6.0225 SIGDOC '92: Multimedia Documentation (1/465)
Elaine Brennan & Allen Renear (EDITORS@BROWNVM.BITNET)
Sun, 13 Sep 1992 21:25:57 EDT
Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 6, No. 0225. Sunday, 13 Sep 1992.
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1992 13:08:00 -0400
From: "Sigdoc92 (S.) Sigdoc92" <sigdoc92@bnr.ca>
Subject: SIGDOC'92 Advance Program-- 'Going Online'
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GOING ONLINE
The New World of Multimedia Documentation
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SIGDOC '92
The 10th Annual International Conference Program and Registration
October 13-16, 1992, The Westin Hotel, Ottawa, Canada
Sponsored by The Association for Computing Machinery, Special Interest Group
on Documentation (SIGDOC) in cooperation with Northern Telecom and Bell-
Northern Research
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
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While words will always be important to technical documentation, increasingly
they are recognized as only the beginning. New options, in the form of online
and multimedia information, are redefining our craft. Technical documents are
no longer just "read". By means of hypertext, animation, links to databases,
illustrations, and video sequences, documents are "explored". Their "readers"
learn from text, graphics, video images, and sound and are guided by their own
interests, expertise, and need for information. Readers of multimedia
documents become, in effect, co-authors of personally tailored documents that
are experienced differently by every reader.
Online capabilities are growing to meet our imaginative drive to develop
multimedia documents that make complex systems accessible to users. But we
must bring to bear on these new forms our experience--in document management,
quality control, and presentation techniques--gained through working with
printed documentation. We must build on this knowledge and modify it to
successfully create the multimedia documents that challenge not only our
notions of information presentation, but also our understanding of document
form and use.
SIGDOC'92 is a conference examining design, process, quality, tools,
applications, and costs and benefits of multimedia documentation. Join us as
we venture into the new world through
--a keynote address by Theodor Holm Nelson
--pre-conference tutorials
--presentations by speakers from around the world
--demonstrations of multimedia documents and tools
--opportunities to share your experience and learn from fellow professionals
Read on for more information on conference sessions, events, and attractions!
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13
7:00 am - 5:00 pm Registration
9:00 am - 4:30 pm Full- and half-day tutorials.
5:30 pm - 7:00 pm Welcoming reception
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14
7:00 am - 5:00 pm Registration
9:00 am - 8:00 pm Demonstration Room
9:00 am - 8:00 pm Job Corner
9:00 am - 10:30 am Sessions
Session 1
Electronic documentation system: Using automated hypertext
techniques for technical support services
P. Morse, V. Konstantinou, University of Westminster, United Kingdom
A critical assessment of the minimalist approach to documentation
H. van der Meij, Twente University, The Netherlands
Session 2
Internationalizing online information
C.K. Merrill, M. Shanoski, Sykes Enterprises, Inc., U.S.A
Developing hypertext documents for an international audience
E. Spragins, North Carolina State University, U.S.A.
Session 3
Navigating online information: A characterization of extralinguistic
factors that influence user behavior
B. Mehlenbacher, North Carolina State University, U.S.A.
Test early, test often: A formative usability kit for writers
S. Kohn Kaminsky, Bell-Northern Research, Canada
11:00 am - 12:00 noon Welcome Address by John Brockmann
12:00 noon - 8:00 pm Exhibits
12:00 noon - 2:00 pm Luncheon and Address by Edward Tufte
3:00 pm - 4:30 pm Sessions
Session 4
A multimedia and multisource document editor of an open
architecture
Jin-Kun Lin, University of North Carolina, U.S.A.
