What's the advantage to using PDF documents...
and by the way, what is PDF?
I'd like to make my manual available
for online access via the Web. What types of things do
I need to consider? There are a number of accessibility
issues you've probably considered, such as your audience's
access to the Web and how you'll handle notifying your
audience about updates to the material.
However, there other little-known yet important issues
about your content, too. For example, what fonts does
your document use? If the majority of fonts are serif
fonts (such as Times-Roman), you may want to change the
fonts to sans serif fonts (such as Arial), as these are
more easily read on line. You'll also want to consider
other usability issues, such as the length and readability
of an online page. Generally speaking, an online page
is shorter than a hard-copy page and you may need to redesign
your document accordingly. We at Tanner are familiar with
all of these (and more) considerations and can help you
make good decisions about content portability. [return
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Is online help just for software?
No. Though on-screen help systems are often integrated
into software applications, more and more businesses are
finding that a standalone help system is the best way
to organize and distribute critical business information
to employees and customers. For example, a major commercial
and retail banking client of ours recently used a help
system (linked to its corporate Website) to distribute
updated underwriting policies and procedures to its field
representatives. [return
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How can Tanner understand my business?
As technical communicators, Tanner staff members are skilled
in business process analysis, interviewing, and observing
how a product or particular operation works. As consultants,
we are outsiders to your business as are your customers
and your new employees. Our job is to learn just what
the employee or customer needs to know to accomplish something
specific, not to understand everything about your business.
[return to top]
What is a template? A template
can take on many different forms depending on how it is
used. It can be the shell of a document that ensures a
consistent look and feel, like a Word or RoboHelp template.
Or it can be a document that guides subject matter experts
how to organize and write. For example, sales staffs use
our proposal templates to create high quality, consistent
proposals. We can help you identify tools (like templates)
that can help make your business work better. [return
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What is "technical communication?"
Technical Communication is the practice of helping people
use the technology in their lives effectively. These days
almost all business communication qualifies as technical
communication because almost all businesses use technology
in some way. In technical communication we are concerned
with sharing information with employees and consumers
so they can use our products, perform specific tasks,
and make certain decisions. In marketing communications
we are more concerned with persuading instead.
[return to top]
What's the advantage to using PDF
documents...and by the way, what is PDF? PDF stands
for Portable Document Format. The advantage of using a
PDF file versus a word processing file, is portable formatting.
A PDF file will look the same on any computer, regardless
of platform or operating system. All that is needed to
view a PDF file is the free Acrobat Reader software from
Adobe. [return to top]
