooking it...

E-mail reply (sent Sat Feb 25 18:04:59 CST 2012)
From: Karmon H.
Subject:Thanks Diane!!
Thanks so much Diane!
Karmon

E-mail reply (sent Sat Feb 25 17:51:46 CST 2012)
From: Diane W
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Madcap Flare key
Hi Karmon,
I just emailed you the info on the key for Madcap Flare.
Diane Willis

Original e-mail (sent Mon Feb 20 12:03:00 CST 2012)
From:
Subject: ETWR 2374 Article summary - Lower-Literacy Users
Summary of Lower-Literacy Users: Writing for a Broad Consumer Audience - Jakob Nielsen

http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20050314.html

The author begins by defining lower-literacy and stating the characteristics of a lower-literacy internet user. Simply put, a lower-literacy reader is one who has difficulty when reading. Those difficulties include:
Having to read a text word for word, due to an inability to scan
Understanding multi-syllabic words
Navigating menu options, due to the need to read each word, rather than scan
A tendency to satisfice - accepting incomplete understanding of a topic because learning more would require more reading
Using search engines - spelling the word to search is difficult, and sometimes the results display out-of-context information

Solutions are offered for website developers looking to assist lower literacy readers:
Write simpler text
Put the most important information at the top of the page to eliminate the need for scrolling
Avoid moving text or animations
Simplify page design and navigation - main text should be in a single column, for example.
Allow searches to tolerate misspellings

The author continues by describing and explaining research that has been done on lower-literacy populations. Nielsen cites a U.S. Department of Education figure that 43% of adults in the U.S. have low-literacy, and states a figure based on his own research that 30% of internet users have low-literacy. Web developers need to be concerned about lower-literacy users because it will enable them to target a broader audience. This population is where most of the growth in readership will occur.

Nielsen concludes by explaining his own case study where the website of a pharmaceutical company was rewritten and simplified. The resulting figure of the study is that lower-literacy users� performance increased by 135% after the site was re-written, and was also done so without impacting higher-literacy users.

E-mail reply (sent Sat Feb 25 18:04:59 CST 2012)
From: Karmon H.
Subject:Thanks Diane!!
Thanks so much Diane!
Karmon

E-mail reply (sent Sat Feb 25 17:51:46 CST 2012)
From: Diane W
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Madcap Flare key
Hi Karmon,
I just emailed you the info on the key for Madcap Flare.
Diane Willis

Original e-mail (sent Mon Feb 20 10:30:38 CST 2012)
From:
Subject: ETWR 2374 (from Karmon H.) Response to Prof Vance's question
Good morning O.E.O. (per our previous discussion about your formal title). This is response to your statement "You mention "the last usability tip". Are all of the items you mention considered usability issues or were there others discussed in the article?"

All the items I mentioned were best practices found as a result of usability testing and experimental testing performed. This wasn't really an article, as much as a compilation of links that discuss research on how users read on the web and how authors should write for the web, though many of the topics could have been grouped under other more pertinent headings.

It should be noted that much of this information was done around 1997, and many amendments have been made within these articles to provide updates as a result of more recent findings. The author/researcher (Jakob Nielson) now offers week long courses at the Usability Week Conferences around the company http://www.nngroup.com/events/ , and all his more recent findings and usability suggestions are presented there.

Karmon

E-mail reply (sent Sat Feb 25 18:04:59 CST 2012)
From: Karmon H.
Subject:Thanks Diane!!
Thanks so much Diane!
Karmon

E-mail reply (sent Sat Feb 25 17:51:46 CST 2012)
From: Diane W
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Madcap Flare key
Hi Karmon,
I just emailed you the info on the key for Madcap Flare.
Diane Willis

Original e-mail (sent Sun Feb 19 23:40:32 CST 2012)
From:
Subject: ETWR 2374 Article Summary
Ten Tips for Tasks: Best Practices for Writing Effective Procedures and Instruction Sets
By Leah Guren, Cow TC

www.writersua.com/articles/tentips/index.html

Article Summary by Rhonda Place

This article discusses the shift in how documentation has been written over the years. Today�s users expect �how to� documentation that teaches them how to accomplish a specific task or solve a problem rather than documentation that outlines why a product works a certain way. This shift has occurred because today�s products are built in a more intuitive, user-friendly way, so there�s not a need to teach people why the product works a certain way.