A multiple presentation document management system
A. Celentano, et al., Politecnico di Milano, Italy
Session 5
Online information and reduced interval in publishing:
Impact on the information developing cycle
P. Fournier, Bell-Northern Research, Canada
Seven (plus or minus two) things to remember about producing multimedia
documentation
C. Titta, J. Johnson, Communitec Inc., U.S.A.
Session 6
Converting to online: A case history
A. Harrington, Digital Equipment Corporation, U.S.A.
Online help: Exploring static information or constructing personal and
collaborative solutions using hypertext
D. Selfe, et al., Michigan Technological University, U.S.A.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15
8:00 am - 5:00 pm Registration
9:00 am - 8:00 pm Demonstration Room
9:00 am - 8:00 pm Job Corner
9:00 am - 10:30 am Sessions
Session 7
Monitoring user actions in the hypertext system "HyperMan"
A. Myka, et al., Universitat Tubingen, Germany
Codedocs: Executable documents for documenters
The end of the passive user guide
P. Sturgeon, et al., Bell-Northern Research, Canada
Session 8
User information processing strategies and online visual structure
E. Keyes, R. Krull, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, U.S.A.
Choosing a medium for your message: What determines the
choice of delivery media for technical documentation?
H.J. Saddler, Apple Computer Inc., U.S.A.
Session 9
A method for editing visual components of multimedia
K. Dukay, et al., Microsoft Corporation, U.S.A.
Standardization: Problems of interchange and delivery of
documentation online
D. Dougherty, O'Reilly & Associates Inc., U.S.A.
11:00 am - 12:00 noon Sessions
Session 10
Linking object-oriented database and hypertext to
support software documentation
B. Wang, P. Hitchcock, University of York, United Kingdom
Graph-based retrieval of information in hypertext systems
Y. Quintana, et al., University of Waterloo, Canada
Session 11
Online help: A part of documentation
S.D. Goodall, Powersoft Corporation, U.S.A.
Online reading and offline tradition: Adapting online help facilities to
offline reading strategies
A. Maes, et al., Tilburg University, The Netherlands
Session 12
Down-sizing in DOS: Multimedia as inexpensive, omnipresent,
and user-based
P. Beam, University of Waterloo, Canada
Prototyping: Tools and techniques
Improving software and documentation quality through rapid
prototyping
M. Thompson, N. Wishbow, LEGENT Corporation, U.S.A.
12:00 noon - 1:30 pm Lunch Break
12:00 noon - 8:00 pm Exhibits
1:30 pm - 2:30 pm Presentation of Diana Award to Apple Computer Inc.
3:00 pm - 4.30 pm Sessions
Session 13
Technical writers and the business of writing design documents for
complex, reactive systems
D. Cameron, Bell-Northern Research, Canada
Session 14
To link or not to link: An empirical comparison
of hypertext linking strategies
C. Boyle, S. Hor Teh, Texas A&M University, U.S.A.
Helping users navigate in multimedia documents:
The affective domain
M. Peoples Halio, University of Delaware, U.S.A.
Session 15
Low-cost audiovisual presentation enabler
R. A. Pascoe, IBM Corporation, U.S.A.
Variable degrees of multimedia implementation and their impact on
network elements
R. Bence, et al., Logicon Ultrasystems, U.S.A.
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm Northern Telecom Reception
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm Conference Banquet and Keynote Address
by Theodor Holm Nelson --
"Tomorrow's Hyperdocumentation"
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16
9:00 am - 1.30 pm Demonstration Room
9:00 am - 1.30 pm Job Corner
9:00 am - 10:30 am Sessions
Session 16
The right tool for the job: A quest for the perfect authoring package
J. Agnew, G. Palmer, Northern Telecom, U.S.A.
The use of icons to aid user orientation in Windows help files
R.C. Hall, Strategic Technology Resources, U.S.A.
Session 17
Applying object-oriented concepts to documentation
S. Matthews, C. Grove, Bell-Northern Research, Canada
The rhetoric of an online document retrieval system
C. Lee, Northern Telecom, Canada
Session 18
Informal usability testing: A strategy for user involvement
K. Haramundanis, Digital Equipment Corporation, U.S.A.
Prospects for active help in online documentation
T. Carey, et al., University of Guelph, Canada
11:00 am - 12:00 noon Sessions
Session 19
Towards a canonical specification of document structures
M.G. Hinchey, T. Cahill, University of Limerick, Ireland
Developing a hypertext productivity tool from a hardcopy programmer's
reference
V. Hailey, et al., Hailey Griffin Corporation, Canada
Session 20
Beyond hypertext: Knowledge management for technical documentation
T. Lethbridge, D. Skuce, University of Ottawa, Canada
Online with a mainframe: Moving the mountain to the microcomputer
J. McDuffee, Systematics Information Services Inc., U.S.A.
Session 21
SIGDOC Forum
SIGDOC members and interested conference participants
PRE-CONFERENCE TUTORIALS--TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13
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Full- and half-day tutorials will run prior to the conference. Conference fees
do not cover admission to tutorials.
