Confluence, Tech Comm, Chocolate

Cover of Confluence, Tech Comm, Chocolate
Confluence, Tech Comm, Chocolate: A wiki as platform extraordinaire for technical communication
by Sarah Maddox.

Out of print – August, 2014

We’re sorry to announce that this book is now out of print. The current version of Confluence has enough differences from the versions covered by this book that, while the book still serves as a solid introduction to Confluence, it is no longer up to date with the latest software.

However, we do get periodic requests for copies of the ebook. Therefore, Sarah has asked that we take the book out of print and make the ebook versions available as a free download.

Free Download

CAVEAT: This book is out of date with respect to the latest versions of Confluence wiki, and it does not necessarily reflect Atlassian’s direction for Confluence. We are making it available with no warranty expressed or implied.

You can freely download the ebook version of the book from any of the links below:

Original Description

Web and Tech Comm guru Sarah Maddox takes you inside the Confluence wiki for an in-depth guide to developing and publishing technical documentation on a wiki. She looks at life on a wiki from a technical writer’s point of view and from a reader’s point of view. Confluence, Tech Comm, Chocolate shows you how to make your wiki fly.

While it focuses on Confluence, the concepts and strategies can be used with any wiki. The basic message is that technical documentation becomes true communication when you add the social and collaborative tools that a wiki provides.

And, there’s chocolate.

Who is the girl on the cover?

Her name is Ganache, and she is the hero of the book. She is a technical communicator extraordinaire. When you read the book, you will follow Ganache as she sets up a Confluence wiki and adds a technical documentation space. Learn from her expertise with the wiki editor and macros. Share her adventures in agile development and search engine optimization. Grow wings, as Ganache does, and make your wiki documentation fly. Discover why Ganache says we need a “kiss my wiki” attitude.

Inside the Book

  1. Introduction
    1. Welcome to this Book
    2. Introducing the Wiki
    3. Getting to Know Confluence Wiki
  2. Developing Technical Documentation on a Wiki
    1. Planning Your Wiki Documentation
    2. Getting Started on the Wiki
    3. Developing Content
    4. Structure and Style
    5. Content Reuse and Templates
    6. Findability and Searchability
    7. Workflow and Release Management
    8. Exporting and Importing Content
    9. Building Online Help
  3. Life on a Wiki
    1. A Day in the Life
    2. What’s Happening on the Wiki
    3. Wiki Best Practices and FAQ
    4. Going Agile
  4. Giving Your Wiki Wings
    1. Engaging Your Readers
    2. Gathering Feedback on the Documentation
    3. Updates by Everyone
    4. Pages that Walk and Talk
    5. Twitter, Wiki, and Games
    6. Doc Sprints
    7. Driving Wiki Development
  5. So Long and See You on the Wiki
  6. Glossary
  7. Index

What are They Saying?

“Wiki wants you to work with others to incrementally write what will be incrementally read. Sarah wants you to approach this task with powerful tools and the confidence to wield them well. I want language and thought to find a happy home on the computer and look forward to our continuing progress together. And, of course, we all want chocolate.”
— Ward Cunningham, inventor of the wiki

“… an absolute pleasure to read from beginning to end.”
— Patty Blount, Full Review

“I would highly recommend Sarah’s new book to anyone currently using, planning to use, or simply interested in learning more about what a Wiki is, and how to use it as a platform to facilitate the type of writing you’re involved with.”
— Randall Ward, Full Review with wine and chocolate pairings

“…there’s a lot of “meat” in this book.”
“If you’re interested in collaborative authoring, wikis, Confluence, chocolate, working in an Agile environment or where technical documentation is going, then it’s worth getting this book.”
— Ellis Pratt, Full Review at Cherryleaf.com

“Sarah’s book provides fresh industry perspectives for healthy documentation strategy freedom, and vital keys to her craft.”
“I consider Sarah Maddox to be one of the most brilliant and daring documentation professionals out there!”
— Ellen Feaheny, Full Review at appfusions.com

Book Extras

About Sarah Maddox

Sarah Maddox is a technical writer of 15+ years’ standing. She currently works at Google, documenting the Google Maps APIs. During her 6 years at Atlassian, Sarah got to know and love Confluence wiki as a documentation platform. The book Confluence, Tech Comm, Chocolate arose out of that experience, as a way of sharing the know-how Sarah gained about wikis, social media, and the ways they can interact with, and provide a platform for, documentation.