Additionally, as users workloads have increased, people are no longer interested in why a product works a certain way; they just want to get the job done and move on to the next task. This has resulted in more step-by-step instructions. As the author notes, this allows the user to answer the question �How do I�?�.

The author goes on to illustrate the three main problems with step-by-step documentation, in a theory she calls �Jigsaw Puzzle Theory�. The three main problems she describes are:
1. No picture on the box.
No clear description of the purpose.

2. Missing pieces.
Steps in the process are left out.

3. Extra pieces.
Unnecessary information is included, but just confuses the user instead of solving their problem.

The author then provides ten steps for avoiding the �Jigsaw Puzzle Problem�.
1. Analyze Your Audience.
Figure out who your audience is and what they may or may not know.

2. Target (focus on) Tasks.
Translate the features of your product into what the user wants to do.

3. Signify Through Structure.
Use formatting tools to give the reader structure, so they aren�t looking at large amounts of text and missing key details.

4. Walk Through the 'Why'.
Use a sentence or two of introduction to illustrate why a procedure is needed and how it may differ from a procedure with a similar name.

5. Present Prerequisites.
Prevent user frustration by mentioning all prerequisites at the beginning of the procedure rather than halfway through.

6. Smooth out Steps.
Give thought on how to group steps together. Novice users might need more instruction than advanced users. Avoid long lists of procedures because users tend to lose track of where they are in the list.

7. Layer Levels.
Write instructions in a layered format, so that main concepts are highlighted through a header (i.e. 1, 2, etc.) and additional details about that instruction are a subset (i.e. 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, etc.). This allows advanced users to skip over details they don�t need and novice users to learn more.

8. Highlight Hazards.
Highlight potential problems for the user with consistent language throughout your instructions (i.e. use caution throughout the document, not caution, warning, red flag, etc.).

9. Get Graphic.
Graphics can help illustrate what�s going on for the user and simplify or reduce steps. It also allows the user to confirm that he/she is on the right track.

10. Test, Test, Test!
Once the procedures are written, test them out. Can you get through the instructions without a problem? If not, revise the procedures.

E-mail reply (sent Sat Feb 25 18:04:59 CST 2012)
From: Karmon H.
Subject:Thanks Diane!!
Thanks so much Diane!
Karmon

E-mail reply (sent Sat Feb 25 17:51:46 CST 2012)
From: Diane W
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Madcap Flare key
Hi Karmon,
I just emailed you the info on the key for Madcap Flare.
Diane Willis

Original e-mail (sent Sun Feb 19 21:24:15 CST 2012)
From:
Subject: ETWR 2374 Answer to question about my article on About Us Information on Websites
Article: About Us Information on Websites by Nielsen, Jakob

I had already summarized the above article. =)

Inquiring minds want to know whether the article mentions anything about how (or not) a company�s mission statement might impact the effectiveness of an �About Us� portion of a website.

Well, the author briefly mentions about a mission statement.

According to Nielsen, �effectively explaining the company's purpose and what it stands for provides essential support for all other website goals�

Finally, Nielsen also concisely mentions how sometimes mission statements are displayed poorly with no specifics.

The author leaves the reader with an inquiring mind on how to best portray and word company mission statements.

=)

E-mail reply (sent Sat Feb 25 18:04:59 CST 2012)
From: Karmon H.
Subject:Thanks Diane!!
Thanks so much Diane!
Karmon

E-mail reply (sent Sat Feb 25 17:51:46 CST 2012)
From: Diane W
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Madcap Flare key
Hi Karmon,
I just emailed you the info on the key for Madcap Flare.
Diane Willis

Original e-mail (sent Sun Feb 19 20:38:56 CST 2012)
From:
Subject: Article Summaries
Hi Class- I've enjoyed reading your article summaries tonight. I've posted a few questions for most of you and hope that all of you will be motivated to ask your classmates more information about their articles. There are still a few of you that need to post your summaries - they are due by midnight tonight. If you've posted your summary and I've replied, you should also have a grade posted. I look forward to reading the rest of the summaries. Great start to the class! Leah

E-mail reply (sent Sat Feb 25 18:04:59 CST 2012)
From: Karmon H.
Subject:Thanks Diane!!
Thanks so much Diane!
Karmon

