More vAInity, but here is a list of all of the conferences I have presented at for DITA:
2006
XML 2006 > DocBook vs DITA
2007
DITA West > A Document Standards Interoperability Framework for DocBook, DITA, ODF and More!
Abstract:
An interoperability strategy is critical to allow the use of content from multiple standards and sources. This presentation will describe an approach to defining a Doc Standards Interoperability Framework, supporting DocBook, DITA and ODF.
• https://www.slideserve.com/harlow/a-document-standards-interoperability-framework-for-docbook-dita-odf-and-more
2009
XML-in-Practice DC > Professional Publishing on a Shoestring Budget
Abstract:
Professional Publishing on a Shoestring Budget, will discuss how to optimize your multi-channel publishing processes using the latest approved DocBook v5.0 schema and the DocBook Publishers schema.
2015
Optimizing the DITA Authoring Experience
Abstract:
This webinar compares and contrasts the ways of customizing your authoring environment and provides guidelines for their use.
CIDM 2015 Chicago > Browser Power: Client-side rendering of DocBook and DITA
Abstract:
What do Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Opera, Vivaldi, and Internet Explorer all have in common? Today’s modern browsers can dynamically render DITA and DocBook. Why use a separate rendering step in the publishing process, when the XML can be delivered directly from the server and rendered in any modern browser, including mobile? In this session, you will learn how to customize the browser presentation layer and some of the caveats for the content.
2017
CIDM 2017 San Diego > Scaling quality using Schematron
Abstract:
Do you have limited editorial staff or resources? How do you ensure content quality in spite of an ever-expanding set of content and the unrelenting pressure to deliver that content quickly? In this presentation, we’ll get you started using Schematron to scale your quality control initiatives! When integrated with an XML editor, Schematron provides real-time analysis and feedback to authors to ensure that content follows defined editorial rules. (Remember, we rely on DITA to establish and control structure, but DITA is silent regarding the overall linguistic quality of content.)
You will learn about the process of converting editorial style guide rules to Schematron, including what makes a good Schematron rule. We will provide tips and best practices based on how we implemented Schematron at Jeppesen. You’ll learn which editorial challenges lend themselves to Schematron solutions and which are too linguistically complex and require a human editor.
2018
CIDM 2018 Denver > LwDITA - The Reuse Zone
Abstract:
Your software developers document their code, but how do you reuse that information in your technical documentation with minimal effort? For some developers, it’s a very strange idea to reuse their code comments as tech doc. Today, we will take you on a journey to explore this very idea…
CIDM 2018 Denver > The ABCs of Plain English with Schematron
This presentation explains the process of converting Plain English rules to Schematron, and gives tips and best practices for how to use these rules along with your own editorial style rules. We cover the various levels of guidance available in Schematron, so you canIn this presentation, we'll demonstrate how to use Schematron to enforce Plain English guidelines. When integrated with an XML editor, Schematron gives real-time analysis and feedback to authors to make sure that content uses plain English.
2019
CIDM 2019 Raleigh > Farewell to style errors - using Schematron and Vale
Abstract:
The technical Julius Caesar. Act III, scene II: [Enter OmniMark Antony]
Friends, Countrymen, Editors, Writers, lend me your Style Guides! I come to bury Errors, not to praise them. The errors that men do lives after them (especially in print); The good is oft left unread. But let it not be with your content! Is error-free content ambitious? Perhaps. But here I am to speak what I do know...
*cited in a 2019 paper "The Role of Taxonomy and Search in Content Usability"
2020
ConVEx 2020 [online] > The Metrics Dashboard: A “cross-check” for quality issues
Abstract:
We will demonstrate how a metrics dashboard assembles the important quality information from your metrics reports and creates a complete picture of your content quality. We will examine best practices to identify potential quality issues.
2021
ConVEx 2021 [online] > There and back again: An early adoption of DITA 2.0
Abstract:
DITA 2.0 introduces advances in content reuse, simplification of authoring, and improved user experience. The DITA Open Toolkit has also improved and added early support for many DITA 2.0 features. This presentation discusses the content model analysis, DITA constraints, tool integration, and migration approaches necessary for early adoption of the specification.
Benefit:
Is DITA 2.0 a march into Mordor, or sailing into the Gray Havens? Gain insights into why you should adopt DITA 2.0, and some of the pitfalls to watch out for! This presentation covers content model analysis, DITA constraints, tool integration, and migration approaches. DITA implementers will be able to apply these techniques toward their own implementations.
2022
ConVEx 2022 Tempe > Lessons from the Git Trenches
Abstract:
One of the most prevalent methods for managing technical content today is using Git. Your content management and repository strategy and initial setup can have lasting impacts. Come listen to our “war stories” from the git trenches and learn how we transitioned our content management approach to better scale with over 80k topics!
ConVEx 2022 Tempe > Refactoring DITA Links at Scale
Abstract:
How do you refactor over 80k topics with a fragile link infrastructure? What are the impacts of major changes to authoring, training, and publishing? With more topics added daily, with our “keyification” strategy, we tame the content beast and cancel the apocalypse. Learn how to approach link migrations and understand the benefit of keys in DITA content.
