© 2012, Cognizant Technology Solutions Monalisa Sen STC India Chapter, 2012 Social...

© 2012, Cognizant Technology Solutions

Monalisa SenSTC India Chapter, 2012

Social Documentation-The Era of Interaction

Objectives

2

Understand the features of social documentation

Explore the reasons for increased popularity of social documentation

Explore a case study

Understand the types of social documentation

Understand the role of a technical writer in social documentation

Identify the limitations of social documentation

l © 2012, Cognizant Technology Solutions3

What is Social Documentation?

• Based on Web 2.0 approaches to capture user-generated content

• Uses social networking sites, social media sites and wiki-based sites

• Identifies and offers real-time solutions to queries of the audience


Why Social Documentation?

• Social documentation uses cumulative knowledge to fill information gaps and address user-specific issues

• Social documentation leads to human interaction and collaboration

• Content is user-centric since it is created and owned by users


Types of Social Documentation

The recent trend is to merge social media, social networking, and Web 2.0 into a general category called the ‘Social Web’.

Enables users to edit pages and leave

comments

Encourages interaction between audience and

author, offering an opportunity to include the

user’s perspective

Enables creation of a knowledge

community through real-time discussions


Role of a Technical Writer

• Moderator: Being a language expert, responsible for monitoring information being shared, conducting peer review and acting as a community manager

• Content Curator: Being a subject matter expert wearing the user’s shoes, responsible for contextualization and organization of information


Case Study• Cognizant’s proprietary project management and delivery

engagement application used for tracking projects• A project is considered a community• Interactive Help enables optimization of the tool’s usage


2010Requirement:Align the Help with features of social media/networking to provide easy access to informationSolution:• How do I…section based on web site Help like Gmail with pages like “What

would you like to do” • First-time User? section designed to provide a high-level understanding of

the application and assistance to the first-time users • What’s New? section designed for quick access to the latest updates and

features in the application, inspired by web sites like Gmail• Flow Diagrams linked to the relevant tasks, inspired by visual Wiki• Post your Queries section provided a link to the communities where the

user can post the queries


Snapshots


2011-12Requirement:Apps-based Help, improving social interactivity and providing a Help system for individual applicationsSolution:After research across various web sites such as Amazon, Gmail, Facebook, Google Apps store and other web-based services, the upcoming trends and practices were identified and are being implemented in the form of a Help Centre • Video-based Assistance: app-specific interactive training videos and

Online Help • Minimalizing Content on the Help: screenshot-intensive and task-oriented

guidance handbook• Getting Started: for first-time users• FAQ• Link to Community Forum: within the Help to raise a query• Rating: enable users to rate comments


Snapshots


Limitations of Social Documentation

• Maintaining accuracy• Formatting content and avoiding repetition• Implementing standardization and consistency• Motivating contribution from users• Archiving


Conclusion

• Transition from a didactic to a conversational tone• Shift from information to interaction• Content is increasingly user-driven• Use of social media to get closer to the users• Less writing and more curating


Questions

© 2012, Cognizant Technology Solutions Monalisa Sen STC India Chapter, 2012 Social...

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