E-mail reply (sent Sat Feb 25 17:51:46 CST 2012)
From: Diane W
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Madcap Flare key
Hi Karmon,
I just emailed you the info on the key for Madcap Flare.
Diane Willis

Original e-mail (sent Sun Feb 19 16:46:26 CST 2012)
From:
Subject: Music and Technology
Here's another article http://www.opinionated.net/?p=59

E-mail reply (sent Sat Feb 25 18:04:59 CST 2012)
From: Karmon H.
Subject:Thanks Diane!!
Thanks so much Diane!
Karmon

E-mail reply (sent Sat Feb 25 17:51:46 CST 2012)
From: Diane W
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Madcap Flare key
Hi Karmon,
I just emailed you the info on the key for Madcap Flare.
Diane Willis

Original e-mail (sent Sun Feb 19 16:44:41 CST 2012)
From:
Subject: First week wrap up
Hi everybody - Well it looks like everyone got their personal memos in this week. It's great to get to learn a little bit about everyone. It looks like we've got a good share of folks in education or with backgrounds in technical writing, so that's good. I hope you find this course interesting and helpful. I also noticed a few of you have musical backgrounds, as do I. Dr. McMurrey may know, but I've heard that years ago IBM did a study on the correlation between music and computer technology. In just doing a simple search, I found some interesting articles on the subject. Here's a link to one, if you too find a lot of people in the music industry are also linked to technology. http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2009/01/the-one-thing-programmers-and-musicians-have-in-common.html I'll send more out later today on what we can expect this next week. It's time to get us rockin' and rollin'! Leah

E-mail reply (sent Sat Feb 25 18:04:59 CST 2012)
From: Karmon H.
Subject:Thanks Diane!!
Thanks so much Diane!
Karmon

E-mail reply (sent Sat Feb 25 17:51:46 CST 2012)
From: Diane W
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Madcap Flare key
Hi Karmon,
I just emailed you the info on the key for Madcap Flare.
Diane Willis

E-mail reply (sent Sun Feb 19 20:34:16 CST 2012)
From: Leah V
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Summary of About Us Information on Websites (from Writing for the Web)
Interesting topic for sure, Sandy. I had not really given a lot of thought to "About Us" sections of a web site and how that area of a web site is perceived.

I noticed there was no mention of Mission Statements in this discussion. Did your article mention anything about how (or not) a company's mission statement might impact the effectiveness of their About Us portion of their web site?

Inquiring minds want to know...

Leah

Original e-mail (sent Sun Feb 19 15:21:17 CST 2012)
From: Leah V
Subject: ETWR 2374 Summary of About Us Information on Websites (from Writing for the Web)
About Us Information on Websites by Nielsen, Jakob

Defining the purpose and goals of a company or organization is an important role for a company�s website. However, most of the sites who have a �About us� area, do a poor job.

Unquestionably, writing what a company does and who they are is basic protocol.

User Research: Two Rounds�
To find out how users find and interpret website profiles of companies and organizations, they conducted user testing of sites run by 63 organizations in five general categories: Large, Medium, Smaller, Government, and Non-profits.
They conducted most sessions in the United States, and a few in Hong Kong to ensure the international applicability of their findings.

Trends in About Us Usability�
They conducted the first study 5 years ago.
� First, About Us usability has increased.
� Second, finding contact information, such as the company's main address has increased from 62% to 91%.
� Third, the task of finding out what the company or organization does actually dropped, from 90% to 81%.
� Fourth, �Users' subjective satisfaction with About Us sections decreased from 5.2 to 4.6 (on a 1-7 scale).�
� Fifth, interest in video is actually high. But users still prefer short videos.

Overviews: Providing Key Context--
It is highly recommendable to set up an �About us� section with a link labeled either �About us� or �About + name of the company.�
The author suggests delivering the About Us information at four levels of detail:

� Tagline on the main page. A few words or a brief sentence summarizing what the company/organization does
� Summary--from one to two paragraphs at the top of the About Us page providing detail about the company�s goals and main achievements.
� Fact Sheet-
� Detailed Information

Why Explain Yourself?
People from different, for example, backgrounds, levels, and ages, approach a website for different reasons.
� Job seekers
� Individual investors
� Children
� Journalists
� Professionals new to the company�s industry
� People who because of personal reasons become interested in companies/organizations that they have never dealt with before

Usability studies definitively show that users like getting an idea of what the company does and who they are. But also the way that companies/organizations display their About Us information plays an important role for users.

