CMS / DITA NA 2016 Conference Recap

I was lucky enough to speak at the CMS / NA 2016 Conference and since this is the premier conference for companies who use DITA and a CCMS, I thought I'd do a recap for the SDL Knowledge Center community. Let me just recap with some highlights and a list of the hot topics. Here we go.

Highlights

  • The "Internet of Things" has changed the way customers consume information and look for information. Google it and YouTube it have become common ways for people to locate information.
  • There was a distinct focus was on using DITA in new and different ways. So many of the presentations were "stories" about how DITA was being used differently within a company as well as distinct solutions that were created as a result of using DiTA differently.
  • There were a handful of sessions which focused on translation and everything that goes along with it, including DITA adoption, translation workflow, and translation cost savings.
  • New solutions were showcased by many of the vendors. Some pretty cool stuff.

Hot Topics

  • Taxonomy - Why companies should have a taxonomy and how it plays into locating and finding technical content.
  • Video Production - YouTube instructional videos are being done by many Tech Pub teams and there were sessions that focused on production, costs, and available tools.
  • Lightweight DITA - Making is simple for anyone to author content without having to know/learn DITA.

If you went to the conference, feel free to share your thoughts, impressions and hot topics within the community.