Visual Literacy--A Crash Course
--------------------------------
This full-day tutorial is for anyone who must communicate detailed or abstract
technical information; for instance, technical writers, engineers,
programmers, scientists, editors, illustrators, and graphic designers. Among
the topics this tutorial will address are:
--visual thinking for verbal people--tapping your creativity
--what makes good graphics?
--how to represent concepts--the language of graphics
--showing relationships in tables, charts, and graphs
Presenter William Horton, founder and owner of William Horton Consultants,
specializes in putting people and machines together in productive systems. He
is well known to technical communicators through his many books including
Illustrating Computer Documentation, Designing and Writing Online
Documentation, and Secrets of User-Seductive Documents.
Members, $200 Non-members, $220
Human Factors in Multimedia Communication
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This half-day tutorial will explore multimedia from an ergonomic perspective.
In making the transition from paper to online documentation, authors and
readers have had to face many new usability issues prompted by the way people
perceive and process online information. Further issues arise when online
information goes beyond simple text and static graphics to incorporate
multimedia. This is not a how-to session. It will appeal to professional
communicators who are interested in the psychological effectiveness of
multimedia for different applications. Tutorial topics include:
--sensory competition
--cueing, timing, and pacing
--attention, distraction, and overloading
--the motivational and emotional effects of multimedia
Presenter Arlen Michaels is an electronic information specialist at Bell-
Northern Research. Drawing on experience in psychology research and computer
design, he provides human factors and usability support to technical writers
working on online information projects.
Members, $100 Non-members, $110
HyTime--A Standard for Multimedia Information
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This half-day tutorial will present the elements of the HyTime
Hypermedia/Time-based Structuring Language (ISO Draft International Standard),
which provides the standard technical framework for implementing open
integrated hypermedia. This tutorial is intended for anyone interested in
using international standards to facilitate interchange of hyperdocuments. An
understanding of SGML is beneficial for this tutorial, however, the semantics
of HyTime can be understood without understanding SGML.
Presenter Steven R. Newcomb, President of TechnoTeacher, Inc., has
participated in the development of the HyTime Hypermedia/Time-based
Structuring Language since 1986. He is founding Chairman of the SGML User
Group's Special Interest Group on Hypertext and Multimedia and he edits the
SGML SIGhyper Newsletter.
Members, $100 Non-members, $110
CONFERENCE FEE INFORMATION
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Conference Fees
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SIGDOC member $325 CDN
Non-SIGDOC member $385 CDN
Student* $75 CDN
*To qualify for the student fee, your registration form must be accompanied by
a letter from your department attesting to your full-time student status.
Conference fees cover attendance at all conference sessions and the luncheon
on Wednesday, October 14, as well as access to all conference exhibits and
demonstrations. Attendance at pre-conference tutorials and the SIGDOC banquet
are not included in the conference fees.
Cancellations
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Requests for refunds must be made in writing and must be received by Monday,
September 28, 1992. After that date, no refunds will be made.
SIGDOC Membership
-----------------
If you are not currently a member of SIGDOC, you receive a free one-year
membership when you register for SIGDOC'92. SIGDOC membership offers you
access to a network of documentation specialists, a subscription to the
Journal of Computer Documentation, connection with the research in areas of
the computer community through ACM, and discounts on ACM publications and
activities. This membership begins immediately following the conference and
does not entitle you to the member price for pre-conference tutorials.
Call for Volunteers
-------------------
If you wish to volunteer to act as a session chairperson, please check the box
on the registration form or contact us by telephone, fax, or electronic mail.