E-mail reply (sent Sat Feb 25 18:04:59 CST 2012)
From: Karmon H.
Subject:Thanks Diane!!
Thanks so much Diane!
Karmon

E-mail reply (sent Sat Feb 25 17:51:46 CST 2012)
From: Diane W
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Madcap Flare key
Hi Karmon,
I just emailed you the info on the key for Madcap Flare.
Diane Willis

E-mail reply (sent Sun Feb 19 20:26:38 CST 2012)
From: Leah V
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Article Summary:
Excellent summary, Jeff. I especially like that you added your commentary and thoughts about the article. I agree with you that the study seems a bit skewed from the numbers in correlation with the variables of the participants. It sounds like they tried to get too much information out of a simple study of less thatn 40 people.

As to your last comment, I would hope that if a task is complex by nature, the audience attempting said task, has a level of knowledge that allows them the capability to accomplish the task at hand without the writer simply leaving out the complex bits.

Interesting conclusions in her findings, no matter what the numbers though.

Thanks!
Leah

Original e-mail (sent Sun Feb 19 13:26:50 CST 2012)
From: Leah V
Subject: ETWR 2374 Article Summary: "Cultural Dimensions of Software Help Usage"
Article Summary and Commentary
Jeff Evatt

I read the article �Cultural Dimensions of Software Help Usage,� written
by Leah Guren and published on the WritersUA web site. In this article,
Goren describes a study that she performed on the effects of cultural
differences on computer users� use of software help. She refers to
another researcher�s concept of �high-context cultures� (e.g., Japan)
versus �low-context cultures� (e.g., the United States). Other studies
have shown that high-context culture users are more likely to read
documentation �in order to get a better overall background and
understanding of a product.�

Goren asked the 38 participants in her study, neither expert nor novice
computer users, to perform a task that they did not know how to do and
tracked their uses of online help and whether they completed the task
successfully. She was surprised by some of her conclusions:

� Contrary to the stereotype, women, in Guren�s words, �ignored
online Help as much as the men.�
� Users with stronger computer skills were more likely to blame the
software applications for the difficulties they encountered and to criticize
the online help.
� Fluent but non-native speakers of English �had consistent problems
with vocabulary.�
� Many users, especially older users, believed they had completed
the task when in fact they had not.
� A majority of the users (58%) did not use online help at all.

Guren�s recommendations based on the results of this study include the
following:
� Make sure help is accessible to older users.
� Avoid deep hierarchical structures.
� Avoid excessive numbers of jumps from within help topics.
� Use simplified English and �describe functionality (features) and
goals (tasks) in the users [sic] terms, rather than by referring to the
GUI.�

While I find this topic to be very interesting, I also think that this study
has a flaw that renders it essentially useless. The 38-person sample
included men and women. Ages ranged from 17 to 78, and the group
included native speakers of six different languages. I am not a student of
statistics, but when I read those data I immediately suspected that the
sample size was far too small to study so many different factors. A
friend who does know something of statistics confirmed this. The
number of elderly people, or Afrikaans speakers, or elderly Afrikaans-
speaking women just would not have been large enough to draw
meaningful conclusions about any of those groups. It would have made
more sense to have a sample consisting of, for example, 20 college-age
English-speaking women and 20 college-age French-speaking women.
As it stands, this study appears to me lie more in the realm of anecdote
than in the realm of data.

Furthermore, I have serious doubts about the recommendation to make
the use of extremely simple English an absolute priority. It goes without
saying that help writers should use the simplest and clearest language
that adequately communicates their message, but if a task is by nature
complex, the temptation to make the explanation simple by simply
omitting the complicated bits should be avoided at all costs.

E-mail reply (sent Sat Feb 25 18:04:59 CST 2012)
From: Karmon H.
Subject:Thanks Diane!!
Thanks so much Diane!
Karmon

E-mail reply (sent Sat Feb 25 17:51:46 CST 2012)
From: Diane W
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Madcap Flare key
Hi Karmon,
I just emailed you the info on the key for Madcap Flare.
Diane Willis

E-mail reply (sent Sun Feb 19 20:19:42 CST 2012)
From: Leah V
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Article I read: What to Consider When Building Help for Mobile Devices for Field Workers
Great topic for your article, Diane. I'm glad you got additional resources to refer to.

