Insights From a DITA Technical Writing Professional

Welcome to the “Content Hall of Fame” series! Acrolinx interviewed technical content professional Michael Iantosca, to learn from his 40 years of experience in the content industry.

Below are some of the key topics discussed in this interview:

Understanding DITA technical writing

DITA was originally developed within the technical publications department at IBM. Michael played a major role here, as he convinced his immediate manager to form the workgroup which finally developed DITA. In the interview, he not only addresses the foundation of DITA, but also addresses the importance of modular content for the corporate content supply chain.

What are the goals of product and technical content?

When asked about the goals of product and technical content, Michael discusses the time-to-value proposition for customers. He highlights the importance of proactive, assistive customer-facing technical content.

Intelligent content is the future of digital content delivery

Intelligent content, described as “modular, structured, and reusable,” is ideal for machine processing due to its structured nature. Michael believes this makes it the future of digital content delivery.

If you work with content in any way, you’re bound to find Mike’s words and perspectives inspiring.