From WikiScribes
WikiScribes uses both traditional and light-weight delivery mechanisms:
- Traditional: RoboHelp, Framemaker/WebWorks, Epic, and other standard tools. This solution is best for medium to large companies with at least 2+ full-time Technical Writers and a strong desire for single-source authoring.
- Example #1: I use WebWorks, http://help.panologic.com
- Example #2: I use RoboHelp, http://help.marketbright.com
- Light-weight: Wiki—a solution that delivers all product documentation to one portal. This solution is ideal for small startup companies where all employees collaborate on documentation and where only one full-time or part-time writer is present. Wiki has many advantages, it is ideal for a specific companies.
- Example: I use MediaWiki, http://wiki.untangle.com/index.php/Main_Page
The right solution depends on your company's needs:
What's the Right Solution for You?
| Your company... | Wiki | Traditional
|
| Is a small business that must keep costs low.
| Yes | Maybe
|
| Has a small budget with one tech writer or no tech writer.
| Yes | No
|
| Needs to deliver both online help and hardcopy (PDF) manuals; needs single-source authoring.
| No | Yes
|
| Needs just online help, whether context sensitive or non-context sensitive.
| Yes | Yes
|
| Needs field help.
| No | Yes
|
| Believes its documentation is sensitive information, and desires to hide documentation from competitors.
| No | Yes
|
| Needs employees to be able to collaborate on documentation.
| Yes | No
|
| Has content contributors that are not tool-savvy and that have no knowledge of HTML.
| Yes | No
|
| Produces an open-source product.
| Yes | Maybe
|
| Supports multiple versions simultaneously. Do not require customers to upgrade. Don't have a hosted service.
| No | Yes
|
| Needs documentation for different types of users: end-users, administrators, developers, etc.
| Yes | Yes
|
| Rebrands its products for partners/resellers; needs single-source authoring.
| No
| Yes
|
| Requires localization/translation.
| Yes
| Yes
|
