New Book on MadCap Flare

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Christine
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New Book on MadCap Flare

Post by Christine »

Petra Thiemann, Certified Flare Trainer, will publish an new german book on MadCap Flare.

Title:
Benutzerfreundliche Online-Hilfen
Grundlagen und Umsetzung mit MadCap Flare

This guide for creating online help shows with many examples (which are created with MadCap Flare) how real usability in online help looks like. Including a theoretical base and new scientific findings this book is not only useful for beginners in online help or MadCap Flare, but also for the professional who wants to consider new suggestions. The book contains a foreword written by Mike Hamilton.

The book will be published at the beginning of April:
Publisher: Vieweg; Edition: 1 (April 2008)
Language: German
ISBN-10: 383480424X
ISBN-13: 978-3834804242

Petra Thiemann works for cognitas GmbH as Flare trainer, technical author and editor.
Christine Platz
cognitas. GmbH
http://www.cognitas.de
AlanFisk
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Re: New Book on MadCap Flare

Post by AlanFisk »

It arrived last week, and it's very helpful. The only drawback, of course, is that you need a basic reading knowledge of German to be able to use it. We still need a book in English that is task-oriented, and not a random info-dump like Flare's own Getting Started Guide. I had to sit with the video tutorials and copy down two pages of closely-spaced handwritten text in order to extract the steps for creating a new project.
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RamonS
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Re: New Book on MadCap Flare

Post by RamonS »

Well, I'd offer to translate the book, but am not sure on how to go about it from a permissions standpoint. I never dealt with publishing companies.
AlanFisk
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Re: New Book on MadCap Flare

Post by AlanFisk »

The publisher is Vieweg + Tebner http://www.viewegteubner.de

You can contact them, setting out your qualifications for translating the book, and ask them if they're interested. It's possible that the author has licensed only German-language rights to them, in which case they would tell you approach the author or her agent.
Alan Fisk
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Re: New Book on MadCap Flare

Post by pe_thiemann »

Hi Alan,
I am delighted to learn that you think the book on creating online helps with Flare is helpful. If you and others think, the book is really also suitable for the English speeking community, i can talk to my publisher to consider a translation. But, as i stated in a former post, there has to be more work done than the mere translation, because national standards have to be adapted concerning writing online help, i.e. a localization on writing. Also an update to Flare V4 should be considered.
If you really see a market in the English speaking community, we could try a project together: I can offer the common and the procedural part, we can translate it together but there is input needed for he localization. Maybe also Madcap Software as a company is interested in such a project and could be convinced to sponsor it??
However, if you have read the book, please do me a favor and give a comment to amazon.de. Could be helpful for other collegues in the decision if they should buy the book or not.
Regards,
_______________________________
Petra Thiemann
cognitas GmbH
München
AlanFisk
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Re: New Book on MadCap Flare

Post by AlanFisk »

Well, it's RamonS who wants to translate it, Petra, and in any case I am the world's worst translator. I'm sure that there's a market, because people keep asking for a book that explains clearly how to use Flare. It's so difficult to understand that I'm still trying to create my first project successfully.
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Re: New Book on MadCap Flare

Post by RamonS »

I did translations before and basically translate spoken language at home daily. I'm fluent in both English and German and have some more advanced experience in Flare. If there is an interest we can get together and figure something out.
pe_thiemann
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Re: New Book on MadCap Flare

Post by pe_thiemann »

Hi Ramon,
i have asked my publishers, but there is no answer by now. If i get an answer i send you an email.
Regards,
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Petra Thiemann
cognitas GmbH
München
Richard Ferrell
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Re: New Book on MadCap Flare

Post by Richard Ferrell »

Petra,

Saw your book the other day, Great Job, Now I just need to learn German!
Richard Ferrell

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RamonS
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Re: New Book on MadCap Flare

Post by RamonS »

pe_thiemann wrote:Hi Ramon,
i have asked my publishers, but there is no answer by now. If i get an answer i send you an email.
That would be great. :D
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Re: New Book on MadCap Flare

Post by Telemarker »

Any news on this?
RamonS
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Re: New Book on MadCap Flare

Post by RamonS »

This is currently in the works. Progress is a bit slow since I have a 40+ hour 'real' job, but I think we are getting in good shape to give this project some more momentum.
Darci
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Re: New Book on MadCap Flare

Post by Darci »

RamonS wrote:This is currently in the works. Progress is a bit slow since I have a 40+ hour 'real' job, but I think we are getting in good shape to give this project some more momentum.
This is great news. I would love to be notified once the book is available in English. I know my management team would be more than happy to approve the purchase for the whole online documentation team. In the meantime I keep on using the forums, Flare's great tech support, the Getting Started Guide and Flare's own online help system to move me along.

Have a great day!!!

Darci :D
Darci

Certified MadCap Advanced Developer, v8


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Re: New Book on MadCap Flare

Post by doc_guy »

For what it's worth, I'm working on a book on Flare as well. I'm hoping to publish early this fall. If you have suggestions on what you think should be covered, please let me know. If I use your suggestion, I'll credit you in the acknowledgments. :)
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Re: New Book on MadCap Flare

Post by forfear »

A related post. Great to hear there's lots of effort in the coming months on various Flare books. The Madcap Team can only be too pleased.

Check out the heat on this post :)
http://forums.madcapsoftware.com/viewto ... Flare+book
Looks like this little bit of a post hit the spot about the right time, before the recent announcements of the books.

Paul's a reknowned blogger. Among the first to write a comprehensive review of the upcoming Blaze, and received quite a bit of traffic on that. Also the famous 25 things about Flare....post...Read it before I finally decided to take the plunge with Flare...that with the post on idratherbewriting.com

I know Steve Salters blog been posting some tips regularly on Flare in recent months as well.

And all too popular idratherbewriting site from which a great many tech writers, authors, glitterati and ideas are shared, connected, nurtured. Great place for news,one of a kind podcasts, a regular forum poster too!
If you submit your bug feedback request here, the more likely it'll get fixed or included in a future release
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forfear
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Re: New Book on MadCap Flare

Post by forfear »

When I first started out, this was THE definitive site.


unfortunately its not updated very much anymore,
http://techwritetips.wordpress.com/2006 ... ml-editor/

But i always thought that this site was the ultimate site, quite a bit of the content is still relevant today.
If you submit your bug feedback request here, the more likely it'll get fixed or included in a future release
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