Ecordia has announced the availability of its new predictive content analysis application, the Ecordia Content Optimizer. Designed for copywriters, journalists, and SEO practitioners, this content analysis application provides automated intelligence and recommendations for improving the structure of content prior to publishing. Available for free, this turn-key web application provides a number of features to aid writers in the creation and validation of content including: advanced keyword research during authoring; detailed scoring of your content based on 15 proven SEO techniques; automated recommendations on how you can improve your content for search engines; intelligent keyword extraction that compares your content to popular search terms; sophisticated Keyword Analysis that scores your keyword usage based on 5 statistical formulas. The Ecordia Content Optimizer has been in beta development for over a year and is currently in use by a number of SEO practitioners. The Ecordia Content Optimizer provides content analysis capabilities ideally suited for web publishers who wish to: improve their quality score for landing pages used in PPC campaigns; SEO professionals that want to validate and review content prior to publishing; blog sites that wish to improve the quality of their ads from contextual ad networks; and PR Practitioners that want to optimize their press release prior to publishing. The Ecordia Content Optimizer is licensed on a per user monthly subscription. http://www.ecordia.com/
Year: 2009 (Page 11 of 39)
Avantstar, Inc.has announced the release of Transit Solutions 9, file conversion and web publishing software that takes content originally designed for print or offline use, such as policies and procedures information, and publishes it as fully formatted web content. Transit Solutions is designed to help IT departments and web content managers keep up with the high volume of website changes generated everyday by not only automatically converting and publishing hundreds of file types as HTML, but also recognizing and automatically linking within documents (not just among them). Transit also publishes entire information folders on a preset schedule. New features in Transit Solutions 9 include: a redesigned Edit Template window that combines preview, publication hierarchy and properties into one window, making it easier to access commonly used features to edit web page templates; enhanced support for embedded content in Microsoft Word 2007, Excel 2007 and PowerPoint 2007; support for merged cells in Excel and tables within tables; as well as enhanced conversion support for Star Office and Open Office suites. http://www.avantstar.com
The research for Gilbane’s 2009 study on Multilingual Product Content: Transforming Traditional Practices Into Global Content Value Chains was supported by seven companies with proven track records in content globalization. Their technologies and services are used by market-leading companies to create competitive advantage with multilingual content.
One of the goals of this blog is to provide buyers and adopters with a variety of perspectives on content globalization strategies, practices, and solutions. The Multilingual Product Content study is authored from our own analyst perspective, drawing on the results of research. The user perspective is captured in the profiles included in the report; they describe the global content value chains deployed at Adobe, BMW Motorrad, Cisco Systems, HP, Mercury Marine, and New York City Department of Education.
To bring the solution supplier perspective into the mix, over the next month or so we’ll publish a series of brief interviews with study sponsors Acrolinx, Jonckers, Lasselle-Ramsay, LinguaLinx, STAR Group, Systran, and Vasont Systems. A representative from each company answers three questions:
- What role does your company play in the global content value chain?
- Why did you elect to sponsor Gilbane’s research?
- What was the most compelling or interesting result to come out of the research?
Readers will be able to comment on the interviews and ask questions of the supplier. We’ll post answers that are appropriate for sharing.
Our first interview with Suzanne Mescan from Vasont will be published next week.
MadCap SoftwareExternal link has announced that MadCap Lingo 3.0 is now available. MadCap LingoExternal link, the XML-based, fully integrated translation memory system (TMS) and authoring tool solution, eliminates the need for file transfers in order to complete translation-preserving valuable content and formatting to deliver a consistent experience across multiple languages. With version 3.0, MadCap Lingo adds a new Project Packager function that bridges the gap between authors and translators who use other TMS software. Using the Project Packager in MadCap Lingo, authors should be able to work with translators to streamline the translation process, track the status of completion, and obtain more accurate project cost estimates. MadCap Lingo 3.0 also features a new TermBase Editor for creating databases of reusable translated terms, and enhanced translation memory. Through integration between MadCap Lingo and MadCap’s authoring and multimedia applications, MadCap hopes to offer a powerful integrated authoring and localization workflow. Project Packager in MadCap Lingo 3.0 is designed to make it easier for authors who need their documentation translated into another language but work with a translator who relies on a TMS tool other than MadCap Lingo. Using Project Packager, the author can create a MadCap Lingo project with all the files that require translation, and bundle it in a ZIP file and send it to the translator. MadCap Lingo displays a list of all files that need to be translated, going beyond text to include skins, glossaries, search filter sets, and much more. As a result, the author can ensure that the translator receives all of the files requiring translation. This should streamline the process while enabling more accurate translation project estimates, helping translators to avoid accidentally underestimating project costs based on an incomplete file count-and protecting authors from unexpected cost overruns. Once the translation is complete, the translator sends a ZIP file with the content. The author then simply merges the translated file in MadCap Lingo, which is used to confirm the completeness of the translation. The author can then run statistical reports showing information for each project and file to determine what has/ has not been translated, how many words/segments have been translated and/or still need to be translated, and much more. The author can then export the MadCap Lingo project to a range of outputs, such