What does the article define as "field personnel"? I'm just curious as to how broad or narrow they define this term.

Thanks-
Leah

Original e-mail (sent Sun Feb 19 08:55:23 CST 2012)
From: Leah V
Subject: ETWR 2374 Article I read: What to Consider When Building Help for Mobile Devices for Field Workers
Tech Whirl - Online Magazine & Discussions for Today's Tech Writer - has an article that caught my eye What to Consider When Building Help for Mobile Devices for Field Workers.

techwhirl.com/skills/delivery/what-to-consider-when-building-help-for-mobile-devices-for-field-workers/

The article discusses points that technical communicators need to consider when planning and writing user assistance for field personnel's mobile devices.

Start the way any writing project starts: analyze the goals and the audience. Currently, there are 3 types of mobile applications that the article discusses: native, website and hybrid.
For mobile devices the writer needs to consider the limited screen space. 'Welinske writes, �Content types like user interface text, context-sensitive links, guided help (wizards), FAQs, and tips can all be integrated into mobile apps� Extensive reference information, blogs, support forums, and knowledge-bases usually fit better in a desktop environment where there is more screen real estate.� ' Using a demo or instructional video is suggested as one solution.

The other challenge discussed is how to navigate on the device where there is no mouse. A Touch Gesture Reference Guide and the HTML 4.0 Guidelines for Mobile Access on the W3C website are resources.

After identifying the challenges to user assistance on mobile devices, the traditional steps of considering the business and functional requirements, and audience analysis and testing come into play. Three mobile simulators and emulators that allow writers to test designs are mentioned.

The article concludes with a comparison of the technical writer progressing from the typewriter to the PC. Now the technical writer is progressing to the mobile device.

E-mail reply (sent Sat Feb 25 18:04:59 CST 2012)
From: Karmon H.
Subject:Thanks Diane!!
Thanks so much Diane!
Karmon

E-mail reply (sent Sat Feb 25 17:51:46 CST 2012)
From: Diane W
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Madcap Flare key
Hi Karmon,
I just emailed you the info on the key for Madcap Flare.
Diane Willis

Original e-mail (sent Sun Feb 19 08:07:08 CST 2012)
From:
Subject: ETWR 2374 Questions re: InDesign and Robo Tutorials
Maybe we should consider making these quesitons surveys to see what folks think? Just a thought....

Leah

E-mail reply (sent Sat Feb 25 18:04:59 CST 2012)
From: Karmon H.
Subject:Thanks Diane!!
Thanks so much Diane!
Karmon

E-mail reply (sent Sat Feb 25 17:51:46 CST 2012)
From: Diane W
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Madcap Flare key
Hi Karmon,
I just emailed you the info on the key for Madcap Flare.
Diane Willis

E-mail reply (sent Sun Feb 19 20:14:46 CST 2012)
From: Leah V
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 F-shaped pattern for reading web-content
Steve-
Interesting information in your article. I'm wondering, if web designers should organize their content within the "F" pattern, was there any mention as to colors that should be used or avoided, based on the findings you mentioned here?

Curious to know--

Leah

Original e-mail (sent Sat Feb 18 21:20:15 CST 2012)
From: Leah V
Subject: ETWR 2374 F-shaped pattern for reading web-content
I read the article called "F-Shaped Pattern For Reading Web Content " under Writing for the Web. An eye tracking study was performed on several webpages using a sample size of 232 users. The results of the analysis were compiled into a heat map. A heat map is an informal term for a probability density function. Essentially, the locations were most users focus their eyes is represented by the color red The areas less focused upon were depicted by the color yellow. Areas not receiving much eye focus were coded with blue and areas that received no eye contact were gray. The overall pattern resembled the capital letter "F". Most user fixated upon the top header on a website, followed by subsequent headers. The users also scanned the left side of the pages in a vertical pattern. As with most textual content, users skim and typically do not read most of the words. Also, as with resumes, most readers will only skim the top half of a page and usually completely ignore the bottom half of the page. Web designers should make their content easy to read by organizing key items so that they will exist within the "F" pattern.