2023
ConVEx 2023 Baltimore > Project Mirabel: Xquery DITA Information System
Abstract:
Project Mirabel is an XQuery-based DITA information system that provides comprehensive information about DITA content managed in multiple git branches along with validation information and history. Mirabel provides a “where used” index over all the DITA content. This presentation describes the Mirabel system and how we came to build it.
ConVEx 2023 Baltimore > Realize your Schematron Impact with Xquery
Abstract:
Have you ever created a clever rule with the Editorial team, only to find out too late that it’s flagging half of the entire documentation corpus? Conversely, have you created a rule that is so specific that it never gets triggered? Learn how to analyze the impact of your rules using XQuery and BaseX.
ConVEx 2023 Baltimore > Scaling the Everest of Link Refactoring
Abstract:
What are the impacts of “keyification” to authoring, training, and publishing? How do you automate a massive refactor involving over 100k topics and minimize manual rework? Learn how our team scaled an “Everest” of link refactoring as we implemented keys to meet business and customer needs.
2024
ConVEx 2024 Minneapolis > Using AI to Accelerate Authoring
Abstract:
SyncroSoft added the AI Positron plugin to the oXygen XML Author tools, but should you use it? Can you use it? What kind of impact will it have on authors? Will authors lose their job?. This presentation discusses the corporate hurdles for using this plugin, and the resulting impacts to our Product Content organization.
Benefit:
Understand how using AI as part of your authoring process can impact your organization. Learn about the IP and security risks, adoption and training requirements, and technical infrastructure needed to use AI Positron. Get a glimpse of our benchmarking, satisfaction measurement, and productivity impacts as a result of implementing this plugin.
2025
DITA Europe / ConVEx 2025 > Office to DITA: Transforming Content for Reuse and Multichannel Publishing
Abstract:
Is your organization struggling with departments siloed in creating customer-facing content in MS Office? How do you enforce consistency in style, grammar, and structure to provide a unified customer experience? How do you keep pace with rapid product updates, ensuring your documents reflect the latest information? And more importantly, how can you easily adapt that content for multichannel publishing, localization, and accessibility?
In this session, we’ll explore a transformative solution: using AI-driven conversion tools to migrate MS Office content to DITA. This conversion is more than just moving files—it's a leap toward content reuse, faster updates, and a seamless publishing experience across formats and languages.
Attendees will learn how AI-powered transforms streamline this process, ensuring that your content is not only structured for efficiency but also positioned to scale effortlessly across regions, devices, and platforms.
This presentation will equip you with a clear roadmap to modernize your documentation workflows, making your content ready for the future of technical communication.
Benefit:
Key Takeaways:
• Improved Efficiency: Automate time-consuming tasks and reduce manual rework with smart transformations.
• Cost Savings: Cut down on translation, localization, and maintenance costs through reusable content.
• Content Agility: Easily update content with every product release without starting from scratch.
• Multichannel Publishing: Enable your content to flow into multiple outputs—web, mobile, print—with ease.
• Accessibility and Localization: Ensure compliance with accessibility standards and expand global reach with localized content at scale.
The Wizard of Docs: Finding the Magic Behind Taxonomy-Driven Documentation
Abstract:
ServiceNow maintains a corporate taxonomy for its products, which was only weakly reflected in the product documentation. As part of a larger corporate information customer satisfaction improvement initiative, Product Content implemented a process to classify the ServiceNow Platform product documentation using the taxonomy. This process involved both automatic and authored classification, including the use of SubjectScheme maps to drive both authoring and delivery of content on servicenow.com/docs. This paper presents the implementation decisions we made, describes how our classification processes works, and outlines the governance and maintenance processes for managing the classifications as the taxonomy and content evolves.
2026
DITA Europe > Taxonomy For Good: Revisiting Oz With Taxonomy-Driven Documentation
Abstract:
As part of a larger corporate information customer satisfaction improvement initiative, Digital Content Delivery at ServiceNow implemented a process to classify the ServiceNow Platform product documentation using a product taxonomy. In the process of using SubjectScheme maps to drive both authoring and delivery of content on servicenow.com/docs, we gained several insights and modified our approach. This paper revisits the implementation decisions we made, describes how our classification processes work now, and shares our approach as we expand the use of classification using taxonomies.
DITA Europe > Building a Content Transmogrifier: Turning Reviews into Something Better
Abstract:
Calvin and Hobbes showed us the power of imagination with the Transmogrifier — a cardboard box that could transform anything into something new. In our organization, we needed the same kind of transformation for our content review process.
Traditional reviews were slow, fragmented, and hard to track across teams. To fix this, we built our own “Content Transmogrifier” using Git Pages, Jenkins automation, and oXygen Web Author. Together, these tools reshaped reviews from a frustrating chore into a transparent, collaborative workflow.
In this session, we’ll walk through how we:
• Automated publishing to eliminate manual overhead and errors
• Enabled real-time collaboration with in-browser editing
• Improved adoption by lowering the barrier for reviewers across groups
Attendees will leave with practical steps for building their own “Content Transmogrifier” — and a fresh perspective on how imagination, combined with the right tools, can turn reviews into something better.