as a Flare project file for online and print publishing, Word document, or even a Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) file, among others. The key new features of MadCap Lingo 3.0 are: the new TermBase Editor which enables translators to create and manage concept-oriented, multilingual terminology databases, “termbases,” making it significantly easier to reuse translated terms; the ability to import and export Term Base eXchange (TBX) files, an open, XML-based standard used for exchanging structured terminological data; translation memory – Apply Suggestions to Project function, which makes it possible to view and automatically apply translation memory suggestions to an entire project, rather than just one segment, saving hours of effort; dynamic help window pane lock lets the translator keep the current help topic frozen in place while moving around in the MadCap Lingo interface, making it easier to follow steps or other information placed in the Help topic; minimize to system tray option; multiple file support allows multiple files to be selected when creating a new MadCap Lingo project, for example HTM, HTML, XML, DITA or DOC files. http://www.madcapsoftware.com/
Open Text Corporation has announced plans to expand its suite of Web solutions with products and technologies from recently acquired Vignette playing a central role. Offered as part of the Open Text ECM Suite, the solutions should help organizations establish deeper connections to customers and use the Web as a channel for new revenues. As part of this strategy, Open Text will leverage technologies from both Vignette and its existing solutions to deliver new next- generation Web offerings. Vignette Content Management will form the foundation of Open Text’s Web business solutions, providing personalized and multi-channel capabilities integrated with the Open Text ECM Suite. Open Text has said it will continue to develop both Vignette Content Management and Open Text Web Solutions as complementary offerings to meet the full range of WCM needs. Open Text will release Vignette Content Management version 8.0 and Vignette Portal version 8.0 in the second half of 2009. The recently released Web Solutions 10.0 will be followed by the release of Web Solutions 10.1 in the first half of 2010. Within 24 months, Open Text will launch an offering that combines key strengths of Web Solutions with the Vignette Content Management platform. Vignette Social Media Solutions (Community Applications and Community Services) will be the basis of a new Social Marketplace offering, which will be added to Open Text’s Social Media solutions, targeting Internet-style social media interactions and enabling existing Web sites with social content. Current Open Text WCM customers will be able to take advantage of this new Social Marketplace package. In addition, Vignette Collaboration will continue to be enhanced as part of the underlying Vignette Social Media technology stack. http://www.opentext.com/
Over at TeleRead, David Rothman has a really fine writeup discussing our digital publishing report. He summarizes some of our key points about asset management and flexibility, but also raises some interesting related issues about DRM and the risks of "publishers as mixmasters."
My thanks to David for his thoughtful response.
Mary Laplante, Senior Analyst, speaks on the topic of Overcoming Language Afterthought Syndrome:
Gilbane’s 2009 research on multilingual content indicates that global companies are making steady progress towards overcoming language afterthought syndrome – a pattern of treating language requirements as secondary considerations within their content strategies and solutions. This presentation delivers insight into how market-leading companies are adopting content globalization strategies, practices, and infrastructures that position language requirements as integral to end-to-end solutions rather than as ancillary post-processes. The session is designed for content and language professionals and managers who need to know how to bring capabilities like automated translation management, terminology management, multilingual multichannel publishing, and global content management into the mainstream. Takeaways include data and case studies that can be used in business cases to move language requirements out of the back room once and for all.
Localization World Silicon Valley, 20-22 October, Santa Clara Convention Center
Dennis Howlett has once again started a useful and important debate, this time with his Irregular Enterprise blog post entitled Enterprise 2.0: what a crock. While I am sympathetic to some of the thinking he expressed, I felt the need to address one point Dennis raised and a question he asked.
I very much agree with this statement by Dennis:
“Like it or not, large enterprises – the big name brands – have to work in structures and hierarchies…”
However, I strongly disagree with his related contention (“the Big Lie” as he terms it) that:
“Enterprise 2.0 pre-supposes that you can upend hierarchies for the benefit of all.”
Dennis also posed a question that probably echoes what many business leaders are asking:
“In the meantime, can someone explain to me the problem Enterprise 2.0 is trying to solve?”
Below is the comment that I left on Dennis’ blog. It begins to answer the final question he asked and address my disagreement with his contention that Enterprise 2.0 advocates seek to create anarchy. Is my vision for the co-existence of structured and recombinant organizational and work models clear and understandable? Reasonable and viable? If not, I will expand my thoughts in a future post. Please let me know what you think.
Enterprise 2.0 is trying to solve a couple levels of problems.
From a technology standpoint, E2.0 is addressing the failure of existing enterprise systems to provide users with a way to work through exceptions in defined business processes during their execution. E2.0 technology does this by helping the user identify and communicate with those who can help deal with the issue; it also creates a discoverable record of the solution for someone facing a similar issue in the future.
From a organizational and cultural perspective, E2.0 is defining a way of operating for companies that reflects the way work is actually accomplished — by peer-to-peer interaction, not through command and control hierarchy. Contrary to your view, E2.0 does not pre-suppose the destruction of hierarchy. Correctly implemented (philosophy and technology), E2.0 provides management a view of the company that is complementary to the organization chart.
Addendum: See this previous post for more of my perspective on the relationship of structured and ad hoc methods of working.