CONFERENCE EVENTS AND ATTRACTIONS
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Keynote Address by Theodor Holm Nelson
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This is your chance to hear Ted Nelson, the man who coined the terms
"hypertext" and "hypermedia". Mr. Nelson is the founder of Project Xanadu(tm),
a universal software package intended to replace paper publishing in the 21st
century. The conference keynote address, entitled "Tomorrow's
Hyperdocumentation", will follow the SIGDOC Conference Banquet on Thursday,
October 15.
Demonstration Area
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Take advantage of this opportunity to view state-of-the-art online documents
being demonstrated by presenters at the conference.
SIGDOC'92 Conference Banquet
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You and your guests are invited to attend the SIGDOC Conference Banquet,
October 15. Tickets are $45 each. The conference keynote address by Theodor
Holm Nelson will follow dinner.
Job Corner
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Find out about specific job opportunities in the documentation field or bring
a description of a job in need of a special person. In the registration area,
you'll find the Job Corner bulletin board and tables.
Job seekers: Bring several copies of your resume. When you arrive, put one
copy into the Resume Notebook (in alphabetical order)for people to review. Put
the other copies into the Resume Copies Box under the first initial of your
last name.
Employee seekers: Bring several copies of your job description. When you
arrive, put one copy into the Positions Available Notebook (organized by
geographic location). Put the other copies into the Positions Available Box
under the first initial of your company organization or name.
Exhibits
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Providers of the tools and support we need for multimedia documentation will
display and demonstrate their latest products, services, and accomplishments
throughout the conference.
Confirmed exhibitors include:
Bellcore Microsoft Corporation
Corel Corporation Northern Telecom Inc.
DVSCommunications Inc. Optim Corporation Inc.
Fulcrum Technologies Inc. Ottawa Laser Copy Inc.
Grafnetix Systems Inc. Society for Technical Communication
Lowe-Martin Group Xerox Canada Ltd.
Institute of Technical Editors
AIFARE AND ACCOMMODATION INFORMATION
Airfare Discounts
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Contact one of the following Air Canada offices to arrange your flight to
SIGDOC'92 at discounts of 25 to 60 percent. The earlier you book your flight,
the better the discount you will receive. Be sure to state the Tour Code
CV920870 and Endorsement ACM.
Canada and USA
1-800-361-7585
International
London: (081) 7592636
Paris: (1) 432010200
Hotel Accommodation
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Join us at the Westin Hotel, located near restaurants, museums, galleries,
shopping, and all the sights of Canada's capital city.
To reserve your accommodation, call 1-800-228-3000.
The Weather Report
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In October, the average daily temperature is about 10 degress F (55 C)
and the autumn colours should be spectacular!
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Conference Registration Form
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Name ____________________________________________________
SIGDOC/ACM Member Number ____________________________________________________
Title ____________________________________________________
Organization ____________________________________________________
Address ____________________________________________________
City Province/State ____________________ Country _____________________
Postal code/Zip Code ____________________________________________________
Electronic Mail Address ____________________________________________________
Telephone _________________________ Fax ___________________________________
__ I wish to assist SIGDOC'92 as a session chairperson.
Conference
__ SIGDOC/ACM Members, $325 CDN ___________________
__ Non-SIGDOC/ACM Members, $385 CDN ___________________
__ Students*, $75 CDN ___________________
Tutorials
Visual Literacy--A Crash Course
__ Members, $200 CDN ___________________
__ Non-members, $220 CDN ___________________
Human Factors in Multimedia Communication
__ Members, $100 CDN ___________________
__ Non-members, $110 CDN ___________________
HyTime--A Standard for Multimedia Information
__ Members, $100 CDN ___________________
__ Non-members, $110 CDN ___________________
Banquet Number of tickets: __ X $45 CDN each. ___________________
Total Payment Due: -------------------
Method of Payment
__ Cheque or money order enclosed.
(Please make your cheque payable to SIGDOC'92.)
__ VISA __ MasterCard __ American Express
Card Number:_________________ Expiry date:_________ Signature:________________
*to qualify for the student fee, your registration form must be accompanied by
a letter from your department attesting to your full-time student status.
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