E-mail reply (sent Sat Feb 25 18:04:59 CST 2012)
From: Karmon H.
Subject:Thanks Diane!!
Thanks so much Diane!
Karmon

E-mail reply (sent Sat Feb 25 17:51:46 CST 2012)
From: Diane W
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Madcap Flare key
Hi Karmon,
I just emailed you the info on the key for Madcap Flare.
Diane Willis

E-mail reply (sent Sun Feb 19 20:09:56 CST 2012)
From: Leah V
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Summary of Writing Style for Print vs. Web
Hi Portia-
Thanks for your article summary. You mention that "-Whereas print media is author-driven, Web content should be user-driven."

I found this interesting because I'm of the school that all writing should have the user first and foremost in mind. I'm wondering if your article expanded on the differences in what they are calling author vs user driven?

Leah V.

Original e-mail (sent Fri Feb 17 19:30:17 CST 2012)
From: Leah V
Subject: ETWR 2374 Summary of Writing Style for Print vs. Web
This article discusses the differences between writing effectively for print versus the web. Writers for the Web should take the following into consideration:

-Like with TV, print media is often a passive medium. Viewers/readers want to be entertained or informed and not make choices. The Web, however, is an active medium. Users are seeking out info and are engaged. They want answers to their questions. This difference calls for different writing styles.

-Headlines on the Web need to grab the reader's attention since they are often links disassociated with their content (until clicked on). Headlines' keywords need to be specific and chosen so that the article will arise as search result. Keywords need to be at the beginning, since users often scan the left part of a list. In print media, keywords are not as important because there are other methods, such as inclusion of photos, that can draw in a reader (remember, an online article may have photos, but we are talking about Web headlines only).

-Content on the Web can and should be more specific to the user, since it's searchable. It should link to other related resources. Users want actionable content rather than the storytelling approach often found in print media.

-Whereas print media is author-driven, Web content should be user-driven.

-Print media supports well-written complete sentences, but Web users are more tolerant of fragments as long as it's keyword-heavy.

-Books and other print media are more suited for big-picture learning than is the Web. The Web is sufficient for just-in-time learning.

-In print and in TV, readers/viewers are willing to follow the author's lead and expect their experience to be constructed for them. Using the Web, users want to construct their own experience.

E-mail reply (sent Sat Feb 25 18:04:59 CST 2012)
From: Karmon H.
Subject:Thanks Diane!!
Thanks so much Diane!
Karmon

E-mail reply (sent Sat Feb 25 17:51:46 CST 2012)
From: Diane W
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Madcap Flare key
Hi Karmon,
I just emailed you the info on the key for Madcap Flare.
Diane Willis

E-mail reply (sent Mon Feb 20 09:24:01 CST 2012)
From: Shrie S
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Writing for Social Media: Usability of Corporate Content Distributed Through Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn � Streams, Walls, and Feeds SUMMARY
I was a bit surprised to learn (but forgot to include it here) that many people didn't even
know what an RSS feed was. One RSS study happened, and then they conducted a
similar one three years later and the knowledge of RSS feeds hadn't really advanced.

Most of it was kind of common knowledge to me in regards to social media, but I was
interested to read the motivators behind people's social media behavior: greed and
exclusivity. That was eye-opening for me.

E-mail reply (sent Sun Feb 19 20:01:48 CST 2012)
From: Leah V
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Writing for Social Media: Usability of Corporate Content Distributed Through Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn � Streams, Walls, and Feeds SUMMARY
Good summary, Shrie and appropriate that you would select this article, given your current position. So tell me, did you learn anything from this article that will help you in your job or was most of this confirmation that what you're doing is on track?

Interested to know--

Leah

Original e-mail (sent Thu Feb 16 13:47:19 CST 2012)
From: Leah V
Subject: ETWR 2374 Writing for Social Media: Usability of Corporate Content Distributed Through Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn � Streams, Walls, and Feeds SUMMARY
www.useit.com/alertbox/streams-feeds.html
This article expresses the usability of corporate social media content
(not personal) delivered through one of many popular social media
avenues.

In order to discover how users approach corporate postings on social
networks they implemented two rounds of research, on RSS feeds
(utilizing traditional usability studies and workplace observation) and on
Facebook/Twitter/MySpace/LinkedIn (traditional usability and diary
studies, where users documented their experiences) having users
subscribe to messages dispersed by 120 organizations/companies and
celebrities. The purpose of these studies was to determine guidelines for
companies and organizations in regards to social media.

