Technically Speaking

I’m now twittering, which means, I think, that you can follow me on Twitter. From what I gather, Twitter is like your Facebook status, only broadcast to everybody who follows you.

My twitter page is: http://twitter.com/docguy

You can see my “tweets” in the sidebar (under “What I’m doing…”)

If you’ve been following my blog recently, you’re already aware that I’ve received MadCap Certified Instructor status from MadSkills, the MadCap-owned company that provides training on MadCap products. I created a company for my consulting and writing work (I’m currently in the process of writing several books on Flare). Thus, I’m pleased to announce my company’s new website, docguytraining.com.

DocGuy Training’s website will give you tips and tricks on using MadCap products, as well as info on  my upcoming MadCap books. It is where I will discuss training events and other help-authoring tool information.

When you go to the website, you’ll see several different sections. The website is powered by wordpress, and each of the different sections show the most recent post(s) in a specific category. The bottom of the site has a link to the site’s feed; when you subscribe to the feed, you subscribe to posts from all categories, so you’ll be caught up on the latest information, if that is the route you want to go.

Don’t worry that I’m abandoning this site. I’ll still use Technically Speaking to cover lots of general technical writing information, and I’ll occasionally cross post informaiton on both sites.

Come check out my new digs at docguytraining.com and let me know what you think!

I thought some of you might be interested to know that I’ve applied for, and been granted Flare Certified Trainer status from MadSkills, the training side of MadCap Software.

My first training is going to be next month when I travel to a client site in the Middle East. I’m taking a week of personal vacation time from my “real” job so I can perform the training. I’m pretty excited about the opportunity, and I’m working on getting my visa and travel documents in order.

I’ll keep you updated on my blog, wtih regards to my trip, so feel free to come back, if you’re interested.

The trip to the Middle East is actually the second leg in a two-week long trip that I’ll be taking. I’m starting my trip by attending the DITA/TECHCOMM Conference from November 3-6 in North Carolina. The Conference is presented by Bright Path Solutions.

At the conference, I’ll be presenting two sessions. My first session is a topic that I think might be generating a bit of buzz amongst followers of MadCap. My session is titled “DITA and MadCap; What’s the Buzz?” where I will be able to expound on the MadCap DITA announcement scheduled for the end of this month. (No hints before then, sorry.)  My second session is the topic of the book I’m currently writing; the session is called “FrameMaker to Flare: Tips and Tricks”.

Getting ready for the conference and training have put me off schedule on the book, but I hope to have it out by the beginning of next year.

I’m leaving from North Carolina on my trip to the Middle East, so I won’t be back home until around the 15th of November.

Stay tuned for more info on the MadCap DITA announcement and for highlighs from the conference and my training trip!

I just got the following e-mail from MadCap Software today, encouraging me to purchase Flare. Check out the second link in the message. That made me laugh:

Hi Paul,

I hope all is well.

As a current Flare user, I thought you would be interested in learning that we have just released Flare v4.0 and Blaze v1.0! Blaze is our new print-only solution, while Flare remains the premier tool for printed document and web help authoring. I encourage you to download the new trials and give them a spin: http://www.madcapsoftware.com/downloads/

In addition, please visit this site for a blog article with great insight on Flare 4 you may enjoy: http://blog.paulpehrson.com/2008/09/02/madcap-flare-4-preview/

Finally, and the last link I swear – a newly recorded demo by V.P. Mike Hamilton about the new features in Flare V4: : http://www.madcapsoftware.com/training/demos/flareV4Signup.aspx

[...]

Let me know if you would like additional details or if there is anything that comes up that I can assist with. I look forward to hearing from you.

Best regards,
[MadCap Representative]

Pretty cool, eh?