They found that users thought that too much posting by an organization
was the biggest deterrent for them and that users prefer an overtly
casual tone and approach in regards to social media but a more
business-like cut and dry approach in their RSS feeds.

They also found that users enjoy the simplistic reverse chronological
order of posts, like Twitter or Facebook, and that they didn't scroll in the
past to catch up on posts they may have missed. In other words, users
wanted quick easy info and weren't interested in being diligent about
devouring past content.

They advise that you cater your posting frequency to the network in
which you're using. Facebook and Twitter are designed to accommodate
quick and frequent messages, whereas services like LinkedIn aren't
logged into as much so the communications should be sparser.

The two great motivators for social media success are greed and
exclusivity. If someone perceives that they can get a deal that feeds the
greed motivator. If a user perceive that the info they're getting from social
media keeps them "in the know" and is timely, that feeds the exclusivity
motivator. Both of these ideas are key in getting good usability with your
messages.

Make it easy for a user to find your social media outlets! Don't make
them search for ANY information. Keep it clear, visible and concise. And
write for your specified network, keeping in mind the username you
choose will have to look and sound good to the user. Make sure your
logo thumbnail looks appropriate and well-styled as well. Remember,
this is your outward facing identity in social media land. Make it work for
you!

E-mail reply (sent Sat Feb 25 18:04:59 CST 2012)
From: Karmon H.
Subject:Thanks Diane!!
Thanks so much Diane!
Karmon

E-mail reply (sent Sat Feb 25 17:51:46 CST 2012)
From: Diane W
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Madcap Flare key
Hi Karmon,
I just emailed you the info on the key for Madcap Flare.
Diane Willis

E-mail reply (sent Sun Feb 19 19:53:42 CST 2012)
From: Leah V
Subject:Re: ETWR 2374 Summary of Article (due 2/19/12)
Nice summary, Karmon. You mention "the last usability tip". Are all of the items you mention considered usability issues or were there others discussed in the article?

Thanks again-
Leah

Original e-mail (sent Wed Feb 15 20:32:28 CST 2012)
From: Leah V
Subject: ETWR 2374 Summary of Article (due 2/19/12)
The following summary addresses the article Writing for the Web, which offers usability tips on how to best write web content to quickly and effectively help users find the information they are searching for.

Web users scan information instead of reading lengthy text.
� Reading from a computer screen is tiring.
� The web is user-driven media in which people prefer jumping around
� Each site competes with other sites for the same information.
� Readers feel time-constrained, whether the constraint actual or self-imposed.

Based upon eye-tracking experiments, it was found that web readers scan in an �F� pattern when searching for information. As a result, consider the usability findings below when designing or revamping a page.
� Readers won�t read the site�s text thoroughly.
� The first two paragraphs must state the most important information (this will be discussed later, and is known as the inverted pyramid).
� Start subheadings, paragraphs, and bullet points with information-carrying words along the left margin that users will notice.

Use an inverted pyramid style when writing for web users. The idea of the inverted pyramid employs the idea of writing the conclusion first. This style is useful because it allows readers to get the most useful information first, and allows them to decide the level of background information and further details they wish to further obtain.

The last usability tip is to create web pages that are scannable, concise, and objective.
Scannable refers to writing to allow users to quickly skim to find the information they are searching for by using some or all of the aids below.
� Table of Contents
� Section Summaries
� Bulleted list
� Numbered list
� Bold and color text highlighting keywords
� Shorter paragraphs

Concise refers to pulling out all unnecessary words and ideas that distract a reader from quickly finding what they are searching for. This may require pulling out 50% or more of what is written, or rewriting more efficiently. From studies conducted, readers often thought that pages that were more concise and well-ordered offered more information, even though they contained either the same amount or less information.

Objective refers to the removal of the �sales pitch� feel in favor of the proverbial �just the facts, ma�am.� Remove adjectives and buzzwords that appear to provide a biased or more subjective tone to the writing.

The topics shared above are only a subset of what was discussed. To find out more about how to write effectively for the web, read the links found at http://www.useit.com/papers/webwriting/ .

prepared by Karmon Hill

Information and programs provided by hcexres@prismnet.com

ETWR 2374 Online Helps & Help-Authoring Tools:Class E-Mail Archive

ETWR 2374 Online Helps & Help-Authoring Tools:
Class E-Mail Archive